Response to gangs, violence

Although I am sympathetic to your situation and realize it was, and will continue to be, a traumatic issue for your child and family to deal with, I can only hope that your letter, "Response to gangs, violence in Pahrump" is not taken seriously.

There are already laws in place to deal with criminal activities associated with gang violence and pushing for legislation that will: 1) Make absolutely no notable change except to allow "politicians" to create more redundant legislation in an attempt to garner media attention; 2) Make Pahrump and Nevada look foolish ... again (See the "English Only" fiasco) and 3) Be deemed unconstitutional, unenforceable and overturned.

It is a complete waste of our state's limited time and resources and although, in theory, saying, "gangs are illegal and members shall be locked up" seems like a good idea, it raises a ton of constitutional questions and would put too much power into the hands of law enforcement to ever be feasible. I think a better outlet for your frustration would be to: 1) Push for more funding for Nevada DCFS so they have the manpower and resources necessary to investigate reports of child abuse and neglect; 2) Put pressure on our district attorney's and sheriff's office to enforce and prosecute offenders, using the existing laws already in place, instead of cutting the offenders, and in your case offenders' parents, "sweetheart" deals that will have little or no impact on the root cause of the problem(s) and 3) Promote and/or sponsor programs that provide positive influences for our youth.

There are no tests given prior to becoming a parent and as a consequence children are born into homes that provide little or no positive influences and rely on teachers, counselors and community programs for guidance.

Race, color, creed and sexual orientation have absolutely no bearing on this issue and enacting blind legislation that allows law enforcement representatives to put "gang members" away is not the solution to the underlying problem.

PAT TERRY

Enough is enough

I have been reading the newspapers about Corrections Corporation of America, and just for the record, I am so for the detention center coming to Pahrump.

There has been a huge target on Commissioner Butch Borasky's head by these people who call themselves Concerned Citizens for a Safe Community. I have known Mr. Borasky for many years in a business capacity and if you would just stop and listen to what he has to say instead of immediately arriving at your own negative conclusions, maybe you would see that he is only trying to do what is best for this community -- for the entire community.

Mr. Borasky has done his homework on CCA -- have you?

Obviously by the rhetoric that you have been producing for the media, you have not done your homework. You have chosen to pick a very few negative items about CCA and have neglected to really do your research and see all the good they have done for the areas that have detention centers.

I wish you would stop with your personal agendas and look at the big picture. We have many qualified people in this town who would love to have a job and be able to feed their families, and this will give them the opportunity to do just that.

Do you have any idea of how many degenerate people we have living in this town right next door to us that are drug users/dealers, child molesters, burglars, the list goes on and on? What about those people we have no control over?

Mr. Borasky has taken all of your nasty comments and character-bashing with absolute dignity and grace. He is a politician who does his research before commenting on a situation; maybe more of us should do our homework before making snap judgments on people's character.

I support you, Butch Borasky, and hope that you keep up the good work.

TERI CLARK

Twin opportunities

My wife and I have been visiting Pahrump for about six years, often three or four times a year. Your growth with a hospital, college and expanded merchants is a positive sign of a growing town.

In trying to follow growth through the local newspaper it seems Yucca Mountain and the detention facility are controversial developments.

We live 13 miles from Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant with dry cask storage on site.

From the 30 plus years we have resided here, I can say the nuclear energy industry is the most watched, regulated and protected of anything I'm aware of. Between government and special interest groups, this industry is scrutinized and compliant to all the nit pickers and regulators thrown at them.

It's a business paying good salaries and hefty taxes. It seems that Yucca Mountain would be a sound cornerstone for your economy.

Now, regarding the detention center, I can relate that about 15 miles north we have California Mens' Colony, a high security prison that borders California Poly's SLO campus with a minimal buffer of agricultural land.

Most of the 13,000 plus students are unaware of its existence.

Another 20 miles north is a medical unit for incarcerated persons. The only impact they have on our county and community is overworked staff making in excess of $100,000 per year.

Seems like jobs of this payroll bracket and unnoticed threat to the general population would be a boon to Pahrump.

Nancy Lord is concerned about shooting out tires of the transport buses passing through town. Seriously.

If people are shooting tires off buses on Highway 160 when the occupants are shackled, handcuffed and anchored to the floor, the miscreants with the guns on Main Street are the threat.

It seems you have before you two opportunities to establish positive employment and a stable tax base.

I hope you can consider and explore the true facts without "doomsday" hypothetical scenarios from ambulance-chasers.

DAVE IMWOL

Thanks to Reid

Just a quick note to Sen. Reid.

Thank you, Sen. Reid, for working hard to kill off Yucca Mountain, the largest public works project in the history of the world, that would have required the expenditure of some $100 billion in Nevada, would have created 8,000 jobs to construct the railroad, almost 3,000 long-term jobs to build the repository and almost 3,000 very-long-term operational jobs.

Thank you, Sen. Reid, for killing off the one project that has brought thousands of highly educated and compensated PhD-level scientists and engineers in the world to Nevada. Thank you for reducing their numbers from 2,700 last year to 1,700 this year to maybe zero next year.

Thank you for adding all of those homes and all of that office space in Summerlin they occupied to the foreclosure and vacancy list.

Thank you, Sen. Reid, for creating one of the worst economies in the United States that has no ability to support the general welfare, education, public health, transportation, environmental needs of its citizens.

Thank you, Sen. Reid, for not negotiating with the federal government to make the Yucca Mountain Project even safer.

Thank you, Sen. Reid, for not working cooperatively with those who wanted to turn Yucca into an International Center for Research and Recycling, thus significantly reducing the volume and toxicity of the waste requiring permanent storage.

Thank you, Sen. Reid, for all of those entertaining, factually incorrect, fearmongering press releases you issue regarding Yucca Mountain the day after you once again do something to harm the future of Nevada and our great country.

SHARON SEVIGNY

Losing hope

I am soon to be 69 years old. I've had more than 40 years of work experience including eight years overseas. I've done any number of difficult kinds of work, know many things that others don't know or don't know as much about, performed tasks I didn't need to perform but didn't want to wait for someone else to do them.

I've applied for work with Nye County, Nye County School District, Chamber of Commerce, Pahrump Senior Center and many other places in Pahrump with the same results, in many cases no interview, and in most cases no feedback.

Employers in Nye County, in general, lack integrity by advertising vacancies in the local newspaper but ignoring the experience of many who apply and by being unprofessional in their dealings with those whom they don't interview or whom they don't contact regarding no interview.

People in Nye County and Pahrump seem to pride themselves in regard to being a rural community. Well, I grew up in Iowa more than 50 years ago and I know rural communities and the integrity of those communities, which is lacking in Nye County and Pahrump.

I'm losing what little hope I had for this town and county.

DON RUST

First meeting an eye-opener

I attended my first Pahrump town meeting last night. I attended because there was a gun control measure on the agenda and I feel passionately that the wonderful town of Pahrump not go down the ignorant and destructive path of gun control. The meeting was an eye-opener for reasons beyond the initial purpose I attended.

I estimate the meeting was attended by about 150 people. I'm told that is dramatically more than attend "routine" town meetings. Virtually everyone was there to oppose "Item No. 12," the gun control measure that would ban "firearms on town-owned property, in town-owned buildings, and at town-sponsored events."

The first order of business was board Chairman Nicole Shupp, announcing that Item No. 12 was removed from the agenda.

One gentleman approached the podium and started speaking. His speech was short and to the point. 1) We must not let victim disarmament happen in Pahrump. 2) We are uniquely positioned because just down the road we have the nation's premier civilian firearms school, Front Sight, and citizens should be availing themselves of the opportunity to learn how to use firearms safely and effectively. 3) That the person responsible for placing Item No. 12 on the agenda should be identified and then fired. The room exploded with cheers and applause when his third point was made.

As soon as he was finished speaking, Chairman Shupp shocked the audience by announcing that she would not permit anyone else to speak concerning Item No. 12. The room erupted in booing. Ms. Shupp would not be deterred. She stated, "I have the procedural discretion to end the public comment period because Item No. 12 has been removed from the agenda."

The "procedural discretion?" One hundred fifty citizens of Pahrump took their valuable time away from work, spouses and children to be heard by their town board, and Ms. Shupp essentially told them to shut up and go home.

Ms. Shupp certainly has the "procedural discretion" to tell people to shut up and go home, but she does not have the moral authority to do so.

Those 150 people are "the people" and Ms. Shupp and the other members of the board are to "serve" the community. Or phrased another way, they are the servants of the people of Pahrump. Ms. Shupp clearly told the good citizens of Pahrump that they can go to hell because she doesn't care what they have to say.

Was there an alternative? Of course. As but one example, Ms. Shupp could have set a limit. She could have stated that due to time concerns the board would only hear from 15 speakers. Since not everyone came to speak, permitting a sampling would have allowed the various views of those present to be heard. But Ms. Shupp told 150 people that their views were simply not important to the board and not worth the board's time. What stunning arrogance.

The town manager, Bill Kohbarger, was behind putting Item No. 12 on the agenda. Mr. Kohbarger was hired from out of state. He is clearly not the man Pahrump needs or wants as town manager.

I suggest he immediately seek employment somewhere his views will not outrage the community. California comes to mind. That state (which I left for just these reasons) is in the daily habit of oppressing the rights of its citizens. I'm certain Mr. Kohbarger would be much more comfortable in that environment and I know the good citizens of Pahrump would gladly support his decision to move on.

However, if Mr. Kohbarger does not make the decision to leave Pahrump peaceably, the town board should fire him. He is unacceptable and the board created the problem by bringing this kind of ugliness into our midst. It is their job -- in fact their duty -- to make this right and send Mr. Kohbarger down the road.

I think it also proper and appropriate that a recall be initiated immediately against board member Shupp. Anyone who declines to hear the views of the good citizens of Pahrump on an issue they obviously feel so strongly about is not a "servant of the people" and therefore her services are no longer required.

DAVE CHAMPION

Unsung Heroes

We would like to give a special "thank you" to the town of Pahrump and especially to Matt Luis, manager of buildings and grounds, and his crew for going above and beyond the call of duty with support at the Ruud Community Center.

PAVED put on he Business Entitlement Process Workshop Saturday Jan. 24, and we were pleased to find out the extent of service they provide when you reserve the Community Center. Matt Luis' team set-up all the refreshments beautifully, came to adjust the heat when requested and are very accommodating with requests.

From the time you reserve the Community Center with Cookie at the Town Office, know that you will be taken care of. They are very service oriented and will do what they can to help make your event a success.

Thank you.

PAVED BOARD OF DIRECTORS

I support CCA

Dear honorable Nye County commissioners,

I am writing to express my continuing support for the detention center project here in Nye County and the commissioners' recent approval of the development agreement.

As a long-term taxpayer and business owner, I am concerned about the state of our nation's economy but even more interested in the economy of the state of Nevada.

Presently our state government is running at a deficit. Casino revenues are down, along with revenues from almost every type of business across the board. As such, tax revenues which are used for the operation of government, have gone down and the prognosis for the future looks bleak at best. Property tax revenues are also going down, as the assessed values continue to plummet.

Corrections Corporation of America will not only be a large payer of property taxes but additionally will provide a trickle-down effect of benefits which will accrue to the community of Pahrump in general.

The fact that a nationally respected company like CCA, which has the backing of our federal government, is willing to come into Pahrump and bring good paying careers and pay needed taxes is something I unequivocally believe in.

With Federal prevailing wages (corrections officers start at $25 per hour), these will be some of the highest paying jobs in Nye County. I believe CCA brings an element of stability to our community in a time when there is no stability in our state and country.

Please continue to support CCA, despite the negative pressure that some of the townspeople are applying to each of you and some of us supporters. We need to remain united on this issue, stand together and not back down or be intimidated by some of the scare tactics being used.

BERNARD HOFFMAN

Unconstitutional ignorance?

Concerning the town board meeting on Jan. 27: There was an item on the agenda proposing the banning of guns on town property here in Pahrump.

This measure was against both state and federal law, and I'm baffled that it ever got as far as it did.

Finally the board permanently pulled it from the agenda on the advice of legal counsel. Was it because of legal counsel or because 200 angry residents showed up wanting the jobs of whoever was responsible?Where was the legal counsel when the idea first came up?

Clearly the board showed a lack of knowledge and respect for the Second Amendment, but then Beth Shupp, the chairman, followed that mistake by not respecting the First Amendment. She freely admitted that she was new at this, but that is why she supposedly has the town attorney there to clear up any grey areas.

She allowed only one person to speak on the issue during public comment and then told the residents who had come out that no other comments would be heard on the subject.

Does she or the town attorney have any knowledge of the Bill of Rights? The board are the ones that allowed this matter to get as far as it did, and the citizens of Pahrump had every right to vent all night long if they so desired. They made a mistake, and it was time to face the music. The whole night showed a lot of incompetence and lack of respect for the residents of Pahrump.

In an atmosphere where we are watching our government in Washington do whatever they want in spite of the desires of the people, we need to take control of our local officials and let them know that here in Pahrump, our rights still matter.

PAT KERBY

Time to hold BLM accountable

It's time to hold BLM accountable for its activity or inactivity.

Just west of the corner of Plantation and Thousandaire is what's left of a fenced-in area to protect the naturally occupying vegetation from harm.

One plant to mention is one of the remaining sites of the remaining stands of the Pahrump buckwheat, and probably others.

Many years ago, BLM asked for help from the Pahrump Audubon Club and Ash Meadows Refuge to volunteer to help clean up this area, which we did.

The whole area on BLM land had been a trash disposal site and an eyesore.

I'll back track a bit.

On this property is a big pronounced sign to tell people what was done to protect the area from intruders. (Almost like a billboard.)

A year or so ago, a public or private utility put up huge poles for an apparent large transmission line running through this area. Poles were planted smack dab, almost in the middle of this so called "protected area" and the fence was mangled in the process.

What I don't understand is why someone responsible for the utility company's actions or someone responsible for the BLM didn't change those poles 20 to 30 feet south of their present location. If that would have been done, the whole area inside would have been left uninterrupted and I wouldn't have a legitimate gripe.

I wonder if there is anything left to protect or if people involved would step up and remedy this probable bad situation. To start with, how about mending the fence?

My personal contacts with BLM have mostly been unfruitful.

Take a look and add your comments. See for yourself.

RONALD E. PIOTTER

Why disarm law-abiding residents?

I attended the town meeting on Jan. 27 in order to air my views on Bill Kohbarger's (town manager) gun control proposal. The meeting was packed. Far more people there than I've ever seen before for any issue.

Many of those in attendance were wearing firearms. The issue that brought everyone out was an emotional one and passions were high. The meeting certainly got raucous at moments as Chairman Shupp mishandled the entire affair.

However, and this is the important part, with a room full of 100-plus gun advocates, many of them armed, the meeting remained perfectly safe and I never felt a single moment of fear or concern that any of the armed citizens of Pahrump would misuse their firearms.

If a packed meeting hall, filled with armed men and women, addressing an issue over which the attendees felt quite passionate, didn't produce any firearms problems, I think it's safe to say that there is not, and never was, a reason for Mr. Kohbarger's gun control proposal. Frankly, the citizens of Pahrump don't need that kind of government.

In researching Mr. Kohbarger, I find that the Elko Daily Free Press reports he was fired from his last job as Carlin city manager after a group of residents accused him of using intimidation and claimed his continued employment was detrimental to the community. Sounds like history is repeating itself. It makes sense that Kohbarger would want to disarm the citizens of Pahrump so that he could feel safe when applying his intimidation tactics here.

Why else would a politician want to disarm the law-abiding the citizens of Pahrump?

BILL CARNS

Politicians

I see that Illinois Gov. Blagojevich got impeached and fired. Does that mean he will move to Pahrump and run for county commissioner?

By the way, did our ex-commish move to Oregon? If so, will someone let me know which town so I can send the powers that be all the newspaper articles about him just in case he runs for public office.

PETE WALLACE