Letters to editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Local animal shelter is inadequate, outdated

Our population is rising again. Estimates are around 40,000 residents. I am reaching out to responsible animal owners, animal lovers as well as people who don’t like animals.

A new animal welfare center would help all of us residents. Remember the animals roaming and causing problems will decrease with a decent animal shelter owned by the county and run by animal welfare professionals.

From what I have read, the outdated small shelter was built thanks to a resident many, many years ago. It consists of one building with 31 runs. These runs are not up to standard. No isolation rooms, one small room for cats.

Why are our pets not considered worthy of decent conditions? Simply because it is not budgeted? State law requires animal control but not a shelter to put them in.

The county used to spend $260,000 per year for them to run the existing shelter. A bid went out and was awarded to an animal welfare group for $225,000. County had two and a half paid workers, a private group employed eight. Tiring but rewarding. Our Pahrump animals got noticed, adopted, pampered etc. Adoption rates were great, euthanasia went down. However, most of the county officials still would not build a new shelter. So when you get 30 to 60 animals all at one time it is a fruitless, impossible task. Donna Cox and Frank Carbone saw the need and agreed but were lost in the shuffle of “meetings,” “committees,” etc. Most never happened.

To all our new residents, welcome. We hope you are part of the solution. Speak to your district county official so we can get this done. Time is running out. Let’s start the New Year right. We will all celebrate.

Susan Cronin

Local organization provides beds for kids in need

I recently was asked to speak at our local Rotary Club and I am impressed with the quality of leaders we have here in our town.

One of the things that was brought up at the meeting was a committee has been formed made up of our service organizations and the business community as well. They are conducting a survey to come up with a project that we could collectively do that would directly benefit the citizens of our town, at least that is my understanding.

I know we all have our pet projects and I have mine as well. This project will help the most vulnerable of our citizens, our kids. I am the chapter president of Sleep in Heavenly Peace and we build and deliver twin-size bunk beds to children between 3 and 17 years old that are not in their own bed for whatever reason. Go to shpbeds.org and it will give you some info about it.

I have been working on this project here in Pahrump for a few months now and we are getting things going. We need volunteers and donations to make this happen and if the town adopted this we could get a lot of kiddos off the floor and into their own beds. Better sleep and rest equals better grades equals better job equals better life.

If you are in a service organization or have a business, please give this some important consideration and pass it on to a friend or boss or spouse.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Gary Bennett, Chapter President

Sleep in Heavenly Peace Pahrump

A simple solution to the border crisis

I am writing in response to an editorial in the January 16th edition of the Pahrump Valley Times written by Thomas L. Knapp concerning the shutdown and who’s to blame. .Mr. Knapp goes into great detail explaining why the Republicans have to vote the way they do and why the Democrats have to vote the way they do. I am writing to suggest that there is another way to approach the problem other than from a partisan viewpoint. I am registered as a “non-partisan.” There is little that I can agree upon in the positions of both parties..I vote for the one who best represents the positions I hold to. Party politics is crippling our country.

Instead of viewing everything from a partisan perspective, and putting everything in a political frame, why not deal with these issues with the idea that we must do what is best for our nation. From that very frame of reference it would take politics out of the decision and put our nation first. And it wouldn’t matter who got the credit for it..When I vote to send someone to represent me in D.C., I do not do it with the thought that they are going there to represent their party first, but that they are there to represent me and our nation first. And, oh, by the way, I am not against legal immigration. From this point of view here are some suggestions:

It is a national security issue..It is imperative that we keep our borders safe and protect the citizens of this great nation. And I surely want those living along the border to be safe and protected. To suggest that it is not a security issue is the height of ignorance and progressive group-think and not based in fact or reality.

It is a matter of law. When we allow criminals and MS-13 gang members into our country just because they have found some loophole in the system and/or are unvetted, then our representatives bear the responsibility. That is their obligation to make laws that keep us safe. (Unfortunately some of them even coach illegals how to come in and beat the system). If we don’t have and enforce our laws, soon we will not have a nation.

Our country should be open to only those who qualify and enter legally. Legal immigration is what has made this nation great and brought us to where we are. If we do not succeed in closing our borders to illegal immigrants we will be experiencing the same consequences that France, Germany and England and other countries in the EU are now facing, with rioting, vandalism and lawlessness rampant in the streets. The people will only take so much and when they see their elected officials not looking out for them they will revolt. (It is not a matter of lawlessness so much as it is a matter of self-preservation.)

We must seal the border from illegal drugs. The cost to our nation through the consequences of drug abuse is staggering. Those who would sell us on the idea of legalization of drugs do not tell us the cost to our society. They tell you that we can tax it and it would be a great source of income for our states, counties and cities. What they don’t tell you is that the cost for the treatment to the individual, the family, marriages and our communities and society far surpasses any benefit from tax revenue. Look at the reports from states that have legalized marijuana. Just the consequences on the highways are astounding. DUIs have risen exponentially, and accidents have increased at an alarming rate. Driving under the influence of drugs is just as dangerous as under alcohol, and probably more so because they have this sense of invincibility.

It is also imperative to close our borders to sex-trafficking..The cartels were making most of their money on the drug trade, but since many of our states have legalized marijuana, and the profit is not there, they cannot compete with the low cost to the consumer here in the U.S., they have switched to harder drugs and now the product of choice is selling children, both boys and girls, in the sex trafficking business. Adults will kidnap children or pay someone for their child to take them across the border and sell them. They pass them off as their own children to get them through the border and into the country. It is then that their life of hell begins. Precious children who should be loved and protected are subject to inconceivable abuse and torment and end up broken and kept from realizing a life of love and fulfillment.

We must close our borders to criminals and terrorists. Criminals and terrorists have pretty much an open door into our country. They come in undocumented, unvetted and without any identification and ask for political asylum. They are coached on what to say and what not to say, what to bring and what not to bring. They are instructed to say they are fleeing from political oppression and if they would return their lives would be in jeopardy. If we do not close this loophole we will not only continue to have illegals committing crime here, but terrorists carrying out terror attacks within our borders. The open borders advocates are playing into the hands of the criminals and terrorists. That is a price that is not acceptable for America.

I realize that these suggestions are things that most people would agree with. So, since these things are a no-brainer, maybe our politicians can quit playing politics and put our country first. Let’s take care of the crisis on the border and do what it takes to make sure our borders are secure. This is not a political issue but one that deals with national security and morality.

J. Paul Taylor

One answer to the extreme weather patterns

There is so much confusion surrounding our weather, both locally and worldwide. It’s less confusing once you research the scientific and military applications for the increasing extremes we witness each season.

In the 1950’s, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson is recorded on video stating the chilling sentence, “And he who controls the weather, controls the WORLD.” His emotional rendering indicates the continuing efforts to use our planetary resources for human goals. It is called “geoengineering.” Learning the technologies can explain our droughts, freezes, and natural disasters that are beyond past geological recorded normal ranges.

Locally, geoengineering efforts are seen in the “persistent contrails” that form white lines that never dissipate, but linger and spread. A promising sunny, blue sky day within hours becomes a hazy, diffuse mess of cloud-like formations. They have stolen our natural weather.

Of course there are many factors that contribute to the poisoning of the air we breathe. But the ramping up of climate mitigation strategies, such as aerosol particulate injection, adds a dangerous level of pollution that falls onto our land, lungs, rivers and the web of life.

My heart breaks for the generations that have never known a truly blue sky, or fluffy white clouds that were once our heritage. It appears that our atmosphere is gigantic and never-ending. But a Harvard scientist reminds us that our entire atmospheric realm can be compared to the thickness of gold foil on a basketball. Like a goldfish in a bowl that no one cleans, we are running out of time and fresh air.

Patty Vinikow

Politicians not thinking about America’s good

Many in the House and Senate need to realize this is about America, not about them and their morally corrupt political parties. They are paid high wages to work for America in a fair, sensible, and godly way.

That is not what we are getting for our money now!

The safety of America should be the most important thing to our legislators.

Is there any common sense left in city mayors and state governors? What has happened to the education systems across America that turn out such irresponsible leaders?

These leaders cannot take care of their own, yet most offer sanctuary to illegals, even if they are known criminals. By doing so, they are encouraging the world to migrate to America, against our immigration laws.

Anyone who encourages others to break our laws is, or should be, considered a criminal themselves.

Those who claim it is immoral to use barriers to stop illegals from entering our country happen to be the most immoral people around.

The most recent example is the ungodly state of New York, which passed a new bill, and their proud governor signed into law, allowing that state to legally murder babies “up to the due date.” Unless they repent and turn back to God, America will get sicker than that!

The guilt rests on unbelievers, and on believers too. On believers, because we failed to stand on God’s Word.

That Word of God tells us that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Yet we remained silent!

A murderous heart requires repentance, or Hell will be the judgment. Saying the wall or barrier is immoral does not cancel the horrible immoralities you support.

Manuel Ybarra, Jr. Coalgate, OK

Our country not ready for socialist society

I believe that the new “Democratic Socialist” members of the U.S. Congress have their hearts in the right place, but not their heads. Like them, I too believe that our federal government should do more and spend more to help make the lives of our citizens better just like our traditional allies do.

However, there has never been a truly “socialist” economy in the history of the world which was ever able to produce enough wealth to meet the survival needs of its citizens. It has never worked. So, it is foolish to call yourself a socialist. You are just giving conservatives a new insult and put-down to call you.

A lot has been said about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal to tax the income of those earning over $10 million a year by 70 percent. The problem with this is that we need to start taxing wealth because that’s where we can get enough revenue to pass a Canadian-style national health insurance program to cover and greatly help 99 percent of Americans (except for the richest 1 percent). Her income tax won’t raise anywhere close to what a “National Wealth Tax” on all those individuals with a net wealth and net worth of $10 million and higher would raise.

It is possible that we might have a much more equal and a truly “socialist” society one day, but that day is at least 1,000-2,000 years away. We will all have to evolve and transform spiritually, emotionally, and mentally into much more loving, caring, empathetic, compassionate, and altruistic human beings before we are ready for that. Right now, we are simply too individualistic, too selfish, too self-centered, too self-absorbed, too “full of ourselves”, and too much into believing that we are “all that” for it to work.

Because, as the philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin observed, humankind is presently at the spiritual, emotional, and mental level of a 12-year-old child. Sometimes I think that it is more like a 7-year-old child.

And, I include myself in that because every day I fall short of being the kind of human being that I know that I can be and should be. And, I make mistakes every day of my life.

So, I am not judging anyone else here.

Sincerely,

Stewart B. Epstein

Rochester, New York

P.S. I am a retired college professor of Sociology and Social Work. I taught at West Virginia University, Slippery Rock University, and SUNY-Brockport.

Governor may not have Nevada’s interests at heart

Once again I “figuratively” take pen in hand to write, this time about the content of the OpEd page of the January 31 issue.

I find it amusing that Dennis Myers is complaining about the apparent inexperience that he sees in reporting from the state capital, when he say’s “It’s amazing how often reporters get things like this wrong…”

I guess he missed Ben Rhodes’ startling revelation:

“… The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. That’s a sea change. They literally know nothing.”

I’d laugh, but it hurts too much.

Then, we drop down to Victor Joecks:

I must admit that he nails the new governor, and probably is Gob-smacking many of the people who voted for Gov. Sisolak with the revelation that much of what the governor wishes to implement can be seen across our western border in California - though I don’t think he mentions that much of our governor’s program was initiated by Jerry Brown over his split-shift terms as California’s governor.

A few examples:

Public-employee Collective Bargaining: Jerry did that back in either his first or second term;

Same Day Voter Registration: Jerry’s last term - and we see the result in the complete destruction of the GOP in Orange County, and the fact that Los Angeles County has a registration figure of around 106 percent of the eligible adult population;

Raising Taxes: Jerry again, on both sides of this split-shift - refusing to rebate excess taxes back to the voters got him Prop.-13 in ‘78, and his increased fuel taxes in ‘17 are “driving” California into a serious recession - one that he predicted on his way out the door.

So, as a California native who left after 75 years as the state evolved into a third-world ….hole, take my word for it that Gov. Sisolak does not have the best interests of the average Nevadan at heart in his proposals. He just wants to make Nevada another solid blue, two-tier state where the 1 percent prosper, and the middle-class/bourgeoisie leave to search for a life they can afford, leaving behind the lower classes to serve the 1 percent and the political elites.

Sorry, but that’s not what I was looking for when I came to Nevada, and I doubt that many other recent arrivals did either.

I yield back the remainder of my time on the soapbox.

Respectfully,

Drew Kelly, Proprietor

Goldfield Small Arms – Goldfield, Nevada