And yet Chuck Muth supports Jim Gibbons more than he does Brian Sandoval.

Apparently in his world it's worse to not sign the no-tax pledge at all then to sign it and then break it (as Gibbons did when he said that if the voters supported new taxes, he would not veto them).

And Harley, could you learn a new song? This one is well worn out. Perhaps you have a plan on how to run the basic services of the state (such as prisons and road repair) without taxes? Should the Department of Corrections hold a bake sale when they need money?

"I do know that for the most part federal funds rarely exceed half the state's contribution let alone 3 times higher."

Not 3 times higher. Current Medicaid allocation is for every $1 the state government pays, the federal government provides $2 in matching funds.

So for every dollar you take out of that budget, you lose that $2 match. $1 + $2 = $3.

"Spending has NOT been cut to essential services, the legislature still spends more money per person than it did in the year 2000."

What would you suggest? More pay cuts for state workers? More furloughs?

We already have the lowest Medicaid matching contribution in the nation, and every dollar you cut out of health and human services is actually a $3 cut due to loss of matching federal funds. Should we cut more there?

Should we hike tuition, even though students now are having trouble getting student loans to make the ends meet?

Where should we cut, Patrick?

KillerB

Your logic is to use the First Amendment as a sword - that no one can criticize anyone because everyone has the right to free speech under the First Amendment.

The First Amendment is not a sword. It is a shield from the government using the censor button against speech they don't like.

Did the government censor Kanye West? No.

Did the government censor Rep. Wilson? No. They expressed formal disapproval, but did not muzzle him.

KillerB,

It doesn't apply in either case - you are twisting the meaning of the First Amendment all out of shape.

"you exist because of the First Amendment and now you criticize when others use it not to your liking?"

KillerB, the First Amendment doesn't apply in this situation.

People have the right to be rude and uncouth. And other people have the right to call those people on their rudeness and uncouthness.

RHG, the people who STARTED the Tea Party movement initially referred to themselves by that term. It was ONLY after they found out what it means (seriously, 15 seconds of Google searching would have tipped them off) that they suddenly reversed course.

As for Williams, her punishment may not yet be final as the tapes are being reviewed. Her non-apology apology stunk as well, and really didn't improve the second time around.

And West is a nozzle, but at least he had the decency to not only apoligize publicly (and I mean sincerely apologize) and call Taylor Swift and apologize to her as well. His initial non-apology apology didn't sit well, but he figured out he needed to do more than just cloak himself in his celebrity.

"I think Pelosi was in the House when she called the CIA liars, and Bush a liar and a murderer."

If she wasn't on the floor of the chamber when it was in session, she can say whatever she wants. So can you. So could Rep. Wilson or any other Republican.

And I highly, HIGHLY doubt Speaker Pelosi called President Bush a murderer. Had she done that, the walls would still be reverberating with outrage.

Ah, Rock...I found it (I was bored, and figured I might as well look). You must mean Rep. Pete Stark of California, who called Bush a liar in 2007.

Funny thing - the Republicans motioned for cenusure against Rep. Stark (knowing the motion would not pass), the motion died...but Stark still went down into the well and apologized both to the entire chamber as well as President Bush after being publicly rebuked by Speaker Pelosi for being out-of-line.

"DouglasDemocrat.....they were not operating under the standard rules of the House."

The Parlimentarian for the House of Representatives says that the body has "wide discretion" in determining if the rules shall apply during other than formal session.

"Also, there is plenty of tape of Democrats calling Bush a liar on the House floor when the House is in regular session."

Links, then. If it exists, then it's somewhere on the Internet. Links or I call this another load of horse apples.