Mike Huddleston (Letters, June 24) justifies eliminating estate taxes on the basis of avoiding double taxation. This is not justifiable.

Many estates consist largely of undeclared capital gains which have not been taxed. Estate tax policy should encourage industry, inventiveness and philanthropy and discourage greed and corruption.

Les Lane, Lincoln

A lower class of citizen?

Having just read the articles online in the Journal Star, I was amazed to read about the mayor feeling the citizens of Lincoln are a lower-class citizen than the rest of the state (“Domestic violence groups back concealed weapons ban,” June 23). She believes that we’re far more likely than the people in other parts of Nebraska to commit crimes with our weapons. 

Did she ever stop to think that drive-by shootings are not legal and are usually committed by people who can’t own weapons anyway? Maybe we should ban those in Lincoln. Oh, wait — I think they are banned statewide! 

I’m just curious to see which City Council members will vote against her proposal. I hope they remember that by limiting people’s rights given by the Legislature, they may be limiting the time we as constituents give them in office. 

Oh, by the way, maybe the city can collect more sales tax on new gun sales since we’ve taxed the home-building business in this city into other parts of the county.

Sam Greenfield, Lincoln

Recognize all marriages

It is time to state the obvious.  Those who would save marriage by limiting it to the union of one man and one woman simply are not willing to do the hard work necessary to improve the institution. To anyone who says that legalizing gay marriage would bring official recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons, I say that it’s way past time. 

Gays and lesbians have been denied their full humanity far too long. As for the assertion that marriage sanctions a particular philosophy, I can only ask if we examine the beliefs of different sex pairs who apply for a license. (And of course, this charge assumes that  all GLBT individuals share a single view.) So why should we ask or expect marriage vows to bless the outlook of all persons who happen to be LGB or T? 

The further charge that the fruit of gay unions is rotten flies in the face of the facts. Extensive research presented this spring at a University of Nebraska-Lincoln-sponsored  international seminar  shows that children born to LGB parents suffer no disadvantage in comparison to children of heterosexual parents.

So just what threat does LGBT marriage pose to matches between straight partners? Not nearly so great a threat as we heterosexuals can bring to the sacred institution. Rather than debate the question of greatest danger to the sanctity of marriage, those of all shades of belief can unite in helping each couple work toward making their unique marriage all it can be. 

Vernon Williams, Lincoln

On tree removals by LES

I am a resident of Barrington Park and would like to take exception to two statements made by Lincoln Electric System to the media (“Residents want LES to pay for trees,” June 17). LES planned a meeting with the Barrington Park people for discussion of the removal of trees and then canceled it. They wanted to have personal contact with the residents, which is commendable.

The personal contact consisted of two men coming to the doors of the residents (most of the people work and others were off on personal errands), leaving the material in the doors for us to look at and examine.

The other personal contact (delivered in the same manner) was the concession of LES to shorten the distance from the center line from 35 feet to 20 feet. This was not a concession as all of the trees are in the 20 feet from the center line. It took two men two times to deliver letters to those who were at work or not at home, and again left them in the doors, when they could have been mailed for 39 cents.

Donna Berkland, Lincoln