Letters to the Editor
A reader's opinion on repeal of gas tax increase
Arnold Knightly, the esteemed editor of the Pahrump Valley Times, is obviously well schooled in verbal sparring tactics made famous by Mr. Clinton's famous, 'depends on what the meaning of is, is,' or however that inane explanation went.
In his railings against repeal of the nickel tax on gasoline, he tries to dismember the arguments of the anti-gas-tax petitioners who claim that there is no plan in place to repair roads, which is logical by any reasonable taxpayer's standard. However, in his effort to dismiss those pesky petitioners and demean their standing, he subtlely adds his sleight-of-hand comment, "Like down to which pothole."
One only has to look at several recent projects to know that whatever monies are collected for county road repairs and maintenance can also include the (let me use the demeaning but subtle approach here) beautification of Calvada Boulevard, which did nothing to repair any of the many roads traveled often by the citizens of Nye County. Nor did the December removal and replacement of perfectly good stop signs at the corner of Silver Street and Vicki Ann Road.
What Mr. Knightly's argument really support is his own diminutive standing: The gasoline tax hasn't been raised in 30 years. Tourists will pay the bulk of the tax. It brings Nye County in line with all the other Nevada counties.
Only one who believes in spending other people's money would believe these are logical arguments. Clear-thinking citizens who shoulder the tax burden know better.
David Perlman
Government needs to get out of charity business
I'm sure there are many areas Chuck Muth and I could find common ground.
One such area might be subsidies, meaning government subsidies for anyone, no individual, no business or corporation. Not for solar, no "cash for clunkers", no oil, no ethanol, no farmers, no rents, no food stamps, banks, nothing. In other words, get the government out of the charity business entirely and put that one back on the people where it belongs.
On the flip side, Mr. Muth infers that because they are a "tiny" minority, individual solar owners are somehow penalized, because the majority don't have solar panels and say so.
To me it's no different than proposing a 5 percent tax rate for brown-eyed people and a 90 percent tax for blue-eyed people. After all, that's a true democracy, there is a much higher percentage of brown-eyed people.
The only thing that prevents abuses by the majority of the minority in America is the U.S. Constitution.
I'd advise everyone to go online and get a hard copy, read and understand it, before it's gone! Especially the first 10 amendments.
David Jaronik
Thank you to compassionate, competent EMTs
Usually my letters are about something negative occurring in Pahrump. This time it is Positive with a capital P.
On Tuesday, December 15, 2015, my wife was suddenly taken ill and had to be transported to UMC in Las Vegas. Richard Martindale and Javier Soto were dispatched to make the run.
I want to thank them for the professional, competent and compassionate care they gave Lee on that trip.
Then, when they thought Lee's cell phone had been lost, they spent considerable time trying to locate it. All the while I had it.
Kudos to these two young men. Since it was Lee's last trip to Vegas it means a lot to me that they took such good care of her.
If I can ever be of service to either of these gentlemen all they need to do is let me know.
Dave Caudle
Well owners getting bucket of worms from commission
Well folks, how many of you understand what Dan Schinhofen, Lorinda Wichman, the water board staff (namely Darrell Lacy) and two other county commissioners did to the domestic well owners in the Pahrump Valley at the January 19 meeting?
At first glance Commissioner Schinhofen's motion seems innocuous enough but when you look deeper, the intent of this motion becomes very clear. Sending parts of the GMPAC plan back to the water district governing board is a red herring. The real intent of this motion was to forward parts of this plan to the state water engineer which he can now take to the Legislature and claim that it has been approved and is supported by the people of Pahrump which couldn't be further from the truth. Last legislative session two bills were introduced that would have given the state water engineer broad powers over domestic wells, luckily cooler heads prevailed and they were defeated.
The 2017 session is going to be even more crucial to every domestic well owner in the state.
As you read this, Bill Draft Requests are being written by both sides of this issue.
I was told that Oz Wichman, Commissioner Wichman's husband and a contractor to the WDGB, gave testimony at the last session supporting the two controversial bills and recently participated in the governor's drought summit touting the same concepts. I understand that he was paid by the county to be there.
Obviously the domestic well owners are paying a person to cut their own throats. I think it is time that this stopped. The following items are just a few that these individuals, the utilities, developers and speculators want placed in the Nevada Revised Statutes:
Change domestic well allotment from AFA (acre feet annually) to ½ AFA. This is a decrease of ¾ in the amount of water a family can use without buying water rights from speculators. This would be a monopoly.
Require a meter on every well. This was one of the requirements put forth at the governor's drought summit, giving it even more credence and you can bet the state is not going to pay for all those meters. They'll come out of your pocket as a fee or a special assessment.
Allow the utilities to put in backbone infrastructure without having to go through the PUC. Wow!!! Talk about an open door for fraud. All the utility has to do is say "We need this new facility, pipeline, etc.," build it, and then raise their customers' rates to cover cost, even if they didn't need it to service the customers they currently have or will have in the near future.
Water Rights banking. This is a ploy that does away with beneficial use doctrine and date of priority. The water rights put into this so-called bank would be inviolate and good into perpetuity even though there might not be water in the ground to support them.
There are several others but you get the idea. This will become a real bucket of worms with a few baby rattlers mixed in. Get involved. God help us.
Dave Caudle
