Letters to the Editor of the Pahrump Valley Times
Use analytical thought rather than emotion when going to the polls
Having been on this earth for a few years now and never quite feeling I belonged to any group because there were always parts of every group I disagreed with, I found myself early on observing and evaluating groups as well as individuals, if important enough to me, gathering as much as I could about them in order to make a decision as to their value, personally or beyond.
Many of us have been witness to people we’ve known and or loved who reached a time of the cognitive decline of their mental state. Almost all of us, whether we admit it or not, can observe this, sadly, in the former VP and presidential candidate Joe Biden.
I fully understand the hatred toward the present office holder. Much of the time, one can find his personal traits quite abrasive on a regular basis as I do. Actually, when those traits are separated for his actions, I am quite pleased most of the time.
In less than 100 days, we will have to make a choice; and it’s understood neither choice is perfect, and there may have never been a perfect choice, but it would behoove us to choose wisely with analytical thought rather than emotional feelings. Henry Thoreau said: “Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you.” Without a doubt, someone is thinking ‘for’ Joe Biden without thinking of him!
David Jaronik
We can solve many of our country’s issues in November, says reader
Due to Covid-19, we’re living in a new, frightening reality, which the Trump administration has failed miserably to address. In Pahrump, however, Republican support for the president trumps Democratic outrage over his incompetent, unethical, narcissistic and demagogic nature. I have always believed that America needs two strong political parties. Republicans like Mitt Romney, John Kasich and the late John McCain deserve respect. Currently, however, the former Republican Party no longer exists. It has become a cult with Donald Trump as its dear leader.
Trump is an existential threat to our country. Anyone who is uniformed may think his misguided, cruel policies have had a positive impact when, in reality, they are abject failures: Pandemic readiness (downplaying and ignoring multiple warnings) health care (covertly working to eliminate coverage for those with pre-existing conditions while publicly touting support), immigration (separating families and caging children at the border without adequate infrastructure to reunite them with their parents), deregulation (eliminating many industrial regulations that safeguard our clean air and water) and the list goes on and on.
No one needs to make America great again; it always has been. Surely, mistakes have been made in our past and slavery will always be a dark stain on our history. With that being said; the recent national protests over George Floyd’s and Rayshard Brook’s deaths at the hands of police confirm that systemic racism still exists. And many other issues persist: Our health care system needs to be overhauled, income inequality prevents many families from financial security and home ownership, opiod and drug abuse continue to ravage communities across the country, just to name a few. When we exercise our right to vote Trump out of office in November and Congress embraces bipartisanship by working together to find practical, far-reaching solutions to our problems, America can and will continue to be that shining city on the hill..
Marc Fineman
Today’s students need to be taught real history, math
It is time the universities and colleges with large athletic programs stop receiving federal funds. It would also be good to review all public schools, especially those who have a large percentage of dropouts or failed grades for corruption at administrative and teachers union levels.
We need children who know American history and the Constitution inside and out, so they grow up understanding what the framers strived to create, not what is being taught today.
It takes parents’ interest in what their child learns as well so they can be sure their children are not being indoctrinated by people who have an agenda, especially those who want to change our republic into a socialist, communist, fascist or another type of government.
We need proper history taught, as well as acceptable math for everyday life use, and penmanship for use communication and for work. Life will go on even without computers to “do it all” so these skills will always be needed.
Henry Hurlbut
