If everyone on Birdie's hate list banded together, we could elect him our common enemy.
It would be pretty massive group.

The lack of scientific understanding regarding earthquakes and radiation by Mr. Seidman and subsequent commentors (birdie) is astounding. It's a good thing these are OPINION pages because their comments would get laughed out of any serious scientific tomes.

Harry,
Why all the concern and advocacy for Nevadans now?
Why does it take an impending election for you to suddenly "make absolutely no apologies for helping Michigan, Rhode Island, Oregon and my state of Nevada".
What about apologizing for putting the democratic party ahead of your constituency for the past 10 year?
This recent posturing seems about as sincere as deathbed repentence.

Many people don't understand that getting a law passed through both the house and senate and signed by the President is only the beginning. Once a law is passed then federal bureaucrats begin working on the regulations that define and intepret the law. If something is not clearly stated in the law then those who develop the regs have unbelieveable latitude in how the law is enforced.
In light of Washington's current liberal/socialist leanings, is it no wonder that republicans are skeptical and resistant? Obama and company has been exasperatingly vague in discussing the details and recognizing the potential ramifications of their bill. Their attitude of, "just trust us, pass the bill, we'll work out the details later" appears naive at best and nefarious at worst.

If we fail to control what goes into the law up front, we'll be impotent to stop any unintended (or intended) consequences in the end.
Although some republicans have presented alternatives, they need to make a better effort.

Thanks Larry!
People who attack the messenger remind me of a dog my grandfather had that once attacked a porcupine. The more he tried to bite it, the more quills he received and the more quills he received, the more enraged he became until he was absolutely out of his doggy mind.

In the end the dog was a bloody mess and we had to spend 2 hours pulling quills with a pair of pliers, while the porcupine slowly ambled back to his tree no worse for wear.

Attacking the messenger only hurts the attacker. And in the end, there stands truth; independent, unfazed, unapologetic and no worse for wear.

Be careful of what you do when you're young, because inevitably, you'll have to live with the consequences when you get a little smarter and see a little more clearly.
You need to be especially careful of old liberals who try to tap into the vigor of youth to advance their own failed causes.

In the words of Winston Churchill:
Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.

The terrible truth for the Obama supporters is that he was elected largely because of Republican fatigue. His election was NOT a mandate and this is glaringly evident to anyone with their finger on the pulse of the current political climate. The few who "voted for him, as opposed to voting against the other guy" as Mr. Goldfarb stated are by their very nature unconcerned, and only acted when attracted by a bright shiney object and clever campaign slogans.
People who don't have the motivation to persist past the election were not that committed in the first place and probably voted for all the wrong reasons.

Just like Sarah Ricci. I "could not be in [my] home without gagging" if I knew I paid $355k for a home that's now only worth $155k.
That would make anyone sick.

Edgewise,
The point has nothing to do with loading bills with congressional earmarks. The point is Harry and company say they have brought so much to Nevada when in fact it is not true. In fact, considering his seniority and position, he has been very, very ineffectual. You only need check the Federal Aid to States (FAS) report for the past 10 years if you want proof. It's really no surprise. It appears that Harry has spent so much time doing the bidding of the democratic party that he has neglected his own constituency. There's only so many hours in a day.
FYI, pork barrel spending does not increase the amount of federal money spent; it merely redistributes a bigger portion of the pot to those states whose representatives are able to negotiate and include the authorization in a bill that is passed by congress.
The only way to control pork is to grant the president a line item veto (ala Ronald Regan)...but it will never happen as long as politicians must be elected locally.
Cheers!

We'll just have to wait and see won't we?