User profile

Richard

Gee, all that stuff here, from all directions, and no transport accidents shutting down I-15, trickling through to the groundwater now, or likely for the next several hundred years, and a struggling economy still benefiting from construction and high paying jobs.

A couple dozen political careers built on blind opposition. Frightened visitors staying away by the handful How dare they do this to Nevada?!

Get a grip, folks. Worried about government waste? Let's not add to it with outworn pandering to paranoia. There are more pressing concerns than getting the Feds to go do it in somebody elses' back yards.

The Chamber has changed rather dramatically since I helped run it during periods in the '80s and '90s. Back then emphasis was on providing value to members, as I am sure it is now. But it also was also on survival, as North Las Vegas was regarded as the weak sister of the Valley, and many business people, even in the city limits, saw little value in belonging to any but the larger Chamber. Back then emphasis was largely on balloon races, bus tours and the leadership's Trailblazers social organization. Its legislative involvement was much more middle of the road than it is now, which was good, by the way, but its financial support from major businesses seems much more sound, as does its Foundation, now fifteen years old. Mr. Varney brings local background to the job, and can further benefit from the huge growth of the city which occurred primarily during the '90s. Finally, I am hopeful that City Hall is much more directly supportive than it used to be, when its attitude was primarily that the Chamber was largely irrelevant to the City's well being.

Bye Bye Governor Jim. You have been mostly an embarrassment as Governor, regardless of your mostly impressive resume leading up to your election. As people say, don't let the door whack you in the behind as you fade into obscurity. But, I do hope you recover nicely from your accident.

It is very simple. Many people are paranoid nowadays...economy, health care issues, Senator Reid's careless image of not caring... and Ms. Angle sort of naturally panders to that paranoia. In doing so she does not depart from the extreme conservatism that has characterized her political life. A degree of extremeness that has hindered her political life previously except among the most dedicated far right wingers.

As a result we are faced with the most ridiculous of outcomes. The most powerful man in the US Senate is threatened by defeat by the ultimate backbencher, one who is so extreme that even the conservatives in the Senate tend to shun her.

People who support her may think that in doing so they are striking a blow for better government and better representation for Nevada, but if successful, they are in for the most nasty of surprises. Nevada, which trails along near the bottom of success measurements nationally, would trail ten times as much if Ms. Angle prevails. And then, who would the very conservative blame?

Inadvertently posted to another article earlier.

Pedro, a decent man concerned about his family and needing work, believes in the law and so goes to the appropriate embassy or consulate and gets in line for a visa. Jose, a similarly decent man with family decides he cannot wait and sneaks across the border and buys illegal documents so as to work.

If amnesty means that in legislative reform, Jose reverts to the end of the line of those already here, but Pedro comes in behind him, that is a failure, and simply is not right. Until that is fixed, I and many bedrock Democrats like me will oppose such reform otherwise.