Nevada NewsMakers Blogs

• Increase Your Car Insurance Coverage Now

  I was in a bad car accident in September that was not my fault. I was stopped in heavy traffic and a truck hit us from behind. My SUV was totaled. My mom, dad and I were all hurt, and mom was taken to the hospital by REMSA. The incident [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 9:18am EST
  

• Why Would Anyone Run for Office?

  Unemployment at 12%. State Revenues down over 30%. The tax increases that passed in 2009 (bringing in $700 million) will sunset in 2011. Another $100 million in federal stimulus dollars will be gone by 2011. The camaraderie that used to exist in... [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 1:23pm EDT
  

• If you like the bloggers you have, you get to keep them

  Choice and competition, by God, energize every field of endeavor. Here's hoping you'll welcome this humble offering of choice and competition. Of course, if you like the bloggers you already have, you get to keep them. After a somewhat miscalculated...' [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2009, 9:40pm EDT
  

• I'm Not Credit Worthy

  Are there actual people working at credit card or insurance companies, or is corporate America all computer automated? I ask this because I just can't believe that a person would actually make some of the decisions that these companies...' [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 11:08am EDT
  

• A house of ill repute and disrespect

  The spectacle that was our State Senate last week was disgusting, disrespectful and discouraging. Senate majority leader Steven Horsford used the Capitol Police to "take into custody" three absent Republican senators and return them... [...]
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  Posted: May 29, 2009, 1:37pm EDT
  

• Business Owners Beware: The Government is Not Here to Help

  Bleak news this week indicates that the economic recovery will be long and slow, and what the folks are doing to us in Carson is only going to make it worse. Just a quick reminder in civics for you folks in Carson. The private... [...]
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  Posted: May 28, 2009, 5:24pm EDT
  

• It's the Entrepreneurs, Stupid

  As former President Clinton's advisor James Carville told the nation in 1992, Clinton would be a better leader than President Bush because Clinton understood that the economy was the issue. Somehow it seems we need to remind our state... [...]
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  Posted: May 12, 2009, 11:11am EDT
  

• The Business of Politics Should be Looking out for Business

  If you want to stay in business, you better get into politics. Never has that line seemed more appropriate than now. Congress and our legislature are considering bills that will impact how we do business, and how much we pay... [...]
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  Posted: May 11, 2009, 12:05pm EDT
  

• There is Reality, and There is the Legislature

  It's often said that our elected leaders in Washington DC are out of touch with the voters, but I'm shocked at how out of touch the legislators in Carson are with the voters. Legislators are struggling to come up with new taxes, but they refused to...' [...]
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  Posted: May 11, 2009, 11:14am EDT
  

• There's Dough in that thar' Yucca Mountain - But the plan for the Mountain has to change!

  Business owners beware! Just because we are in a recession, don't think we won't see a tax increase this year. Our legislature is looking for ways to raise revenue, and one tax that will likely be increased this session is the payroll tax. ... [...]
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  Posted: March 12, 2009, 12:25pm EDT
  

• Follow the Yellow Brick Road, to the Web of Debt

  The Wizard of Oz is an American Fairy Tale of the power of the individual - how you have the ability to manifest your dreams. But it is also a web of deceit, showing us how there are invisible puppeteers pulling the strings of the people we... [...]
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  Posted: March 01, 2009, 3:53pm EST
  

• A Few Helpful Hints to Survive the Recession

  Instead of addressing a business issue like I usually do, I thought I'd try to offer some help to the unemployed and to businesses looking for customers. I'll start with some words for the unemployed. 1) Get out of bed! Being... [...]
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  Posted: January 26, 2009, 4:34pm EST
  

• What will the Legislature do, now that PISTOL has Passed?

  Statewide Question 2 (commonly called PISTOL for People's Initiative to Stop the Taking of our Land) is a constitutional amendment related to eminent domain. It was proposed in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New... [...]
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  Posted: January 13, 2009, 1:46pm EST
  

• Merry Credit - Mess

  If you read last month's column on the tightening of credit, it won't surprise you that I had a few folks in the banking business upset with me. So I will try to address their side of the story. Banks had to tighten credit now. As one... [...]
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  Posted: December 29, 2008, 9:12am EST
  

• Lenders Should Be Prepared for Backlash

  This is for you bank executives, loan officers, mortgage lenders and any one else who extends credit. This financial crisis will end. It may be a year or two, but it will end. The question to you is: will any of your good customers... [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2008, 2:53pm EST
  

• Everything is NOT on the table

  The Governor announced this week that everything is on the table to address the economic crisis - including tax hikes. His statement is disappointing to all who voted for him based on the promise, pledge, guarantee, and "Read My Lips"... [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2008, 4:34pm EST
  

• Who's Helping the Democrats Win? The Conservative Non-Republicans

  Who's Helping the Democrats Win? The Conservative Non-Republicans Third Party Candidates Gave Democrats Control of the Senate & the Clark Commission by Randi Thompson Senator Joe Heck is no longer a Senator, thanks to Tony... [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2008, 1:34pm EST
  

• Homeless Complex Not Consistent with Redevelopment Goals

  I have a new favorite building in town. It is stylish and contemporary with great windows overlooking downtown. In case you haven't seen it, you should check it out. It's on Record Street off 4. It's the new... [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2008, 2:40pm EDT
  

• Time to Build Yucca

  I have been accused of being "pro Yucca" since 1993. That was the year I worked for the American Nuclear Energy Council (now Nuclear Energy institute) and lobbied our state legislature to consider talking with the Dept. of Energy about the... [...]
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  Posted: June 27, 2008, 4:21pm EDT
  

• Leave it to a kid from Sudan to Teach us the Value of Education

  John Bul Dau didn't start first grade until he was 18, but he still ended up getting a college degree. Dau is one of the Lost Boys of the Sudan who fled a war torn village in the late 1980's, and walked literally for years before finding a... [...]
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  Posted: May 28, 2008, 8:37pm EDT
  

• Term Limits

  I'll admit that most voters don't generally know the intended and unintended consequences of some ballot questions, especially when they are intentionally confusing. The competing smoking ban questions in the 2006 election, or the multiple... [...]
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  Posted: April 18, 2008, 8:25am EDT
  

• Realities of a Recession....

  There may be more budget reductions coming soon to state government, and what do educators say? According to a Las Vegas Review Journal story, state public schools Chief Keith Rheault said that the next round of cuts could lead to... [...]
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  Posted: March 28, 2008, 3:31pm EDT
  

• McCain's Lead Gives Me Hope

  I'm not a big McCain fan - can't say I was thrilled with any of the candidates running for President. But McCain's lead indicates, to me at least, that the Christian right wing, pro-life activist don't control the Republican Party. It gives... [...]
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  Posted: February 12, 2008, 7:29pm EST
  

• Nevada's Role in Presidential Politics is Not New

  Many think that the presidential caucus this month is going to put Nevada in the national political spotlight. Well, Nevada has been in the presidential spotlight for decades, though not always in a positive light. "West Wing" fans... [...]
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  Posted: January 22, 2008, 12:09pm EST
  

• Democracy is not a perfect system

  While Democracy is a participatory sport - caucusing requires full body contact. That's what made the caucus so fun to me. You could not help but get engaged in the democratic process. Unlike a primary where you just go vote in an... [...]
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  Posted: January 21, 2008, 7:39am EST
  

• In an attempt to make Nevada relevant, Nevada GOP voters became irrelevant

  "For the first time in 50 years, my husband can't vote in a Presidential primary. This caucus idea is discriminatory." That's what a friend's mom said to me recently. Her husband, who's mind is active, but his body is not, can... [...]
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  Posted: January 16, 2008, 10:02am EST
  

• Huckabee Runs Counter to our Constitution

  Mike Huckabee is running for President on a religious platform that runs counter to our constitution and to the founding principles of America. He's not running as a morale leader, he's running as the morale police. He's the worst... [...]
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  Posted: January 08, 2008, 10:40am EST
  

• It's not Global Warming, It's Arson

  I can't believe all these politicians that are getting media attention as they try to blame Bush or Iraq or Global Warming for the fires raging in Southern California. There is only one reason for the fires - ARSON.... Or should I... [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2007, 12:47pm EST
  

• What is Brewing for 2008 and 2009 - Hide Your Wallets!

  Expect to see Tax Increases and Tax Caps on the Ballot Next Fall The 2007 legislative session can really be labeled "Much Ado About Nothing." Before the session started in February, Legislators were told to expect a... [...]
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  Posted: October 05, 2007, 12:52pm EDT
  

• 2007 Was NOT a Business-Friendly Session

  2007 Was Not a Business-Friendly Session On the surface this legislative session looked fairly business-friendly. No taxes were increased, the pay roll tax did not go up .02% as required under the 2005 bill, and money was allocated for... [...]
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  Posted: June 26, 2007, 3:13pm EDT
  

• Welcome to the Nevada Legislature Please Do Not Disturb

  With just a mere two weeks left in the legislative session, you'll find the majority of the committee rooms dark, doors closed. The committees have processed their bills and now lobbyists roam the halls waiting for the back room decisions to be... [...]
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  Posted: May 22, 2007, 1:32pm EDT
  

• Democrats Show True Color - Yellow

  Last week an "emergency" bill came out of the Democrat-controlled Assembly to overturn the "green" tax. This was a 50% reduction on property taxes for companies that spent more in the construction of their building to comply with strict national... [...]
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  Posted: May 12, 2007, 12:21pm EDT
  

• And so it begins...

  The first move on the legislative chess board for all day kindergarten was made last Thursday when the money subcommittee dealing with education met to close budgets. It wasn't pretty. Assembly Democrats slashed and burned the higher education... [...]
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  Posted: May 08, 2007, 12:29pm EDT
  

• Illegal Immigrants Want Path to Citizenship

  I read about the rallies across the country on May 1st, May Day. May Day...the day generally reserved for communists and socialists to rally for the labor movement...is now a day of protest for illegal immigrants who want a path... [...]
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  Posted: May 02, 2007, 1:45pm EDT
  

• Teacher's Union Newest Stooge

  Rookie Democrat Ruben Kihuen is the latest legislator to fall into the hands of the teachers union. He is pushing a bill that allows a teacher to continue to teach for up to 90 days after their teaching license lapses. I watched him on... [...]
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  Posted: April 30, 2007, 4:42pm EDT
  

• The Benefits of Term Limits?

  I like term limits. With campaign finance laws that allow $10,000 donations, the only way to beat an incumbent in Nevada is to wait until they retire or are forced out by gaming or the unions. (The teachers union spent close to $300 K to take... [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2007, 10:34am EDT
  

• Police Chief and Political Consultant

  Crime must not be an issue in Nevada's second largest city, since the Police Chief has opened not just one but two separate companies. The announcement last week that Henderson Police Chief (and former Assembly Speaker) Richard Perkins has... [...]
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  Posted: April 18, 2007, 11:46am EDT
  

• Why Are We So Accommodating?

  Do you think that if the German government passed a resolution that German will be the official language of Germany, anyone would notice? Would anyone care? Would anyone even question it? Kind of a no brainer, huh. You want to live in... [...]
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  Posted: April 11, 2007, 7:42pm EDT
  

• Taxpayer Liability vs. Parental Responsibility

  A Senate committee passed a bill to deny illegal students the right to a taxpayer funded college education. Thank you! That's a good start. Can we next do a financial test and stop paying for college for families that can afford... [...]
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  Posted: April 10, 2007, 1:59pm EDT
  

• Waste on our Rails, Part 2

  Just one more "fact" to help put some perspective on the sensational story mentioned above. No doubt you've seen the stories of how terrorists are now using chlorine bombs in Iraq now, with devastating results. Well, America is much more... [...]
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  Posted: April 05, 2007, 10:47am EDT