Letters to the Editor

Powers that be have no regard for homeless, poor

Recently I encountered a situation here in Pahrump that I feel should be made public. Possibly you could have one of your staff or yourself to check it out.

In a return from visiting a friend in the North area I saw a young couple walking down the road with a backpack and a blanket with what I assumed were clothing, etc. As I passed them I noticed the young lady was familiar to me so I stopped to see if they needed a ride. They said yes.

When they got in my car I asked where they needed to go and she said “to Walmart so that they could get a shopping cart and try to get enough money for food.” I did not have my wallet with me to give them any money. She said they were staying with friends and that the friends together with them had been evicted. Also, she had to be about five or six months pregnant.

I told them I would take them to the Salvation Army. When we got there the office was closed, however the clerk in the thrift store suggested I take them to No To Abuse. When we got there, I talked to a very nice lady who informed me that was no place for homeless in this town, much less for a pregnant woman. She did contact a local church who offered to feed them and let them stay for one night.

To say I was totally shocked that there was no place for people who have recently lost their jobs, a place to live, etc., much less being with child, doesn’t even describe my feelings. In calling the Salvation Army the next day I was told the town board and the commissioners will not work to have a temporary home for the homeless.

What really made me sad and upset is that the powers that be will spend money, money, money for consultants to see if we need a water park, or anything else they can dream up to spend the taxpayers’ money but have no regard for the poor.

I guess my main question at this point is if and when these mothers-to-be have their babies will they still have to live on the streets?

Sharon L. Laird

Politicians responsible for taking down campaign signs

This is “Volume II” of a letter first published in the September 10, 2014 PVT. In short, I wrote that letter to bring attention to all the trashy and broken down so-called campaign signs, that had been in place for most of 2014.

Let me congratulate the winners and console the runners-up at this point. Now that the campaign is over, can the town of Pahrump count on the source of these signs to be cleaned up? Why do I even bother asking this stupid question? Wishful thinking perhaps, but why can’t the citizens of Pahrump count on the very politicians and their army of volunteers responsible for the placement of these badly run down monuments to their 15 minutes of fame be required by statute to remove every single sign put up on their behalf? I’ll bet that they were anxious to install them at the beginning of their campaign, when they were freshly printed, all bright and erect on the wooden supports.

Now Pahrump, grow up enough to clean up this eyesore, and if there are not enough teeth in the town’s current statutes, then learn from the experience and left-over trash that represents our community to the citizens and visitors alike, please don’t allow this to happen again.

Sad as it is to say, the next election is only two short years away and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the remnants of the recent election to still be waving in the breeze when the new signs are installed. God help us all! Take pride in our community, Pahrump, please.

Robert Gossard