Dear Editor:

I have read recent opinions in the Tribune that incorrectly call out Congressman Tom McClintock for not supporting partisan legislation pertaining to the clarity of Lake Tahoe. The truth is that McClintock is working tirelessly in a bipartisan manner to preserve our freedoms from the attacks of an overreaching government.

Beginning locally, McClintock will continue to work fervently to ensure that hardworking families can afford to live and work in South Lake Tahoe. He is doing this by completely opposing the One Tahoe Initiative. This plan designed and perpetuated by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Tahoe Transportation District and other agencies, would ensure that local residents and tourists alike would pay more taxes for driving around the lake that ensures their livelihood and continued prosperity.

The most blatant example of this tribute tax would be the imposition of toll roads around Lake Tahoe. Local residents would be forced to pay to drive around their own hometown.

On a state and federal level, McClintock is committed to responsible forestry management. Proper forest management is critical in reducing the crippling homeowners insurance premiums that many El Dorado County residents pay since experiencing the devastating Angora and King fires. This is not right and needs to change if the middle class is going to gain a successful foothold in the basin. Also, responsible forestry management would significantly reduce environmental damage and improve lake clarity.

Pertaining to taxes, McClintock has one of the best voting records in the House. In May, he was recognized by the National Taxpayers Union for having one of the strongest voting records in Washington, D.C. for supporting limited government, economic freedom, and low taxes.

If we as Americans are going to secure the liberties and freedoms of our local community and this nation, we need to put partisanship aside and embrace ideas that will actually get positive things done.

Todd White, Pollock Pines

Appreciate informative, well-edited detail on article about snow plants

My nephew and his wife live in the Tahoe area, and when he found and photographed some “Sarcodes sanguinea” (Snow plant) emerging, and tracked down its identity, he shared the article that the Tahoe Daily Tribune published. I just wanted to pass along my appreciation for Sarah Hockensmith’s writing (Tahoe Institute for Natural Science). I studied quite a bit of botany in my undergrad days in the 1970s, and taught a little, and I appreciated the informative and well-edited detail, including all the latin names properly rendered. (“Snow plant” is a rather pathetic common name for that glorious species, isn’t it?)

I hadn’t encountered “mycoheterotrophic” previously, and appreciated that addition to my vocabulary.

Tom von Alten, Boise, ID