Columns by Brian Greenspun

Traffic is seen Jan. 13, 2011, on Interstate 15 in a construction zone for the Interstate 15 South Design-Build South Project.

Inequity in state’s spending on roads is a joke: May 21, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; Connecting the dots in Carson City is a fool’s errand. Enter the fool. Sen. Debbie Smith has bottled up Senate Bill 322 in her committee despite a previous unanimous vote to move it to the floor for passage. But why?

Our Legislature needs to step up and get the job done: May 19, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; I have been one of those Nevadans who believed that the Legislature should meet no more than every two years and for no more than a specific amount of time. The theory has been that when forced to do the work, legislators will get it done and leave the good people of Nevada alone the rest of the time. I was wrong.

Better have a good reason if you forgot Mother’s Day: May 12, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; Hank Greenspun was well-known for taking his life in his hands by forgetting such important dates as Mother’s Day, his wedding anniversary, an important birthday and the like. He compounded the problem by writing about these matters in his “Where I Stand” column. I know that Las Vegans — both newcomers and those who have been here forever — enjoy reliving some of the good old days through Hank’s words. So I have chosen a column he wrote on Mother’s Day 1954 to republish today.

Firefighters spray water on twisted metal to keep fire and fumes from escaping at the Pacific Engineering Production Company of Nevada plant May 5, 1988.

Anger after the explosion’s fallout: May 5, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; On this weekend’s 25th anniversary of the explosion at the PEPCON industrial plant — a mighty blast that killed two people, injured several hundred and blew out windows throughout the valley — I am ceding my normal column space to my late father, Hank Greenspun, who was the editor and publisher of the Sun at the time.

Smatresk’s leadership elevates university: April 28, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; How do we evaluate Neal Smatresk? Employee evaluations are supposed to be private — mostly, I assume, because candor is important when deciding whether a person has done or is doing a good job. People who talk about others want protection from any reprisals, and protecting a person from too much candor — an opinion laced with bias — is also good policy.

Kudos to NV Energy for helping our health: April 7, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; If you have your health, you have everything.

We have a right to feel safe: March 31, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; In the end, they just didn’t feel safe. Assembly Majority Leader William Horne expressed that sentiment after the very sad saga of Assemblyman Steven Brooks during the process that led to his being expelled by the legislative body to which he was duly elected.

Gag order obscures the real fight: March 24, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; I think I know why Nevada voters, like so many others, are getting sick of politics.

Promising signs for the future: March 17, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; In a world that has seen a dearth of positives over the past five years, I think the signs this past week around the world and here at home give us reason for hope.

Continue the good work CCSD chief started: March 10, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; Thank you, Dwight Jones.

Kids will be ready to take torch: March 3, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; I’ve always enjoyed getting haircuts — even if I only needed a little trim — because it was an opportunity for pleasant conversation with Tony.

Las Vegans continue giving: Feb. 24, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; The power of love in Las Vegas is a reason for celebration.

Drones play an important role in keeping us safe: Feb. 10, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; I believe in baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, the American dream, Jack Bauer, the U.S. Constitution and, yes, drones.

We won’t have to scream if the Legislature does its job: Feb. 3, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; Where are the pitchforks? Where are the torches yearning to burn? Where is the angry mob?

For some people, it's all about red meat: Jan. 27, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; I spent a little time last week at the movies and in front of the television learning about the benefits and detriments of red meat. My experience included a wonderful two hours at the movies watching “Life of Pi” and many hours watching or listening to the congressional hearings with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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IRS scandal and gays in the military: Why is it when conservatives spend billions of taxpayer dollars throwing people out of the military due to their perceived sexual preference it is OK, yet when the IRS targets conservative organizations it’s criminal?; Continues…; David Klamann, Las Vegas
Be grateful for chance to work: Regarding Professor Dorian T. Warren’s op-ed piece, “Low-wage workers rebel against modern Gatsby”:; Continues…; George Pucine, Las Vegas
School District’s $1 million donation?: The other night I went to the Smith Center, and I came across a fact in the program that I find highly disturbing.; Continues…; David Pisetzner, Henderson
No excuse for lack of a lottery: Let’s get on the Powerball gravy train in Nevada right now. No more lobbyists for big gaming crying the blues about how a lottery will hurt gaming in Nevada.; Continues…; Gary Lind, Las Vegas
Las Vegas is at risk of losing baseball: We need a new baseball stadium.; Continues…; Keith Bruch, Las Vegas
Political groups aren’t charities: In all this frenzy over the Internal Revenue Service, no one has mentioned how the whole problem stems from giving political groups tax-exempt status.; Continues…; Janice Herr, Las Vegas
Present law in Nevada makes it easy for abusers to buy guns: Last October, a young woman in Milwaukee named Zina Daniel filed a domestic violence restraining order against her husband.; Continues…; Sue Meuschke
Wishing for a brighter future: I look forward to the day that we will no longer see photos in the newspaper of Nevadans lining up to contribute money to California’s education system.; Continues…; Jeremy M. Christensen, Las Vegas