Letters to the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Planning commission should clean up junk-filled properties

I find your article about the zoning violations at the “Kingdom” business very interesting.

I filed a “request for code compliance service” on Oct. 3, 2016 and still have not seen any improvement in regard to conducting a business of used cars and junk at the property listed in the complaint.

If the planning commission can hold up the start of a business, why can’t they clean up some of these private properties that have turned into junkyards around Pahrump, which would improve the overall look of Pahrump and improve our property values.

Ernie Corduan

Neither political party is blameless

Some of us should be more careful with labels like ‘liberals”. I am a retired business person who happens to have a considerable net worth and a comfortable living. I get no income from government and pay a substantial amount in taxes every year.

In my previous writing, I was upset over the Republicans who had attempted to strip away health coverage for the poor people so that the super-rich could pay less in taxes. I think some interpreted me as saying that the government should supply everything else to the poor. I believe every person should pay for health care when he can afford it, but there should also be a stop-gap for those who cannot afford it. I don’t remember discussing hunger or feeding the homeless.

For the individual who questioned me about donating to the hungry, let me assure him that I donate substantially to a local charity whose main purpose is to feed the hungry.

Hunger should be taken care of on a local level. No centralized government, in my opinion, can access the needs of the hungry people as well as our individual localities.

Again, it is unintellectual to use labels toward a person of any given party designation. In many cases, party membership only means that we like one party more than the opposite one. It doesn’t necessarily mean we like everything the party advocates. If a label has to be used, I would describe myself as a conservative Democrat.

And it is not just the Democrats who waste tax dollars. That is the reason I have stressed that we (all political parties) need to recognize what is wasteful, unfair, and negligent, and then cross party lines and bring about reform. Neither party is all good or bad. Battling among ourselves serves the interests of politicians more than it does us.

Jim Ferrel

U.S. may be confused on where we stand on history

Mr. Thomas Rasmussen’s letter in the PV Times is a study of why we need to know, remember and understand history.

For example, the little guy running North Korea I’ll bet knows the history of leader Gaddafi in Libya, who gave up his nuclear ambitions, thinking it would be best for him and his government’s survival. His reward was we bombed him, supplied weapons to his opposition (many were ISIS). He was caught beaten and shot in the head, while many, especially high-profile politicians here, laughed and applauded, (in reality the clever way they disposed of him.)

Saddam ended up very similarly but did get a trial, fair or not. But we all knew prior to going into Iraq, the sanctions were almost a joke. The UN sanctions under Kofi Annan were in reality minuscule. With Kofi Annan’s son as a go-between – another example of the UN’s effectiveness.

Our previous administration cheered and encouraged the “Arab Spring” almost everywhere in the Middle East with one clear and glaring exception, Iran, where hundreds of thousands took to the streets there and looked to the USA for moral support and got nothing.

I’m very sure Iran is watching North Korea closely to see how much harder to push.

Things like these almost always have long, historical, deep-seated pressures working to make gains on their objectives. There is also enough blame to go around on sending mixed signals on where we stand, aggressor, complacent, cooperative, or just asleep?

David Jaronik