Sat, Jan 12, 2008 (2 a.m.)

All the candidates are talking about changing the power structure in Washington, D.C., which includes big corporations/lobbyists and the “old boy network.”

However, none of them has a realistic solution. Here is one, and it is simple: Bring our elected representatives back to the states they represent!

There are only 100 senators and 435 members of the House. Setting up and operating 535 communication centers would be much less expensive than sequestering representatives in Washington, where they have little contact with their constituents and the only input they receive is from lobbyists.

The advances in electronic communications have made it logical to disband Washington and set up communication centers in each state. This would open up representation to better candidates many won’t run because they love their state and don’t want to move to Washington.

It would make legislation more efficient and save millions in taxpayer dollars. All subcommittee meetings could be monitored/attended simultaneously and representatives could also vote on the floor at the same time.

Representatives working out of a communication center in their home states would reduce the influence of lobbyists and increase constituent input because of daily contact from local residents. It would be more difficult for secret deals to be made.

The representatives would, again, be in touch with people who struggle to pay taxes and meet daily expenses. Also, the feeling of self-importance that “Potomac Fever” imparts would hopefully disappear.

Vince Gigandet, Henderson

Nevada Alliance is in good company

As chairman of the Nevada Alliance for Defense, Energy and Business, I recognize the futility of arguing about Jeff German’s Wednesday story (“Las Vegas quits group that backs a nuclear Yucca”) or the Las Vegas Sun’s Thursday editorial (“Yucca tie rightly cut”) regarding Las Vegas’ decision to not renew its long-time membership in our nonprofit corporation.

I would like to say for the record, one more time, that the Nevada Alliance is an organization that promotes business in Southern Nevada, something it has successfully done for more than 15 years. Just as the Nevada Development Authority and the chambers of commerce across the Las Vegas Valley do, the Alliance has many members, and those many members have different positions on different subjects. As a matter of policy, the Nevada Alliance does not promote the Yucca Mountain project; rather the Nevada Alliance provides a forum for dialogue.

At the most recent meetings of the Nevada Alliance, among the speakers were Dr. Hatice Gecol, the governor’s science and energy adviser; Solargenix, builder of the solar array in Boulder City; Pat Mulroy, talking about the water situation in Southern Nevada; and Maureen Peckman, talking about homeland security matters in Southern Nevada.

Were it not for the fact that I have known Bob Loux, the executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects, for many years, I would be offended by being called a “rogue,” but if you look at our speakers, I’m in pretty good company.

Troy E. Wade, Las Vegas