10 Thursday, Augur1 21, 1997 Palmamp Valley Gazette
Pahrump or Tonopah -- It's the Code of the West'
Former urban dwellers are flocking into Pahrump in
record numbers. This small town in southern Nye County has
suddenly become tl "in" place to be. This should come as no
great revelation to any of us.
Not that many years ago Pahrump was just a bump in the
road and Tonopah voters, and commissioners, often made
concessions to keep the area alive. That will surprise all but
the Pahrump old-timers. Cards are reversed now as Tonopah
needs to rely on Pahrump to help it stay alive. The only reason
for that is the vast amount of attention that needs to be applied
to the Pabrump area due to the sudden and huge increase in
population.
Nye County has always been a "frontier" county. Sage-
brush, rattlesnakes, coyotes, rabbits and a few people. Ser-
vices have never been anything to brag about. Rather few and
far between, in fact. Commercial businesses always had
somewhat higher prices because of the remote locations.
Within a ma of a few years the population boom in the
southern county has stressed the services of a previously
considered "frontier" area. But !o, we are not alone. In fact,
there is a country-wide problem here. All over the U.S.A.
people who have spent all their lives in the city are suddenly
moving into the countryside. As in Nye, this is stressing the
budgets and services of previously small population counties.
The single greatest problem is the inability of "urban
people" moving into the area to understand that the county
cannot supply the same type services that they've become
accustomed to. If you move from Los Angeles to Pahrump
there is going to he some civic shock and it should be
expected.
A recent article in USA Toy brought this reality to home.
Larimer County, Colorado, is expencing the same prob-
lems that we,re having in Nye. Primarily, an influx of urban
folks. John Clarke, County Commissioner, has had his fill of
it and put his foot down in the form of the "Code of the West."
Specifically, he has written what amounts to an owners
manual for new people coming into the county.
. II I
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Clarke has had en°ugh °f pc°pie com,
plbout, "cows in our yard."
Larimereland.Clark¢ aJ
has explained himself blne in the face at if
you don't like the cows in your yardyou need
to fence your land. He's also sick and tired of constant
complaints about county services, so he took his pen to paper
and wrote the new "Code of the West." This fascinating
insight into our own problems can be found on the internct at:
http://www.eoJarimer.co.us/larimer.htm then click on
"Code of the West"
According to Clarke, several people bought homes up a
road that was clearly marked, "Snow Removal/',lot Provided
Beyond This Point." They complained the following winter
when the county didn't clear the road of snow. They were
somehow under the belief that if they built it, the county
would come. Clarke told them to clear their own snow.
Here are some samples from the "Code of the West" as I
found it on the Internet:
"Emergency response times (sheriff, fire suppression,
medical care, etc.) cannot be guaranteed. Under some ex-
treme conditions, you may find that emergency response is
extremely slow and expensive.
"School buses travel only on maintained county roads that
have been designated as school bus routes by the school
district. You may need to drive your children to the nearest
county road so they can get to school.
"In extreme weather, even county maintained roads can
become impassable. You may need a four wheel drive vehicle
with chains for all four wheels to travel during those episodes,
which could last for several days.
"Mail delivery is not available to all areas of the county.
"If sewer service is available to your property, it may be
expensive to hook into the system.
"If you have access to a supply of treated domestic water,
the tap fees can be expensive.
"Power outages can occur in outlying areas with more
frequency than in more developed areas.
"rrash removal can be much more expensive in a rural area
than in a city. ,
"Animals and their manure can cause objectionable odors."
What else can we say?
"Unpaved roads generate dust. Dust is a fact of life for
most rural residents."
After about ten pages of things to reflect about, the "Code
of the West" concludes:
"Even though you pay property taxes tO the county, the
amount of tax collected does not cover the cost of the services
provided to rural residents. In general, those living in the
cities subsidize the lifestyle of those who live in the country
by making up the shortfall between the cost of services and
the revenues received from rural dwellers."
Copies of the booklet, "Code of the West", have been
requested by county commissioners throughout the West and
the Mid-west.
Food for thought.
Gambling is productive and rational
by Richard Reul
The War on Gambling is about to take its place along-
side the War on Drugs, as part of a crusade for decency.
Although some form of gambling is now legal in all but two
states (Hawaii and Utah), gambling prohibitionists are
confidently predicting an absolute nationwide ban by early
in the next century. It is by no means self-evident that they
are wrong.
Most people enjoy gambling in moderation and will
gamble occasionally if they can. Yet these same people
oppose Partber liberalization of gaming laws. It is one of
those ngs that is obviously harmless when you and I do
it, but is fraught with menace if millions of others can do
it tool
The reigning ideology tells us that gambling is evil. It
is selfish, addictive and provides "false hope." As a
dangerous competitor to some forms of religion, it offers
the prospect of a greatly improved future life...at rather
long odds.
One of the arguments against gambling is that it is
"unproductive." Unlike farming or manufacturing, noth-
ing is produced and no new wealth is created. But people
spend millions of dollars each year on unproductive con-
certs, shows, religious services and athletic events. Like
these, gambling fills a human want.
Casinos are often accused of taking advantage of their
customers. In Las Vegas, about 95% of the money wagered
is returned as winnings. An appreciable chunk of the remain-
ing 5% goes as taxes. How many other businesses can
survive with such a low profit margin7 Competition keeps it
this way...those casinos who curtail winnings are patronized
less.
Changing Patterns
by Richard Reul
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A lottery is simply a deal where a lot of people put in a
small sum and then a few of these people, picked at random,
collect large sums. (after allowing for organizational and
administrative expenses.) In a lottery a low income person
has a chance to better himself and become affluent. The odds
are long but acceptable to flae players.
Insurance, which is highly respected, is a negative lottery.
A responsible citizen pays a relatively small premium to
protect himself against a low probability risk of a large outlay
in the future. The stock and commodity markets are gener-
ally accepted forms of gambling, but only the affluent can
afford them.
The anti-gambling zealots say that all games and lotteries
are rigged against the players. This is certainly not true in
Nevada, where games are carefully watched for honesty
and the Gaming Control Board has the power to instantly,
pull a gambling license. Competition, as noted earlier, also
plays a role. I know several professional gamblers who
make comfortable annual incomes from playing blackjack
and/or the video slots. They are adequately bankrolled and
well versed in probability theory. The money they win is
lost by casual or recreational gamblers who never bothered
to learn. For the most part, the professionals are tolerated by
the casinos and, in fact, have been employed by them to
teach courses to interested patrons. One such professional
approached an anti-gambling organization and offered to
teach its "compulsive gamblers" how to win. His services
were vituperally rejected; he was sending the wrong mes-
sage!
Nothing will apparently affect the puritans who would
destroy every American's chances to have fun...be it smok-
ing, drinking or gambling. They would deny a non-affluent
person the chance tq,elevate his station and instead keep his
nose to the grindstone.
Author's Note: Much of this column was drawn from an
article by David Ramsay Smith in erty Magazine.
has a tall tale of Lake Tahoe Part II
How are we doing so far? If you've read last week's
column you probably didn't have anything else to read or
there was nothing on the tube worth watching, which is
usually the ease.
I wan t to go back to Gulala, Calif. where they hold the
Art In The Redwoods show. I sold some stuff there last
year and want to pick up a few more redwood trees like I
got last time we were there. Them things really grow out
here in the desert. I haven't see any yet. But I think there
was a herd or whatever you call a bunch of spored owls
nesting in one of the trees we brought back.
The wife has been parking her car under it and she has
been complaining about the white spots has been
keeps parking under the tree in a little different spot each
day, in no time, the car will be all white which will help
deflect the suns rays and also the accumulation will help
protect the paint. Works pretty good as the cab of my truck
Slim Sez
by Slim Sirnes
stays a lot cooler.
As you've probably guessed, I still
haven't figured out what happens in
the action packed saga which has been unfolding. When this
happens on the tube they go to a bunch of commercials. So
I think I will go eat lunch and take a nap.
I'm back. This being a couple of days later and taking a
t
nap didn't help as far as story-wise went. During this nap
interlude, Bill Clinton and his buddy AI were up at Lake
Tahoe doing government things, mostly promising etc.
Maybe what I could do is go back to the start of this story
and say it was the terrorist who goofed, they hijacked the
wrong ship.
As I still don't have an ending I think what I will do is
to finish this when I get back from my trip. By that time you
will have forgotten what it was all about or your subscrip-
tion will run out. I will leave you with the following. It
kinda pertains to seafaring stuff. "Do you know what the
shrimp said when it became entangled in sea weed? Kelp!
Kelp !"
Have a good one...
