Letters to the Editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

It just takes a few bad ones to make a difference

So does Ms. Stevens believe there is no or very little chance of “monkey business” with massive mail-in ballots? Must be due to her belief in how efficient government and bureaucracies are.

Take today’s world, with the restrictions due to the pandemic, almost all assisted living places have extremely limited or no outside family or friend contact, and that means that these people are reliant on those who work there essentially for all their needs and decisions.

Most of these employees are very dedicated, honest hard-working people, but just like we have recently seen in the George Floyd incident, a few can make a difference. And it does happen, I know firsthand where a mother and her two daughters worked at one such place and were found to be stealing from residents there for years. Just change motives and it would be a simple matter to change many votes very easily.

Just to clear-up your automatic assumptions, I get some, but very little news from your “Satan” substitute FOX News. I do enjoy going to CNN and MSNBC occasionally too.

David Jaronik

Nevadans did great job of weathering coronavirus

Nevada has done a great job of weathering the COVID-19 crisis. Although we have experienced record unemployment, the state is mostly reopening; most critically, the casinos and entertainment industry —the lifeblood of our state — is roaring back. The vast majority of laid-off workers are being rehired. Fortunately we made a wise choice to keep the construction and mining industry going. The Raiders stadium was finished in record time and ready for the season opener. They even posted 4,500 new job openings. The pass on Highway 160 is finishing on time. Real estate is rebounding strong. Nevada is open for business again.

We accomplished this economic turnaround with minimal risk to public health. Our COVID infection and death rate ranks among the lowest in the nation. We have not seen anything close to the terrible slaughter in New York or other eastern states. To put it in perspective, our COVID death total is roughly equivalent to our annual traffic deaths. Cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are by far our biggest killers and dwarf the numbers from COVID and traffic accidents.

The Silver State has also weathered the George Floyd crisis much better than others. We have had peaceful protests; yet, riotous and otherwise violent and counter-productive efforts were quickly and professionally extinguished.

Why did we survive these crises better than other states? Nevadans are ultimately practical; we live in a state that is virtually uninhabitable. From its inception Nevadans have learned to take advantage of every economic opportunity just to survive. Simply put, we are mentally prepared to weather crises that have brought other states to their knees.

Best regards,

Dr. Brinton W. Corb

Rioters inflicted more than just a little damage!

In response to Letters to the Editor, “Not really sure our leaders understand the Constitution”, submitted by Jim Ferrell, Mr. Ferrell says that yes, there were “some criminals in a few groups, and they inflicted some damage. But we should not condemn the overwhelming majority of peaceful protesters.” “Some criminals in a few groups? … SOME damage?” Are you watching the same news as I am? Nine thousand arrests have been made. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the cost of damage to over 400 businesses amounts to $500 million in Minneapolis-St. Paul alone. The official statistics from the Insurance Information Institute are that these rioters have caused damage (so far) tantamount to the Rodney King riots (in today’s dollars amounting to $1.4 billion). How much “some damage” is OK with you if it were your stuff, Jim? And now, exactly whose job is it to clean up and fix up the mess and destruction, and on whose tab?

Yeah, we shouldn’t condemn these rioters due to the actions of a “few” in the way that the entire police force in our nation has been condemned due to the actions of one guy. We shouldn’t do that, right, Jim?

As for clearing out the crowds, peaceful or not (such as at St. John’s Church), apparently the function of the Secret Service (protecting the president) is not clearly understood. If the president decides he’d like to go to In and Out Burger, they will evacuate the area. Got it? At times half a city has been shut down when even the VP came to town! Dan Quayle often visiting Wickenburg, Arizona springs immediately to mind.

Lastly, there is the subject of understanding the Constitution versus taking advice from high school redneck dropouts.” Tell me in what universe they now teach the Constitution in high school, even basic Civics for that matter.

Next, please explain to me why you single out “high school redneck dropouts” as the group that doesn’t understand the Constitution. Just a tiny bit prejudicial of you, Jim, don’t you think? I’m guessing that more than half of Americans have not read the Constitution even once. Furthermore, if President Trump uses force to eliminate the new “nation of Chaz” in Seattle, it behooves you to remember that secession from the Union is unconstitutional! (Ref: the history of the Civil War).

Linda DeLaMare