Dry, Bitter Fruit

This morning, I saw something very troubling in the RGJ. It's not even spring yet, and the BLM is already warning Northern Nevada ranchers of the dry summer ahead.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials said it’s possible drought conditions could again force the removal of livestock or temporary closure of grazing allotments on some federal land in Nevada this summer.

The agency’s Elko District Office has released an environmental assessment detailing how it plans to respond to varied range conditions, and has asked grazing permit holders to meet with BLM staff to assess range conditions before turning out livestock.

BLM officials said while recent storms have slightly improved range conditions in a few areas, the entire state remains unusually dry. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 60 percent of Nevada was in severe or extreme drought conditions as of Jan. 1.

Last year, the Elko district worked with ranchers to adjust their livestock operations in line with reduced forage due to the drought.

According to the BLM, forage remains of poor quality, and many water sources are drier than usual, putting more pressure on other water sources by all users, including wildlife and wild horses, and causing long-lasting damage to plants, spring areas and water quality.

“The Elko district may recommend these actions (for ranchers) again this year,” BLM spokeswoman Lesli Ellis said in a statement. “These adjustments could include delaying turn-out, adjusting grazing numbers or in some cases taking substantial non-use.”

I hate to say it, but I told you so. And more importantly, scientists have been warning us for decades on this coming crisis. And now, we're starting to pay the price for past inaction.

In the past 30 years, Arctic sea ice volume has plummeted. And in the same period of time, we've seen far more extreme weather. We can no longer deny the crisis at our doorstep.

This is why climate activists across the country called for an end to the Keystone XL nonsense and a new start on climate action. At least some on Capitol Hill actually paid attention. But ultimately, both protestors and some Members of Congress are calling on President Obama to act if Congress can't.

“Go ahead, start acting on these issues,” Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) urged President Obama in a Friday phone interview with TPM. “[I]f he moves forward in a broad array of measures, that will encourage industry to push the Republicans to legislate. But I don’t think we should have a waiting game for Congress to act or for industries to push Congress. We’ve been in a waiting game for decades … it’s like cutting off your nose to spite your face.” [...]

“The EPA is required to regulate carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act,” Waxman said. “They’ve already proposed a rule to limit the pollution from new power plants, and they could also issue regulations dealing with existing power plants, as well as oil refineries. The Department of Energy can issue efficiency standards for household appliances. That would deal with greenhouse gases as well as saving consumers a lot of money.”

In addition, President Obama has the final word on Keystone. He can turn down that boondoggle and get the ball rolling on real climate denial.

When it comes to regulating carbon emissions, the EPA now has the authority to do so. President Obama has been waiting for Congress to do something first. But if Congress keeps doing nothing, he and the EPA will ultimately have to step up.

Again, we're already seeing the real and dangerous effects of climate change. If we fail to act soon, this will indeed become a devastating crisis. If we fail to act, we only threaten our very existence as a human race.

We're already beginning to bear the ugly, bitter fruit of inaction here in Nevada. We can't afford any more.

They're Not "Props", Joe Heck. They're Reality.

In the past week, we've been wondering where Joe Heck would fall in the gun safety debate in Congress. He released some "moderate" sounding yet very empty language just before several of his constituents tried to meet with him last week. But now, it looks like we finally have an answer.

.@RepJoeHeck on KDWN: "Anti-gun" forces trying to use "the cloud of emotion surrounding Newtown...to limit Second Amendment rights."

But wait, there's more.

Radio talker Alan Stock: "Nauseating....shameful act" to put up Gabby Giffords as a "prop" in the gun debate. @RepJoeHeck: "I agree."

Really? Did Joe Heck really just go there? I wonder if he's willing to call Gabby Giffords a mere "prop" to her face. I wonder if he's also willing to do that to the families of those who died in Newtown, Aurora, Tucson, Chicago, and/or Southern California.

Does Heck also think of Janay Mcfarlane as a mere "prop"?

18-year-old Janay Mcfarlane, a mother of a 3-month-old boy, was shot in the head and killed in a Chicago suburb just hours after her sister sat behind President Obama as he advocated for tighter gun regulations on Friday.

January was one of the deadliest in Chicago in more than a decade, with more than 40 people killed in homicides. “Last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm in this city,and 65 of them were 18 and under,” Obama said in his speech. “That’s the equivalent of a Newtown every four months. That’s precisely why the overwhelming majority of Americans are asking for some common sense proposals to make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun.” Obama also remembered Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old who was killed in a South Side park days after performing at his inauguration.

As we discussed on Sunday, Chicago has suffered immensely from gun violence despite its strict local regulations. That's because Illinois state law is more lax, and because it's incredibly easy for Chicago street gangs and other criminals to obtain firearms from "gun easy" states like Indiana and Mississippi.

Either Joe Heck doesn't understand this... Or he does, yet he still refuses to act on gun safety reform. Either way, it's reprehensible. And Joe Heck needs to open his eyes and notice the reality checks all around him on the vicious reality of gun violence.

It's not as if Nevada is immune from this epic gun violence. Something must change. And Joe Heck needs to see the reality check(s) right in front of him.

Deja Vu... No More

It hasn't even been two weeks since the Legislature began its 77th session, and already it feels like deja vu. During the first week, leaders in Carson City talked so much about "having a real conversation" on taxes. Yet despite having various real tax reform proposals on the table, they still look ready to ignore those proposals.

And not only that, but they're also talking about the very same hockey stick that has always been used to kick the puck of real tax reform down the road.

This legislative session, Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, has said he supports discussing a sales tax on services that would broaden the tax base and allow the Legislature to decrease the overall sales tax rate.

He’s reprising an idea that Nevada has discussed for more than 20 years.

“Broadening of a sales tax base, coupled with some reduction of the sales tax rate, is appropriate,” said the 1989 Governor’s Commission to Study the Fiscal Affairs of State and Local Governments in Nevada, which recommended broadening the tax base be the “paramount concern” of the Legislature.

Roberson has said many times that he supports broadening the tax base, but “any kind of tax reform needs to be revenue neutral.” He’s again channeling ghosts of 1989.

“Broaden, on a revenue neutral basis, the general sales tax base to fully include hotels and lodging, food for home consumption, drugs, household fuels and other utilities (including telephone service), service to persons (e.g., dry cleaning, beauty and barber shops) and newspapers,” said the 1988 Price Waterhouse fiscal affairs study.

And that's not all. There have also been endless promises of "real tax reform". Yet when push comes to shove, we get nothing... Except for that very same stick and puck.

So are we set for deja vu yet again?

Perhaps not. After all, there are two major differences this session: The Education Initiative and SJR 15. The latter was already passed for the first time in 2011, while the former already collected more than enough signatures to qualify for the 2014 ballot if the Legislature doesn't act on it. All SJR 15 needs is a second round of passage this year in order to go to the voters on the 2014 ballot.

What's so sad about this is that these two proposals address the most glaring problems in Nevada's budget. It's pretty much common knowledge now that the mining industry pays nearly nothing in taxes, the other largest corporations doing business here pay very little in taxes, and the budget is far too reliant on the fortunes one sector (gaming & tourism). The Education Initiative and SJR 15 can break the cycle of logjam and empty promises on real tax reform and provide much needed revenue to fund our public infrastructure.

All the Legislature needs to do is pass SJR 15 a second time. That's all. It's not even really a vote for "more taxes". It's just allowing voters to decide on doing away with mining tax loopholes so legislators actually have more oversight on mining taxation.

And if legislators are really too scared to pass The Education Initiative themselves, then they should just let "we the people" decide on it next year. As my favorite philosopher would say, "Don't f**k it up."

This time may finally be different. It's just a matter of whether legislators want to take part in making the difference.

Baseline

Is it finally happening? Shortly after the Newtown massacre, State Senator Tick Segerblom (D-Las Vegas) did something revolutionary for the Nevada Legislature: He proposed gun safety legislation. So how's that going? He's still at it.

On the left is a proposal to ban all assault rifles, large magazine clips and armor-piercing bullets, sponsored by Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas. [...]

“Obviously, there is a major issue with guns,” said Segerblom. “I think Nevada has changed from the wild, wild West to a very urban state. I mean, 75 percent of the population is in Las Vegas. People aren’t running around in Stetsons. And this (debate) has nothing to do with hunters, nothing to do with farmers. There are just way too many guns and way too many killings.” [...]

Segerblom said he is proposing his gun bill because of the IHOP shooting in Carson City, which occured not long after the 2011 Legislature adjourned.

Four people were killed and 15 injured when Eduardo Sencion emptied two 30-round clips from his automatic assault weapon just a short drive from the Legislature.

“It is designed to open up the discussion,” Segerblom said. “I don’t think we’ll get everything in this bill, but I’m glad to talk about everything. We are going to have a hearing this next week or the week after that about the shooting in Carson City to see if the law that I am proposing would have had an impact on that. We are trying to get Gabby Giffords to testify, so we are going to raise the profile.”

And at least so far, it has opened up discussion... And companion bills that may actually have a chance at passing this session. In particular, #NVLeg watchers are keeping close tabs on a bill proposed by State Senator Ben Kieckhefer (R-Reno) to limit firearms access to those who have been involuntarily committed to mental health treatment facilities. There are also some NRA approved gun deregulation bills pending in the Legislature, but at least now most legislators will be under immense pressure not to take that bait. Ah, what a difference Steven Brooks has made.

Yet while it's interesting to see this flurry of gun safety legislation in Carson City, we must remember that Nevada is not an island unto itself. Last Friday, some conservatives mocked President Obama's trip to Chicago to talk gun violence. Hey, if gun violence prevention works, then why is Chicago so violent? Here's what they fail to recognize.

Most significantly, it is important to understand that Chicago is not an island. Although Chicago has historically had strict gun laws, laws in the surrounding parts of Illinois were much laxer —enabling middlemen to supply the criminals in Chicago with guns they purchased elsewhere. Forty three percent of the guns seized by law enforcement in Chicago were originally purchased in other parts of Illinois. And even if the state had stricter gun laws, Illinois is not an island either. The remaining fifty seven percent of Chicago guns all came from out of state, most significantly from nearby Indiana and distant Mississippi —neither of which are known for their strict gun laws. [...]

This is a national problem. Illinois laws, loose as they are, are the eight-strictest in the nation. Broader data suggest that 50 percent of all crime guns come from one percent of dealers. Since illegal guns can travel across state boundaries, federal legislation targeting crooked dealers, traffickers, straw purchasers, and private sales without background checks is the best way to address gun violence in cities like Chicago. Which is exactly what the President [called for in Chicago].

State and local gun regulations are not necessarily fruitless. They can, at least to an extent, fill in the gaps in federal laws when properly enforced. But again, no city, county, or state is an island. And as we've seen recently, Christopher Dorner came here to Nevada (and may have gone to Arizona as well) to circumvent California's strict gun laws.

So what's the solution? Simple. We need a better federal baseline for gun safety.

Believe it or not, cold medicine is more tightly regulated by the feds than firearms and ammunition. Why is that? We have enough evidence demonstrating the failure of this almost completely "hands off" strategy to gun safety.

Sure, communities are not all the same. Rural communities have a different relationship with guns than suburban & urban communities. But with that being said, we nonetheless need a better federal baseline to start with.

Again, why do any civilians need assault weapons and/or high-capacity magazines? Why can't there be universal background checks? Why has so much illegal gun trafficking been allowed to happen thus far?

It's great to finally see a realistic discussion on gun safety in Carson City. And hopefully, that will continue. But ultimately, this doesn't let Joe Heck, Dean Heller, and the rest of Nevada's Congressional Delegation off the hook. Congress must still act.

The 900 Pound Gorilla Is Still in the Room.

Last month, we looked at the burgeoning campaign by certain Southern Nevada power players to change the state funding formulae. So far, it seems to be working. Even Gov. Brian Sandoval (R-Reno) has agreed to change the higher education funding formula to curtail the shortchanging of Southern Nevada schools.

Yet even with this, there's still conflict. Yesterday, a Twitter war erupted between Assembly Majority Leader William Horne (D-Las Vegas) and Nevada System of Higher Education Regent Jason Geddes over the new funding formula. While both seemed resigned to "Gov Rec" (Sandoval's proposed budget), they were arguing over how quickly to implement the $12.8 million annual funding shift from Northern colleges (UNR, Truckee Meadows, Western NV, & Great Basin) to Southern colleges (UNLV, NV State, & the CSNs). Geddes prefers Sandoval's approach of slowly phase in this change over 3 years, while Horne and other legislators want to start the transfer immediately while giving Northern schools a one-time $12.8 million payout to smooth over the transition.

What was so sad about this Twitter war was seeing 2 highly esteemed legislators (Jason Geddes served 1 term in the Legislature from 2002-04) bickering over fiscal crumbs. This is exactly what I feared last month when certain Southern power players were demanding "fair share" without progressive tax reform. We're reduced to this sorry fiscal tug-of-war when we should be restoring funding for the North and the South.

We know we don't properly support our colleges & universities. And because we chronically underfund them, our economy & society suffer as a result. And now that "The Sequester" has become a real possibility, Nevada colleges & universities stand to lose millions in federal funding. Simply put, the status quo is failing us.

And Governor Sandoval & Legislature leaders are just arguing over how to start a $12.8 million shift from there to here. It's just a little tweaking of the status quo. Why can't we talk about restoring our schools instead of choosing who to shortchange worse? When will Carson City start to get it? When will they finally notice that 900 pound gorilla in the room?

The Secretive Climate Denial Campaign in Our Backyard

This week, we've finally had an actual discussion on climate change and what to do about it. It helped that President Obama talked about it in his State of the Union Address. And it helps that even some conservative Republicans have recently begun speaking on the need to prevent a total climate crisis.

However, we're already seeing renewed resistance to action on Capitol Hill. Why is that? It certainly doesn't help that Tea Party, Inc., has been spending recklessly to block any significant action on climate change. Earlier this week, The Guardian uncovered a secret network of wealthy conservative donors dedicated to thwarting any & all action on climate change.

Conservative billionaires used a secretive funding route to channel nearly $120m (£77m) to more than 100 groups casting doubt about the science behind climate change, the Guardian has learned.

The funds, doled out between 2002 and 2010, helped build a vast network of thinktanks and activist groups working to a single purpose: to redefine climate change from neutral scientific fact to a highly polarising "wedge issue" for hardcore conservatives.

The millions were routed through two trusts, Donors Trust and the Donors Capital Fund, operating out of a generic town house in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. Donors Capital caters to those making donations of $1m or more. [...]

Those same groups are now mobilising against Obama's efforts to act on climate change in his second term. A top recipient of the secret funds on Wednesday put out a point-by-point critique of the climate content in the president's state of the union address.

And it was all done with a guarantee of complete anonymity for the donors who wished to remain hidden.

"The funding of the denial machine is becoming increasingly invisible to public scrutiny. It's also growing. Budgets for all these different groups are growing," said Kert Davies, research director of Greenpeace, which compiled the data on funding of the anti-climate groups using tax records.

"These groups are increasingly getting money from sources that are anonymous or untraceable. There is no transparency, no accountability for the money. There is no way to tell who is funding them," Davies said.

For years, progressives have been investigating the frightening level of influence that Koch Industries has in Washington. But now, there's evidence that the Kochs may not be the only source of secret cash for "Tea Party, Inc." And this radical right octopus of anonymous dirty money has tentacles potentially reaching deep into Nevada.

Many readers here are quite familiar with the dastardly deeds of NPRI, the "tea party" crusaders posing as a "serious" policy think tank. However, what we didn't realize before was NPRI playing an active role in launching what may now be the new "Tea Party, Inc." climate denial campaign.

In 2010, Washington Monthly investigated the roots of the burgeoning pseudo-journalism institutions of the radical right, and they traced the origins back to NPRI hiring an investigative journalist in 2008 to sniff for waste in LVCVA. That, in turn, inspired NPRI and other radical right organizations to create the Franklin Center, a central conservative-flavored hub for supporting right-leaning journalism projects. So what does this have to do with the new climate denial campaign? Today, The Guardian published more of its investigation of Donors Trust and revealed this.

The campaign against wind and solar power was led by a relatively new entity, the Franklin Centre for Government and Public Integrity. The Franklin Centre did not exist before 2009, but it has quickly become a protege of Donors Trust.

The Franklin Centre, headquarters barely one-tenth of a mile away from the nondescript Alexandria, Virginia town home of its funders, received $6.3m from the two funds in 2011. It was the second largest disbursement to any entity by the Donors that year, according to tax records. [...]

In 2011, Donors Trust helped the Franklin Centre expand its media operations to Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia, the Centre for Public Integrity [CPI] reported in an investigation on conservative funding networks. [...]

CPI found multiple ties between the Franklin Centre and groups such as Americans for Prosperity, which has been funded by Donors Trust as well as the conservative oil billionaire Koch brothers. Some of the Franklin Centre's blogs have received funds from AFP. There was also cross-over of board members in the two groups.

This explains why AFP Nevada prodded Joe Heck to oppose the wind energy tax credit, despite the mounting evidence of Nevada's economy benefitting from wind energy! This also explains why AFP Nevada did that ridiculous gas stunt. It turns out that AFP is also part of the Donors Trust/Franklin Center effort to promote climate denial and stop action on climate change.

And that likely isn't the last we hear from them. Rather, expect even more howling from "Tea Party, Inc." as the new Boxer-Sanders climate bill is introduced in the Senate and "green-roots" activists push President Obama to direct the EPA to regulate carbon emissions if Congress can't. And with renewable energy investment continuing to be debated in Congress, expect another fight on that.

Against this backdrop, as well as the broad public support for climate action, we can see why the fossil fuel industry and "Tea Party, Inc." are funneling dirty money to shadowy groups out to promote climate denial. They want to make it hard to achieve anything. That's why the "green-roots" must be prepared to fight back. With human survival in the balance, environmentalists must find a way to break past this secret money and get the ball rolling on climate action.

Sequester Madness

One would think this is obvious. When an economy is just starting to recover from a gruesome recession and high unemployment persists, the economy needs more investment. And if the private sector isn't investing enough, the public sector should step in and help. I mean, that's just common sense!

But apparently, there's little of that on Capitol Hill. Instead, some in Congress are actually cheering on the arrival of "The Sequester", another "Fiscal Cliff" that's loaded with budget cuts that will slow economic growth at the worst possible time.

Don't believe me? Believe Europe. The Eurozone (where the Euro is used as currency) has aggressively pursued fiscal austerity policies for nearly four years. And thanks to that, Eurozone economies are STILL mired in "The Great Recession".

[2012] marked the currency bloc’s first full year in which no quarter produced growth, extending back to 1995. For the year as a whole, gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.5 percent.

Economic output in the 17-country region fell by 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter,EU statistics office Eurostat said on Thursday, following a 0.1 percent output drop in the third.

The quarter-on-quarter drop was the steepest since the first quarter of 2009 and more severe than the average forecast of a 0.4 percent drop in a Reuters poll of 61 economists.

And this is where America is headed if Congress allows "The Sequester" to fully kick in. The Bipartisan Policy Center recently released a study showing how "The Sequester" will cost America 1,000,000 jobs (!!!) if implemented. What's so idiotic about this is that it means 1,000,000 more people who need unemployment aid. And this means 1,000,000 people who can't fully participate in the consumer marketplace. And of course, that means a major lost opportunity for economic activity & growth.

One of the most potentially devastating facets of "The Sequester" is the planned cuts to research & development (R&D) in our higher education institutions. Just take a look at what's at stake if we take "The Sequester".

National investments in R&D as a percentage of discretionary public spending are down to around 9 percent today from a high of 17 percent in 1962, and the automatic cuts looming in the sequester threaten an 8.4 percent reduction to discretionary spending programs across the board. When you take into account non-discretionary and discretionary spending, total R&D cuts from sequestration over the nine year period will amount to $95 billion.

These cuts will hit universities especially hard because academic institutions perform a huge amount of the research that drives our economy, doing 53 percent of total basic research and 36 percent of all research funded by the U.S. government in 2009. But the $95 billion figure doesn’t reflect the true damage the cuts will have to the U.S. economy because of the exponential impact innovation has in driving our economic growth. A report released last September by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation estimates the sequester’s R&D cuts will reduce GDP by between $203 billion and $860 billion over nine years, and result in 200,000 job losses in 2013 alone.

While the economic impacts could be devastating, looking beyond the numbers, it’s almost impossible to calculate the value add of innovations fueled by federal R&D funding in the U.S. and how many of them —such as medical treatments, the internet, or cell phones —have fundamentally improved or saved the lives of millions.

These "Sequester" cuts will especially be felt here in Nevada, as UNLV, UNR, and other public colleges here have already endured painful state budget cuts. With the loss of federal funds, they will have to cut even more R&D. At that means even more of a gut punch to our still weak economy here. And not only that, but it also means much less of the kind of critical investment in our people that saves lives and improves the quality of our lives.



This is what Nevada and the nation stand to lose if "The Sequester" is carried out. Perhaps Mark Amodei wants to inflict this kind of painfully unnecessary "drama" on his own constituents, but do Dean Heller and Joe Heck? Do they really want more out-of-work Nevadans and less of the very R&D that our state so badly needs?

Do they really want to take their queues from Paul Ryan, the "tea party", and the architects of The Eurozone's disastrous austerity program? Or will they listen to Nevada working families expecting better from Congress? Can't they just reach out to Harry Reid and recognize that he and other Congressional Democrats are ready and willing to strike a deal ASAP to stave off this counterproductive "Sequester"? It's time to stop this EPIC FAIL of a fiscal fiasco before it wreaks any more havoc on our economy.

Filibuster FAIL

Last month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) secured a "Gentlemen's Agreement" with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) on filibuster reform. Basically, they agreed to a few minor changes and no real reform. And it was supposed to settle the matter of running the US Senate.

But now, the issue is being reopened. Now that Senate Republicans have at least temporarily succeeded in sustaining a filibuster of one of their own former colleagues, Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska), as Defense Secretary, many progressives are demanding that Reid reexamine filibuster reform.

Look, we should have seen this all coming. Indeed, Jonathan Bernstein did see it coming, noting recently that GOP conduct throughout Obama’s first term clearly suggested the likelihood that Dems would need 60 votes to get Hagel confirmed. And here we are.

[... I]t’s hard to imagine anything happening that makes as eloquent a case for Reid and Democrats revisiting filibuster reform than this affair will have done. Remember, the watered down filibuster reform deal Reid agreed to was at least partly premised on the idea that both sides were at least somewhat committed to ending some of the abuses that rendered the Senate dysfunctional during Obama’s first term. We now see that Republicans are making a mockery of that arrangement. This goes well beyond Hagel; as always, it goes to the question of whether we are going to have a functional Senate.

Memo to Harry Reid: Time to revive the threat of filibuster reform. Make it absolutely clear that this won’t be tolerated.

So now, America has no Defense Secretary. President Obama now has no one to represent our country when NATO meets in Brussels later this month to plan withdrawal of NATO members' troops from Afghanistan. And we have no one in charge of The Pentagon because the G-O-TEA is (mis)using US Senate rules to grind Congress to a halt.

But now, it's more than that. America is being embarrassed on the world stage. And the Commander-in-Chief is lacking a Defense Secretary. And this is all because of silly political games on Capitol Hill.

As expected, advocates of filibuster reform are having their "We Told You So" moment.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), a leading champion of filibuster reform, issued a statement Thursday lamenting Republican efforts to perform an unprecedented filibuster against a cabinet-level nominee, Chuck Hagel.

“Merely weeks after the Senate came together in a good-faith effort to fix the Senate’s problems, Senate Republicans are now engaging in the first-ever filibuster of a Secretary of Defense nominee," said Merkley said in a statement. "It is deeply disappointing that even when President Obama nominates a former conservative colleague of the GOP caucus, the minority is abusing the rules and the spirit of ‘advise and consent.’ If our step we took last month is to be successful, extraordinary stunts like today’s filibuster can’t happen.”

Right now, Republicans are on a "fishing expedition" in hopes of catching an "OBAMA SCANDAL!!!" No really, they're still fighting Mitt Romney's outrageous and despicable battles. And because of this, America has no Defense Secretary.

This is something Harry Reid has to think about now. Can Mitch McConnell and his G-O-TEA Caucus be trusted any further to honor that "Gentlemen's Agreement"? Or is this perhaps the most glaring reminder of the failure of the contemporary filibuster?

I've said this before, and I'll say this again. Harry Reid is a big believer in the institution that is the United States Senate. And he's hesitant to allow dramatic changes to the way the Senate works.

But in a way, the Senate has already been dramatically changed. This is the first time that the President's Nominee for Defense Secretary has been filibustered. Even the most basic functions of government often can't get a vote on the Senate floor, let alone major pieces of the President's agenda. Is it finally time for a change?

We Can't Afford Inaction.

It's the greatest global security threat of our time. It's already being felt across the country. And it's now the federal government's newest fiscal challenge?

No really, it is.

The Government Accountability Office delivered that warning in its update of the greatest threats the government faces in carrying out federal programs. Generally the GAO identifies things like flaws in the defense contracting process and fraud in health care programs.

This year's update of the High-Risk Series report included the increasingly obvious and growing external threat of climate change -- in spite of the continued insistence from many members of Congress that fears over global warming are overblown.

"Limiting the federal government's fiscal exposure to climate change is one of the new areas we have on the list," Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, the head of the GAO, told reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference. "The federal government is terribly exposed to this change," he added, noting that the government owns hundreds of thousands of buildings, operates defense installations, picks up the tab to help local governments with disasters, and runs crop and flood insurance programs.

"The government doesn't budget for disaster," Dodaro said, "and the record number of disasters hit above 90 in 2012."

Dodaro was aware that some in Congress might not like his agency's embrace of climate change, but he argued that the facts justified it.

"We believe that the information coming from the National Academy of Sciences and from the federal government's own global change research program ... has been very clear on the science underpinning this area," Dodaro said.

This just confirms something we've already known for some time. Yes, climate change is indeed THE crisis of our time. And we will pay dearly if we fail to solve this crisis soon. That's one reason why President Obama urged action on climate change in his State of the Union Address.



In the past two years, the federal government has spent $188 billion on disaster relief. That's largely dye to the record number of recent natural disasters. Again, we're already starting to see the real effects of climate change.

Perhaps that's why we see such a broad consensus among the American people for action on climate change. According to the new Benenson national poll (the same pollster used by Obama's campaign last year, FYI) commissioned by the League of Conservation Voters, 65% of American voters demand action on climate change. So why shouldn't Congress finally take action?

Yesterday, we noted new legislation from Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) to implement a carbon tax, along with a comprehensive plan to take on climate change. Earlier today, ThinkProgress explained why this legislation is so crucial.

Taken together, the Climate Protection Act and Sustainable Energy Act are a comprehensive climate bill, led by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA). Most important, the package puts a price on carbon, which will make polluters pay for the damage they inflict on all of us while encouraging the transition to cleaner fuels. This $20 fee for each ton of carbon dioxide pollution will reduce emissions to 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

These bills also bring in more than $1 trillion in new revenue over the next decade. The success of any pollution reduction program depends on how new revenue is spent,and these bills spend the money smartly. Broadly speaking, the money goes to three places: consumer protection, clean energy infrastructure, and deficit reduction. Each of these is important.

A carbon fee is just like any other consumption tax in that it inordinately impacts low- and middle-income families. The Climate Protection Act and Sustainable Energy Act create a rebate program to make sure that these families are not harmed. This is modeled after Alaska’s oil dividend, and will ensure that pollution reduction is not a regressive tax.

Reducing dirty energy use is great, but we need to make sure that we replace it with clean energy to power our economy. This package funds the Weatherization Assistance Program, ARPA-E, the production tax credit and investment tax credit, manufacturing for clean energy technologies, worker training, and other programs that will be critical in transitioning to a clean energy future.

Finally, our nation’s budget deficit is a real problem. The Climate Protection Act and Sustainable Energy Act will reduce the debt by $300 billion over the next ten years.

So this bill addresses the greatest global security threat of our time, invests in critical job creation, and even reduces the federal budget deficit! Why is this "controversial" at all? That's a question to ask Nevada Republicans in Congress, like Dean Heller & Joe Heck.

Even a growing number of conservative Republicans are calling for a carbon tax and overall action on climate change. And states like Nevada stand to benefit immensely from further investment in renewable energy. So why not act already?

A Valentine's Day Message for Nevada Mining Lobbyists

Ah, Valentine's Day. For many, it's a day of love. But for Nevada, it's a day of heartburn.

But today, politicians in Carson City will be feeling the heartburn for a change. Why? Read this and cringe.

• Trans-national mining conglomerates took $8.76 billion in gold from Nevada in 2011, and paid a total of $104 million to the state general fund under the mining tax, an effective tax rate of 1.187%. In 2010, they mined $6.64 billion in gold, and paid $71.7 million in taxes, an effective tax rate of 1.079%. (Nevada Department of Taxation)

• Mining does pay sales tax and they pay certain property taxes—but not on the value of the mine or their mining claims. Renters, the unemployed, and minimum wage workers also pay sales and property taxes. But gold mining is different, so it should be taxed differently. Once that gold is gone, it’s gone forever. The money will be in Canada and other foreign countries, leaving Nevada with clean up costs and massive pits.

• Three of the five largest mines in Nevada are foreign-owned. The second largest mine in the world, and the most profitable mine in the world, is owned by Barrick corporation, based in Canada. This single mine will exceed $1 billion in profits in 2012, having reaped $500 million in the second quarter and $313 million in the third quarter of 2012 alone.

• Barrick pays next to nothing in taxes on the huge windfall profits from the world’s most profitable gold mine—paying a mere 1% on gross production value in taxes to Nevada’s General Fund in 2010, according to the state’s 2010-11 net proceeds of minerals tax (NPOM) bulletin.

No really, it's that bad. But really, we shouldn't be surprised. After all, we've been following the sordid, sick love affair between this state and the mining industry for some time. It's perhaps the worst kept secret that multinational mining corporations have constantly taken advantage of this state. Yet because they're part of "The Gaming-Mining-Lobbying Industrial Complex" that all too often calls the shots in Carson City, they've been allowed to get away with this legalized robbery.

Yet they're afraid now... And so are their political bed-mates in Carson City. Why? Oh, because a growing number of Nevadans are calling foul on this revolting love affair.

In this week's Reno News & Review, Sheila Leslie calls out the mining industry's greatest fear.

There is no hope of renegotiating how mining is taxed in Nevada unless the special provision protecting the industry is removed from the state’s constitution. While the industry insists the NPOM tax is a property tax, it acts like an income tax, allowing deductions for all sorts of things with the net effect of some mines actually paying zero in NPOM taxes. Zero. Until a few loopholes were closed last session, the mines could even deduct the cost of their dues to the World Gold Council, an industry marketing organization.

Other states tax mining differently, through severance taxes, excise taxes and the like. Mining companies also have to pay a corporate profits tax in every state but South Dakota, Wyoming, and, naturally, Nevada. In other countries, the industry often pays a royalty tax when they mine public lands as a method of compensating the real owners of the gold.

In the 2011 session, the Legislature started the process of removing the sweetheart tax deal from the state constitution by passing Senate Joint Resolution 15. To continue the five-year process of amending the state constitution, SJR 15 must pass again in 2013 and then go to a vote of the people.

It is clear the industry has literally billions of dollars at risk should this resolution pass and has been sparing no expense in campaign contributions, charitable donations, public relations campaigns, and lobbyists gearing up for the battle this session. They know they need to kill it now before the public votes.

A quick review of the lobbyist list last week revealed 24 registered lobbyists for mining, exceeding the number of state senators by three. And the president of the Nevada Mining Association and three other prominent mining lobbyists hadn’t even registered yet. As one seasoned observer noted, “Mining is prepared to spend millions to save billions in taxes.”

In a rare moment of political courage and policy sanity, the Nevada Legislature passed the first round of SJR 15 in 2011. But remember, a constitutional amendment that originates in the Legislature must pass in two consecutive sessions before going to a vote of the people in the next general election. That's why mining industry lobbyists are now fighting furiously to protect their corrupt sweetheart deal in Carson City. They're whispering sweet nothings in legislators' ears and vowing to "make it rain" (in campaign contributions) on legislators who return into the arms (and the tight grip) of the mining industry.

And this is why PLAN will be making a special visit to the Legislature today. They'll be asking for Nevada to finally seek a divorce from the political control of the mining industry. After all, what good has this marriage of political convenience been for the people of this state?

Much is being said about tax reform this session. But yet again, legislative leaders, corporate lobbyists, and high perched media pundits have arbitrarily declared that the only "reform" that's allowed is "reform" that's "revenue-neutral" and incredibly unfair to Nevada's working families. But unfortunately for this sorry bunch, Nevada's working families have had enough of this nonsense. They're ready to stand up and fight back.

It's time for Nevada's legislators to get serious on real tax reform. They already passed SJR 15 in 2011. It's time for them to pass it again so that we the people can have a say on this next year. Their love affair with mining industry lobbyists just isn't working for our state. It's time for them to divorce so we can begin fixing this state.

Farewell, Gus.

It may seem like a long time ago. But back in July 2009, I started this blog. And I didn't come out of nowhere. I was helped along the way by some great people back in "The Homeland", Orange County, California.

In particular, there was someone who inspired me greatly. In fact, he inspired me to start this blog when I moved here in 2009. And he taught me so much when I lived in OC and witnessed firsthand what he did.

Yesterday, Gus Ayer passed away. And I'm still in shock.

He sacrificed his own re-election campaign in Fountain Valley to try and elect Debbie Cook to Congress. He was the mayor and a city council member in Fountain Valley.

I could always count on Gus to make me laugh and to cut through the bullshit and tell it to me straight. He was my mentor and in my innermost circle of friends. [...]

This is a significant loss for progressives and environmentalists in Orange County.

Just to let you know what Gus worked on in the 2012 campaign cycle: Sandy Genis elected to the Costa Mesa City Council Jill Hardy elected to the Huntington Beach City Council Diana Carey elected to the Westminster City Council Helped to defeat Measure Z in Huntington Beach Worked on the anti-Charter initiative in Costa Mesa Worked on saving Coyote Hills in Fullerton and won at the ballot even though outspent 10-1. Worked on defeating an anti-open space initiative in Orange and won!

Gus's last project was defeating the Poseidon desalination project in Huntington Beach and we will be carrying on that fight now with a vengeance and in Gus' memory.

Gus often seemed like an unstoppable force for positive change. I won't ever forget how he masterminded a longshot campaign against a long-time "tea party before tea party was cool" Republican Member of Congress. His candidate, Debbie Cook, held that powerful OC Republican incumbent to just 53% of the vote, and she did so with no national Democratic assistance. Gus ran that campaign like a pro. And he showed me how a campaign could be run well and run without the kind of cynicism one often finds behind the scenes in big ticket campaigns.

Gus was also on the ground floor of the Netroots. I first met him on Daily Kos. He was also a pro at online rabblerousing. And when he saw a void that needed to be filled in Orange County, he started OC Progressive. And he invited me to join his new project. That was the launchpad from which I started this blog.

It's hard to think of a world and a blogosphere without Gus. He was a mentor to me in California, and he inspired me to start my own rabblerousing here in Nevada. He will be sorely missed.

Farewell, Gus.

You may have known him as Aeolus, I just knew him as Gus. He worked tirelessly for progressive efforts thru out Orange County and California. He was a force to be reckoned with, he liked fighting the man, he liked being the underdog and he loved being a thorn in the side of those who wanted to do harm to our environment. he liked a good fight.

And he loved big. He had an amazing family, he was so proud of his sons, his adopted and biological. And he just had a way of making you feel welcome. I always knew if I need someone to talk to I could call Gus.

We lost more than a friend today, we lost so much today and I would write more I think if I could just stop crying. But I wanted to mark this loss somehow, I needed to. [...]

You were one in a million Gus and I know so many others who will miss you just as much as I will. You were like a Father I didn't have, I'm sure you were to so many. I just can't wrap my mind around the fact I won't see you again.

Farewell, Gus. You may be gone, but not forgotten. And really, you're not completely gone. Your legacy lives on, even in places you never expected.

Return of VAWA?

On Monday, we found out that "Tea Party, Inc." will be whipping House Republicans against renewal of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Believe it or not, they actually claim this "violates men's civil rights". When did domestic violence become a "civil right"?

Yet now, House Republican leaders seem to be going in a different direction. After nearly a year of stonewalling VAWA, they're now promising a floor vote on it.

“The House will consider a strong Violence Against Women Act in the coming weeks so we can protect all women from acts of violence while prosecuting offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” Doug Heye, [House Majority Leader Eric] Cantor’s [R-Virginia] deputy chief of staff, told TPM on Wednesday.

House Republicans, who blocked the Senate’s bipartisan reauthorization of VAWA last year, are under pressure not just from Democrats but Senate Republicans, too, to put this issue behind them, especially after the difficulties Republicans had with women voters in the 2012 elections. Cantor has taken the lead in trying to find a way forward, but House Republicans have yet to introduce a companion bill to what passed the Senate.

There is a catch here. House Republicans will be introducing their own version of VAWA. And we don't know yet how closely (if at all) it will resemble the Senate version that passed overwhelmingly this week.

But hey, at least they're now saying the House will finally vote on VAWA renewal at some point in the future. And they may be changing their tune after catching so much political heat over this issue.

Last year, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) was part of the G-O-TEA bloc that blocked VAWA renewal. But now, Heck actually praising the Senate's passage of VAWA and calling on the House to do the same. What a difference an election makes.

So perhaps we will finally see a resolution to this surreal VAWA fight. Perhaps, Republicans are finally seeing the light. Or perhaps they're just seeing they're losing their War on Women?

Again, it seems so insane to think of offering women a way out of domestic violence as a "controversial issue". But then again, we've never seen a Congress so broken down before. Will the House finally get its act together and pass the bipartisan VAWA renewal that the Senate has just approved?

Climate Change: It's Still Here. & We Can't Ignore It.

Something amazing happened last night. It was long overdue, yet it's been dismissed as "impossible". During last night's State of the Union Address, President Obama vowed action on climate change.

But for the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change. Yes, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods –all are now more frequent and more intense. We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science –and act before it’s too late.

Now the good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth. I urge this Congress to get together, pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.

This is especially a big deal here in Nevada, where we have already begun reaping the rewards of renewable energy investment. In fact, President Obama has talked about it before right here in Nevada.



Already, we've seen the benefits of developing a greener economy. However, we've also seen the dangers of insufficient action on climate change. Without a comprehensive national action plan to reduce carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency, and invest in our green energy future, we can only expect more of the natural disasters that have already begun to wreak havoc on our state, our nation, and our planet.

Last night, President Obama asked Congress to take action. And already, at least a few on Capitol Hill are heeding his call.

Only an hour before President Obama is expected to deliver his State of the Union address—in which he might “go big” on the issue of combating climate change—two Senators announced they will introduce comprehensive climate change legislation this week, presenting a possible vehicle in the Senate for Obama’s ambitions. Senators Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer will outline the legislation on Thursday morning. Details are scant, though it’s being billed as “major” and “comprehensive” legislation, and will have a carbon tax, per a statement from Sanders’s office:

"Under the legislation, a fee on carbon pollution emissions would fund historic investments in energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. The proposal also would provide rebates to consumers to offset any efforts by oil, coal or gas companies to raise prices."

So can it be done? Will Congress finally act on the greatest global security threat of our time? Will Congress finally act on the greatest economic opportunity of our time?

We'll see. On one hand, even some conservatives have embraced not just the scientific consensus on climate change, but also an ambitious carbon tax policy to solve it. As President Obama noted last night, it wasn't too long ago when one-time rival (Senator) John McCain (R-Arizona) led a bloc of Republicans working on climate solutions. And Nevada's own Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-Mean, Green, Clean Energy Machine), has already promised to pursue climate and clean energy solutions.



It just remains to be seen what the Republicans in Nevada's Congressional Delegation are willing to do. Dean Heller (R-46%) has had a mixed record at best on climate policy so far in Congress. And already, Joe Heck (R-"TEA" Curious) is taking queues from the "tea party" on fossil fuel madness.

“If they are truly concerned about investing in energy, approve the Keystone pipeline,” Heck said, referring to a pipeline that, if permits are approved by the Obama administration, would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. “The energy part of his speech I think was just new variations on an old theme.”

Oh, yes. That's right. Heck continues to pretend that a dangerous, reckless scheme to further enrich a Canadian fossil fuel conglomerate is somehow a "serious energy solution". If anything, that would only exacerbate the climate crisis if approved. And on top of that, it likely wouldn't even produce any net job gains.

Yet again, the "tea party" is digging in its heels on climate denial and fossil fuel worship. Yet look at where that's brought us. We can't afford any more. Congress must act. This should really be a no-brainer. Will enough Republicans actually use their brains, further progress on creating green jobs, and move the nation forward on climate change?

It's Time to Act.

Last night offered a bizarre and jarring juxtaposition. Just as the Christopher Dorner manhunt was reaching its shocking conclusion in Big Bear, California, President Obama delivered his State of the Union Address to Congress. Yet as both stories played out last night, gun violence was front and center.



The President closed on gun safety. He evoked recent victims of gun violence in calling for a vote on gun safety reform. This was perhaps the most emotionally charging part of last night's address.

[... T]he heart of the speech came during his remarks on gun violence. Legislators wore green ribbons to remember the victims of Newtown, but Obama made sure that the victims of violence in urban neighborhoods had their moment here.

He introduced the parents of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, the majorette who was shot in a Chicago park just a mile from Obama’s home. “Just three weeks ago she was here with her classmates, performing at my inauguration,” he said, describing a girl who loved Fig Newtons and her friends. He urged Congress to back gun control legislation for Hadiya’s parents, Nate and Cleo, “along with two dozen other Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence.”

“They deserve a vote,” he said three times, and went on:

"Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.

"The families of Newtown deserve a vote.

"The families of Aurora deserve a vote.

"The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence –they deserve a simple vote." [...]

On guns, Obama seemed resigned to only getting part of his agenda, but it’s important that he continues to demand a vote on all of it. OK, so insisting “Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that’s your choice” may not be the approach of the toughest political boss, but on guns, it’s progress, when leaders of both parties scheme to keep popular measures from coming to a vote. Obama seemed to be arguing with absolutists in both camps when he remarked, “We were never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can.”

And now, we have families throughout Southern California who have lost loved ones as well.

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

Randal Quan, who worked hard as a police captain and then as a lawyer defending his colleagues when their jobs were in jeopardy, must live without his daughter.

Monica Quan had grown up beautifully, becoming an assistant basketball coach at Cal State Fullerton and becoming engaged to a young man who may have followed her father’s footsteps into a law enforcement career.

The Lawrence family was proud of Keith, Monica’s fiancé, who worked as a safety officer at USC and dreamed of a career among the ranks of those who protect and serve.

Two young children will grow up without their father, Riverside police officer Michael Crain, gunned down by Dorner while sitting in his patrol car at a traffic light. Crain’s partner, whom police have not yet named, was injured, and continues to fight for his life at a local hospital.

Crain’s wife, Regina, will have the company of hundreds of her lost husband’s colleagues at a funeral service planned for Wednesday, but she will still have to face a future without him. The scars left on her children, still unknown, will surely haunt all three of their lives.

The family of a San Bernardino sheriff’s deputy killed during Dorner’s last stand will also experience these ripples of grief. The deputy, who was not identified as of Wednesday morning, died after coming to help two state Fish and Wildlife wardens who had spotted the fugitive on the winding, snowy roads around Big Bear Lake on Tuesday.

Remember that Christopher Dorner owned a home here in Southern Nevada, about nine miles from The Strip in the Southwest Valley. And while we still don't know how or where he acquired his weapons, we do know he was a frequent customer at Lock N' Load in Henderson. He may have purchased his suppressors there.

Lock N' Load is near Eastern Avenue & the 215 Freeway, right in the heart of Joe Heck's Congressional District. On Monday, several constituents traveled to his Southwest Valley office to ask that he consider all of President Obama's gun safety agenda, including the Assault Weapons Ban and a ban on high-capacity magazines. Even though California already has strict gun safety laws, Dorner likely circumvented them by accessing assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, suppressors, and other dangerous items from a state where they can be easily found. Nevada happens to be one of those states.

We saw two major stories develop last night, and both highlighted the need for better federal gun safety standards. On Capitol Hill, President Obama asked Congress to hold a vote on life-saving gun safety reform measures that most Americans support. And while he was making his request, Members of Congress sat among survivors of gun violence. Joe Heck and Senators Dean Heller & Harry Reid all had to face Obama and these survivors.

Yet as this was happening, we saw even more gun violence victims mourn their lost loved ones in Southern California as the Christopher Dorner chase reached its stunning conclusion in Big Bear. A fourth victim's life was lost as a San Bernardino County Sheriff was shot down during the final standoff. And it's likely he and his colleagues were initially outgunned by Dorner.

What more must it take for Congress to act? Don't these victims deserve a vote? Last night served as another saddening reminder of what must be done.

More #SOTU

7:40 PM: Shorter Marco Rubio: "OBAMA SUCKS!!!"

So that's the Republican response. Oh, that and putting "middle class" in front of policies meant to destroy the middle class. And this is supposed to be "Republicans' rising star". Oh, and he also apparently is OK with violence against women.

7:59 PM: Here's Ed Kilgore on what we just witnessed.

I thought speech clever in how he handled challenge to GOP; very Clintonian in policy offerings (and better than past SOTUs); and pretty good at taking advantage of areas where public opinion pretty much already on his side. Minimum wage increase good example: Republican pols and business leaders hate it, public loves it. [...]

But while Obama’s speech probably won’t move public opinion mountains, and he may have been a mite subtle in calling out the GOP, it was a strong performance that left Republicans looking either clueless (Rubio) or uncomfortable (Boehner). On the big issues, Obama and Democrats were already playing from a stronger hand, and he strengthened it on a pretty broad front tonight.

President Obama's speech clocked in at exactly one hour. And in that hour, he addressed the very issues on the top of most Americans' minds. He evoked the broad consensus among the American people on gun safety, immigration reform, economic justice, climate change, civil rights, and more.

In a funny way, Marco Rubio served as the perfect foil. He just seemed to throw a temper tantrum because Republicans lost last November. And he attacked essentially an artificial straw man of the President. And he used occasionally pretty language to conceal some ugly and unpopular policies, like gutting Medicare and protecting "billionaire bailouts".

Need I say more? Well, I will tomorrow morning.

8:18 PM: Meanwhile in Southern California, an update on Christopher Dorner.

A body was found inside the burned-out cabin Tuesday night where Christopher Jordan Dorner was believed to have kept law enforcement authorities at bay before officers fired tear gas into the structure, a source told The Times.

The body, which was found in the charred rubble of the mountainside cabin, was not positively identified, the source said. The process of determining whether the body is that of the former Los Angeles Police Department officer could take hours or even days, the source said.

As authorities moved into the cabin earlier Tuesday, they heard a single gunshot.

It will likely take days to definitively identify this body, but there are clearly already strong suspicions as to what happened.

Again, it was so jarring to see this story unfold just as President Obama was about to enter Congress. Yet it reinforced what President Obama had to say on gun safety. Dorner may have accumulated his weapons here in Nevada. At the very least, there's evidence suggesting he purchased dangerous accessories like suppressors at Lock N' Load here in Henderson.

However Dorner got his assault weapons, he used them to kill four people and injure three more. The entire nation was reminded again of what happens when dangerous and deadly weapons fall into the wrong hands. And this comes on the heels of the Newtown tragedy where Adam Lanza killed 20 children and 6 adults with an AR-15 assault weapon in December. And yet, the Assault Weapons Ban is "controversial" on Capitol Hill? President Obama clearly wants to change this calculus.

And perhaps tonight can change that. It rests on Congress. And it ultimately rests on the people. What will the people do to make their Members of Congress act on gun violence prevention?