Letters to the editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Thank you to VEA for excellent, service

We were so excited to think we could subscribe to Valley Electric Wi-Fi service when it first came to our neighborhood. However, the area we live in is completely surrounded by TALL trees.

When the young man came out to install it, he tried many different angles and options. He really went out of his way to accommodate us but just could obtain a good signal. After us trying different ideas and suggestions and three or four visits from VEA installers, all at no extra cost to us, we were FINALLY able to get a good signal and hooked up.

Our connection and quality of Wi-Fi is excellent. The VEA employees we dealt with through all this turmoil were all so helpful, pleasant and polite. We just want to say a “BIG THANK YOU” to Valley Electric Association!!!

Gary and Dixie Holbrook

Basically, we all want the same things

Most of us who pay substantial taxes would like to see our tax dollars spent more wisely.

I was a Republican for most of my life until one day my wife pointed out to me that the Republicans love to spend taxpayers’ money, only in a different way than the Democrats. For example, when George W. Bush was president, the Republicans insisted that the Pentagon spend $150 billion on bombers which the Pentagon said they did not need or want. Even today we spend something like 10 times more on military than any other country in the world.

Most Republican citizens don’t want this wasteful spending. This type of thing occurs because powerful, well-heeled people like the Koch brothers or Adelson show up and inform our elected representatives that they will not get donations for their next elections if they fail to hand out the pork. Consider our own senator, Dean Heller, who first said he would vote against the repeal of Obama Care because it would deprive 300,000 Nevadans of needed Medicaid health insurance. Apparently, on the second vote, Adelson told Heller not to expect the campaign donation if he, Heller, voted against the repeal the second time. Heller not only voted for the repeal, he headed up the committee to push it through. With big money controlling our Congress, how can we, the people, make a difference?

I believe we need to cross party lines and insist on a health care program that would save us billions. Why should the taxpayers pay at least 20 percent for insurance companies which don’t deliver one dollar of health care to us? Why should we pay billions for medical malpractice from our health care budget?

Why can’t Medicare negotiate prices for drugs? This could save us billions. Why do we allow providers to bill for unneeded services, or for services not given? There are better ways. For example, we could provide medical care like the military does. No billing systems, no insurance premiums. People get what they need, no less, no more.

The point needs to be made that our true interests are not the same as the billionaires and the super-rich. I don’t see any $10 million mansions in Pahrump. There may be some, but I know people in Pahrump living in mobile homes who voted for Trump. Just take the last tax proposal by Trump. He wants to increase the tax rate for the working people from 10 percent to 12 percent while reducing the rate for the super-rich from 39 percent to 35 percent. How can that help our local businesses when our workers and business establishments have to send more money to Washington?

Truly, we have been polarized against our own interests and against each other. Business as usual, pointing fingers at each other has not worked and will not work. We have common interests which cross party lines and could save us billions. We need to recognize those interests and do something about it.

Jim Ferrell