Editorial: Embracing winds of change

Sunday, Dec. 31, 2006 | 7:02 a.m.

The year 2006 may well be remembered as one of turning points.

On the national level, tensions rose as casualties mounted in the Iraq war. With the U.S. death toll nearing 3,000, Americans grew increasingly disenchanted with President Bush's war policy and made their views known at the polls in November, with Democrats gaining control of both the House and Senate for the first time since 1994.

The day after the election, Bush announced the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whose know-it-all, go-it-alone approach and contempt for administration critics have been disastrous in conducting the Iraq war. It remains to be seen, however, whether Bush will also change his approach to the war or simply repackage the same failed policies with a new defense secretary. So far, we are not encouraged.

With Democrats controlling Congress, Nevada's own Sen. Harry Reid is to become Senate majority leader and one of the two most powerful elected officials on Capitol Hill. With Reid in charge of the Senate, efforts to bury high-level nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain northwest of Las Vegas could be stalled indefinitely, as they should be.

For Nevada, 2006 also was a year in which Reid's influence, the state's racial and ethnic diversity and its strong unionized workforce gained the attention of the Democratic National Committee, which chose Nevada to be the second state in the nation to hold a presidential caucus in 2008.

And despite Arizona edging ahead as the nation's fastest-growing state - a title Nevada had held for 19 straight years - the Silver State's growth remains steady and its economy is booming. Housing sales, although lower by Nevada standards, still eclipsed those of other regions.

Certainly, serious challenges will confront us as 2007 unfolds. Nationally, Congress will have to work hard to undo the damage inflicted by the ethical transgressions and industry-pandering policies that flourished under years of Republican leadership. And Nevada will continue to wrestle with expanding its transportation system, finding enough funding for increasing education demands and creating better health care access for residents.

We hope that in 2007 Nevadans will continue to embrace change and take the steps that are necessary to tackle the state's challenges and improve life here for everyone.