"Re-Funding" & Restoring Nevada

On Saturday, the RGJ ran an article on the precipitous drop in big casino property tax revenues that Washoe County has to deal with. And believe it or not, it's leading to an interesting discussion on Nevada's chronic tax woes.

Fifteen resort properties in Washoe County together are valued at $710 million for property taxes -- a loss of about half their value over four years — as their profits have shrunk or turned into losses.

It’s a dramatic piece of evidence that Nevada needs to change its tax policies, said Elliott Parker, University of Nevada economics department chairman in Reno. In all, Nevada gaming revenues have fallen hard, shrinking by 15 percent over the last four fiscal years.

“You can’t get anybody to do anything,” said Parker, who favors broadening the tax base to include services, the biggest part of the economy.

“Voters keep re-electing people who don’t do anything to fix the problem. Now that it’s here, we’re all shocked.” [...]

“Nevada cannot be as dependent on a single industry for tax revenues in the future as it has been in the past,” Bill Eadington, UNR’s gaming professor, wrote in a paper last year. “Economists in the state have been warning about this for 50 years. With the Great Recession, Nevada has finally got burned.”

Nevada has indeed been burned this time... But is someone finally coming to our rescue? On Friday, Ralston interviewed none other than Kermitt Waters. Remember him? He's pushing the tax reform initiative that has all of Nevada's big power players running scared.



Remember, Waters' initiative would levy a 20% tax on mining and a gross receipts tax on businesses earning more than $1 million a month if passed. It would definitely go great lengths to broaden Nevada's tax base. But since it would do so in a way that eats into the profits of the biggest corporations doing business here, they don't like it.

And remember, Waters' proposal isn't the only tax plan floating around. Monte Miller is following through on his threat to introduce gaming and mining tax initiatives, and Nevada AFL-CIO chief Danny Thompson continues to rally troops for his planned initiative to implement a business margin tax. 2012 may finally be the year that Nevadans get serious about talking tax reform.

And apparently since incoming revenue is still nowhere near levels that state and local government need, and since Nevada families are getting sick and tired of seeing any more teachers fired and classrooms shut down while roads remain in disrepair and parks remain closed, we may actually see more willingness to finally do something about it.

Finding Elizabeth Halseth: Postscript (& Connecting the Dots)

So today, Chuck Muth has one more batch of Elizabeth Halseth's dirty laundry to expose. And jeez, it's a real doozy. And it gets really personal really fast.

Again, I don't really like talking about others' private lives. But in the case of Halseth, where she often injected private morality into the public sphere, she essentially asked for this. And by using her private life to make excuses for not fulfilling her public duties, Halseth also a lack of interest in showing any public morality. Sorry, but who can really fault Muth for "going there"?

And this really goes to a deeper core problem with our Legislature: When did this become "the norm" for governance in our state?

Right before Halseth's sudden resignation overshadowed every other trending #NVLeg story, we were again seeing the usual Sturm und Drang on a Sun piece on three Assembly Democrats not following Secretary of State Ross Miller's guidelines on reporting campaign expenses done while working in Carson City. As usual, queue the "revolutionaries" yielding pitchforks and decrying "corruption". But again, it was all just another Kabuki dance, since no one wanted to go to the heart of this problem, which is the massive amount of corporate money infecting our politics and our government. Instead of asking why who didn't report what on which form, why can't anyone ask why we have to accept the gaming-mining-lobbying industrial complex bestowing upon us "the best democracy money can buy"?

We saw another act in this Kabuki theater last week when the Harvey Whittemore scandal broke. Pundits were pointing fingers in all directions. "How much did Harry Reid get from Whittemore? What will Dean Heller do with all those donations?" But funny enough, Jane Ann Morrison, one of the resident R-J pundits, actually made what was perhaps the smartest comment on last Friday's episode of "Nevada Week & Review" when she pointed out that what Whittemore did with his contributions isn't all that different from what the likes of Sheldon Adelson and Foster Friess are doing with Super PACs today. Of course, the only big difference is that Whittemore was "ahead of the curve" in doing it before the US Supreme Court legalized Super PACs with their Citizens United decision. Again, instead of asking why who accepted how much from whom, why can't anyone ask why we have to accept that so much power and influence in concentrated in the hands of a privileged few?

And finally, we saw California's State Senate Leader tell us to stick our SB 271 "Trash Tahoe Bill" where the sun don't shine. Thankfully, California's Legislature doesn't seem to be under the firm grip of corporate lobbyists yearning for more real estate development at Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, ours has been. Again, why can't anyone ask why we have to accept that a few powerful corporate interests get to call all the shots and pave paradise to put up more parking lots?

And this takes us back to Elizabeth Halseth and her now defunct political career. How did it last for this long? And how was she able to get away with her escapades with Tiger Helgelien until late last week? If you want answers, then I suggest you see her page on the Secretary of State's new AURORA campaign finance database. And remember who funded "anonymous" attacks on her Democratic opponent in 2010. And remember who guided her last February to smear elementary school kids begging for the chance to stay in school. Notice anything?

If one really has to ask why Halseth made it to Carson City last year, then one hasn't been paying attention.

Believe it or not, a whole lot of folks across the state are still asking that question. And a whole lot of folks are still shocked at Chuck Muth exposing Halseth's moral hypocrisy. I'm just waiting for someone, anyone (!!!), to demand the kind of changes to our system that will no longer allow shadowy corporate interests to pop out of nowhere and send "empty suit" politicians like Elizabeth Halseth to do their bidding.

#NVLeg: Halseth's Gone & Leslie's Moved On... What's Next?

I'm quite sure I know what you're thinking. Now that Elizabeth Halseth is out, what happens next in Senate District 9 in Southern Nevada? Let me do my best to explain what's to come.

First, we have filing. And from what I've heard, it's too late for anyone currently living outside the new district boundaries to move in and campaign here. SD 9 has now been compacted to just the Southwest Vegas suburbs of Summerlin South (south of Red Rock Country Club), the western edge of Spring Valley, and the Enterprise communities of Mountain's Edge, Rhodes Ranch, and Southern Highlands. Sorry, aspiring carpetbaggers.

And so far, everything I heard Friday afternoon still stands. The new district boundaries will indeed be used in the special election, and the SD 9 special election will follow the same schedule as the other regularly scheduled Legislature elections. This means filing will be open until March 16, then the primary will occur on June 12. And of course, this also means SD 9 will ultimately be decided in the general election on November 6.

And so far, the same schedule looks to be in place for the Senate District 13 special election in Northern Nevada triggered by Sheila Leslie's big move to Senate District 15. The new SD 13 (formerly Washoe Senate 1) contains mostly the urban core of Reno and Sparks, while the new SD 15 (formerly Washoe Senate 3) takes in a large portion of Western Washoe County from White Lake to Sun Valley to Northwest Reno to Mount Rose.

Now that Sheila Leslie will be running in SD 15, Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Debbie Smith (D-Sparks) announced yesterday that she will run to fill the vacancy in SD 13.

“Northern Nevadans need strong representatives they can count on to get the job done,” Smith said in a statement. “While I believe there are some very promising signs that things are beginning to get better in our state, we have a long way to go. I am running for the state Senate to continue fighting for a better education system, a healthier economy, and a more efficient and effective government for Nevada. After spending the past few days talking with family, friends and community members, I feel this is the right decision at the right time.”

Leslie resigned her Senate Distrct 1 seat effective immediately Wednesday and plans to run against state Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, in Senate District 15.

District 1, which encompasses portions of Reno and Sparks, becomes District 13 in this election cycle after redistricting. The district has a solid Democratic edge in registered voters, about 18 percent. Leslie won election by 30 points in 2010, and former state Sen. Bernice Mathews, D-Reno, held the seat for 16 years before term limits ended her legislative career.

Now as the RGJ article quoted above states, not too much is really at stake in SD 13. It's still a heavily Democratic district. And as long as no other strong Democrat emerges to challenge Debbie Smith in the primary, then expect to see Senator Debbie Smith (D-Sparks) making waves in the next legislative session (next year).

No, the real battle will be farther west in SD 15. And down south, SD 9 will join SD 5 (Henderson-Green Valley), SD 6 (Las Vegas-Summerlin), and SD 18 (Northwest Las Vegas) in determining control of the Nevada State Senate. If Republicans win at least 4 of these 5 seats, then they take over the Senate. But if Democrats manage to sweep all 5 of these races, then Nevada Dems will finally reach the magic 2/3 number to secure a veto-proof supermajority and relegate Michael Roberson (and his extreme "tea party" agenda) to the sidelines.

This is why Roberson is so scared now. And this is why the "big bid'ness" establishment will be forking out big checks to the likes of Greg Brower and Steve Kirk (a GOP candidate in SD 5). Again, as we've been saying here for a while (and Jon Ralston has admitted on Twitter), Republican hopes of flipping the Senate have diminished greatly in the last 100 hours. However, they still intend to go all in for the #NVLeg campaign just for the sake of saving enough seats to obstruct any kind of progressive agenda in the 77th session.

So perhaps more so than ever before, the Legislature campaigns of 2012 will really matter. If one wants to fix the broken and outdated tax structure straight out of the 19th century, fully fund public education, improve our state's health care system, rebuild the rest of our state's public infrastructure, and properly invest in the kind of job creation that will benefit our economy for many generations to come, the choice will be crystal clear. And thanks to both redistricting last year and the major developments of the past week, we may actually have a unique and unprecedented opportunity to change the dynamics of Carson City for the better. So remember not to "stop at the top"... Keep going down that ballot and vote for progress.

#NVGOP: Nowhere to Go... But Up?

We're not even 2/3 of the way through February, and it already looks like this month is by far the "WORST. MONTH. EVER!" for Nevada Republicans. Let's review what has happened so far:

- The much ballyhooed Presidential Caucus descended into pure madness on the 4th, as results were extremely slow to be released... And while they were being released, one more caucus turned fracas when a number of caucus-goers were turned away for not signing a religious waiver (though that didn't stop Ron Paul from winning that caucus anyway).

- Clark County GOP boss Dave Gibbs then declared the next day that, "This is NOT an election. This is a caucus."

- And then on the following Monday, we finally saw the final caucus results... And we found out that GOP caucus turnout actually plummeted 26% from 2008 levels despite this one supposedly being more hotly contested than 2008.



- And then, there was the ultimate insult to injury. The Nevada GOP jumped through so many RNC hoops to be seen as "legitimate", only for the national media to mock them... And only for their anointed "winner", Willard "Mr. 1%" Romney, to be derailed by "Frothy" Ricky Santorum's 3-for-3 wins in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri. Those were "not supposed to count", but they ended up rendering the political ripple effects of the Nevada GOP Caucus null and void.

- And in case all the drama at the top wasn't bad enough for them, Republicans started worrying down the ballot as well. Politico asked how the horrible caucus turnout may spell trouble for Dean Heller.

- Joe Heck then stepped into it big time with his declaration that insurance coverage of contraception is "not a women's health issue".

- State Senator Greg Brower (R-Reno) then realized he had a real race on his hands when State Senator Sheila Leslie (D-Reno) announced her resignation from what used to be Washoe District 1 to run in the new District 15.

- And then, there's Elizabeth Halseth.

Some pundits are reporters now wondering just how bad it's become for Nevada Republicans. Their chances of winning back the Nevada State Senate are dwindling thanks to the SD 15 development and Halseth's resignation. Their dreams of a near sweep of the Congressional races have been dashed. And their chances of being big players on the national political stage are long gone.

So why is Chuck Muth so giddy? He seems to think that somehow Sheila Leslie running in SD 15 improves Republican chances of taking the Nevada Assembly. And sorry, but I have a hard time seeing that. Yes, Skip Daly is facing trouble in the new AD 31... But we already knew that. And in fact since Teresa Benitez-Thompson will be running in a new AD 27 that's nested into SD 15, I'm actually feeling more confident that increased Democratic turnout for Sheila Leslie will also reelect Benitez-Thompson. Just because Debbie Smith is running for the new SD 13 (which is a safe Dem district, mind you) doesn't mean "Democrat dominoes are falling" anywhere in Washoe County.

However, there's another reason why Chuck Muth is so giddy... And I actually think we should take this seriously. Look at the Nevada GOP's ongoing change of leadership. First Michael Roberson (R-Henderson) took over as Senate Republican Caucus leader, then Pat Hickey (R-Reno) took charge of the Assembly Republican Caucus, and now there's a strong possibility of former Las Vegas City Council Member Michael McDonald taking over the Nevada Republican Party. When Muth waxes poetic about "conservative, bare-knuckle fighter[s]", then he's excited about the Nevada GOP going even more in the G-O-TEA direction of becoming willing to fight "death matches" in government to score ideological points.

And yes, expect this kind of brutality to affect the campaign trail this year as well. They will most definitely be playing to win. But even if they can't win, they intend to lose in the ugliest way possible.

So I'd caution progressives not to get too giddy over the G-O-TEA mayhem right now. Yes, I still believe they're setting themselves up for disaster in November... But they will still be willing to scrap out any wins they can get down ballot just for the sake of obstructing any attempts at progress on progressive tax reform and rebuilding of Nevada's public infrastructure next year.

Just as we're seeing on the national level with Romney and Santorum duking it out for the title of "Great Tea Party Slayer of the Evil Socialist Barack Obama Dragon" while tacking farther and farther to the radical right, this new crop of Nevada Republican leadership may be even more willing to fulfill the craziest of "tea party" wet dreams and fight a "scorched earth" campaign against both Democrats and (relative) moderates in their own party. They may be far out of the mainstream here in Nevada, but that won't stop them from becoming a big roadblock in both Nevada government and the federal government.

So enjoy a chuckle or two now, but be prepared to not just vote this fall, but ensure all your friends, family, and neighbors know about the consequences of "tea party" fueled obstruction. Remember, all Muth & Co. need are at least 15 Assembly Members and 8 Senators to continue ripping apart Nevada's schools while protecting "billionaire bailouts" in our tax code. And all Muth & Co. need are Senator Heller and a couple House Republicans to keep Washington dysfunctional.

Nevada Republicans may be down, but don't count out their ability to wreak more havoc on government just yet.

BREAKING: Elizabeth Halseth WILL Resign!

This just in!

State Sen. Elizabeth Halseth, R-Las Vegas, resigned her office today, citing personal reasons, according to the senate Republican caucus.

Her resignation will place on the ballot a seat that favors Democrats, putting another obstacle in the way of Republicans' goal of taking control of the state Senate, where Democrats have an 11-10 advantage.

Halseth's resignation comes after Democratic lawmakers complained she had not been attending meetings or returning phone calls.

Halseth and her husband, Daniel, are getting a divorce. Her husband was arrested last year on "gross and open lewdness" charges.

My, oh my. I guess Elizabeth Halseth (and Michael Roberson) couldn't keep this ridiculous charade going for any longer. And I guess they couldn't handle the heat heading their way on this.

And this isn't just a win for Nevada Democratic strategists. This is a win for Nevadans, period. No Nevadan deserves to go unrepresented. And yes, that's what was happening while Halseth was AWOL and avoiding her professional duties as a Nevada legislator.

Now, voters in Senate District 9 will have a chance to elect someone who's genuinely interested in doing the job. Congratulations.

UPDATE, 3:50 PM-

I just spoke with a knowledgeable source who explained to me the process going forward:

- Brian Sandoval will appoint a placeholder to fulfill the duties of District 9's Senator for the rest of the 2012 interim.

- And in November, a special election will be held for SD 9 under the NEW boundaries. This means SD 9 will be a more Democratic leaning seat and a prime pickup opportunity for Nevada Democrats.

Wow. Just wow. Nevada Republicans just blew it... Again.

UPDATE, 4:10 PM-

In case you missed it, the Secretary of the Nevada Senate was first in posting Halseth's resignation letter. You can read it here. I'm loving her line on blaming her apparently not-so-good "prospects for employment" here in Nevada on "selfish partisans and a handful of reckless bloggers".

You're welcome, soon-to-be-ex-Senator Halseth! No seriously, I was never out to hurt her "prospects for employment" or harm her quality of life in any way, shape, or form. I only wanted for her constituents to get the kind of representation and service that they deserve.

Oh, and her line attacking President Obama for her personal woes is so "Klassy". Keep it "Klassy", Elizabeth Halseth.

UPDATE, 4:35 PM-

I wonder if Ralston stands by his prediction made on Twitter yesterday:

If I'm right and Halseth resigns, entire state Senate dynamic has gone, IMHO, from lean GOP to lean Dem. Wouldn't that be something? #nvleg

Yes, it is! And again, this is Michael Roberson's worst nightmare come true. Between this and Sheila Leslie giving Greg Brower a real run for his money (literally!) in the new SD 15 in Reno, his chances of becoming Senate Majority Leader have greatly diminished... And Nevadans tired of "tea party" insanity wreaking havoc on Nevada's government rejoice.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

;-)

Surprise! California Balks at Trashing Tahoe.

Who could have guessed that last year's "Trash Tahoe Bill" would get such an icy reception across state lines? Who could have guessed? Steve Sebelius noted it yesterday, and The LA Times posted more today on California's response to Nevada's SB 271.

Last year, Nevada state Sen. John Lee [D-North Las Vegas] sponsored a bill that would pave the way for development in the Tahoe basin. Specifically, the legislation calls for loosening the bi-state governing board's voting requirements, effectively making it easier to change environmental standards. Under the law, if the conditions aren't met by late 2015, Nevada will walk.

In a letter to Lee on Wednesday, [California State Senate Leader Darrell] Steinberg [D-Sacramento] called the legislation "both unnecessarily inflammatory and deeply counter-productive."

"One can only imagine how leaders in Nevada would react if California were to take similar action," he wrote. "It is both surprising and disappointing to see a national treasure as important as Lake Tahoe become a political hostage to the agenda of special interest groups who have little interest in the many values the region provides."

The letter comes as the states argue over the density and scale of redevelopment. The bi-state compact was established by federal legislation in 1969 to protect the lake after years of loosely regulated development had paved over parts of the basin and clouded its stunningly clear waters. [...]

In his letter, Steinberg said he had appointed a delegation of lawmakers to work with Nevada on Tahoe issues. "I want to express my openness to new, thoughtful, and creative approaches to addressing the challenges relating to Lake Tahoe," he wrote, "provided they are consistent with the priorities" of the compact.

And frankly, I don't blame Steinberg and his fellow California legislators who are appalled by our legislature sticking them with this reckless action. I guess just because a few well connected lobbyists, along with a certain legislator, own property on Tahoe and want to profit off more development there doesn't mean California's legislators are prepared to trash Tahoe. Thanks to the ridiculously shortsighted SB 271 that passed last year, the entire Lake Tahoe Compact is in danger of falling apart.

So now, Steinberg is offering to send a delegation of California State Senators to negotiate with our state on how to move forward on Tahoe. I hope our legislators take some time to rethink the huge mistake they made in passing SB 271 (especially the ones who held hostage last year's budget over it) as they prepare to meet with the California delegation. So far, California (rightly) wants nothing to do with disemboweling the environmental safeguards necessary to protect Lake Tahoe for future generations, so Nevada needs to drop the hissy fit pushed by big developers and agree to a path forward for Tahoe that will preserve the lake for all Nevadans and Californians.

Joe Heck Needs a Reality Check on Women's Health Issues

On Monday, we noted the Republicans increasingly turning to "culture war" issues over fear that they can no longer campaign on a lousy economy (since the economy is actually improving under President Obama's watch). Later in the week, we saw this.



And now, it's becoming increasingly clear what the G-O-TEA crowd are talking about when they say they want to "take our country back".

[Rick Santorum's Super PAC "superhero" Foster] Friess’ comment was astonishing in two ways. First, it derailed the entire contraception debate that Republicans have been desperate to keep about “religious freedom” rather than make it about, well, who does or does not keep her knees together. Second, there wasn’t a woman around who didn’t have a guttural reaction.

“I want to punch that guy in the face,” said one female operative who called me on an entirely unrelated matter. Phone calls and IM conversations for the rest of the day included similar appraisals of Santorum’s biggest financial backer.

So there you have it: modern women being told by Republicans that they’re not qualified to talk about their own sexual health, are dressed like “whores” and probably need birth control because they’re so slutty. And this is just in one day.

Democratic women say this is all part of a general pattern that began in 2010 when the tea party helped Republicans win a congressional election based on jobs and deficits and the Republicans then set about passing new anti-abortion legislation and declaring war on Planned Parenthood once in office. They agreed Thursday stood out, though.

“Republican policies have been stuck in the 50s for a while now. I guess this week they decided they wanted the whole retro package,” said Jess McIntosh, communications director at EMILY’s List. “Darrel Issa, you are no Jon Hamm.”

Indeed, it seems like they want to do a "time warp" back to the 1950s... Or maybe the 1850s?

And no, Nevada, we're not immune from this. In fact, none other than our own "Trust me, I'm a doctor!" Joe Heck uttered these words when asked about insurance coverage of contraception:

"The fact is this has nothing to do with women’s health issues.”

Really? Seriously? How could Joe Heck say that?

I've been wondering when someone else would finally notice this. Yesterday, John Oceguera's campaign did.

Joe Heck opposes requiring all employers to provide insurance coverage for birth control, saying that the issue has “nothing to do with women’s health.” Who is he kidding?

It gets worse. Joe Heck doesn’t think insurance companies should be required to cover the HPV vaccine for women, which can help prevent cervical cancer. In fact, as a member of the Nevada Legislature, Heck even voted against it.

Joe Heck even wants to end the right to choose for women. He’s so extreme that he’s been endorsed by an organization that calls exceptions for women’s health “frivolous”.

Well I’ve got news for you, Joe – your positions are out of touch and bad for Nevada women. As a doctor, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Helping women get access to preventative treatment and family planning services is a moral issue – not a political game. As a son, husband and father, I would never put partisan politics ahead of the health and safety of women.

Well, someone had to say it. We have a whole lot of women here in Nevada who regularly use contraception. Why should they face so many obstacles in accessing it? And why doesn't Heck ever propose putting up the same kinds of obstacles on men accessing Viagra and Cialis?

And what's really funny about Heck going hard-line against birth control, as well as Republicans overall working so hard to antagonize women voters, is that they're not realizing they're losing quite badly on this. Ed Kilgore may ultimately be right about this turning into another "Terry Schiavo moment" of the G-O-TEA overreaching on "culture wars" crap. Again, women regularly use contraception and a number of states, including Nevada, have already passed insurance coverage requirements like the one President Obama will be implementing in the rollout of health care reform.

Steve Benen may have hit the ultimate nail on the head of this.

The first is that the Great Recession wasn't just an economic crisis; it was a disaster that dramatically changed the country's priorities. Going into the 2012 election season, when the public is asked which issues matter most, 2% say immigration, 1% say abortion, 1% say religious values, and 44% say economy/jobs. For a party to ignore this is an invitation to be labeled out of touch.

The second is that Limbaugh's confidence about public attitudes is misplaced. Not only does the American mainstream not want to fight the culture war right now, when pressed, most of the public likes contraception, supports Roe v. Wade, and approves of marriage equality. One could certainly make the case that gun control isn't popular, at least not with key voting constituencies, but since Democrats aren't even trying to change the status quo, it's not much of a campaign issue.

Limbaugh complained on the air yesterday that the Republican establishment "wants no part of" the culture war. There's a good reason for that: GOP leaders can read polls.

And I'll add that I can't think of anywhere else this rings truer than right here in Southern Nevada. Folks here are asking about job openings, home foreclosure prevention, and how to save our middle class. They're not interested in refighting "culture wars" on women's health care decisions and whether to criminalize being gay. If Joe Heck really wants to join his G-O-TEA colleagues & Rush Limbaugh, and declare himself a "culture warrior", then he needs to prepare to lose this next election.

Finding (the Story Behind) Elizabeth Halseth (Gone Missing)

Yesterday, I was alerted to a dossier on the Elizabeth Halseth scandal penned by... None other than Chuck Muth. Yes, believe it or not, Chuck Muth wrote a surprisingly balanced and detailed history of Halseth's political rise, as well as the origin of her likely fall from power.

Frankly, it was bizarre to read a Muth document that sheds more light on the Halseth affair than everything I've read from "the mainstream media". Hey, I have to give credit where credit is due. Kudos to Muth for being willing to spill the beans on this situation.

After reading Muth's dossier, here are just a few of the many questions I have:

- Why didn't anyone from any of Nevada's major media outlets report on the presence of Halseth's boyfriend, Tiger Helgelien, at the arrest of her husband, Daniel?

- Why didn't anyone else notice that Tiger Helgelien has family in Alaska, where Halseth has been rumored to have relocated?

- Why hasn't anyone else noticed Tiger Helgelien's early efforts to set up a Legislature campaign for this cycle (with the help of none other than Daniel Halseth)?

- And why didn't anyone bother to talk to Daniel Halseth about this?

On October 21, Daniel Halseth was arrested for an alleged domestic dispute involving his wife. Eight hours after his arrest, he was charged with “open and gross lewdness”. In the police report, Daniel accused his wife of having an affair, while she acknowledged that they were having “marital problems”. The police arrested Daniel because Elizabeth accused him of touching her inappropriately during an argument about the affair. Daniel denies that allegation. Either way, their perfect little world was about to come crumbling down.

In a December report authored by Chuck Muth, a political blogger, he states, according to the Las Vegas Criminal Defense blog that open and gross lewdness is “one of the more frequently falsely-accused offenses because police don’t need physical proof to make an arrest, and people may play the victim card out of revenge.” In the same report, Muth accuses Sen. Halseth of making similar claims against other male victims over the past 10 years.

So, you see, it turns out Daniel Halseth was right. His wife was having an affair with former golf professional, now real estate salesman, Tiger Helgelien. To make matters worse, Helgelien, who grew up in Alaska, was involved with Elizabeth’s election campaign, and Daniel built Helgelien’s website. In addition, rumors have it that Daniel was helping Helgelien raise funds for his own political campaign. Needless to say, Daniel has been devastated.

Major kudos must go to whatever this site is for reporting a side of this story that no one else has really talked about.

Obviously, Elizabeth Halseth is leaving behind a messy personal life that Senate Republicans are trying to quietly sweep under the rug. And while I typically don't like probing into politicians' personal lives, I feel obligated to talk about something that hardly anyone else (with the notable exception of Chuck Muth) is willing to discuss.

In 2010, Elizabeth Halseth became a State Senator thanks to attacking others' personal lives. Her campaign attacked Dennis Nolan over being called to testify at someone else's criminal trial. And after the Republican primary, she then attacked Benny Yerushalmi in the general election over ridiculous material like his wife's outfits! So considering this context, I've come to accept that it's perfectly appropriate to note Halseth's total hypocrisy on making other's private lives public... Before she flees over her own private life.

And not only that, but Halseth is now using her private life as an excuse not to fulfill her public duties. Why won't she show up at interim committee hearings any more? Why won't she answer constituent emails? And why has her cell phone been shut off? Hello, Elizabeth Halseth is still listed as a Nevada State Senator for the 9th District! She has an obligation to her constituents to finish the job she was elected to do. And for Michael Roberson to try to shut down questions on her whereabouts just because of his own political ambition is downright reprehensible. He may be afraid of losing his shot at becoming Majority Leader, but fulfilling one's public duties should always come above fueling someone else's political ambition.

Is it really that hard for Roberson to ask Daniel Halseth and Tiger Helgelien if they know where Elizabeth Halseth, his fellow Senator, is? And is it really that hard for him to ask her to either fulfill her duties or prepare to resign?

I just find it funny that the party of legislating private morality can't practice what they preach. And they still don't seem to understand the meaning of public morality. Tiger Helgelien is not an elected official, so he has every right to drop his campaign and return quietly to private life. However Elizabeth Halseth was elected in 2010, so she needs to answer questions from her constituents, and she needs to either return to her job or resign from this office.

Henderson, We've Had a Problem. (And Maybe Now It's Being Fixed?)

Last weekend, we saw more outrage over Henderson Police beating (and kicking to the head) an unarmed man to turned out to be experiencing diabetes related convulsion. And today, it looks like Henderson's Police Chief is retiring because of it.

Embattled Henderson Police Chief Jutta Chambers announced in a meeting with staff Thursday that she would retire effective March 1, a city spokesman said.

Chambers’ retirement comes in the wake of criticism and calls for her resignation) after a video was released last week showing a Henderson Police officer kicking a restrained driver in the head five times during an October 2010 traffic stop. The driver was suffering insulin shock.

The motorist, Adam Greene, and his wife agreed to approximately $158,000 settlement with the city last week.

In a news conference Thursday morning, Mayor Andy Hafen said the Greene incident troubled the city council and that members asked City Manager Mark Calhoun, who announced his retirement earlier this week, to discuss the matter with Chambers.

Deputy Police Chief James White will take over as acting chief, and the new city manager will have the responsibility of hiring a permanent replacement, Hafen said.

Well, at least this is a start. It would also help if Sgt. Brett Seekatz, the officer who kicked Adam Greene in the head, is finally properly reprimanded for his despicable behavior. And Henderson PD needs to make sure officers know that this is unacceptable behavior that should never be repeated.

At least it looks like the City of Henderson is finally realizing the severity of this problem. A growing number of residents just don't trust the police any more. And if law enforcement can't be trusted to follow the law themselves, then who can be effective at enforcing the law?

Hopefully, this is the start of Henderson cleaning house at police headquarters.

Where in the World Is Elizabeth Halseth?

Uh oh. Yesterday, Nevada Republicans were panicking over Sheila Leslie (D-Reno) opting to run against Greg Brower (R-Reno) in the new SD 13 in the western Reno suburbs. Today, they're trying to deal with one of their own gone AWOL.

Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, said she was struggling to schedule an interim committee meeting on how taxes are distributed among local governments because [Senator Elizabeth] Halseth [R-Enterprise], who was appointed by her caucus to sit on the committee, has not returned calls.

“We’ve had a hard time reaching Ms. Halseth to determine her role,” Kirkpatrick said. “The last thing I’d want is for a Senate Republican not to be represented on the committee.”

While the tax distribution issue — the consolidated tax — is important in the world of local government finances, Halseth’s absence raises a larger question that could have big political ramifications: Will she return to the Legislature in 2013?

If Halseth moves out of her district or resigns ahead of the June 12 primary, it would put her seat on the ballot. Because of redistricting, her seat has a significant Democratic voter registration edge.

If she stays, however, Halseth is in the middle of a four-year term and her seat would not be open until 2014. She was elected in 2010 and became the youngest elected state senator.

And that's what scares Republicans the most. Because Democrats now outnumber Republicans by a significant margin in the new SD 9, and because the district probably voted around 58% Obama 2008 and 53% Reid 2010, this district will be incredibly difficult for Republicans to hold if put to election again this year. So right now, it looks like Republican Caucus Leader Michael Roberson (R-Henderson) will be trying to delay Halseth's removal from the Senate just long enough so that it doesn't go to special election. As long as Halseth resigns after the 2012 filing deadline, Clark County Commissioners may be forced to appoint a Republican replacement for Halseth that lasts until the 2014 election.

But wait, how can he do this?

Well, the main problem here is that Halseth herself won't tell us where she's now living. Apparently she may technically be maintaining a Las Vegas address, but I've heard from multiple sources that Halseth is actually living in Alaska with her new boyfriend. But since her cell phone has been disconnected, her Twitter page and web site are down, and she hasn't responded to any media inquiries, no one knows for sure where she really is and what she's really doing. And as long as Roberson can keep everyone in the dark past March 16, he can be able to hold off a special election this year...

Or can he?

According to state law, if at least 25% of registered voters who voted in the last election (when the office was on the ballot) sign a recall petition, a recall election can happen. So may we see an election anyway, even if Michael Roberson keeps trying to run out the clock?

As we were discussing yesterday, the whole conversation on Legislature elections has changed dramatically in the last 36 hours. Greg Brower now has a real race on his hands up north, while Republicans now worry about a very vulnerable seat opening down south. And if Democrats can find the answer to the question on everyone's mind right now (as well as the title of this blog diary), this seat will indeed open up... And dash Republican hopes of retaking the State Senate.

Game Change? (#NVLeg Edition)

Until today, many pundits were questioning how Democrats could hold onto a very narrow one seat majority in the State Senate. Now, they're seeing the answers.

First off, State Senator Sheila Leslie (D-Reno) is resigning her old seat (Washoe 1 before redistricting) to run for the new SD 15.

Leslie’s decision to resign from Northern Nevada’s safest Democratic seat in order to run in a district where voter registration is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans will likely shift matchups in several legislative races.

“I’m probably the first person to give up a safe seat to run for a split one,” Leslie said. “This will be one of those rare things in Nevada politics: a truly competitive race.”

Leslie bought her new house in a nearby neighborhood but didn’t decide to move until redistricting was completed. The new house ended up in Senate District 15 under the maps drawn by the court.

Last week, after failing to recruit another Democrat to run against Brower, Leslie decided to move into her new house.

“After much thought, I have decided to move to the new Senate District 15,” she said in a written statement. “I believe my resignation is required, as I cannot live in two Senate districts at the same time. While this decision was difficult, I intend to be a candidate in my new neighborhood and hope to return to the state Senate later this year.”

As Anjeanette Damon noted in the Sun article, it's a bit of a risky move. However, it's also a move that can really pay off. It may also ultimately be the smart move.

After all, Damon noted the district voted 57% Obama in 2008 and 54% Reid in 2010. That's actually higher than my estimate from last fall! As I've said all along, the new SD 15 is a swing district that Democrats can definitely win. I'm just glad to see that Sheila Leslie and the Senate Democratic Caucus realize this.

And this has Greg Brower and Michael Roberson running scared. After all, this will be the first time Brower faces the voters since he turned so far to the right in last year's legislative session... Which turned out to be an audition for the NV-02 gig he couldn't get. He's in deep trouble now.

And in case that wasn't bad enough for Roberson and the Senate Republicans, Ralston tweeted earlier today that they're also facing problems over how to handle State Senator Elizabeth Halseth (R-Enterprise) and her sudden departure from Nevada. Her husband filed for divorce last November after she called the cops on him. She first claimed he tried to force himself on her, but now folks have been wondering if she just fled with her new boyfriend out of state. Whatever the case, Halseth no longer looks to be in office... And Senate Republicans are trying to figure out how to avoid a special election in this district. Since my last estimate had the new SD 9 at 58% Obama 2008 and 53% Reid 2010, and since the new SD 9 is now a district with a Democratic registration advantage, Republicans may very well lose this district in an election this year.

Until today, all the pundits were talking about was that Democrats had two swing districts (5 in Green Valley-Henderson, 6 in Las Vegas-Summerlin) to defend. And yes, that doesn't change. However, what does change is that Republicans may also end up with two districts (15 in Western Reno, 9 in Southwest Vegas) of their own to defend. And while 5 & 6 lean more Democratic after redistricting, so do 9 & 15. That's what has Nevada Republicans panicking.

You know, it's amazing to watch tables turn. And after watching all of Michael Roberson's pompous blustering over this election, it's especially funny to watch the Nevada G-O-TEA clusterfuck arrive at his doorstep.

Another Day, Another Campaign Finance Scandal

Wait, didn't we already have Groundhog Day? So why does it seem like we keep waking up to the same damned story?

This time, the latest scandal du jour involves real estate developer Harvey Whittemore. Because he's the subject of an federal investigation and involved in a growing number of law suits, all of a sudden everyone from Harry Reid to Dean Heller and others (in both parties) is throwing out Whittemore's campaign contributions like rotten eggs.

And this morning, Jon Ralston tried to explain "how Harvey Whittemore became a leper".

Whittemore’s ebullience and intellect endeared him to many elected officials, who often counted him as a friend and counselor as well as donor. His insinuation into their lives brought him immense power and them hundreds of thousands of campaign dollars. The man everyone simply called or knew as Harvey was ubiquitous, whether lobbying in Carson City or building at Coyote Springs.

Now, like Jimmy Stewart’s Harvey, he is invisible, turned into a not-so-benign ghost because of three scarlet letters that see-no-evil politicians cannot abide: F-B-I.

I make no judgment yet on the sulfurous allegations that have made their way into court documents and the media as part of the acidic breakup of Whittemore and his business partners. But without knowing exactly what Whittemore may or may not have done (the schadenfreude contagion notwithstanding) and putting aside years of cozy, unquestioning interaction, suddenly these politicians have adopted a guilty-until-proven-innocent posture and shed Harvey’s campaign cash like it was mob money.

This I do judge. And I judge it to be craven, pathetic and phony.

The default response here, as it is in almost any situation for elected officials, is not whether someone they have consorted with for years did anything wrong. No, it is a simple calculus that is brought to bear: How does this make me look? This solipsistic reflex thus allows them — to borrow the immortal words of ex-Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt, who offered them to Ferdinand Marcos when his time was up — to cut and cut cleanly.

And so that's what's happening. No one wants to be associated with someone who "looks like a crook", even if we don't really know yet if he's actually a crook. As Heidi Klum would say on "Project Runway": "One minute you're in, but the next minute you're out." Six years ago, Whittemore (and all his campaign cash) may have been oh-so-stylish and in. But now that there's a legal gray cloud hanging over his head, he suddenly finds himself out.

And funny enough, Ralston also predicted the next campaign finance scandal to erupt soon. Remember how Sheldon Adelson became Newton Leroy Gingrich's #1 Sugar Daddy the casino mogul who singlehandedly revived Newt Gingrich's political career (if only for another three weeks)? Apparently after promising Willard Mittens Romney that he'll become Romney's #1 Sugar Daddy switch his campaign cash flow to him if he becomes the G-O-TEA nominee, Adelson may end up throwing another $10 million into the pro-Newton Super PAC just because he doesn't like "Frothy" Ricky Santorum.

Right now, Newton and Willard are competing to be Adelson's new BFF. But at some point in the near future, that may all change. A while back, WikiLeaks released a series of diplomatic cables that we now know included concern about Adelson directly lobbying China's central government in Beijing over his Macau casinos. Now, the federal Department of Justice and Securities & Exchange Commission are investigating Las Vegas Sands (Adelson's global casino empire) over possible illegal bribing of Chinese government officials, as well as over LVS' long rumored involvement with the Macau mafia.

Whoops. How long can Willard and Newton keep dancing with this? And how much longer can they, along with many Nevada Republicans, ignore the Macau problems now plaguing their other favorite casino mogul? We all know how Steve Wynn believes that America has become some hot socialist mess, yet China has somehow become the new global beacon of freedom. (HUH??!!) Former Wynn BFF and business partner Kazuo Okada is now calling BS on Wynn's delicate China dance, and he's asking for documents regarding Wynn Resorts' recent $135 million pledge to the University of Macau, a pledge that just happens to coincide with the expiration of Wynn Resorts' Macau gaming license. Recently Steve Wynn has become more a beloved figure in Nevada GOP circles because of his constant rants against President Obama and constant campaign donations to Dean Heller, but how long will this last?

And really, how long can we keep missing the forest for the trees? I'm already seeing the usual "tea party" suspects claim that Harry Reid is some epic, "EVIL!!!" figure for taking Harvey Whittemore's donations. So when will they condemn Dean Heller for doing the same? And when will they condemn the likes of Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney for flirting with casino billionaires suspected of bribing the Chinese government?

And when will the entire Nevada political establishment stop this ridiculous kabuki theater that resumes whenever another campaign finance scandal emerges? In 2010, we saw plenty of "outrage" over scandals encircling state legislators Barbara Cegavske and Steven Horsford... But very little was done last year to change the system. The same "outrage" surfaced again once Rory Reid's politically posthumous campaign scandal surfaced. And again, no one wanted to talk about the root of this problem.

So I guess I have to bring out the handy dandy clean elections video yet again...



And yes, I will keep doing this until Nevada's pundits and political elite stop with the kabuki theater and mindless finger pointing, and start discussing real solutions to this ongoing fiasco.



Until we clean the campaign money supply, we'll only see more of these scandals surface. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It's time to put up or shut up. If folks here are serious about stamping out the corruption of big corporate money in our politics, then it's time to take the big corporate money out of our system and support clean money & clean elections.

What Do They Have Left? "Culture Wars"?

According to Gallup's latest poll on economic confidence, Americans are increasingly confident in the American economy and our ability to recover from "The Great Recession". And not only are Americans saying this to pollsters, but they're also showing it by buying more products. And that, in turn, allows companies to hire again, which should lead to more good economic news in the near future.

Despite so much pessimism over the economy last year, it looks like America really is making a comeback. And it's happening under President Obama's watch. That's what really scares Congressional Republicans now. As we talked about earlier this month, the G-O-TEA was basing its entire campaign strategy on blaming the horrible state of the economy on Obama. So now that the economy isn't all that horrible any more, what do they have left to campaign on?

Queue Ricky Santorum bashing LGBTQ families and trash talking Washington state's new marriage equality law.



And not to be outdone in the homophobia department, Willard Romney boasted at CPAC last weekend about preventing Massachusetts from becoming "The Las Vegas of Gay Marriage" while he was Governor.



(Jeez, if only we could finally join in on the marriage equality fun!)

Oh, yes. That's right. The "CUL'CHUR WARZZZ!!!!!" are back.

Think about it. House Republicans are apparently caving on the year-long payroll tax cut extension. And already, House Democrats are upping the ante and demanding they end the hostage game on unemployment benefits and Medicare doctor compensation as well. Now that the economy is improving and Republicans don't want to be blamed for causing a relapse into recession, they may now be at least partially retreating from obstruction fights like the one over the payroll tax cut.

So what do they have left to campaign on? Stop that "evil" birth control!

Schisms are emerging within the Republican Party after President Obama’s announcement last Friday that he would tweak his contraception mandate to ensure that religious nonprofits aren’t forced to pay for an employee’s birth control coverage. And as GOP leaders push to repeal the requirement entirely, the White House is welcoming that battle.

The shift is looking like an act of political jujitsu as Obama has not only unified his base but splintered the GOP coalition, which initially appeared united against the President’s rule. Obama won over the Democrats and moderate Catholics who criticized him, while maintaining the support of those who backed the original rule. As an added bonus, he has turned some Republicans who initially opposed his policy against their own leaders.

Splitting from their party leaders are Maine Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of whom criticized the earlier regulation but praised the shift in carefully-worded statements. Neither would say whether they supported an amendment by their Senate colleague Roy Blunt (MO), which would fully reverse the requirement. [...]

“It appears that changes have been made that provide women’s health services without compelling Catholic organizations in particular to violate the beliefs and tenets of their faith,” Snowe told the Portland Herald Tribune. “According to the Catholic Health Association, the administration ‘responded to the issues [they] identified that needed to be fixed,’ which is what I urged the president to do in addressing this situation.”

But wait, according to Nevada's own "Trust me, I'm a doctor!" Joe Heck, his and most of the rest of hiw fellow G-O-TEA culture warriors' opposition to insurance coverage of birth control has "nothing to do with women's health issues". So even Republican US Senators think the G-O-TEA is going too far on its war on women?

This is the Republicans' new dilemma. As Willard Romney is having to find out the hard way, one can't really acknowledge an improving economy while still saying the President has a bad economic record. So Republicans look to be pivoting back to "culture war" issues like marriage equality and women's health care. However as Americans seem to be having less of a problem with gay couples marrying and women getting insurance coverage for birth control, those issues just don't have the same kind of potency that George W. Bush found with them a decade ago...

Except when it comes to the G-O-TEA base. And that's what's really scaring the Republican extablishment.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

While Mittens' general election poll numbers are falling, Santorum's primary poll numbers are rising. And that may largely be due to the "tea party" base seeing Santorum more as "one of them" than Romney. "The Culture Wars" are back, but the "tea" infused Republican base is leading its party to defeat on them.

Wherein Nevada Is Positioned to Remain a "Blue State" in 2012, Part IV

Last week, I could tell the Nevada GOP was starting to freak out over another Politico story, this time showing how the 26% drop in Republican turnout (from 2008) for the caucus this month may spell deep trouble for Dean Heller this fall in what's likely to be another marquee US Senate race here in Nevada. Republican consultants were immediately doing backflips and pretzel twists to explain that the Republicans' #nvcaucus #FAIL means nothing, absolutely nothing, NOTHING (!!!!!) THEY TELL YOU (!!!!!), for the fall election. Now yes, there probably are quite a few Republican voters who didn't want to caucus, but will want to vote in October or November. However for all the talk about an "energized tea party base" eager to defeat Democrats and elect Republicans up and down and all over the ticket, this year's caucus fiasco does show that the Republicans' "tea party base" really isn't as strong, broad, or energized as we were all led to believe it was in 2010.



In case this isn't bad enough for the G-O-TEA, there's the potentially bigger problem of them alienating everyone outside their increasingly small looking base. Last month, I noted how Dean Heller thought attending a Hispanics in Politics meeting would do wonders for his image... Despite opposing comprehensive immigration reform, and despite opposing virtually everything else that Latin@ voters care about. Apparently last weekend, The Sun finally noticed that Heller faces a growing problem this year over his hard line anti-immigrant record.

“There hasn’t been a competitive race in Nevada where a Democrat lost the Latino vote,” said Andres Ramirez, vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee Hispanic Caucus and an adviser to Berkley. “The question is how high the margin is and how high turnout is.”

Ramirez said Heller had a lot of ground to make up — especially after his well-publicized refusal to attend a scheduled meeting with the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce because a [Shelley] Berkley staffer was in attendance and Democratic Party members were planning to film the discussion.

“Dean Heller is starting from a negative,” Ramirez said. “It would be one thing if they were on equal footing and competing for Latinos. But Shelley has a long history of working with the Hispanic community. It’s not just immigration but being there on issues of education, health care and other important matters.”

Berkley is engaging the Latino media and is seeking the endorsement of Spanish-language media.

She has contrasted her support for comprehensive immigration reform and sponsorship of the Dream Act with Heller’s opposition to the Dream Act and major reforms to immigration law.

Whoops.

And in case that isn't enough, there's the rest of Heller's record, which also looks increasingly out of step with Nevada. Who can forget his love of bailouts for Big Oil? Or his strong opposition to bringing more good, clean, green jobs right here to Nevada? Or him voting TWICE last year for Paul Ryan's radical Medicare-destroying budget? Or his support for ending Social Security as we know it?

Oh, and it's not just Heller who's in trouble for becoming so out of touch with Nevada's working families. Remember the infamous "Joe Heck town hall" without Joe Heck? And Joe Heck's ridiculous "Destroying America's Trust in Our Economy Act"? And Joe Heck outright lying about his record (and President Obama's) on Medicare? And Joe Heck's infamous declaration of Social Security as a "pyramid scheme"?

Now, Joe Heck is throwing a temper tantrum over the blowback his party has been experiencing over their extreme opposition to contraception. According to Heck, his opposition to health insurance coverage of contraception has "nothing to do with women's health issues"... HUH??!! Is he serious? So making birth control less affordable and accessible to American women now has "nothing to do with women's health issues"? And we're supposed to believe Dr. Heck is an "expert on health care"? On what planet?



So far, it seems like both Heck and Heller are doing all they can to stay on the same page as their G-O-TEA buddies running for President. And while this may help them stay on good terms with the raging teabagger base they want votes from, as well as the "Tea Party, Inc." money men they want campaign donations from, it's only hurting them in the general election. After all, look at President Obama's stunning rebound with independent voters. And look at Obama taking a strong overall lead against both Willard "Mr. 1%" Romney and "Frothy" Ricky Santorum in the new Pew Poll out today. So do Heck and Heller really want to hitch onto that wagon?

As long as they do, Nevada shall remain "Blue"... And President Obama may end up with longer coattails than most pundits in this state had originally expected.

Cut the Keystone Crap, Already!

In case you haven't heard, Keystone XL is back. Despite The White House rejecting this dangerous plan to pump dirty Canadian tar sands oil through sensitive land in America's heartland that could have destroyed many Midwestern families' way of life, the G-O-TEA just can't give it up. And because they're not giving up on this crap, we can't give up on fighting back just yet. A broad coalition of progressive groups is urging Americans to tell Congress to stop playing political games with our planet and our health.

So why is this happening? Basically, the legislative hostage taking is already happening again. US Senate Republicans are moving to attach Keystone XL approval to a critical transportation bill. And unfortunately, a few wayward Blue Dog Democrats are joining in on this idiocy. And yes, this is pure idiocy.

If built, the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would put six states at risk of toxic oil spills along its 1700-mile route, and would add about five billion tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere over its intended 50-year lifespan of bringing dirty crude from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries for foreign export.

And what would we get out of all this? Not much. No really, the job creation estimates from TransCanada (the Canadian oil giant behind Keystone XL) and its right wing allies have proven to be overblown at best, and potentially radically deceitful. So why on earth do we want to exacerbate the climate crisis, expose the Midwest to toxic oil spills, and wind up creating very few (if any) permanent jobs?

That's why it's critical that we sign 350.org's petition to The Senate and let them know we can't take any more of this Keystone crap. Here's the note I attached to my signature.

Please stop this madness already! If approved, Keystone XL would do next to nothing to create good permanent jobs. However, it would cause terrible permanent damage to our planet. We can't afford this boondoggle, so Congress needs to stop wasting time on this nonsense.

And to amplify our voices some more, it's probably also a good idea to directly contact our Senators. Call Harry Reid at 202-224-3542 and Dean Heller at 202-224-6244, and ask them to oppose the frivolous Keystone XL Amendment. Also make sure to tweet them at @SenatorReid and @DeanHeller. And hopefully in the next 24 hours, we can make sure this dirty pipeline is gone for good.

UPDATE, 11:10 AM-

In case you're at a loss for words when you send an email or make a call today, please feel free to use some of what I just wrote to Heller and Reid.

Please, Senator, reject the frivolous Keystone XL Amendment to the transportation bill. Independent studies have shown TransCanada's proposed pipeline through America's heartland would create few, if any, (net) permanent jobs if approved. However, it could cause plenty of permanent damage in the form of massive oil spills and reliance on dirty tar sands oil. Especially when we have the potential to create many more clean energy jobs right here in Nevada, why should we waste any more time on this?

And if you're looking for even more 411 on Keystone XL, the Nevada Rural Democratic Caucus blog has more on how this would kill wildlife, and essentially the entire ecosystem, in Western Canada.