Why Obama Wanted to Talk Public Education Today

We've discussed before the inextricable link between smart investment in public education and sound economic growth & stability. Today, President Obama discussed this in North Las Vegas earlier today.

Before the president took the stage, songs such as “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder and Wilco’s “I Got You,” along with a series of speakers including State Sen. Steven Horsford, helped energize the crowd. An estimated 2,100 people filled the gym, and more than 600 others watched from an overflow room, according to North Las Vegas Police figures released by the Obama campaign.

“President Obama understands that a good education cannot be a luxury,” said Horsford, who is battling Republican Danny Tarkanian for the 1st District congressional seat. The president, Horsford reminded the crowd, has worked to expand federal grants for college and other education initiatives, including allowing states like Nevada to obtain waivers to the “top-down mandates” of No Child Left Behind.

“We worked with Democrats and Republicans to fix No Child Left Behind,” Obama said. “Here in Nevada a waiver has been granted, because we want high standards but we don’t want teachers teaching to the test.”

One of the teachers Obama met with before his speech, Claritssa Sanchez, introduced the president.

“When I first started teaching five years ago my class sizes were about 33 students per class,” said Sanchez, who teaches 10th-grade world history and government at Canyon Spring. “Today I walk into a classroom with about 45 students … I wish (Gov. Romney) could spend one day in my classroom and see what its really like. When he says class sizes don’t even matter, I want to know why he thinks he knows what’s better for students than us teachers.”

And believe it or not, there is a clear contrast between The President and Mitt Romney on this issue. You see, President Obama actually wants to invest in public education. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, does not.

No really, it comes down to this: Do we believe in quality education and equal economic opportunities for all? So far, it looks like Mitt Romney does not. And if you want proof of that, all you need to do is read his education plan. It really doesn't paint a pretty picture for anyone who has a stake in saving our public schools.

Back in June, Ed Kilgore warned us.

Were Romney’s proposal to be implemented, it would place the power and the resources of the federal government against every state and local effort to improve public schools other than by their virtual abolition. Before long you’d doubtless see tax revolts against spending any tax dollars on education at any level; after all, why should any jurisdiction bother to tax itself simply to subsidize the private decisions of individual families to secure a service that is no longer viewed as public in nature?

Romney’s proposal is, of course, catnip to the Christian Right, which tends to view public schools as secularist reeducation camps designed to brainwash good God-fearing kids into accepting gay people and non-Christian religions and all sorts of nefarious modernism. Why not divert those tax dollars to the local Church of the Final Thunder Academy, free of those scary people of color, or better yet, to parents themselves for home-schooling? Next time you hear someone say Romney is a non-ideological technocrat who should be given a chance to see if he can somehow tune up the economy via those skills he deployed at Bain Capital, direct them to Romney’s education plan and ask how “moderate” it looks.

This is why Romney has said that class sizes don't matter. For him, they don't. And that's because for him, preserving public education is not a goal. Rather, he's repeatedly pandered to both the for-profit school industry and the religious right by promising to redirect federal funds meant for public schools into private school voucher programs. In essence, Romney wants to gut our community's schools in order to bail out church and for-profit schools.

Remember this next time you hear someone say Mitt Romney would fix "our bailout culture" as President. And remember this next time you hear someone say Romney is just a "technocratic fix-it guy". Oh no, he's not.

As we've said before, good schools are the foundation of a good economy. But without wide access to good schools, most of our kids will be economically trapped. We've seen this firsthand here in Nevada. And now, Mitt Romney wants to take this to an even larger scale. And to make it even worse, he doesn't care if there are any public schools left if he gets his way.

And that's the reminder President Obama wanted to give us here in Nevada on this fine, stormy day.

The War They Can't Give Up

President Obama is back in Nevada this week. He talked about education in Reno yesterday, and he's set to talk about job creation in North Las Vegas today. Yet while Obama is trying to talk schools and pocketbooks, the G-O-TEA has yet again injected "TEH CUL'CHUR WARZZZ!!!" into the national political discussion.

And yes, despite what Mitt Romney and RNC leadership want you to believe, Missouri US Senate candidate Todd Akin very well represents "the new normal" of the now "TEA" fueled Republican Party.

When Missouri’s Republican candidate for the Senate said that “legitimate rape” rarely causes pregnancy,not only was Todd Akin echoing the extreme antiabortion positions held by many in his party, he was exemplifying the creeping extremism within the Republican Party on women’s issues and far more. In the new, extremist Republican Party, Akin is not an aberration. He is merely the latest canary in a coal mine of crazy.

Along with Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan, Akin was an original co-sponsor of the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” —which, originally, narrowed the federal definition of rape to restrict the ability of women and girls to use Medicaid dollars and tax-exempt health spending accounts to terminate pregnancies resulting from rape. Akin has since said he “misspoke” in his “legitimate rape” remarks, but the legislation he and Paul Ryan sponsored similarly relabeled rape as “forcible rape” —creepily suggesting there are other, more acceptable versions. What’s more creepy? These are not fringe opinions expressed by powerless lunatics at teeny right-wing organizations. These are the opinions of over 200 Republican members of Congress, one of whom is the party’s candidate for the United States Senate in Missouri and one of whom is the party’s candidate for vice president.

Yes, the Republican establishment is condemning Akin’s remarks and distancing itself from his candidacy. But let’s be clear: Akin is only guilty of saying out loud what many Republican leaders think and legislate on the basis of. Talking Points Memo has detailed other Republican leaders throughout the years who have questioned that rape can lead to pregnancy and prominent Republican leaders like Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal oppose abortions under all circumstances, including rape. Both will be speaking at the Republican National Convention next week. Moreover, the many Republicans pushing back against Akin seem more concerned with preserving the dignity of the Republican Party than protecting the dignity and rights of women who have been raped.

OK, I will at least give Nevada's own Joe Heck some credit for explaining why Akin's beliefs on pregnancy from "legitimate rape" are wrong. That's at least a good first step.

However, both Joe Heck and Dean Heller have constantly fought alongside top religious right politicians like Todd Akin in the ongoing "Tea Party" War on Women. In fact, both Heck and Heller even voted for Akin's signature bill last year. No really, check this out.

But Republicans have a much bigger problem that goes beyond a race for a Senate seat in Missouri, their biggest problem is that every House Republican voted to redefine rape, including Mitt Romney’s pick of Paul Ryan (R-WI) as his Vice Presidential running mate. Ryan was also a cosponsor of H.R.3 in 2011 which redefined rape.

H.R.3 past by a vote of 251-175, in the Republican controlled House on May 4, 2011, with every House Republican voting in favor of it, including Nevada Representative Joe Heck, and former Nevada Representative Dean Heller, who was recently appointed to the U.S. Senate.

Perhaps Todd Akin made the G-O-TEA case for The War on Women quite inartfully, but the fact of the matter is that Akin's strident anti-choice and anti-women views have now become "the mainstream" of today's "tea party" controlled Republican Party. After all, Mitt Romney himself has gone out of his way to embrace the most extreme religious right positions against abortion and contraception. And in case that wasn't enough, he added Paul Ryan to his ticket. And remember, Paul Ryan co-sponsored that rape redefinition bill with Todd Akin. And G-O-TEA Congresscritters like Dean Heller and Joe Heck regularly take their political marching orders from Paul Ryan.

I'm sure Heck and Heller and Romney will soon complain about "those pesky Democrats" trying to "distract" with "silly issues" like women's health. But if they really don't want to fight The War on Women any more, why must they keep trying to restrict and/or fully destroy women's health care? Think about that.

NV-04: Sorry, Baby Tark, But We're Just Not Delusional Like You.

He's back! And this time, he's giving us a real whopper.

Just in case you thought Danny Tarkanian couldn't possibly think of even more stupid shit to flow out of his mouth like verbal diarrhea, you're being proven wrong today. In fact, he's completely contradicting himself (yet again) and he doesn't even seem to notice. So what is Baby Tark saying now? Believe it or not, he signed a "pledge to protect Social Security & Medicare".

OK, so why is this so controversial? And why should you be outraged? Let me explain.

Well, actually I should let Baby Tark explain for himself.



Danny Tarkanian himself said he wanted to privatize Social Security. And in case that's not enough, he reiterated his interest in gutting Social Security just this month!

Tarkanian remarked that the eligibility age for drawing Social Security needs to be raised. He explained that when the Social Security program was first created the life expectancy of recipients was 19 years less than now. He wants a grace period for people nearing retirement but that it could be adjusted for younger workers.

And in case that isn't bad enough, Danny Tarkanian has also endorsed the "Balanced Budget Amendment". Remember that? If enacted, this unbalanced nonsense that "tea party" darlings Dean Heller & Joe Heck love so much would force upon us massive cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and so much more.

And to top it all off, Baby Tark actually has the gall to lie about Steven Horsford and President Obama. Despite the constant debunking of the G-O-TEA lies about the Affordable Care Act and what it actually does, Baby Tark is going there. I guess he hasn't learned from Joe Heck and his attempts to lie his way out of the political dilemma Paul Ryan (along with Mitt Romney now!) has put his entire party into.

Clearly, Danny Tarkanian is desperate. His "tea party" extremism isn't wearing well with NV-04 voters, so he's now trying to make us forget everything he ever promised to the teabaggers. Sorry, Baby Tark, but we're clearly not as delusional or forgetful as you.

NV-03/NV-Sen: While GOP Spin Media, They're Still Falling Behind

This was the scene last November as Nevadans were finally tiring of the "tea party" appeasing antics of Dean Heller and Joe Heck. For the past 18 months, both have been busy nurturing their relationship with the "TEA" tinged ones while occasionally smearing Vaseline on the camera to obscure what this means for Nevada's working families. Many have wondered how they can be defeated.

Today, we (again) have the answer in plain sight. Just don't listen to certain national media pundits telling you to ignore it.





This was the scene in the middle of last month at the Nevada State Democratic Party (NSDP) NV-03 field office in Henderson. Ever since the office opened in June, the party's coordinated campaign (helping Shelley Berkley in the US Senate race, John Oceguera in the US House race, President Obama, and Democratic Legislature candidates) has been working the field at a furious pace. Add to that all the field work Obama's own campaign has been doing since last fall, and we have a recipe for Democratic success in Nevada this fall.





This was the scene the day after our "field day" at the NSDP office. Oh yes, that's right. We need to reexamine the infamous "Tea Party, Inc." Bus Wreck. Remember that the Koch funded AFP "charitable foundation" is supposed to be part of the "Shadow GOP" that's supposed to help Joe Heck, Dean Heller, and Mitt Romney win by sidestepping the "Real Nevada Republican Party" that's now run by Ron Paul acolytes. So really, there's no comparison between Nevada Democrats' "well oiled machine" and Nevada Republicans' greasy chaos.

This was the big news yesterday. After three months of constantly chipping away at Republicans' already meager voter registration advantage, it finally came tumbling down this week as Democrats' regained the edge in the newly configured suburban Las Vegas/Henderson seat. For all the talk of how "strong" Joe Heck appeared and how "well" Mitt Romney seemed to be doing in the constantly swingy Clark County suburbs, Republicans just couldn't hold onto that tiny advantage they had (briefly "gained" thanks to so many Nevada voters being declared "inactive" by the Clark County Election Department early this year). And since NV-03 also happens to be the key region where statewide elections are won or lost, this is big news for President Obama and Shelley Berkley as well.

When thinking of how to win a campaign, I always think of these two words: Field matters. It can very well make the difference between winning and losing. And while it can't always make up for deficiencies in other areas, it can do what many millions of dollars worth of glitzy TV ads can't do in cultivating supporters and turning them out come election time.

So why do we keep hearing from the national media about how "confident" Nevada Republicans are? Basically, one thing that the G-O-TEA consultants are good at is spinning the media. That's why they're able to show their clients looking so "confident". But when we look beneath the surface, we see a completely different picture.

So remember this next time the political "armchair quarterbacks" on the cable networks and DC gossip rags talk about who's supposedly winning the fight for Congress and The White House. As we're seeing in Nevada, what matters more is what's happening on the field and away from the spin room.

Going Offline for a Few More Days

Sorry that I haven't been posting too much lately. Long story short: I've had a combination of "family matters" and "technical difficulties" to deal with, and those have been cutting into my blogging time. But since I'll be flying back home next week, my regular blogging schedule should return to normal by then.

In the mean time, feel free to keep up with what's happening on all the other fine Nevada blogs you see on the tool bar to the right. And rest assured, I'll be back in full force next week to resume our ongoing conversation on all things policy and politics in Nevada.

NV-04: Delusions of Grandeur Go National

Remember when we discussed this last Wednesday? It looks like Baby Tark has just tripled down on his race baiting!

[Danny] Tarkanian told the Las Vegas Review Journal last week that he could reach the black community in the district, touting his ties to local basketball programs. His father, Jerry Tarkanian, is a legendary former University of Nevada-Las Vegas basketball coach, and Tarkanian played for UNLV in the early 1980s.

“My dad’s worked in that community for a long time. And my mother has,” Tarkanian said. “My basketball academy, which is very close to the district, has a lot of players and families in that district that are in our academy now for 10 years.”

Nevada Democrats fired back, accusing Tarkanian of using “patronizing stereotypes” about the black community.

Tarkanian defended himself at a fundraiser, captured on a cell-phone camera and posted by a local CBS affiliate.

“They didn’t say what the racist comment was — I’m still trying to figure out what it was,” Tarkanian said. “Should we not work within the black community? … We could be like Steven Horsford, who’s not doing anything with that community — and you know, pretend we’re black and maybe try to get some votes if that’s where it is. It’s that extent that they’re going to.”

Yet again, Baby Tark doesn't know when to stop. He's lied about his own record on immigration to "appeal to Latino voters". He's claimed he "knows the black community" because he knows how to shoot hoops. And now, he's accusing Steven Horsford (who, by the way, is actually African-American) of "pretending to be black".

Wow. The Nevada Republican Party must be running a great workshop on minority voter outreach! (/snark)

I've asked this before, but I truly feel compelled to ask this question again. Could there possibly be a Congressional campaign more vapid, more meaningless, and more offensive than Danny Tarkanian's? The only one that comes to my mind is if Sharron Angle herself moves to NV-04 to run in Tarkanian's place. But at this point, that may not be necessary. After all, Danny Tarkanian himself is doing a great job following Sharron Angle's lead in pursuing "tea party" extremism and campaigning on racial tension.

But hey, at least Baby Tark made the national news! I just wonder if these are the headlines he really wanted to make.

Paul Ryan: Mitt Romney's Las Vegas Headliner

He's here! Paul Ryan will be headlining a Mitt Romney campaign rally at Palo Verde High School in Summerlin today... Followed by an uber-exclusive fundraiser with none other than Willard's #1 money man ( Sheldon Adelson) at The Venetian. Wow, what a man of the people. Paul Ryan will be rallying Nevada "TEA-publicans" at the high school serving some of the highest income neighborhoods in the entire state, then he will be raising money from the guy on The Strip who actually makes the bulk of his billions from wheeling & dealing with the Macau mafia. What a guy, that Paul Ryan!

And already, Nevada Republicans are set to give Paul Ryan a very warm welcome. Just look at what they're doing to prepare for his arrival.

The Ryan pick is also shaking up the races that will decide which party controls the Senate. Dean Heller of Nevada — appointed to the Senate last year — is already under fire for the unique distinction of being the only lawmaker who voted for the Ryan budget in both chambers. Montana Republican Senate candidate Denny Rehberg is running fast from the Ryan budget. And in Florida, a state where the senior citizen vote is crucial, vulnerable Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson could barely contain his glee at the opportunity to attack the Ryan budget.

The reality is that Ryan is now all Republicans' running mate whether they like it or not, forcing GOP candidates who would just as soon run from the debate over senior citizen entitlements to embrace the third rail of American politics like never before.

One GOP insider lamented that party leaders “have spent the last year” trying to take Medicare off the political front burner, but the Ryan pick “puts it all back out there now.” [...]

Following the selection, Heller praised Ryan’s “courage to make the tough decisions needed to restore our nation’s fiscal health.” But Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley saw a ripe opportunity to drive home what Democrats see as Heller’s biggest weakness: voting to reconfigure Medicare.

“No one is happier today than Sen. Dean Heller, one of Rep. Paul Ryan’s strongest supporters who said he was ‘proud’ to vote twice for the Ryan budget plan that essentially ends Medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies.”

Both Joe Heck and Dean Heller are inextricably linked to Paul Ryan and his plan to destroy Medicare by replacing real health care coverage with vouchers. Yet since Mitt Romney has launched Paul Ryan and his quest to end Medicare & Social Security as we know it onto the center stage of the Presidential Campaign, Heller & Heck have to be more careful in tip-toe-ing around their own record of standing with Ryan. After all, about 20% of Nevada's electorate is retired. And even more Nevadans fear the kinds of cutting and gutting of Social Security & Medicare that Paul Ryan has long championed.

Already, Ryan has put Mitt Romney into even more of a precarious situation here in Nevada. But now, the entire ticket is threatened. And if/when Romney & Ryan drag down Heller & Heck with them, they can all thank the Romney-Ryan plan to slash the social safety net for the middle class (to pay for more "billionaire bailouts") for it.

Trouble at Tahoe

The Lake Tahoe Summit is today. And already, tension is brewing. As we discussed early this month, everything from climate change to shady Carson City "deal making" has further threatened Tahoe and muddied the lake's future (literally!).

And in case that isn't bad enough, we're seeing political tension brewing up there as well. At the last minute, Shelley Berkley decided to attend the summit. She was planning not to attend after Dean Heller declined to offer her any speech time, but apparently she was later able to secure some "break out time" today with key local Tahoe region leaders.

Yet while many media pundits will be viewing this for the horserace related antics, this actually caught my eye.

The impacts of climate change, including generally warming waters and lessening of mixing of lake waters, appear conducive to high populations of algae, said Geoffrey Schladow, director of the University of California, Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

Changing ecological trends are not the only challenge ahead. Another is diminishing funding in the face of the country’s economic troubles.

At last year’s summit, U.S. Sen. Dean Heller — host of this year’s event — spoke of a “new reality” as government funding to pay for costly restoration projects at the lake dries up.

“Quite simply, we need to learn to do more with less,” the Republican lawmaker said at the time.

Yet again, Dean Heller is telling Nevadans to "learn to do more with less" while he keeps looking out for his political patrons. And what's really callous about this is that Northern Nevada's economy is very dependent on the health and well being of Lake Tahoe. If Tahoe isn't looking all that clear, then neither is the future of Northern Nevada's economy.

It's saddening, but it really shouldn't be surprising. This really is Dean Heller's MO. Now that we're in an election year, Heller is going through all the motions of "caring about the future of Lake Tahoe". But when push comes to shove, he doesn't really want to take action on climate change, ensure a smart path forward for sustainable development, or even extend common courtesy with other members of Nevada's Congressional Delegation. We'll have to see if anything beyond a politically convenient photo-op is accomplished today in Stateline.

Romney & Ryan, Jumping the Shark...

He did it. He really did it. So where's the shark?



Oh, he's right here!

For now, Romney is still mainly running on an “I’m not the other guy” message. But his party is getting frustrated, because he’s running behind Barack Obama, and there are hints that the gap may be worsening. This is unacceptable to Republicans, who believe Romney should be leading, given the lousy state of the economy. And as with Dole 16 years ago, they’re now turning up the heat on their presumptive nominee to make their specific policy agenda the centerpiece of his fall campaign.

This is the backdrop for the growing calls from the right for Romney to choose Rep. Paul Ryan as his running-mate. The Wisconsin Republican is the author of a budget plan that serves as the Holy Grail of Tea Party-era conservatism. Where Romney is tolerated by the right, Ryan is beloved. The case for going with Romney is essentially the same as the case for Dole embracing supply-side and teaming up with Kemp back in ’96 – reassure and motivate a party base that’s apprehensive and suspicious and wake up the rest of the country by running on a Big Idea with a “bold” running-mate. [...]

Of course, as with Dole and supply-side, this is a move Democrats are dying for Romney to make. Ryan’s plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program provided them with priceless material last year, and they’re already at work tying his budget blueprint – which would necessitate deep cuts in the social safety net and produce “the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S. history” – to every Republican on the ballot this fall. For Romney to voluntarily build his general election effort around that plan would be a dream come true for Democratic ad makers.

Here in Nevada, Dean Heller and Joe Heck are learning the hard way. Yet for some reason, Mitt Romney refuses to acknowledge this.

Instead, Romney looks to be doubling down on busting Medicare, shredding Pell Grants and other forms of college financial aid, blowing up Medicaid, and all around destroying the social safety net that has made America's middle class AND economic success possible. As we discussed earlier this week, Mitt Romney has already defined himself as "Mr. 1%". Now that Paul Ryan is officially his running mate, that definition is getting plenty of cement.

And without a doubt, we'll have a stark contrast at the top of the ballot this fall. I just can't believe this is the contrast that Mitt Romney actually wants to make public! But since he's now made that choice, President Obama can now open the political gift that's set to keep on giving (to Democrats).

Last Chance for Summer Fun

That's one reason why I'm leaving for Orange County today. The other is "family affairs".

So I may go quiet... For perhaps a couple days. But fear not, I will soon return. And even before I return home to "fall back" into life as we know it in Sin City, I'll keep an eye on all things Nevada once I've finished my weekend to-do list.

Thanks so much for continuing to read the blog and check in with my musings on what's happening in our fine state. It's things like this that make me WANT to sing, "Home Means Nevada".

And yes, it won't be too long before I make my way back home.

Harry Reid's Other Bold, Badass Moment

Harry Reid has been speaking up quite a bit lately. While the media are still running in circles over what he's been saying about Mitt Romney's tax records, he made even more news when talking about an issue that affects the entire planet. And yesterday, he didn't hold back.



And here's the ultimate kicker.

The seriousness of this problem is not lost on your average American. A large majority of people finally believe climate change is real, and that it is the cause of extreme weather. Yet despite having overwhelming evidence and public opinion on our side, deniers still exist, fueled and funded by dirty energy profits.

These people aren't just on the other side of this debate. They're on the other side of reality.

It's time for us all – whether we're leaders in Washington, members of the mea, scientists, academics, environmentalists or utility industry executives –to stop acting like those who ignore the crisis or deny it exists entirely have a valid point of view. They don't.

Virtually every respected, independent scientist in the world agrees the problem is real, and the time to act is now. Not tomorrow. Not a week from now. Not next month or next year. We must act today.

As Americans, we have the power to choose the kind of world in which we live. Every decision we make – large and small – matters. Some choices are as simple as turning off the light when you leave the room. Others are more ambitious -- such as committing the Department of Defense, the largest energy consumer in the world, to transition to clean, renewable energy.

But every choice has benefits -- or consequences.

And we all know he's so right about this.

We have discussed the powerful potential of clean energy that we can unleash to renew our economy and create more & better jobs. We have also discussed the frightening reality of climate change. We can no longer afford to ignore either.

Even the "Tea Party, Inc." funded climate study concluded that climate change is real, and that it's happening at a more accelerated pace than scientists had earlier expected. The scientific consensus is now even more overwhelming than ever before. July was the hottest month on record. Yes, that's right. Just last month, our planet had the hottest month on record!

So if anyone takes issue with what Harry Reid said yesterday, one is certainly not basing it on science.

This is why it's so refreshing to see Harry Reid speak out like this. Once and for all, we need to cut the "climate denial" crap and acknowledge reality. And then, we need to start taking action!

As Senator Reid said yesterday, now is the time to end our addiction to dangerous fossil fuels. The Reid-Gardner coal plant has to go, along with other fossil fuel relics that are holding us back. If we want to succeed in transitioning to a clean, green, lean, & mean economy, we need to cut the crap and take action. And if we want to survive as a human race, we need to cut the crap and take action.

NV-04: Delusions of Grandeur? Or Just Plain Demented?

There he goes again. Danny Tarkanian is back. And this time, his delusions of grandeur are more ridiculous and offensive than ever before!

Last time we checked on Baby Tark's quixotic quest for NV-04, he was busy lying about his own record on immigration in a disgustingly craven attempt to "woo Hispanic voters". This time, he's working to "woo black voters".

At Hispanics in Politics last month he said Black people have been fooled into voting for Democrats, and he was here to help. You know, cause us colored folk are ignorant and child-like, lacking the sophistication to make important political decisions, thus we need the helpful hand of non-Blacks to keep us on the straight and narrow.

The Tarkanian campaign truly believes that because he played basketball and his dad led many a Black man to victory, that somehow that will lead Black folk in congressional district four to vote for him.

Do Black people love basketball so damn much, they're willing to totally forget that Mr Tarkanian is an aggressive supporter of the Tea Party (the same Tea Party the NAACP* said was racist) with policy positions that rival Sharron Angle’s?

Do Black people love basketball so much that they’re willing to overlook the fact that Mr Tarkanian thinks racial profiling is effective police work?

Do Black people love basketball so much that they won't care that Mr. Tarkanian's wife complained just yesterday about people tweeting about the Voting Rights Act?

Team Tarkanian thinks that answer is yes, because again: Team Tark thinks Black people are stupid.

So now, Danny Tarkanian thinks African-American Nevadans will just love him because he's the son of "Tark the Shark" and knows how to shoot hoops himself?! Now I know Baby Tark himself is vapid enough to believe that, but I'm even surprised to see that his campaign staff really believe that this is "effective black community outreach". After all, there's nothing that historically oppressed minority communities appreciate more than being treated as complete imbeciles. (/snark)

The voters of NV-04 truly deserve better than this. Why on earth would any candidate believe he's winning voters by insulting their intelligence? And why on earth should Southern Nevada's communities of color be subjected to someone like Danny Tarkanian who believes he knows what's best for them more than they do?

The way Baby Tark is going, I can't wait to see how he tries to appeal to Asian-American, disabled, and LGBTQ voters! (/snark)

A Tale of Two Public Projects

Here in Henderson, we have a very important election this fall. In addition to all the federal races receiving the bulk of the attention, there's something else we will vote on this fall which will determine the future of our community. Now that Henderson District Public Libraries face such a giant budget deficit that they will have to close two whole libraries if they don't find more revenue, and possibly close a third in the new Heritage Park Library as well (!!!), the district is now asking Henderson voters for a few extra cents (per person) in property taxes just to keep all the libraries open.

Geraldine Brurs left the Paseo Verde Library into the midday heat Tuesday with two audio books in hand. The frequent visitor to Henderson libraries had no idea that two of the system’s six branches will close at the end of the year if a tax initiative on the November ballot does not pass.


Those like Brurs who already use and appreciate the libraries, and are supporters of the property tax increase, are the easy targets.

“Oh, I would definitely vote for the tax,” Brurs said after hearing the details. “The Henderson libraries have already cut back. They are closed on Sundays and their hours are shorter than before. This library is packed all the time.”

Proponents of the initiative see three groups of voters when it comes to the tax initiative, which would increase Henderson property tax by 2 ents per $100 in assessed property value, a $14 annual hike for property worth $200,000. There are the regular library users who are expected to provide strong support; those who will never approve of any new tax, especially during a down economy; and those in between who may support the tax if they are reminded of the value of a community meeting place and research hub. [...]

“Libraries serve the function of promoting reading and literacy, but they are also community places where people get and share information,” said Danielle Miller, a member of the PAC and principal at El Dorado High School. “People access the Internet at libraries. They search for jobs at libraries. There is no other resource in the community like it. I think a lot of people just don’t realize how close they are to closing branches.”

We've talked about this before. Public infrastructure isn't something to dismiss in importance. Libraries are critical meeting places for the community, and they are places that are critical for our community's growth and education. Especially now, as Southern Nevada is being forced to transition to a new economy that isn't so addicted to the whims and fancies of gaming and real estate bubbles, we need public infrastructure more than ever before.

However, it seems like not all infrastructure is created equal in the eyes of the powers that be in Carson City.
This is also something we've discussed before. And this is something that's coming back to the forefront as
a new project opens up north.

Nevada’s most expensive highway will open this month — an 8 1/2-mile stretch of pavement that most Southern Nevadans will never use, unless you’re a politician or lobbyist commuting between Reno and Carson City. [...]

And the cost? More than a half-billion-with-a-b dollars.

The new highway, Interstate 580, was paid for primarily with federal and state gas tax money. It has been planned for decades.

“This project is not just a home run, it’s a grand slam,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said at the ribbon cutting last week.

He said it would improve safety, promote commerce and ease commutes.

But to critics, the project was a boondoggle — our own “bridge to nowhere,” as Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani called it when she was in the Assembly. The route was heavily influenced by not-in-my-backyard politics back in 1983. The residents along the current road, U.S. 395, didn’t want an expansion. The project couldn’t be moved to the west because that would run into a tony development. So the Washoe County Commission decided to have the highway hug a hillside overlooking Pleasant Valley to the west.

Some Southern Nevadans say the highway was built so Northern Nevadans could strut.

“I think it’s widely acknowledged as primarily a flex pose in the mirror, designed to celebrate the political might of a couple of Washoe County legislators,” said Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers, who was also a legislator as this project was approved. (The late state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and late Gov. Kenny Guinn were both honored at the groundbreaking.)

Bill Raggio may no longer be with us, but he will certainly never be forgotten.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think we should neglect critical infrastructure needs in Northern Nevada. I just think it's foolish to ignore critical infrastructure needs in Southern Nevada. Really, the entire state needs better public infrastructure in order to develop a more sustainable economy. Yet when over 70% of the state's population continue to be shortchanged and forced to fight each other for mere crumbs of the state's fiscal loaf, we shouldn't be surprised when our economy faces severe structural problems.

It's just plain maddening to see our state approach public infrastructure as a matter of "juice" and "wheeling & dealing". And it's saddening to think that critical resources like public libraries are at risk of closing indefinitely just because they're not as politically well connected as contractors looking to build a highway from the state capital to the historical epicenter of political clout.

Again, I don't want to deny anything that Reno and Carson City need. It would just be nice if Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson didn't always have to fight tooth and nail just to prevent losing what we need. Is that too much to ask?

Frog, Meet Scorpion.

This morning, I was reminded of this fable.

The Scorpion and the Frog is a fable about a scorpion asking a frog to carry him across a river. The frog is afraid of being stung during the trip, but the scorpion argues that if it stung the frog, the frog would sink and the scorpion would drown. The frog agrees and begins carrying the scorpion, but midway across the river the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both. When asked why, the scorpion points out that this is its nature. The fable is used to illustrate the position that the behaviour of some creatures is irrepressible, no matter how they are treated and no matter what the consequences.

Believe it or not, this fable is coming to life right here in Southern Nevada. But alas, how could this be. Well, this is why I'm writing about it today. Here are The Scorpion & The Frog.

The Nevada Policy Research Institute filed a complaint with the 8th Judicial District Court on Friday alleging the Clark County Debt Management Commission violated the Nevada Open Meeting Law.

The commission — composed of three Clark County commissioners and representatives from local city governments and the School Board — voted during its June 7 meeting to approve a ballot question that seeks voter approval on a new property tax to fund school construction and rehabilitation projects.

The cash-strapped School District is pursuing a new capital improvement plan to address $5.3 billion in school maintenance needs over the next decade. The School Board — supported by four former first ladies of Nevada — are pushing for a six-year capital levy that is expected to raise property taxes as much as $74 a year on a home with an assessed valuation of $100,000.

CCSD administrators really believed NPRI's spinmasters when they "offered to help" them "take care" of all those "pesky teachers". So CCSD admin went out of their way to please their new political soulmates. Even if it meant hurting CCSD students, they cut and cut and cut away while continuing to find new ways to deny teachers their fair pay.

So what are CCSD bosses getting in return? Oh, just a law suit from NPRI aiming to block that capital bond initiative they so direly need from ever reaching this fall's ballot. I know, what a way to show gratitude!

Frog, meet scorpion.

Many tried to warn CCSD administrators not to get too cozy with NPRI. After all, NPRI's goal is to starve public education to death! What on earth made Dwight Jones and Amanda Fulkerson believe that Victor Joecks and his merry band of "think tank" teabaggers cared one iota about improving public education? No matter how often they'd let NPRI stooges "slip" into CCSD's secure email network meant for official school business only, NPRI would eventually reach this point and sting them like this.

And now, our kids may end up suffering even more thanks to CCSD's idiocy and NPRI's pure evil.

Suspect is the timing of NPRI’s lawsuit, which comes just five days shy of the 60-day deadline to file a complaint on open-meeting law violations, Haldeman said. Today is the deadline for open-meeting law violations on the June 7 debt management commission meeting.

“If (NPRI) were really interested in the open-meeting law, why would they wait until now to file this lawsuit?” [Joyce Haldeman, the School District’s associate superintendent of community and government relations] said. “It sounds to me like a political maneuver.” [...]

Brager said the commission will hear the ballot initiative again in August to conduct a re-vote “in an abundance of caution.” Both Brager and Haldeman said they were confident the lawsuit would not impact the ballot measure in November.

“It’s important for the children of Clark County because we have AC units that are old and have no lifetime in them anymore,” said Brager, who has had four generations of her family attend Clark County schools. “Children in our community deserve to be able to sit in a classroom that can contain heat and cold.”

They really should have known better. NPRI doesn't give a shit about our kids suffering under excessive heat and cold in decrepit public schools. If that means its PR hacks can spin the "OUTRAGE!!!" into further dismantling CCSD altogether and privatizing even more of what should be public education, then NPRI is happy. Frog, meet scorpion.

NV-03: Oceguera Hits the Airwaves... & Uses a Familiar Message

It's official now. The race for Nevada's swingiest of swing districts is on. Joe Heck was apparently already planning to go on air, but today John Oceguera is launching his first ad.



As you can see above, Oceguera talks quite a bit about the fate of the middle class. And as we've talked about before, the fate of this election may ultimately rest on how strongly Americans want to save it. So it's interesting to see Democratic candidates like Oceguera tap that anger and channel it into a message of saving the middle class.

We've already seen what Joe Heck thinks of Nevada's middle class. Long story short, he just doesn't care. He's regularly ignored his own (middle class) constituents so he can focus on pleasing his dirty 1% BFFs.

Just as we figured, this election will be decided by working class Nevadans because they don't want to see the middle class disappear. John Oceguera may really be onto something here.