Columns by Brian Greenspun

Spending on education will pay off in long term: Sunday, August 23, 2009; WHERE I STAND (GUEST COLUMN):; Dan Klaich; In August, Brian Greenspun turns over his Where I Stand column to guest writers. Today’s columnist is Dan Klaich, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Teach For America is working for students: Friday, August 21, 2009; Where I Stand:; Allison Serafin; In August, Brian Greenspun turns over his Where I Stand column to guest writers. Today’s columnist is Allison Serafin, executive director of Teach For America-Las Vegas Valley.

Drought requires community to pursue all of its options: Wednesday, August 19, 2009; WHERE I STAND (GUEST COLUMN):; Steve Sisolak; In August, Brian Greenspun turns over his Where I Stand column to guest writers. Today’s columnist is Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak.

We must be ready to tap new water source: Sunday, August 16, 2009; WHERE I STAND (GUEST COLUMN):; Pat Mulroy; In August, Brian Greenspun turns over his Where I Stand column to guest writers. Today’s columnist is Pat Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Campaign finance reporting in clear need of transparency: Thursday, August 13, 2009; WHERE I STAND (GUEST COLUMN):; Ross Miller; In August, Brian Greenspun turns over his Where I Stand column to guest writers. Today’s columnist is Ross Miller, Nevada’s secretary of state.

CEO of Three Square Food Bank: Nourish your spirit, Las Vegas: Tuesday, August 11, 2009; Where I Stand: In this economy, feeding the hungry is more challenging, rewarding than ever; Julie A. Murray; We live in a city synonymous with excitement, fantastic amenities and service, world-class entertainment and fabulous food — on par with other great cities such as New York and San Francisco. Yet, when I came to Three Square, I quickly realized I did not know everything about our city.

Studies have documented the failures of our tax system: Sunday, August 9, 2009; WHERE I STAND (GUEST COLUMN):; Guy Hobbs; Before this year’s session of the Nevada Legislature we all knew state lawmakers would face one of the most challenging sessions in Nevada’s history. The numbers were staggering. At best, Nevada was looking at projected revenue for the next two years that was $2.4 billion less than what was considered necessary to fund services.

Acute care alone can’t ensure our health: Thursday, August 6, 2009; WHERE I STAND (GUEST COLUMN):; Nancy Menzel; What is health anyway? Many people (including legislators) think health is something that insurance can buy. But just as “life” insurance is really “death” insurance (it pays only when you die), “health” insurance is really “sickness” insurance (it pays only when you are ill). But, according to the World Health Organization, health is not merely the absence of disease but also a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. These additional dimensions help to explain why the United States, despite spending trillions of dollars annually on acute care and disease-based treatments, has shorter life expectancies than other industrialized countries ...

Senate working swiftly to right Nevada’s — and nation’s — course: Sunday, August 2, 2009; WHERE I STAND (GUEST COLUMN):; Harry Reid; Almost a year ago our state and our country demanded a new direction. As we in the Senate undertook that task, we knew that just as the challenges we face were not created in a day, they would not go away overnight. But we also knew we had no time to waste in getting to work.

Healthier habits must become source of savings: Sunday, July 26, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND:; By Brian Greenspun; It is now clear that the attempt by the Obama administration to pass meaningful health care reform by August is more fiction than fact. Because of how hard this challenge is and will continue to be, final action by the summer recess is officially out of reach.

Summer air isn’t the only thing feeling Vegas heat: Sunday, July 19, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND:; By Brian Greenspun; Just when we thought the Las Vegas City Council’s ego-driven dream of a new city hall building was the latest and, perhaps, only fortunate victim of this crushing economic crisis, along comes a union pension fund riding to the rescue.

Health care debate goes to who we are: Sunday, July 12, 2009; WHERE I STAND: Online chatter masks a central issue: Are we about helping others?; By Brian Greenspun; There are many reasons to enjoy the news in this modern age of the Internet and wireless digital technology. They include the speed with which it is delivered and the multimedia aspects that are unavailable in print, on television and on radio platforms.

Be thankful for your independence: Sunday, July 5, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: In countries such as Iran, the struggle for freedom is ongoing; By Brian Greenspun; Happy Fourth of July. I know I am a day late, but celebrating the birth of the United States is not and should not be a one-day affair. We can, at least, take a weekend once a year to focus on the birth of our nation and the courage, good sense, intelligence and recklessness that those who risked everything for us exemplified.

U.S. can’t squander the trust of Israelis: Sunday, June 28, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND:; By Brian Greenspun; Is the United States still Israel’s best friend? That is a question I never thought would be on the lips of Americans and Israelis because, for my entire life, these two great democracies have had an inextricable relationship that was never questioned.

We dads have big jobs, and we love it: Sunday, June 21, 2009; BRIAN GREENSPUN: WHERE I STAND: Being a good father can be difficult, but it is ‘one of life’s special gifts’; By Brian Greenspun; Is it just me or does it seem like it is getting more difficult to be a good father these days? Maybe every father in every generation starts to feel this way as he gets up there in age and finds he has less control over those issues than he had when his family was young.