Brian Greenspun

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Youth Forum a reason for optimism: Clark County students show they’ve got what it will take to succeed; Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009; 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, Nov. 22, 2009; 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: Stimulus provision he’s taking heat for was a safety net for Nevada; Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009; We have a credit problem in the United States.
The same is true in Nevada.
Here’s hope for a smarter future for Nevada: Kids today are thinking for themselves, not just parroting their parents; Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009; 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: Candidate for governor has a vision for Nevada — a refreshing change in our political debate; Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009; Rory, I want to read more.
Obama got his Nobel for just a down payment: Prize is more about what we expect from him than about what he’s done; Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009; Some would say the decision was dynamite. Many others would say the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama was explosive. Whatever the adjective used to describe last week’s announcement, the reactions are all the same. Mixed.
Brian Greenspun shares the unfiltered words of Harry Reid: Senate majority leader wonders why, in this time of financial crisis, Republicans refuse to help those suffering the most; Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009; I am reprinting remarks made by Sen. Harry Reid on the floor of the Senate Thursday regarding Republican misrepresentation of health insurance reform bills. They speak loudly to his leadership and his dedication to the people of Nevada and this nation. Most important, these are his words, unfiltered by the political agendas of others.
Let’s have a train that goes where we want to: Beauty of rail, as seen on East Coast, is that it can get right to cities’ hearts; Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009; I can’t believe we are still talking about a train from Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif. No matter how many other tracks will be built, eventually, to meet that train and take people elsewhere in California, the people who get on the train in Las Vegas want to go where they live.
We can be passionate and still be civil: Rosh Hashana reminds us that respect is an important quality; Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009; Whether it is a biblical admonition or a parental imperative, the understanding that to be civilized is to be civil has been lost on so many people today. This is not to say that we shouldn’t be passionate. We learned to stand up for ourselves, to argue when we needed to, fight when we had to and always stand our ground with passion and commitment.
Partnership can make our history start now: Brookings, UNLV will offer ideas, data to let our leaders make Vegas great; Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009; When the historians look back at the date and time at which UNLV, Las Vegas, Nevada and the rest of the Mountain West states began to take their rightful place as leaders in the 21st century, I am pretty sure they will look at Sept. 8, 2008, as the day it all began.
When the R-J unfairly strikes at Harry Reid, it hits Nevada: Obsessive attacks reflect ideology, ignore state’s interests; Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009; It seems that the other day, Sen. Harry Reid was simply being Harry when he met the ad director of the Las Vegas Review-Journal at a Chamber of Commerce event. While shaking Bob Brown’s hand, Harry said words to the effect of: I hope you (the R-J) go out of business. Still, while Harry has been on the receiving end of brutal attacks by the R-J for years, no reasonable individual could construe his joking jab as a remark to be taken literally.
Healthier habits must become source of savings: Sunday, July 26, 2009; 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; 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: Online chatter masks a central issue: Are we about helping others?; Sunday, July 12, 2009; 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: In countries such as Iran, the struggle for freedom is ongoing; Sunday, July 5, 2009; 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; 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: Being a good father can be difficult, but it is ‘one of life’s special gifts’; Sunday, June 21, 2009; 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.
On Obama and Mideast peace, and other thoughts: Let’s be fair to the president of UNLV; what state needs is not another tax study; Sunday, June 14, 2009; I have heard from many people who think I was too soft on President Barack Obama for the speech he gave in Cairo recently. I have also heard from others who claim I was too harsh on the man who is “just trying to do what is right.”
If the end is peace, then it justifies the speech: Obama’s address in Cairo contained forgivable historical inaccuracies; Sunday, June 7, 2009; When asked what I thought of President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo the other day, I had to reach all the way back to law school to find an appropriate, albeit not so satisfying, answer. "It depends on the jurisdiction.”
Pulitzer Prizes remind us why journalism must survive: Sunday, May 31, 2009; It looked like the best of breed rather than the dying breed that so many have predicted. I am talking about the crowded room at Columbia University in New York City, in which the winners of the 2009 Pulitzer Prizes gathered to receive their recognition.
Mr. President, thank you for coming to Vegas: Now, here’s how you and Sen. Reid can help us achieve a bright future; Tuesday, May 26, 2009; President Barack Obama will do today what millions and millions of Americans and others do every year. In that regard, the president of the United States will be just like the 40-plus million people who will, for business or pleasure, find their way to our city in 2009.
Former governors press for maglev: Clean, high-tech trains called sound investments; Sunday, May 24, 2009; When two of the most popular former Nevada governors get together to support an idea they think is important, it is my responsibility to step aside and give this space to them so readers may benefit from their wisdom.
Here’s what would make all mothers really happy: Not flowers, not candy, not a fancy dinner, but meeting a basic need we all have; Sunday, May 10, 2009; Today, I think I have a better idea for what we should get the women who gave us birth, the women who bore our children and the women who will or have given us grandchildren, nieces, nephews or just young friends.
Give Obama more time, but grade Gibbons now: Sunday, May 3, 2009; Nevadans ought to take stock in their own leader’s first 100 days plus two years. The question needs to be asked: What has Gov. Jim Gibbons accomplished for the people of this state?
Through another’s words, a message for the president of Iran: Presenting Rabbi Hier’s remarks on Holocaust Memorial Day; Sunday, April 26, 2009; Almost two years ago in this space, I shared with our readers some reflections from Rabbi Marvin Hier on the issue of intolerance. Rabbi Hier is the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Intolerance.
‘Tea parties’ resembled childish tantrums: Anti-tax rallies’ attempt at historical perspective was a sham; Sunday, April 19, 2009; There was nothing classic about some of the invective heaped upon otherwise decent public officials who are guilty only of trying to fix the myriad problems that threaten this great country.
Let’s hope maturity is all we’re lacking: Sunday, April 12, 2009; Nevada: schizophrenic or just, well, a teenager. Like many Nevadans, I watched in horror last Sunday night as “60 Minutes” told the world just how bad not just things but the people are in Las Vegas.
Leaders leaving our best interest in the dust: At the time we need the most help, governments are working against us; Sunday, April 5, 2009; Get rid of this governor and this Legislature and this state will immediately be better off. Then we should go out and find people who do believe that this state is worth the effort — and elect them to lead.
To fix our ills, we must admit our role in creating them: Sunday, March 29, 2009; It is OK to be mad these days, even angry. But that doesn’t give us the excuse to cast blame where it doesn’t belong. Votes matter. We cast them. The mistakes are ours.
'Les Folies Bergere,' 50 years ago: Brian Greenspun shares a review of the Tropicana show that dazzled Vegas from the first time its dancers set foot on stage; Saturday, March 28, 2009; “Les Folies Bergere” at the Tropicana ends an incredible run that has spanned almost the entirety of Las Vegas’ modern history. There has been much written about the closure of what was a groundbreaking Las Vegas spectacle.
Let’s get our 30-year-old maglev dream back on track: If train project was a good idea then, it’s a great one now; Sunday, March 22, 2009; Imagine millions of tourists thrilled by their maglev train rides to Las Vegas, filling up our 140,000 hotel rooms on a daily basis — and saving hours of travel time along the way.
If there’s no paper, where will news come from?: Sunday, March 15, 2009; I’d like to take you through the start of my day on Wednesday and Thursday — actually most days — of this past week.
Nevada leaders: Please stand up: Rome is burning, yet there’s little outcry, even from citizenry; Sunday, March 8, 2009; Like most of my friends and neighbors, I would love for things to be like they were just a few months ago. Wake up, Nevada. It is a brand new world. That means the world’s economic meltdown we are trying to survive would not have happened. And it means the world’s most envied tourist destination would not be scrambling to find a bottom before the quicksand we are in takes us all under. It also means the tens of thousands of jobs and dreams of Nevadans would not have disappeared along with the many thousands more that most likely will follow.
An obsession that’s not so magnificent for Nevada: Sunday, March 1, 2009; What is this thing that the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s publisher has going with the U.S. Senate’s majority leader and Nevada’s senior senator, Harry Reid? Is it love? Or is it obsession?
Kill Yucca, then get going on the rest of our problems: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009; Why are Gov. Jim Gibbons and his champion, Nevada GOP Chairman Sue Lowden, doing all they can to breathe life into the Yucca Mountain dump, thereby threatening countless thousands of Nevadans?
Last thing an ailing nation needs is stupidity: Politicking, rhetoric and endless cable squawking won’t help us out of crisis; Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009; Since my return from traveling the world, I have been amazed — just when I thought nothing could amaze me anymore — just how stupid we are doing, to paraphrase Mr. Forrest Gump.
Let’s cut the bickering and give Obama time to lead: Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009; Our country needs a honeymoon. We are always willing to give a new president a honeymoon. We should be willing to give one to ourselves, too. We have been through a very difficult time these past eight years, starting with Sept. 11, 2001, when our thoughts of one-time invincibility went out the window.
Cease-fire must first apply to the aggressor — Hamas: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009; All in favor of a cease-fire in Gaza, raise your hand.
Making educators’ dreams come true is a beautiful thing: Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008; We’re dreaming of a white Christmas. Everybody knows how close Las Vegas came to having one this year. We came within a few days of that magical moment millions of Americans take for granted in the northeastern United States but few have seen in these parts. So who is going to complain about a few days here or there?
You want our money? Here’s how to earn it: With public funding must come responsibility, first and foremost, to the public; Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008; Thursday night’s U.S. Senate defeat of a bailout measure for the car manufacturers in the United States may prove to be the disaster so many people have been foretelling, or it may be the greatest exaltation of the free market system known to man. What it won’t be, though, is a shining moment for the people in Congress who hung tough for ideological reasons.
This is a time for propping up, not for tearing down: Recession has created needs that must be met if we all are to survive the crisis; Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008; Visibility zero. Who can see a thing?
A time to give thanks and a time to join in a call for peace: Terrorist attacks in India another wake-up call to world; Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008; It is still my favorite holiday.
Nixon set back our leadership potential a generation: Justifiable mistrust turned media into private eyes; Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008; Maybe Mike O’Callaghan was right. Again. I remember that day 35 years ago like it was yesterday. I was visiting with then-Governor O’Callaghan at the home of longtime Nevadan George Brookman in Las Vegas. He was swimming and I was asking questions. We did that often.
The question isn’t just who deserves a bailout: Car makers have selves to blame, but their failure would hurt too many; Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008; Let me know when we have reached the deep end of the pool.
Nation’s politics have come full circle in just 40 years: Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008; Just a walk in the park. It was 40 years ago that a large group of Americans, mostly young people, gathered in Grant Park in Chicago to participate in a demonstration of some of our most precious freedoms — the freedom to speak, to assemble and to seek redress of our grievances.
Job creation is key to economic recovery: Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008; In response to Sarah Palin and the Republican Party’s campaign message and solution to the economic crisis of “Drill, baby, drill,” Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden has used this message over and over again on the campaign trail: “Jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Multistate cooperation key to future of Nevada: Brookings, UNLV to offer peek at benefits for Vegas; Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008; The future of Las Vegas starts Tuesday.
Giving taxpayers a stake is an idea worth a look: Worries about socialism shouldn’t block government investment in companies; Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008; Given a choice between socialism and capitalism, I think I would like to try the first one.
Hate what they got us into, but we need politicians now: Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008; The United States lives at the intersection of Main and Wall.
Taxpayers deserve right deal right now: Bailout must accomplish credit market relief without sacking the public; Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008; “Deal or no deal?”