Letters to editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Reagan Dinner raffle prize baffles letter writer

With the reluctance and objections the Republican Party has to universal background checks on firearms sales and its refusal to renew the ban on sales of assault-type firearms, does it surprise anyone at all, that the Nye County Republicans’ recent Reagan Dinner raffled off an AR-15 rifle?

The National Rifle Association must be smiling!

Erwin Franke

Not all Democrats are ‘crazy socialists’

I am certainly glad Mr. Epstein and I are on the same page. He states that all Democrats are not “crazy socialists,” and I agreed. I am a registered Democrat but I am a JFK Democrat, the last one I voted for. I am not a “crazy socialist”. I believe in the ideals that the founding fathers put forth that were definitely not socialistic.

But I think that all “crazy socialists” are Democrats, AOC and the squad, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and on and on. I realize Bernie is not a Democrat but he is definitely not a Republican. He is just out there by himself and I have no idea why anyone gives him credit for anything. These people are out to destroy this country. They are offering a lot free crap that they have no idea how to pay for.

We currently have a president who is trying to change D.C. but all the above-mentioned folks are pulling in the opposite direction. He is willing to work for nothing and all they and the fake news can do is criticize him.

Stacy L. Riney

Vehicle mileage fee generates more comment

Alexsander “Sasha” Jevtich wants Tim Burke and not-my-assemblyman Hafen to come up with solutions rather than criticisms on how to extract the right amount of silver from electric vehicle drivers who share the road with those who drive the venerable internal combustion engine-powered vehicles.

Not a daunting task – simply charge a much higher registration fee for electric vehicles and voila! Problem solved. How’s that, Sasha?

Unfortunately, simplicity and expediency is not the preferred method for liberals (and RINOs, which describe the majority of Nevada’s Republicans) who never saw a tax they didn’t like. If anyone is really interested in what the funding mechanism will be like after the 2021 legislative session, refer to Assembly Bill 401, which can be easily be found on the Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau’s website. It proves that ALL drivers, regardless of how their ride is powered, will pay a mileage fee upon registration of your vehicle. If you are unfortunate enough to be driving the good old internal combustion engine-powered vehicle, you will still be charged the state and federal taxes for each gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel you pump into your tank.

In October 2021, when your vehicle registration fees increase, remember where you first found out about this.

David Perlman

Trio of commentary subjects addressed by reader

The Voices page in the October 23 PVT was, as it frequently is, filled with commentary that stimulates thought — and response.

Stroke One: That NDOT will very soon require odometer numbers when we re-register our vehicles, comes as a double-edged sword. At first blush, facts and specifics about vehicles operating on state roadways for planning purposes, seems reasonable. But as some have surmised, the information to be gathered will likely impact future costs for individual drivers in a substantial way. As circumstances change (increasing use of electric vs. fossil fuels) it is necessary for the state to find ways of enhancing revenues dedicated to highway maintenance. In some eastern states toll roads have been a major source of funding for decades.

For U.S. routes and interstates, that might be at least part of a solution for Nevada, and would, of course, include all motoring tourists, whether they drive an electric-powered vehicle or not.

Stroke Two. Letters from those who praise President Trump for all the wonderful things he has accomplished thus far often lead me to wonder. Maybe I’ve missed it but I’ve yet to see anyone describe specifically what the Trump administration has produced for America, beyond chaos and controversy.

One thing that caught me by surprise was a change in the tax code. For several years I itemized when preparing my return, with the result that I consistently got a refund. For me, 2018 was a kick in the you-know-what. Although my situation remained unchanged for several years, rather than the expected refund, IRS told me I must pay hundreds more! Okay. Enough whining. Still, I’m hung up on a line from the movie, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”: “Don’t —— down my back and tell me it’s raining.”

Stroke Three. Although I frequently find myself in disagreement with the positions taken by the current generation of Republican leaders, I am a registered Republican, and have been for many years. The single credo that has always resonated with me, is that Republicans traditionally advocate for the smallest government we can possibly have. That may not be as true today as it once was but it remains a defining principle. Even so, I often ponder about the purpose or purposes of government. To represent and defend the homeland are, and always will be key. Another obvious purpose is to give national identity to its people. Is that —— and the most bloated bureaucracy in the world, the end all be all? I think not. Perhaps there are extremes that cannot be reached, yet I have to believe that government has the responsibility, the duty, to provide reasonable and well-managed aid and assistance to its less fortunate citizens. Improving health care is among those singular issues that demand the very best from government at every level.

Ralph Bazan