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Looking ahead to '08

As we celebrate the birth of our nation, I am compelled to look back to Memorial Day and marvel at the great coverage you provided to the day's activities.

Being aware of the difficulties in bringing the various veterans organizations in Pahrump to step off on the left foot in unison with a singular goal, I was impressed with your balanced reporting. It proved to me that multiple memorial services within the city can be successful and satisfy participating veterans.

Each year, since 2000, we have sought to make improvements to the G.G Sweet Veterans Memorial Park and Museum through the generosity of a humble and thoughtful man, G.G. Sweet, and donations from members of A Company, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1950-51.

I have been privileged to assist my 90-year-old platoon commander in his venture to honor those of all services who impacted his military life from 1938 through 1958, and there have been many.

We look forward to Memorial Day 2008 knowing that each year we can build on that of the year before ... the good Lord be willing.

MAJ. ROGER U. CHAPUT

USMC, Ret.

Lake Havasu, Ariz.

Bill does not give amnesty

I take issue with the letter from Gary Marchinske (Friday 7/6/07). The provisions in the now-defeated immigration bill are the only ones that were NOT amnesty!

Amnesty occurs when an illegal alien is allowed to continue on his way, working and unmolested. That is a pretty good description of the status quo, which is what the loud mouth politicians voted for, all the while shouting that they were against amnesty.

What did the bill call for? A big fine which is a penalty and definitly not amnesty. In the mean time, the loud mouthed politicians shout lies and people like Mr. Marchinske swallow them hook, line and sinker.

The public (and Mr Marchinske) should learn to distinguish between a criminal violation like assualt or robbery, and a civil violation like entering the country in an illegal manner.

The present process of deportation is entirely an administrative process, not a criminal prosecution. For this reason deportation, from a legal viewpoint, is not a penalty. After all, where does an illegal alien have a legal right to live? In his home country, of course. How can giving an illegal alien what he is legally entitled to be a penalty? Deportation is not a legal penalty and it is not amnesty.

It is not possible to round up all the illegals and deport them. To put this in perspective, the number of people to be apprehended is about five times the number of all the people in jails and prisons thoughout the whole of the United States. The accellerated efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has resulted in apprehending and deporting two or three times the number of deportations of a decade ago during the Clinton administration. Good. At this rate we can deport all of the illegals in only 65 years, assuming that no more illegals come in.

We will also have lost all of the labor of these people and have ripped their families asunder. The real source of this problem is the Congress, which has passed restrictive laws about immigration in order to placate big labor and then failed and refused to appropriate money to enforce those laws in order to placate big business. Remember that the next time you vote for congress. Democrat or Republican, it makes no difference.

What we need is greatly expanded numbers of legal immigrants coupled with secure borders. The people who are here illegally now and who are otherwise law abiding should be given a work visa that can be had for a stiff price and can be renewed but cannot be a stepping stone to citizenship uless they are willing to go home and get in line. Making these people legal will insulate them against exploitation with its negative impact on wages. Big labor ought to support such a program because these illegal aliens are often poorly educated and of low skills; just the ones who should be ripe for union organization. The criminal element should be imprisoned or deported.

EDWARD B. JACKSON, ESQ.

An unsafe blight

Some say a prison would enhance Pahrump and not be a blight to it. They assure us it will be safe. Other's say, it would be great for the community, the jobs. My questions are as follows.

1. Fact is: Prisons are a large-scale enterprise which attract chain stores. What guarantees can you give to locally owned and mom and pop business's so they won't be pushed out?

2. Regarding prisons as an industry and a captive workforce. They get an industrial rate which amounts to 42 cents an hour. It appears this will take away from the average law abiding citizens who would have otherwise contracted out for a prevailing wage. How will this help our local community?

3. Prisons have also discouraged other kinds of economic development. Explanations for this difficulty range from "the specter" of prison as an undesirable neighbor. How do you convince other industries to locate here with that attitude?

4. Are huge numbers of inmates becoming the purpose of a census-based formula used to allocate government dollars and political represention?

5. According to economists, prisons are not very good economic development strategies, because they generate few linkages to the economy. How will this be changed?

6. Many rural residents do not have the education and experience requirements which are required for high-paying management and correctional officer jobs in public prisons. Is it true the majority of the jobs will go to people, from outside our town?

7. Prison employees often choose not to live in small rural towns, opting instead to commute. How will this help our housing market?

8. Will section 8's be on the rise for prisioners' families wanting to be near their loved one?

9. Is it true land values will fall once the actual (low) number of locally-gained jobs and associated home owners, becomes clear?

10. Hidden costs of doing a prison business can be high for a small community such as Pahrump. How will this impact our courts and police systems?

11. Will importing inmates from other states increase these costs?

12. What assurances do you have that the Pahrump citizen will be safe?

With a prison opening somewhere in rural America every 15 days it's only a matter of time, before we get ours. The question is where? If it is constructed on the East Mesquite land, the backdrop to Mount Charleston will change drastically. No longer, will we be able to enjoy what nature once gave us. The wild horses running free and golden eagles soaring the mountain tops. What we will see is one gigantic cement structure filled with hate and remorse. So who's community will this be? A community for prisioners, their families and the new higher paying management and correctional officers from the outside.

When Avenue of the Stars becomes Avenue of the Cons, most longtime Pahrumpians will be out of here. This will not only effect persons close to this prison, but all the people of Pahrump. Pahrump will become an inmate community with all the amenities you wished for a Pandora's Box. If a prison must be built ... build it outside of Pahrump.

LOUELLA DAVIS

Predict no water park

The projected water park and theme park for the fair grounds are a great revenue and job producing idea for the Pahrump area, and you can bank on several things to happen.

The town board will make every effort it can think up to stall the project, just as they have every other proposal for Pahrump. (Heard of Lowes? Heard of Home Depot?)

The town board will dream up every possible "fee" and "license' and "permit" and "conditional cost" etc. etc. that they can come up with so somebody will be able to line their pockets. (Heard of Home Depot?)

The town board and county commissioniers will get together to milk this and milk this 'til it is dry of every cent they can squeeze out of it.

And finally, the company that has proposed these projects will get sick and tired of dealing with these thieves and cancel the project and take their employment-producing project to some other town that will be intellegent enough to see that this can only be good for the town.

My projection??

These two projects will never happen 'til we get rid of the self serving town clowns and county bounty hunters that claim to represent us and really only represent their own best interests. You can go to the bank with that.

WAYNE FRITSEN

PVCAT is back

The Pahrump Valley Community Action Team is back. Past board of directors recently reunited and, working together, reinstituted the organization.

A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at Great Basin Community college, room 107, to seek your input and support to develop PVCAT's future agenda. It is your input and support that will determine the future of PVCAT's direction.

A social will begin at 5:30 p.m., with sandwiches and refreshments. The meeting will run from 6-8 p.m.

Please respond to Paula Glidden at 751-5959 or 209-4412. If you have questions call Patricia Cox at 727-1966 or Claudette Crooks at 537-1717.

We look forward to hearing your comments and valuable insight.

Well owners meeting

The Nye County Well Owners Association monthly meeting place has been changed from the VFW to the Pahrump Library meeting room.

The time is changed from 11:30 to 9 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. These are permanent changes.

Members get a free annual water testing, inspection and a well check for depth.

The membership fee is $20 per year and could save you thousands of dollars.

For moare information call Ken at 537-6446 or Larry at 537-0509.

Domestic violence seminar series

Domestic violence is a national epidemic as well as a national disgrace. This tragic circle will not be broken until we educate children, grandchildren, and ourselves.

This horror in the home will continue until we get to the point where we say enough, until our court systems support the police and punish abusers as the criminals that they are instead of putting families in danger by releasing them over and over again.

On Tuesday, July 31, this issue will be addressed, solutions offered and scenarios painted that will surprise and appall many of you. The social workers of Nathan Adelson along with Lisa Lynn Chapman, executive director of No to Abuse will discuss this subject and other related subjects on channel 30, noon until 1 p.m. You won't want to miss this interesting discussion.

Summer reading program

A summer reading program, with volunteer tutors available to help students going into kindergarten through middle school, will be held at the salvation army, 721 S. Buol Road, July 31, Aug. 2, Aug. 7, and Aug. 9.

Sessions are from 1-2:30 p.m. on the above dates. Space is limited, so please call Pat, 751-9225, no later than July 23.

Obama for president

The Barack Obama campaign is going to have an organizational meeting to kickoff the campaign in Pahrump. Both supporters and interested undecided voters are welcome.

At the meeting we will show a video about the senator and how to get involved with his movement for change.

The meeting will be on Saturday at 10 a.m.

For more details on the event, please contact Hallie Montoya Tansey at 702-308-0491.

Motivational speaker

Keith Froehling will be at the Pahrump Senior Center on Thursday, July 19, at 11:00 a.m. He will be sharing his life's experiences with the seniors.

Come join our guest speaker, and have a great time. Stay for lunch afterward, with soup and salad bar. The price is only $2.00 for those ages 60, and older. It will be $5.00 for ages 59 and under.

The senior center is located at 1370 West Basin Ave. Call 727-5008.

Ice cream social

Saved by Grace Lutheran Church will have an ice cream social and sign up for the fall and winter session of Sunday School.

This will follow the 10 a.m. service on Sunday.

Saved By Grace meets at Mt. Charleston Elementary School at 1521 E. Idaho Street.

Come one, come all. If you are not a member, not a problem. Everyone is welcome.