In 2002, my wife and I were living in Las Vegas during the construction boom, but the dust we were breathing caused us many sinus and breathing problems.

We started coming to a little town called Pahrump, and we noticed that even Walmart was opening a new store in this quiet little town.

After many visits, we found a piece of property in a quiet subdivision and had a Palm Harbor home put on an acre-and-a-half lot with well and septic.

This was a country boy’s dream and my wife and I were very happy we found Pahrump.

With my construction business background, I wanted several changes to make our home exactly the way we wanted it. Back in 2003, there were no impact fees and permission from the town to make the changes I requested went very smoothly, but things have changed dramatically since then.

We moved to our new home in May 2003 and the town was in the process of drawing up a master plan for the future. I liked the idea of a master plan because now everyone knows the zoning for the future growth of the town. I soon found out that more than one million dollars was spent making this master plan, but every time a developer or landowner with connections wanted it changed to fit their own needs, it was always approved.

The nine-and-a-half-mile rule for the new detention center and the change in zoning for the Focus Group are perfect examples of how the big guys make their own rules and our town and county leaders give it the stamp of approval.

It’s apparent to me that this master mlan should have been drawn up in pencil, due to the fact it’s been changed so many times.

After living in Pahrump for a while, I started going to sheriff’s forums, town board meetings and commissioner’s meeting at the Bob Ruud Community Center. I soon realized that many residents were complaining because decisions were being made without the public’s knowledge and the tax dollars were being wasted.

It became apparent that the rules and laws of Pahrump and Nye County were being applied differently to people, and everything depended on a persons “connections.”

Employment for town or county jobs is mostly nepotism, and the major qualification for getting hired is who you know and not what you know. This is a major reason why our local economy is sinking into a black hole.

In the private sector job market, an employee needs to show hard work and production to keep his job, but in Nye County, all you need is a connection and you are locked in forever. Since most of my life was spent in Chicago, I should be accustomed to dirty politics, but I never realized that a small town and county could give Chicago a run for its money.

I’m not sure who the genius was who came up with the idea to charge impact fees and to create a mountain of bureaucracy for new business here in Pahrump, but this person will definitely get my vote if he is a candidate for the Village Idiot. New business should be given incentives to open or expand because this will not only create jobs, but will also increase the amount of taxes the town and county receives.

Casinos and motels should be given huge incentives to expand their room capacity because the town would then have the ability to accommodate large events or conventions whereas people could come to Pahrump for a short period of time, and all of our local businesses would benefit.

This situation would be perfect because the tourists would enjoy themselves, spend their money and return home to tell their friends what a great time they had in Pahrump.

Since I don’t have the right connections, my suggestions will probably be used like toilet paper, but I have many more things to suggest, so stay seated and buckled up because this ride is just beginning.