Columns by Brian Greenspun

Help for Las Vegas is help for the nation: Sunday, January 31, 2010; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Obama can give a big boost to our struggling economy when he visits; By Brian Greenspun; The state of our union depends, in large part, on the state of Nevada.

All is not lost in the Senate surprise: Sunday, January 24, 2010; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Our president has a new chance to connect with frustrated voters; By Brian Greenspun; There are many reasons for the mood of voters — most of which are valid and some, like fear mongering and dissembling, are not. How President Barack Obama deals with the message, will determine the success or failure of his presidency and, more important, the success or failure of millions upon millions of Americans.

Tragedy makes Gibbons look trite: Sunday, January 17, 2010; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: While world tends to serious matters, it’s politics as usual here; By Brian Greenspun; What’s got me going now is Gov. Jim Gibbons’ childish attempt to embarrass the president of the United States and, along with him, Nevada’s senior U.S. senator, Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader. Gibbons is trying to be cute, once again, playing to Nevada’s home crowd by asking Reid to get the president to apologize, genuflect or otherwise bend a knee for Barack Obama’s misguided remarks a year ago about using bailout money to travel to Las Vegas.

Dodd’s retirement not just a loss for Senate: Sunday, January 10, 2010; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: His service, passion are what U.S. needs more of — not less; By Brian Greenspun; When I listened to Chris Dodd’s announcement that he would not seek re-election, it dawned on me that the Senate was losing not only vast experience but also reverence for the institution and dedication to civility, a quality lacking more as each day passes. And those losses would ill-serve us as the torch continues to pass from one generation of leadership to the next.

Combined visions of Goodman, Reid can help ailing hospital: Wednesday, January 6, 2010; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Why Cleveland Clinic should take over UMC; By Brian Greenspun; The University Medical Center is a mess, at all levels. It is a very expensive mess, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually with no end in sight. On the other hand, the Cleveland Clinic is known worldwide not only for the high quality of medical care it provides but also for the efficient way in which it provides it. So how about a marriage?

Where I Stand: Today, a forum for visionaries: Sunday, December 27, 2009; 2020 Vision:; By Brian Greenspun; Visionaries are only as good as the people who pay attention to them. As we look to 2010 — that in itself is a mouthful to a fellow who, as a very young man, used to wonder what kind of spaceships we would use to take us to the moon in the 21st century — it is helpful to pay attention to what our community leaders think will happen in the next 10 years.

For CityCenter, Murren elevated to city’s top ring: Sunday, December 20, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Courage, resolve to open CityCenter is praiseworthy; By Brian Greenspun; The landscape of Las Vegas has changed forever. CityCenter has spent the better part of this month opening its multiple doors to a world awe-struck by its size, its boldness, its price tag, certainly, and its place in a world that promises to likely never replicate its grandeur. CityCenter gives us a glimpse of what it is like to have a city core.

Important values illuminated in 2009: Sunday, December 13, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: In a difficult year, courage and compassion stood out; By Brian Greenspun; Out with the old, in with the new. Not so fast. Before we say goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010, along with some fervent hopes for a much better year, I have some thoughts that run contrary to the urge to “start anew” without regard to what is good and, therefore, worth taking with us.

How city, county can save our money by consolidating: Sunday, December 6, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Combining local governments could boost growth, cut waste; By Brian Greenspun; I remember in the late 1960s those community leaders who thought past the next election and urged our community fathers in Las Vegas and Clark County to consolidate the city and county into one municipal government. They argued that the duplication of services resulted in millions of wasted taxpayer dollars.

A sad day at the Sun, but a day for hope: Wednesday, December 2, 2009; Where I Stand: Greenspun Media Group consolidation unites our talent; By Brian Greenspun; My father used to tell me that if you want to be a good newspaperman, you have to be prepared to put news about yourself — good or bad — on the front page.

Youth Forum a reason for optimism: Sunday, November 29, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Clark County students show they’ve got what it will take to succeed; By Brian Greenspun; I have seen the future and it looks good. Our young people, at least those Close to 1,000 Clark County high school students represented at the Sun Youth Forum, have not only the brains to achieve but also the heart and sensitivity to succeed.

Health care decisions should be the peoples’: Sunday, November 22, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND:; By Brian Greenspun; How’s this for timing? Here was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, ready to unveil his long-awaited Senate health care bill — a bill that, while it has drawn the usual complaints from the usual suspects, hasn’t been dismissed as unworkable or unreasonable. And then, unexpected, was an announcement about detection of breast cancer that suddenly overshadowed the entire health care debate.

Give credit where it’s due: Harry Reid saved jobs: Sunday, November 8, 2009; WHERE I STAND: Stimulus provision he’s taking heat for was a safety net for Nevada; By Brian Greenspun; We have a credit problem in the United States. The same is true in Nevada.

Here’s hope for a smarter future for Nevada: Sunday, November 1, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Kids today are thinking for themselves, not just parroting their parents; By Brian Greenspun; This month the Las Vegas Sun Youth Forum will bring 1,000 of the best and brightest high school students together at the Convention Center to discuss Nevada and other topics on peoples’ minds. They will do it in a setting where what they have to say is more important than what the adults in the community who think they know all the answers have to say.

Rory Reid’s first moves stir hope for leadership: Sunday, October 18, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Candidate for governor has a vision for Nevada — a refreshing change in our political debate; By Brian Greenspun; Rory, I want to read more.