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A wonderful thing

As a Nye County resident, I think the Solar Millennium project is a wonderful thing that will benefit not only Amargosa Valley residents but the residents of Pahrump.

I want Pahrump and the people who live here to have jobs, training and better opportunities. Although I will be going away to college this fall, having jobs available when I come back in the summers would not only help me gain work experience but would also help fund my education.

Just like me, there are many other high school students and recent graduates who are also in need of jobs and would benefit tremendously from the project taking place in Amargosa Valley.

Their families and other residents could take advantage of the many jobs that would become available, helping the community grow, flourish and move in a new and positive direction.

Let's not forget about the tremendous impact Solar Millennium would have on our environment. Not only are we residents of Pahrump and Amargosa Valley, we are also residents of this planet and therefore have the responsibility of taking care of it.

Southern Nevada is the perfect location for a solar energy plant since we have the most important resource needed -- sunlight.

By having the project take place nearby, we will help our environment while helping ourselves and our communities. It is time that we start being more conscientious about our resources, our world and our impact on it.

By allowing Solar Millennium to initiate this project, we will start doing our part in helping the planet while also allowing us, the students, the families and the children of tomorrow, to have more opportunities and resources to build better futures for ourselves.

MARIA MELGAR

Slow down, Homer

Speeding seems to be the only way one can get there from here. What's the hurry?

Slow down and see what you're missing. When stopped and ticketed for speeding, you still get where you are going, only just a bit later. So slow down.

I was passed by a moron in Red Rock Canyon. I was going 50, he was going about 80. After all that, I still arrived at the red light at the same time as him. Way to go Homer.

By the way, I have gotten a speeding ticket. Never have I blamed the policeman. It wasn't his foot pushing my gas pedal.

PHILLIP JONES

Happy, healthy life

In response to "Dirty Vince" Bogdan's letter (PVT Aug. 19), I would like to add a little more.

I have been studying the minds of murderers for years as research for a book I've been writing.

Last year I wrote to the key murderers of the Manson family and got responses from two of them.

Susan Atkins is dying from a brain tumor and is getting 24-hour care at a correctional institute.

I received a letter from Charles "Tex" Watson.

Since then we have kept in contact, and while he wants to "save my soul," I've been picking his brain for research. I don't discredit his Christian convictions and we've gotten to know each other very well.

When he dodged the death penalty and his sentence was commuted to life in prison, here's how things played out for him.

He is 63 years-old, in great shape -- he runs and stays "young in heart." He has four kids and three grandkids. He has published four books, has his own Web site, just recently is taking tests to finish his college education and receive his degree.

He's happy, healthy and living a good life -- (in his own words).

As for his murder victims, oh yeah, they're still dead.

I don't, for the life of me, understand how a mass murderer involved in what was called the crime of the century should be allowed liberties of such privileges.

California allows conjugal visits to criminals doing life. Why? How can these convicts possibly contribute to the financial upbringing of these children?

Mr. Bogdan mentioned the perks inmates receive that the homeless would envy. Let's see -- food, clothes, shelter, full coverage health coverage, marriage, children, college education and even can subscribe to porn magazines.

I think hard-working people could envy these privileges, myself included.

And who pays for these things? We do, the taxpayers. Now I don't believe in cruel and unusual punishment, but I do believe in punishment. I'm sorry to say I don't see much punishment in the present judicial system.

Whatever happened to hard labor as punishment? I labor hard every day for the support of me and mine. Not as punishment, but to achieve the benefits of the American way of life.

Shouldn't prisoners have to work for the support of themselves and the prison that houses and cares for them?

I hope more people will voice an opinion about the lax judicial system in this country.

We need to quit worrying about the rights of the prisoners and think about rights of the victims.

Justice should be given for the victims with a harsh, rapid, no-nonsense punishment for the offenders.

Look up justice in the dictionary.

LANE BLANKENSHIP

Stop sign law?

I propose we change the stop sign traffic law here in Pahrump.

I've noticed countless citizens simply slow down and "run" stop signs.

If you choose to do so, and get pulled over by Tony DeMeo, the new law will allow them to pull your butt out of your vehicle and punch you in the face until you scream, "Stop, stop, stop." But they will have the right not to stop but to simply "slow down."

BOB AHRENDT

Red Rock speed limit

In reference to "Let's take it back," in the PVT Aug. 23 edition, I have the following comments:

Although I think receiving a $150 ticket for exceeding the speed limit by only five mph is extreme, I don't understand Mr. Caple's rant about the 50 mph speed limit.

This is a two-lane road with lots of twists and turns and is designed as a scenic drive.

Hikers park cars close to the roadway at several trailheads along the way. There is an overlook with a turnout at the top of a rise with limited vision in both directions. There are also several exits and entrances to horse riding, campgrounds, the visitor center and loop drive, plus the Calico Basin.

Tourists often drive slowly to enjoy the scenery and there are usually bike riders in the designated bike lanes.

If you use this road as a commuter route, you should be aware of these factors and adjust your driving accordingly.

I have lived here nearly 11 years, and though I do not use this route for commuting to work, I have no problem with the 50 mph speed limit.

It's a very beautiful area. Enjoy it.

RICHARD HAMMEL

Wouldn't you want positive change?

The summary article dated Aug. 21 in The PVT, "Worries over solar plan detailed," did indeed raise foreseeable concerns, which will require remediation.

However, these concerns should not outweigh the overall positive effects the Solar Millennium project will bring to our community.

I, myself, am currently unemployed and like a number of other residents in this area feel the sting every time I seek employment and am turned down because they cannot afford to hire due to business levels, or it's just not in the budget.

This project is a point of growth and change for Nye County.

What we have now are staggering electric bills, carbon dioxide polluting our air, and oil reserves depleting at a rate faster than they take to develop, causing the outrageous price increase that we all feel every time we fuel up.

The Solar Millennium project not only gives us an alternative means of electricity, over time it presents us with a different way of life and the ability to use natural, non-polluting renewable resources.

We must also look at the unemployment in this area, 14.7 percent as of June. This puts Nye County at the second highest unemployment rate in Nevada. An influx of job creation and opportunities into the Armargosa Valley area would only spur potential growth for economic development and expand the local tax base. This will stimulate our local area revenue and put much needed money back into the pockets of the Nye County working class.

That leaves this question: "Who wouldn't want their community to take an economic change for the positive?"

I encourage citizens to look at the actual plan that is structured for Armargosa Valley via the Web site at www.blm.com.

The concerns made by the community are valid and on point. If you are a proactive problem solver and have an interest in constructive consensus building, then bring your thoughts into process and let your ideas become a vested part of the "big picture" solution.

KATIE GASTINEAU