No way, NIMBY. Let's have the uninsured ill people wander around aimlessly, at random in ALL neighborhoods, spreading even greater misery but in an even-handed manner. Let the poor sick people pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, just like we did. What? They don't got boots, either?

Please remember that Nevada State College is new and growing, and just opened its first building, devoted to liberal arts and sciences. NSC fills the gap between the huge bloated level I research university (UNLV) and the huge bloated wannabe a real college (CCSN)by offering real bachelor's degrees, especially in the medical-related fields that our aging population will need.

The 18% cut proposal would disproportionately and adversely affect the new Nevada State College. As a new school, only six years old, it has been creating the infrastructure (e.g. its first building, the liberal arts and science building, only opened seven months ago) that will last for decades, while the number of students has doubled from two years ago. NSC is not in the same position as the more stable, older, somewhat bloated UNLV, UNR, or Southern Nevada Community College (which itself is pretending to be a full scale university rather than a 25,000 student junior college). Nevada State College was established to fill the gap between the "tier 1" research university (UNLV) and the junior college, providing a real college level education particularly in the biological sciences because our aging population will need more trained employees with medical-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. We should not decimate Nevada State College, which is on the road to success. A "one size fits all" across the board percentage cut does not reflect the thoughtfulness we expect of our legislatures, its on the surface "fairness" is just a smokescreen for sound bite politicians. That's not what Nevadans need.

One particularly galling fact is that both Bybee and Yoo, tenured faculty members enjoying the greatest "freedom of speech," are remaining silent now. Their tenure, their universities, allow them to keep their jobs no matter how nonsensical or unethical their academic arguments. Yet they refuse to respond to rational arguments opposing the positions they took. "Academic freedom" for professors not only confers upon them the right to say what they think, it obligates them to do so. They should lose their tenured professorships for failing to live up to the high standard they have accepted.

If you didn't realize it, Asian cultures are very different from American cowboys and Latinos in a lot of ways. For example, what do you think the percentage is of Asian students at UNLV or NSC?

At the same time, NSC has been expanding its hard science programs, for example, in biological sciences.

NSC is showing promise in offering real, hard science, with vocational relevance. Its advanced biology offerings, too, are expanding. At the same time, the state budget restrictions have led NSC to drop several of its "applied," soft science programs (like "construction management" and "media technology"). Perhaps that should be the difference between NSC and SNC.

I'm totally unsatisfied with the last 8 years of Republican rule. For Bush's first term, the Republicans had majorities in both houses of congress as well as controlling the white house. Under the Republicans, we got the largest national debt, the Clinton surplusses turned into the largest deficits, we got into a totally unnecssary and hugely expensive quagmire in Iraq, the financial house of cards collapsed, all the tax cuts went to the rich, the number of uninsured is up, the number of unemployed is up. The John McCain of 2000 was pretty sharp, but the dottering old man of 2008 just doesn't have it any more. And as much as I find Sarah a breath of fresh air with a smart mouth and a nice figure, she just isn't presidential timber (at least not this year). Gotta vote Obama.

Y'all oughta read the 2nd amendment. Most people get it backwards. It allows people to own arms so that they can serve in the militia (i.e. the national guard). It doesn't mean individuals can own handguns or shotguns or deer guns. It does mean they are allowed to own assualt rifles and 50 caliber machine guns and bazookas.

I haven't heard any reporter as, and have heard no Repbulican answer, "Why is McCain falling behind in the various polls?"

Do the Republicans think voters are stupid? No that's not right, they say it's the Democrats who are elitist. Do the Republicans think they are just screw ups at marketing their own message? No, that's not right, they would never admit they are incompetent at marketing a superior message. Perhaps it's that either the message and/or the messengers are inferior to the competition. The latest claim from Palin (and Bachmann and Hayes): The Democrats, and anyone else who votes for Democrats, are not real Americans, they are Anti-Americans. Well, count me in.

Palin does deliver a prepared speech OK. She does her lines almost as well as Tina Fey. But when she's unscripted (like when asked what newspapers she reads, or what the Vice President's role is, or what "pre-conditions means"), she doesn't have a clue and rather than admit it, just makes something up. Who wants that one heartbeat away?