Letters to the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

South Pahrump resident wants dust abatement enforcement

I live on the southeast side of town in Autumnwood. Most every day, except possibly the weekend, there is a terrible cloud of dust over the southeast valley area near the racetrack and Highway 160.

Depending on the direction of the wind, it will determine if it’s going toward Autumnwood or toward Mountain Falls.

I guess the leaders of our community don’t come down this way in the early mornings to see this. I guess the state of Nevada also doesn’t enforce dust abatement either. And I can’t believe this is a good situation for the racetrack either.

I know that if I had to go there and breath the air when this is going on I would probably have to wear a respirator. Anyone that drives down there in the early mornings can see where it’s coming from: the big gravel pit.

John Bromley

Reader disappointed in response of sheriff’s office

I have lived in Pahrump for 17 years and the first time I needed the town police, they let me down.

On Friday, Oct. 20, my wife and I (in our 80’s) left home to run some errands and when we came home we found that someone had broken into our house. We discovered some of our family keepsakes, among other things had been disturbed and stolen.

I called 911 at 1:30 in the afternoon and was told that someone would be right over. At 5:00 p.m., I called 911 back and told them that I still had not seen a police officer. They told me they would send someone right over again and at 8:30 p.m. that evening, someone finally showed up.

We walked through the property and I listed off all of the things that were missing, including my gun, knives, pain medicine and money. This person also ransacked the refrigerator and pantry and himself or herself to lunch in our house. Despite overwhelming physical evidence, missing weapons and narcotics, the officer responded to another call and left our house with promises to return the next day. He handed me a piece of paper to fil out and told me he would be back to collect it. It is now the 24th (four days later) and we have yet to see him.

I am wondering how someone who is supposed to protect us can get away with something like this? I’m not sure that writing this letter will help or change things, but I do hope the responding officer that failed to follow through, or his colleagues may see this letter and come to follow up, if for no other reason than there is an armed and dangerous felon on the loose.

The citizens, especially the senior citizens of our community, deserve to feel safe and protected. What are we paying the Pahrump police department for? They aren’t doing their job.

Don Crouch

Another lesson on maneuvering the roundabouts

OK, I’m sure you have heard enough about the roundabouts in the past. Before and while they were being installed, there was much negativity about them. Many citizens were opposed and some were in favor of them. I’m writing now that they are installed. We need to deal with them, they are not going to go away! I get very frustrated with drivers who don’t understand how to use them.

First of all, when approaching a roundabout, there are blinking lights letting you know there is a roundabout ahead and the speed limit is 20 mph. The next sign is letting you know that you need to yield, which means “to give way” – it does not mean STOP. Don’t get me wrong, if a vehicle is coming around the circle and it is unsafe to enter the circle, then stop. Remember, vehicles in the circle have the right of way! But if you are approaching the circle, look to see if it is safe to enter and proceed with caution. I believe 20 mph in the circle is too fast and should be dropped to 15 mph for a safer drive. Most people are confused how to drive in a roundabout and the 20 mph is too fast when confused.

Second, everything goes to the right in a roundabout. I have seen some drivers stop, wanting to make a left turn against the flow of traffic. This is not a smart move. You must proceed around the circle and get out safely when the street you want comes in view. If you are unable to get out of the circle for any reason, go around the circle again and get out at that time.

Planning and understanding before you leave your home is the best way to avoid most problems that could occur during your trip. If you want to know more about how to maneuver a roundabout, the DMV has a handout just for roundabouts and as of yet costs nothing to get one.

Happy motoring and be SAFE, remember you don’t own the road, you share the road.

Gene Hobson

Corruption easier to justify for government and governed

Reading Mr. Jim Ferrell’s letter in the PVT Oct. 20, sparked some basic truths I do believe. That our founders thought about, argued about, and came to certain conclusions about theories of government, the governed and most important, human nature, with all its pitfalls.

Mr. Ferrell, blame both parties, I believe it goes deeper and blame “we the people” with a general naivety in the belief of the proverbial “free lunch.” So many promise it, whether honestly or cynically with a no or small price tag, which others will usually pay.

Mr. Ferrell is right promoting feeding the hungry at a local level, but why stop there? The founders’ understanding of human nature put barriers on government through three equal branches and the Bill of Rights. For over 100 years these barriers have been slowly and methodically chipped away.

For example, I well remember LBJ’s “war on poverty” and the passed legislation which after over 50 years and trillions of dollars, changed the percentages of poverty levels, but it certainly has shifted individual personal responsibility to the government with an exponentially climbing rate, with the approximately 50 percent of the people who do pay federal taxes picking up the tab.

When I was growing up in the 50s, taking welfare had a level of shame to it, even in hard times. I well remember a man in the neighborhood dying, leaving a wife and three young children. The entire community, including the church, raised money, food, and clothing, with help for years, which she, in turn, helped others later.

Today, many (with justification) feel, “let the government take care of it, I pay enough in taxes,“ All this adds other elements into the equation of having a massive centralized government controlling all these areas, corruption is much easier for human nature to justify for both the government and the governed because there is no real association with real people on either side.

We may have traveled down the road for too long now to ever hold our centralized government to its “enumerated” powers!

David Jaronik