Letters to editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Reform presidential primary process for 2024

Every four years since 1972, Iowa and New Hampshire in tandem have repeatedly been the first two states to vote in the American presidential primary process. Isn’t it time for the other 48 states to take their turns at being one of the first two states to vote?

We should reform the presidential primary process in time for 2024 by instituting a rotational centurial schedule whereby every state will finally have the opportunity to be one of the first two states to vote.

Rotating the states would bring a much needed overdue element of fairness to our primary system by giving each state (no matter how sparsely populated) a period of political relevance. Also, moving Iowa and New Hampshire out of their unwarranted privileged political positions at the front of the line would help make the process more demographically representative of the nation at large.

Here’s an idea of what the first two states’ rotational schedule could look like over the course of the next century.

2024 - Kansas, California

2028 - Vermont, Texas

2032 - Montana, New York

2036 - North Dakota, Florida

2040 - Idaho, Illinois

2044 - Oregon, Ohio

2048 - Arkansas, Pennsylvania

2052 - New Mexico, North Carolina

2056 - Kentucky, Michigan

2060 - Alabama, Arizona

2064 - Oklahoma, Massachusetts

2068 - Wyoming, Missouri

2072 - Connecticut, Wisconsin

2076 - Utah, Georgia

2080 - Hawaii, Washington

2084 - West Virginia, Colorado

2088 - Nebraska, Virginia

2092 - Indiana, New Jersey

2096 - Maine, Tennessee.

2100 - Mississippi, Minnesota

2104 - Delaware, Louisiana.

2108 - South Dakota, Maryland

2112 - Alaska, Nevada

2116 - Rhode Island, South Carolina

2120 - Iowa, New Hampshire

Sincerely,

Jake Pickering

Reader comments on Stone letter, impeachment

Did you not watch the Impeachment investigation hearings? And why are you back talking about Hillary and Obama … that boat already sailed. If they committed crimes then the Republican-held Congress had every right to impeach them. But they didn’t. I understand most of your letter is just sarcasm but there are clearly some misleading and wrong facts and innuendos in it.

Lest you forget, it was the Obama administration that got us back to job growth after Bush made a mess of it. It was Trump who got to ride the coattails of the Obama administration getting us back on the right track and continuing to create jobs. Oh, and why is it that the Trump family is still making all their clothing lines in China? AND, with tariff exemptions!

Trump is wasting our money by building his wall. He claims it’s a national emergency. Check the facts: most of the immigrants from the south are families, not single men. More Mexicans are leaving the country than are coming in. And, more “illegals” are here from overstaying their visas than are coming across the border. So, why isn’t Trump spending the wall money on the illegals overstaying their welcome? Because the wall/Mexicans is a more popular fight for his base. His wall is strictly a political move, not a national emergency, and money ill-spent.

Don’t forget that none of the wall has been built, other than repairs to the old wall (before Trump became president, 654 miles of the U.S. Mexico border had barriers. As of today, that hasn’t increased. His administration has replaced about 60 miles of dilapidated barriers with new fencing per Politifacts - all paid by Mexico. Oh, wait, Mexico stood up to him when the great deal maker failed. So, now he wants us to pay for it.

Tariffs. Let’s make it simple. When a foreign manufacturer makes a washing machine/dryer and sells it for $500 here he makes, say, $200 in profit. When a 50% tariff is added, they just up the price to $750 retail to cover than $250 tariff. Now WE pay $750 for the washer/dryer. He pays the $250 tariff out of the money he gets from us. We pay for the tariffs!!! Plain and simple math. Duh!

Biden and his son have nothing to do with Trump bribing the Ukrainian president. The impeachment hearing shows that Trump withheld money to Ukraine unless they got dirt on the Bidens. That’s the crime he’s being investigated for. And it IS a crime to pay a foreign entity to get involved in our elections, including digging up dirt. Now, if you want to go after Biden then do it. But it’s got nothing to do with Trump breaking the law. That is a totally separate issue that the Republicans like to use to muddy the impeachment process because they know damn well Trump’s guilty and needs a distraction.

As for the slow-moving Democrats, take a look at their record: As of November 15, the House has passed nearly 400 bills. But approximately 325 of them have gone nowhere because McConnell is more interested in seating right-wing judges over passing bills. Again, it’s all political and has nothing to do with what is best for this country. The Democrats are the only ones doing anything; the Republicans are the do-nothing party.

Trump needs to be impeached because he’s more interested in him and his family business and bribing people to his benefit. It has nothing to do with jobs or the economy or the Democrats.

CJ Stevens

What a difference 50 years makes to a veteran

It‘s been 50 years since I was in Vietnam. It seems like yesterday. I remember vividly the demonstrations, and of course, Ohio State. I had just graduated from high school and was eager to serve my country.

I didn’t want to be just another “ground pounder” or clerk in the states so I volunteered to join the elite 101st Airborne Division (Green berets) and went to airborne training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. That wasn’t good enough for me. I then volunteered to be an airborne ranger (“death from above”) and trained at Fort Benning, Georgia.

I remember too, walking through airports where mobs of people would spit on me and scream, “baby-killer.” We were told if we reacted in any way, that we would be court-martialed. Little did these mobs know, that I, alone, could have put them all in the hospital with two fingers.

Fast-forward 50 years. For Veterans Day. I bought a hat that said simply, “U.S. Army Veteran.” Everywhere I went, people went out of their way to shake my hand and say, “thank you for your service.”

What a difference 50 years makes! Believe me, I appreciate the thank you’s. I salute you.

Steve Wilson