Huge risk of a negative impact

Over 300-plus homes in Calvada Valley are at risk at losing the lifestyle which attracted them to Pahrump.

In Quinn vs. Maples, Mr. Maples, in his defense, plans to cite all homeowners in Calvada Valley who do not conform to the 37-year-old deed of restrictions and request we are all put on notice.

This affects commercial businesses, horse properties, those with llamas and chickens, etc., churches and those who built accessory structures and second homes on their SFR lots. The facts are:

1. The deed of restrictions overrides the zoning.

2. Realtors, the building department, planning and the town issued business licenses, followed zoning, when all knew there was a deed of restrictions (thinking it was no longer valid).

3. Homeowners are paying taxes on improvements on their properties assessed regardless of zoning or deed of restrictions.

4. Realtors listed properties on MLS and in print media, horses allowed as well as never disclosed the fact that deed of restrictions existed while some Realtors knew the deed of restrictions existed and notified their clients.

5. The deed of restrictions expires somewhere between October 2010 and April 2012 (depending on interpretation legally).

6. Preferred Equities Corp. went bankrupt many years ago and most thought the deed of restrictions was no longer valid when in fact 40 years has not passed.

If in fact Mr. Maples presents in his defense all of the other homeowners in Calvada Valley whose properties do not conform to the deed of restrictions, will Judge Lane rule in favor of Mr. Quinn?

That is a huge risk that would have a very negative impact on Pahrump, let alone homeowners in Calvada Valley.

There are over 200 homes with horses (approximately 500-plus horses) that will affect Pahrump businesses. Properties with llamas, goats, pigs, chickens and an unknown number of commercial businesses and churches, secondary homes, large accessory buildings and others that could be impacted in Calvada Valley.

If you want more information on this case call Bob at 775-513-8628 or myparalegal@netscape.com.

Bob is assisting Mr. Maples in his defense without an attorney.

NANCY WHITMAN

Trashy residents

On March 12 a pick-up truck loaded with garbage, much of which was house trash and beer bottles, decided that the dirt road just east of my home was the local dump.

Two persons exited the truck and proceeded to throw this load of trash out of the bed. Deciding I have had enough of this, I got into my truck and followed them and got the license number of the vehicle.

I then returned home and called the sheriffs department, telling them what I had witnessed, gave them a description of the truck and the license number of the truck.

I waited one week and heard nothing back from the sheriffs department so I called them again. I was told the complaint was given to a deputy, and the deputy had gone to the home where the vehicle was registered, and no one was there and the vehicle was not there. However, they would have a deputy come to my home and I could make a formal complaint.

The deputy did come out and took my complaint in writing and the license number of the vehicle. He also took pictures of the trash pile and said he would try to contact the persons that dumped the trash. He also said he would call me that evening or no later than the next day and let me know if they had been contacted.

Three days later, I have still not heard from the sheriffs office, so on Saturday I loaded the dumped trash in my truck and made the trip to the dump.

Since the law cannot seem to locate these lazy low-life dumpers, perhaps the good people of Pahrump can keep an eye out for these litter bugs and we can put a stop to some of this.

To all who want to drop their trash wherever they see fit, you can be sure if I spot you doing it, I will take your license number and report the offense.

Also, if the sheriff's office would give me your address, I would gladly return your trash to you instead of making that trip to the dump.

JAY WEST

Nepotism and hiring

In the Feb. 20 edition of the PVT, we highlighted alleged nepotism within Nye County government offices and their hiring practices. We're now moving on to the hiring and employment practices within the Nye County School District (NCSD).

You can visit the Nye County School District's official Web site to see who the employees are within the district. What you won't see is how some of these people got their jobs, how well they perform their jobs, who they know or knew, to be assisted in their hiring.

At the top of the NCSD pyramid is the Nye County School District Board of Trustees. This group of seven is elected by you, but I, Don, have seldom seen any of the Nye County electorate at a board of trustee's meeting.

You really should go once in awhile.

The basic purpose of the NCSD board of trustees is to establish district policies which the NCSD Superintendent and NCSD employees are responsible for implementing. How well informed are the trustees regarding what the superintendent and his employees are doing to implement and manage their policies? Hmmmm.

Normally, the NCSD trustees are not involved in day-to-day personnel matters, i.e., hiring, firing, evaluations, etc. of NCSD employees. However, in August 2008 the trustees voted, unanimously, to hire the mother-in-law of the current chairman as principal at J.G. Johnson Elementary School. This was done following advertisements in the PVT regarding this vacant position, interviews of current qualified NCSD employees and, evidently, rejection of all those interviewed.

This principal was retired and her daughter is also an administrator at the district office. So normally this apparent ethical conflict might raise eyebrows, but not for this board of trustees who, in this case, did the actual hiring. Hmmmm.

The current NCSD Southern District Office has a very large clerical staff, most of whom are secretaries, to accommodate a superintendent, three assistant superintendents, a financial officer, plus several highly paid administrators. The total salary and benefit package for the Southern District Office is seven figures-plus. In September 2008 the trustees, because of Nevada's economic crisis, cut more than a million from the NCSD budget, but that did not include cuts of any significance at the NCSD Southern District Office.

Additional cuts may be coming, pending legislative action or inaction, but we do not foresee any significant impact on the NCSD Southern District Office. Hmmm.

I, Don Rust, took and passed tests required for hiring as secretary and clerical aide. The legitimacy of these tests is questionable since many current secretaries and clerical aides did not need to pass the test since they were in their jobs prior to the test requirement. There are no male secretaries or male clerical aides in the NCSD. Hmmm.

Seniority is generally accepted, throughout the employment community, as beginning when you are hired and continuing throughout your time as an employee, i.e., hired Jan. 1, 2001, still working as of Jan. 1, 2009, you have eight years' seniority no matter what job you're performing.

For NCSD support staff (secretaries, clerical aides, classroom aides, custodians, bus drivers, bus aides, etc.) seniority is based upon the number of years you have held a particular job title but not the time you have been a district employee. This is, unfortunately, written into the NCSD Support Staff union contract. Hmmmm.

It is a generally accepted fact, although not recognized by the NCSD, that to get a support staff job you need to know someone who will assist you in getting that job. Many support staff employees belong to a small number of families either by marriage or birth, but that does not seem to affect NCSD or board of trustees decisions. This may, or may not, have little to do with your experience or abilities. Go figure. Hmmmm.

You should, once in awhile, attend a board of trustees meeting. Teachers and support staff form one of the largest groups of employees in Nye County. The question is always how much is spent by the NCSD. In our opinion, the amount spent is never enough, but the question should be, how does the community benefit and is the economic employee benefit limited to so few based upon poor management practices and, in some cases, questionable ethics?

Once again, by copy of this letter to the U. S. Department of Justice, we are asking that it investigate the questionable hiring practices of the Nye County School District.

DON RUST AND KATHY STONE

Lots of health care coming

It's been awhile since I wrote, and that's due to illness which also prompts this letter. I wanted to touch on socialized medicine. I am married to a Canadian and therefore have been exposed to both sides of the issue.

First, we need to clarify that Canada, as a country and our biggest trading partner, is not a socialist nation. Its system of economics is capitalistic just as ours, but they have "socialized medical care" and a social safety net for all people.

We are moving to that system slowly. It started with Medicare, then Medicaid then Medicare Parts 1-2 and so on. So it's coming, and the cost is going to make Mr. Obama's trillion-dollar budget look like a 25-cent cup of coffee.

Please understand that I believe all human beings should receive proper medical treatment, but the cost will be staggering. Here are just a few examples of how Canada pays for its (free) medical.

One pack of smokes, over $8; 24 bottles of beer, $38; and then of course there is the GST (goods and services tax) which is applied to 6 percent to all purchases in addition to normal taxes -- even stamps are taxed -- which are taxed anyway. This is called a "value added tax" and it's used to pay for the "free lunch."

Income tax runs up to 70 percent based on income, and the average working man pays about half his wages in taxes, works the first five months of the year for the government.

This sounds terrible, I know, but it's the only way to pay the bill. Taxing smokes and booze just goes to shore up the fund for when smokers and drunks end up abusing their bodies to the point of needing long-term care. You're just paying for your heart valve transplant in advance. Sounds funny, but it's true.

Last year I spent four days in the hospital for infection with countless IVs and great care, and when I left, I did not even receive a bill showing what was being paid. So now when I pay $20 for a pitcher of beer, I have an understanding of its tax benefits.

And in conclusion, if you hear stories of doctor shortages or 12-hour waits at hospitals, you're not hearing the truth. Doctors are plentiful and hospitals take emergency cases on a need basis, not first come, first serve.

So be prepared for the onslot of millions of American baby boomers who are going to require health care and they have a lot of votes.

MURRAY LOOMIS

Pahrump, writing from Ontario, Canada