The Root of All Kinds of Evil

It's that time of the cycle again. We're seeing a downpour of campaign finance reports. And of course, reporters and pundits are "analyzing" "who's up & who's down" due to how much each has raised.

We're seeing tremendous fundraising hauls for candidates in hot races... And we're even seeing tremendous fundraising hauls for candidates who aren't in hot races. So what does this all mean?

Now, we're even seeing attack ads over "gifts" paid for by "gifts" from "high friends in low places". Hell, these "high friends in low places" are even paying for attack ads that indirectly attack them! What on earth are we supposed to make of this?



This is actually what US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) was talking about yesterday. This is what happens we allow so much corporate money to flood our politics.

Want to know why we're now having to decide major tax policy in the voting booth this year? Look no further than here... Or here... Or here.

Want to know why we're all too often subjected to a vapid debate over "optics" instead an actual, substantive debate on the issues we truly care about? Take a look here. Need we say more?



There's a reason why we keep harping on this. And there's a reason why religious texts, such as The Bible, have warned about the love of money.

Want to get to the root of all the evil that's seeped into our politics? Follow the money. And if you want to uproot this evil, you need to get this dirty money out of our politics.

Schools Last?

Today, everyone in Carson City is buzzing. Why, you ask? Nevada won an award this week!

Oh, really? Oh, yes... Well, maybe not. It's really just a C- grade from Students First, but that's not stopping Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval (R-Deus ex machina) from basking in the glory of Michelle Rhee's words of praise.

Wait... What??!! Oh, yes. That's right. She's back on the scene.



Actually, Michelle Rhee never really left. Even after her "remarkable legacy of reform" was exposed to be a mere cheating ring, Rhee never stopped fighting teachers. Rather, she moved on and attempted to turn Students First into an education policy juggernaut. She even received some Hollywood PR assistance along with plenty of Wall Street money to promote her cause of "Rhee-form".

And yet, despite all this big money and big political establishment support, more and more teachers, parents, and students are questioning the veracity and effectiveness of the "magic elixir" of "Education Rhee-form". Even a former student supporter recently questioned the logic of Rhee's gospel of "high-stakes testing" and school privatization "choice".



So far, "Rhee-form" has only produced bloated administrative (top-level, top salary) staff, "revolving door" schools, test driven curricula that aren't proven to prepare students for life beyond "high-stakes testing", bottom-of-the-barrel rankings on quality-of-life scorecards that don't involve erasable test forms, and a lurid "Hunger Games" situation where so many schools must compete for so little funding. It isn't working. It simply isn't working for teachers, students, or anyone else (other than the very "Rhee-formers" who are profiting off their racket).

You know what will work? Actually supporting public education. But alas, that would require actual funding for Nevada schools. And it's so much easier for Governor Sandoval to accept praise from a far-away celebrity con artist.

Unfortunately for Governor Sandoval (and fortunately for Nevada students), We the People will have the last word on Rhee-form.

Postscript on Whittemore Verdict, SB 49, & the Real Solution to Nevada's Culture of Corruption

What a fall from grace. Not too long ago, Harvey Whittemore was one of Nevada's top power players. But now, he's officially a convict.

A U.S. District Court jury has found developer Harvey Whittemore guilty on three counts of making illegal campaign contributions.

Jurors are telling U.S. District Court Judge Larry Hicks they don't think they can reach a verdict on charges Whittemore lied to the FBI. Hicks is sending the jury back to deliberate on the lying charge.

Oh, and what we discussed over two months ago still stands.

Of course, the usual suspects will try to spin this all sorts of ways. So let's first clear this up: Harvey Whittemore was an opportunistic and bipartisan "juice man". He once had close ties to Harry Reid, Dean Heller, and a whole host of politicians at all levels of government across the state. He was only abandoned when the FBI began investigating him.

As we've discussed before, this is the tactic often used to deflect from the real pursuit of real solutions to this ongoing problem of corruption in Nevada Government. It's easy to just blame a politician who once received campaign contributions. It's much riskier to actually propose shutting down the ongoing "Merry-go-round of Corruption". [...]

We will only experience more of these embarrassing corruption scandals if we fail to address the root of this problem. That's why we eventually need real, serious dialogue on clean money. With clean money (or public financing of campaigns), we can finally have clean elections. And with clean elections, our elected officials are no longer beholden to shady "juice men" and conniving corporate lobbyists.

So before we hear any pundits and politicians restart the blame game on this and/or any future corruption scandals to emerge, we should dare them to offer a solution. Are they ready to bring clean money & clean elections to Nevada? If not, and if they don't like the concept of public financing, what is their solution?

Last month, we saw a glimmer of hope in SB 49's passage. And while the final bill does offer some campaign finance reform and more transparency than what we had become accustomed to, it's nonetheless a shadow of its former self. And it still comes nowhere close to ending Nevada's infamous culture of corruption.

Of course, we're not alone in this. New York has had its own share of recent scandals. And earlier this year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) showed some real courage in addressing the root of these corruption scandals... And advocating the real solution.





So my demand still stands. Before we hear any pundit and/or rival politician spin the Whittemore verdict against another politician, let's see these pundits and politicians discuss the real solution to this systemic corruption. This is what Nevada truly needs, not another meaningless round of finger pointing blame games.

Tough to Swallow

All of a sudden, there's been plenty of buzz about a rather curious story coming out of Utah. But wait, it's in Utah. Why are we discussing it here on Nevada Progressive?

First off, it's a sordid tale of epic political corruption that should teach us all some important lessons. And secondly, the people involved in this Utah scandal are throwing around Harry Reid's name. So, of course, the usual suspects in this state are drawing conclusions that have no basis in the facts known so far.

So what happened? The Salt Lake Tribune has been on top of this story. And reporters there are still trying to sort out this sordid hot mess.

As Utah Democrats called for a federal investigation, Utah Attorney General John Swallow late Saturday issued a strong denial of allegations that he helped broker a deal to help embattled businessman Jeremy Johnson’s legal problems go away — an arrangement Johnson considered a bribe.

Swallow said in a statement that Johnson has done "everything he can to damage me as a desperate way to get out of his own legal problems."

"My intentions were good but I misjudged Mr. Johnson’s character and regret meeting with him," Swallow said.

The statement includes a point-by-point denial of Johnson’s claims that Swallow put him in touch with Richard Rawle, the late founder of the Check City payday loan businesses, to arrange a bribe. Johnson said he agreed to pay $600,000 to Rawle, who would use his connections with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make Johnson’s problems with the Federal Trade Commission disappear.

"Jeremy Johnson is desperate to do and say anything possible to attempt to secure a better deal with federal prosecutors. He has made false and defaming statements about me," Swallow said. "It is hard to accept anyone would give any credibility to Mr. Johnson’s outrageous assertions."

Earlier Saturday, Utah Democrats called on U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor with subpoena power to conduct a thorough, independent investigation of Johnson’s allegations.

"The people of Utah need to have confidence that the whole story is going to be told," said Jim Dabakis, Utah Democratic Party chairman. "It’s only fair for John Swallow and for everyone else involved that an [investigator who is] independent, nonpartisan and not part of the Utah system come in and ask the hard questions and have an absolute, follow-the-facts-wherever-they-go, kind of investigation."

Here's what we know so far. St. George businessman Jeremy Johnson wanted the legal equivalent of a magic wand to wave away a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into his internet marketing company, I Works. So he contacted then Deputy Utah Attorney General John Swallow (R), who then connected him with the late Check City (payday loan provider) owner Richard Rawle.

Now here's where we descend into "he said, he said" territory. Johnson alleges that Swallow & Rawle struck a deal with him where he'd give them $600,000... For them to then bribe Senator Reid into making the FTC investigation of I Works go away.

However, Swallow vehemently denies this allegation. Swallow's version of the story goes as this: He just thought (at the time that) Johnson was facing an unfair probe by the FTC. So he referred Johnson to his former employer Rawle. And he's even presented an affidavit from Rawle (prepared just before his death) stating Johnson paid Rawle $250,000 to hire federal lobbyists to make Johnson's case in DC.

At the very least, some sleazy wheeling-dealing was going on here. And now that John Swallow is Utah's Attorney General, he's facing the political scandal of his life. However, there's been nothing produced so far that confirms that
Reid accepted any kind of bribe from Johnson, Swallow, and/or Rawle.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was never involved in an alleged effort to help derail a federal investigation into Utahn Jeremy Johnson’s businesses, his office said Sunday, dismissing Johnson’s claims that he paid money he believed was meant to bribe the Nevada Democrat.

"Senator Reid has no knowledge or involvement regarding Mr. Johnson’s case," his spokeswoman, Kristen Orthman, said in a statement. "These unsubstantiated allegations implying Senator Reid’s involvement are nothing more than innuendo and simply not true."

Perhaps Richard Rawle was Utah's version of Harvey Whittemore, a prominent Utah power broker who held all the keys to government favor. And perhaps Utah Attorney General John Swallow (R) has been way too close to him and other corporate power brokers to really do his job, which is to serve the people of Utah. And perhaps there may be some truth to Jeremy Johnson's story, though again there's been no actual evidence tying Harry Reid to any of this. (He may have very well been fooled into believing that however much money he paid Rawle would cause Harry Reid to make the FTC drop the investigation.)

All we know for sure right now is that too much corporate money has been allowed to influence the actions of our public servants. We've seen this happen time & again here in Nevada. And now, the people of Utah will have to learn the hard way the consequences of this.

Of course, certain media pundits want to continue drumming up speculation of possible Reid involvement in this scandal. And certain "TEA" flavored instigators want to burn Harry Reid at the stake for something he may have even known absolutely nothing about. And of course, far too many looking at this scandal seem to be missing the point of this story. Hopefully, you're not.

Red, White, Blue... & Green? Thinking of the Beach on July 4

Wow. I feel like I've been taking a trip down Memory Lane since arriving here in Orange County. In many ways, I really have. I visited an old favorite yesterday, and I was reminded of something.







If it weren't for the foresight and resolve of a few "radical activists", it wouldn't be like this today.

In 1964, Laguna Beach developed the first access standards in an early effort to prevent over development in the hillsides and canyons. While it may have been too late to stop soon-to-be calamitous developments like Bluebird Canyon, it did begin to slow development into other parts of town. In 1967, a group of local activists founded Laguna Greenbelt, an organization that wanted to build upon these access standards, and preserve all the remaining hillsides, canyons, lakes, and open space around Laguna. And though the rest of the county was then laughing at Laguna's "eccentric" ways back then, they would soon come to appreciate all this "eccentricity".

Through the 1980s, Laguna Greenbelt and other environmentalists pushed and pushed and pushed to establish the open space around Laguna as parkland for everyone to enjoy. Heck, they even tried to get Congress to declare Laguna Canyon as a national park! However, they could not seem to find success...

Until 1990, when the Irvine Company agreed to give up its plans for development and sell the land. And oh yes, in November of that year 80% of Laguna voters agreed to tax themselves in order for their city to chip into the purchase of this last chunk of Laguna Canyon in order for the entire canyon to be preserved as parkland for all to enjoy.

In 1991, local environmentalists then established the Laguna Canyon Foundation to ensure the good stewardship of the new Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. And since then, Laguna has continued to carry the gold standard of environmental protection and preservation in Orange County. Local activists truly have been able to work with local government, regional developers, and Laguna residents to ensure that Laguna remains as wild and wonderful as ever.

(Yes, I really wrote that in March 2007!)

Ironically enough, the stereotypical "conservative bastion" of Orange County is home to such amazing environmental treasures like Laguna Beach, the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Crystal Cove, and Trestles because of "radical" conservationists who recognized the need to preserve these unique natural wonders for future generations. They saw these places for what they were, and they realized the consequences of letting them forever vanish.

I was thinking about this as the battle over Lake Tahoe continues to heat up. Apparently, the usual suspects in the gaming-mining-lobbyist industrial complex are now throwing insults and calling Brian Bahouth & me "the professional environmental industry". Oh, really? So does this now make me eligible for an official "professional left" membership card?

It seems like the the usual suspects in the gaming-mining-lobbyist industrial complex have not yet learned what developers and the greater community in Orange County had to learn the hard way. People do not go to natural beauties like Lake Tahoe and Laguna Beach simply to go to the mall, look at McMansions, and/or gaze at massive casino hotels. They go for the beaches!

Think about it. One can get malls, McMansions, and casinos anywhere around Reno or Las Vegas. Where else can one find a clear lake like Tahoe surrounded by lush forests and stunning mountains?

Funny enough, the very same forces pushing for more residential and commercial development in Crystal Cove and Laguna Beach now embrace the protected public lands and essentially use them for good PR! I still hope that one day, the developers at Lake Tahoe will also recognize this. Good environmental stewardship doesn't have to mean "bad for business".

So why am I writing this rant on July 4? Let me explain. First off, I am visiting my old stomping grounds, so all of this is fresh in my mind again. And secondly, I felt the need to correct the assumptions often made about "enviro-nazis" ruining America and preventing "free enterprise" from improving Lake Tahoe.

I love America, and I love Nevada. I want to see Lake Tahoe thrive. And I'm sure that for many who live in Northern Nevada and Northern California, they see it as their patriotic duty to protect and defend what makes America great. And let's face it, where would we be without our great beaches, deserts, mountains, forests, and lakes?

Frankly, I'm peeved that environmentalists are always derided as "commie loving extremists" when we just want to save the natural beauty of our country. That's why the environmental grassroots activists worked over the years to preserve natural treasures in Orange County and across California. And hopefully, we still have time to stop what would be the horrific undoing of what has made Lake Tahoe so great.

The Corruption of Lake Tahoe... LITERALLY!

The rest of the country may be shocked when learning of today's US Supreme Court ruling overturning The Nevada Supreme Court's ruling that invalidated our state ethics law, but here in Nevada what's shocking is that someone is finally declaring something is wrong with our system of open bribery "influence in government".

Mr. Spectator has a great blog today on R&R Partners, the lobbyist powerhouse that essentially runs the state. Apparently, he felt the same sense of nausea upon reading Jon Ralston's latest column and catching this snippet that I did.

[Nevada Governor Brian] Sandoval [R-Corporate Lobbyists] not only was a superb salesman for his own policies, but he also showed another discerning quality of an effective leader: He put excellent people around him. With longtime, successful consultant Pete Ernaut always orbiting the office, Sandoval also installed Heidi Gansert as his chief of staff and Dale Erquiaga as his senior adviser. It seemed almost a triumvirate at times because they meshed so well, with the governor giving voice to policies and numbers provided by Erquiaga, a nonpareil wonk who jousted with the media on a weekly basis, and Gansert, who had legislative relationships that were important and has the ability to not answer a question with a smile as well as Sandoval.

And don't get me wrong, Ralston is 100% correct. It's easy to see Republican Governors like Wisconsin's Scott Walker and Florida's Rick Scott as complete douchebags when they display their vileness so openly and constantly make public displays of affection with the teabaggers. Nevada's Brian Sandoval, however, is snart enough not to do that. Instead, he has this slick crew of PR geniuses manage his public image while simultaneously ensuring the corporate power players' agenda IS his agenda.

The Spectator explains in further detail.

What really troubles me about this paragraph are the names, Pete [Ernaut] and Dale Eriquaga. Mr. Ernaut is “President of Government and Public Affairs and Principal” of the PR and lobbying firm R&R Partners. So to hear Ralston describe it, this paid lobbyist and noted influence peddler is all but part of the Sandoval Administration. On the R&R Partners web site under “Government Affairs/Lobbying,” they describe their services:

“Experience, access, and political intelligence. The three necessities to managing an issue. With a federal lobbying practice, as well as state lobbying in Arizona, Nevada and Utah, no one understands the dynamics of the playing field better than R&R.” [Emphasis mine.]

“Access”? So if I pay R&R money, they sell me access to elected leaders I would not otherwise have? Do they mean my representatives? The Governor? Whether you are a Socialist or a Tea Party stalwart, Governor Sandoval’s coziness with people who sell “access” for money is a big problem for regular Nevadans. For those who hump their Blackberries and iPhones while supping at Adele’s [the lobbyists' favorite Carson City hangout], corporate lobbyist connections to the highest office of state government are an apparent triumph; but for the family hoping their children can get a decent public education, not so good.

Clearly, R&R has direct access to the highest levels of Nevada Government. But wait, there's more! In addition, they're also IN Nevada Government!

Dale Erquiaga is referred to as Governor Sandoval’s “Chief Advisor.” Mr. Erquiaga is not listed on the R&R web pages as a current employee, but was once “Vice President of Brand Services.” Ah the challenges of managing the Sandoval brand. Here is what R&R says it can do for their clients regarding “Media Relations.”

“We’ve placed stories everywhere from The Washington Post to MSNBC. Our deep Rolodex of “inside the Beltway” journalists, producers and editors will allow you to leverage your message in the press.”

Excellent. Sounds like they have reporter friends in high places indeed. And of course, what’s good for the R&R client list is good for Nevada, right? Man, Ralston is correct, that team in the Governor’s office is just humming like an oily machine. Yes, the message discipline they exhibited when attempting to destroy schools for corporate profit was very impressive. And I’ll add, a governor who is too tight pals with any group or individual who sells access and influence is no better than Sandoval, Democrat or Republican. This is not a partisan issue. Corporate influence over state government needs to be reined in; but that can only happen unless you, the Nevada citizen and constituent, demand to know if the people who represent you have been swayed by R&R or any shark paid money to change minds.

And if you don't think this matters, pay close attention. Because powerful corporate lobbyists, like good ol' R&R, wanted more development at Lake Tahoe, Nevada is now threatening California and the federal government with withdrawal from Tahoe's oversight agency (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, or TRPA) if they don't agree to weakening the agency's regulatory authority so more development can be approved. Essentially Nevada is threatening to allow for the full trashing of Tahoe if California and the feds don't agree to R&R's desire for more of whatever their clients want (casinos, McMansions, malls, etc.).





Back in March, I had a chance to finally see Tahoe in person. I just can't appropriately describe in words the amazing natural beauty that is Tahoe. Hey, a picture is supposed to be worth 1,000 words!









Once one sees the glory of Tahoe for oneself, one knows. That's why it pains me to see this great jewel of The West essentially being put up for auction. And why? Because a certain Nevada State Senator owns property in Tahoe? And because R&R has both its own lobbyists and clients clamoring for more development at Tahoe? Even though TRPA has already been approving plenty of development and redevelopment plans, apparently it's not enough for R&R.

Lake Tahoe is supposed to be OUR LAKE! Public land is supposed to mean that it belongs to the public and it's preserved for the public. What Nevada's Legislature and Governor did in approving SB 271 showed that most of them simply don't care about this... Simply because they care more about private profit than public good.

However, this war is far from over. Both houses of California's Legislature must now vote on Nevada's SB 271, then it must gain approval from California Governor Jerry Brown (D), Congress, and President Obama before becoming law. If you live in California, please contact your legislators and ask them to oppose the weakening of TRPA and the trashing of Tahoe. Tell them that Lake Tahoe is a vibrant treasure that Californians, Nevadans, and really all of America want to see preserved. We can't let a few corporate lobbyists and corrupt politicians take Lake Tahoe away from us.