It doesn't get any better than this. When a few vocal curmudgeons howled in protest over this Reno Gazette Journal cover, RGJ editor Brian Duggan responded with this:
Dear people complaining about today's front page: I chose that photo to run on the cover and I'd do it again. Kthxbye pic.twitter.com/dWGttCFNoO
Overall, that was quite the good read. But because we're awfully shady b-tchez, we thought of the perfect response.
Look, hunties. We get it. Not everyone is happy about marriage equality coming to Nevada. But come on, grrl. Just because they want a temper tantrum doesn't mean they have the right to spoil the party for all the rest of us.
News flash: They're not the only people in the world. Hell, they're not even the majority any more. Who do they think they are? Beyonce? Oh, hellz to the no!
Now that the usual H8 filled suspects no longer have a law suit to fight, they have to find something else to fill their time with. So now, they're trolling.
This isn't the first time they trolled. They've just become far more pathetic in doing so over the past five years.
The way some media pundits tell this story, it's the greatest love story ever told. And perhaps it is for Carson City's top corporate lobbyists. In fact, we won't be surprised if they read this column by the fireplace tonight with a nice glass of vintage port paired with some luscious dark chocolate.
But for the rest of us, another column on the many wonders of Tesla's extra sweet sweetheart deal is just another reminder of all that's wrong with Carson City.
Down here in Southern Nevada, Clark County School District (CCSD) hit a new record high for enrollment last month. And up north, Washoe County School District (WCSD) is about to receive the rude awakening that Tesla isn't offering any kind of free lunch. Instead, the deal blew an immediate $195 million hole in the state budget and threatens to place an additional strain on state government by encouraging more demand for public infrastructure (such as schools, roads, and health care) without providing needed funding for it.
Boulder City High School and Rex Bell Elementary School are just two examples of our crumbling public infrastructure in this state. Kids attend these and other CCSD schools. And this is what they and staff must endure every school day.
When we take a closer look at the decaying state of our public infrastructure, the very foundation of our economy, "The Great Tesla Giveaway of 2014" makes less and less sense. How can we afford to subsidize a multi-billion dollar corporation while telling teachers and students we can't afford school repairs? How can we afford to continue shortchanging our roads, our health care programs, and our other basic community building blocks while we keep doling out corporate welfare hand over fist? It just doesn't make sense.
There's a reason why we had such a visceral reaction yesterday to the two Southern Nevada newspaper columns opposing The Education Initiative (TEI). They just don't make sense. They and their friends at the No on 3 campaign like to scream about impending doom & gloom every chance they get, yet they can't produce any tangible proof that TEI will hurt our economy. Instead, even their own studies have suggested that TEI will help Nevada's economy by providing our schools with the funding they've been going without for far too long.
It's been a time honored love story here in Nevada. The "bid'ness establishment" types have loved their legal tax evasion schemes and corporate welfare handouts. And why not? It's been a very sweet sweetheart deal for them.
But for the rest of us, we've been told for far too long to "do more with less". We've been told for far too long that "we can't afford" even basic fixes for our schools. We've been told "we can't afford" to take care of our own people while multi-billion dollar corporations continue laughing all the way to the "erotic gift shop" with gift cards that we essentially paid for.
This may be their "greatest love story ever told", but we the people have a chance to close this chapter of our state's history. And really, can we afford to keep buying them all that chocolate & wine?
(In light of recent events, we felt it necessary to revisit this. We dug through the cavernous Nevada Progressive archives to find this gem from May 2013. How is it we can afford corporate welfare for Tesla, but not taking care of our own people? And now, we risk losing federalSNAP funds because we can't get our act together.
Maybe we should consider taking care of our own people's needs before we cater to every whim & fancy of any multinational corporation that whispers sweet nothings into our politicians' ears?)
So Former Assembly Member Steven Brooks is back in the news today. Brooks was supposed to be at a court hearing in Las Vegas today. He couldn't make it... Because he was at a court hearing in San Bernardino County, California.
Here's what's happened so far.
The lawyer for a former Nevada lawmaker charged in a car chase and a police confrontation is asking that his client go through a mental health court program.
Ex-Assemblyman Steven Brooks appeared in a San Bernardino County, Calif., court Tuesday after pleading not guilty to charges stemming from his arrest March 28. Prosecutors say there could be a decision Friday on whether he's eligible for mental health court.
Mental health courts divert people into treatment programs and hold them accountable along the way.
Late in March, Steven Brooks was arrested in Victorville following a dispute with a tow truck driver in Barstow and a dramatic car chase with police. His attorney is now requesting for the California case to be transferred to mental health court. This way, he can finally obtain the treatment he needs.
At least there's a chance of Brooks obtaining the treatment he needs in California. Just before his latest arrest, Brooks sounded eerily prophetic in his final interview with Jon Ralston.
In four brief, surreal conversations, alternately heart-wrenching and frightening, shortly after he was expelled from the Assembly, Steven Brooks said he is "the assemblyman of sorrow," wondered why his colleagues "hate me so much" and declared he was going to "break the state" with a lawsuit worth at least $10 million.
Brooks was alternately angry, with expletive-filled rants directed at Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Majority Leader William Horne, despondent, weeping and saying he was checking himself into Seven Hills, a Southern Nevada treatment facility, and suicidal, saying he had no other recourse. [...]
"I'm the assemblyman of sorrow," he declared. "Why do they hate me so much? Fill in the blank: I'm so angry I could (blank) myself."
Brooks told me he was "on my way to Seven Hills to check myself into the hospital. He began weeping when I asked why, adding, "I have no other resort. I'm going to kill myself if they keep this up. I have nowhere to go. I'm the assemblyman of sorrow." [...]
"You know why they hate me? You know why want to kill me because I know all of their secrets."
No one expected what was coming next, probably not even Steven Brooks himself. Yet in an incredibly bizarre way, he warned us. Just days after Brooks was sent to jail in San Bernardino County, another former Nevadan emerged in California.
After The Sacramento Bee began investigating the mysterious Greyhound bus trip that landed James Flavy Coy Brown in Sacramento, the Nevada patient dumping scandal steadily grew. Now, there's a strong chance of Nevada facing law suits soon over improper discharge of mental health patients and transport of them out of state.
And now, outrage is spreading to a new state. Last weekend, ABC 15 Phoenix looked into the 100 cases of Rawson-Neal mental health patients bussed into Arizona. And while investigating, they may have uncovered yet another horrifying scandal in the making.
Mark Holleran, CEO of Central Arizona Shelter Services, says it's hard to track those patients down. He says "patient dumping" happens more than you might think.
"It just shows you how it's very easy to do this, and it's sort of under the radar. It's hard to detect," he said.
Holleran says a few years ago, former prisoners from Nevada got dumped at the shelter.
"They had been provided a bus ticket, a small amount of cash, a print out of a Mapquest that showed them how to get to CASS. And written on it was, 'ask for Howie,'" he said.
Holleran says these cases often end in chronic homelessness. He says that stretches resources in other states, like Arizona. And it passes along the problem, instead of fixing it.
"That might be something we might want to take a look at. Because if we can solve it for one place, I think we solve it for all the places," Holleran said.
So now, Arizona officials are reporting cases of Nevada patient dumping. And not only that, but we may have also dumped former prisoners on them as well! How about that for being a "good neighbor"?
One would think this would light a fire under the behinds of the Governor and legislators to fix this glaring crisis. Come on, we're now facing law suits and loss of federal funding! But no, they were too busy kissing the behind of Nicholas Cage. No, I'm not even making this up. And Ralston was downright revolted by today's lurid display of misplaced priorities.
James Flavy Brown can be shipped out of Las Vegas, leaving with barely his wits about him, some meds and peanut butter crackers. But the star of “Leaving Las Vegas” can be treated like royalty, with the mayor of Las Vegas as his sidekick, and an offer pending of enough taxpayer money to buy a peanut butter cracker factory.
These are the Legislature’s priorities – cut mental health funding, ignore English Language Learner money but give tax breaks to those who need them least. Brown gets a bus ticket to anywhere while Cage gets a national treasure trove worth of goodies and Apple gets a 90 percent tax break negotiated by the governor. That is tax policy in Nevada.
This is the state we are in.
I wonder if anyone stops to think: We may get Cage ghost-riding on the Strip, with his production company soaring and a Vegas backdrop for movies. But what does it say if that fake scene is juxtaposed a few miles off-camera in either direction with real tableaus of packed emergency rooms, overcrowded classrooms and jammed thoroughfares.
If this is part of a master plan, I’d like to see the drawing because it seems like a blueprint for disaster to me. What exactly is the policy articulated by this approach that allows $80 million to be cut from mental health services in five years but in one bill lawmakers are willing to give half of that amount [$35 million] to prospective Nevada-based filmmakers?
Lest you think my heart’s bleeding cuts off circulation to my brain, I get the job-creating argument, the economic diversification argument, the image-changing argument. But why is it a good idea for government to give incentives to anyone – movie producers, renewable energy companies – if offcials don’t provide incentives for people to really want to live here by supporting the quality of life, a culture that values higher and lower education, a political class that leads rather than follows?
He's right about this. It simply doesn't make sense.
Honestly, there may be some merit to encouraging more film production here in Nevada. But when we can't even take care of our own, who wants to risk shooting a movie here? Think about it.
Why is it that we always hear that "we can't afford" proper mental health care, decent schools, and repaired roads, yet our Governor and Legislature always seem to be able to afford corporate welfare to shower upon multinational corporations like Apple that neither need the help nor deserve it? Think about that as well. How on earth does this lead to a stable economy for our state? And how on earth does neglecting the most vulnerable in our society lead to a healthy economy?
It doesn't. That's precisely the problem. Our "leaders" in Carson City keep chasing after mythical economic unicorns while failing to provide the most fundamental building blocks of a sound economy.
Sure, luring Hollywood to Las Vegas sounds sexy. But ultimately, that won't mean shit for economic development if our schools keep bursting at the seams, our hospitals keep stuffing patients onto Greyhound buses heading out of state, and our roads are clogged with commuters while paved with just as many potholes. We seriously need to pay attention to the rude awakening we're now receiving. We must get back to basics, and we must do so before it's too late.
The vote was 12-13. Just 1 more vote could have made the difference for many thousands of American military/veteran families. But alas, it lost 12-13.
In June, Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise) introduced legislation to ensure LGBTQ military families have the same access to military spousal benefits as all other military families. Today, it finally had a vote in the House Veterans' Affairs Committee as an amendment to another bill. And it lost 12-13.
In an interesting twist, outgoing Rep. Jon Runyan (R-New Jersey) voted for Rep. Titus' amendment. He also signed on as a cosponsor of ENDA earlier this year. He actually wasn't the only Republican cosponsor of ENDA on that committee...
Yet he was the only Republican vote for Rep. Titus' amendment that would have simply guaranteed equal access to military spousal benefits regardless of which state one lives in. So the amendment failed 12-13.
They've tried "softer lighting". They've tried "softer language". And they've made endless attempts at "rebranding". However, no amount of "Republican rebranding" can truly obscure what all but one of them did today. (And he just happened to be the one who's retiring from Congress this year.)
Next time anyone tries to goad you into thinking "Republican rebranding" is anything more than the vacuous shtick it truly is, remind that someone of this vote. Go ahead and remind that someone that even the allegedly "pro-equality" on this House committee voted down this critical amendment that simply would have given thousands of military families the peace of mind they deserve. Remind that someone that thanks to their craven refusal to drop the "TEA" for once and do something useful for a change, actual soldiers/veterans and their loved ones were given the shaft.
The vote was 12-13. The lower House of Congress had yet another opportunity to prove to Americans that they can actually be productive. But yet again, House Republican "leaders" fail to provide any sort of leadership.
Since today is #ThrowbackThursday, we figured now is a good time to jump back into the Nevada Progressive archives. Today, we're traveling back to October 2013. Remember what was happening then? Or perhaps more appropriately, remember what wasn't functioning back then?
We do. And we remember how and why the great Shutdown Shitfest of 2013 finally came to an end.
Fortunately, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Agent Orange) finally stood down last night after his "Plan Z" went nowhere fast. And Ironically enough, that was largely thanks to mounting 21st Century Know Nothing opposition. But in pushing themselves to complete irrelevancy and Speaker John Boehner to total embarrassment, they only succeeded in giving Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) the opening they needed to resume talks and seal the deal. [...]
After all, Fitch is now threatening to lower America's credit rating. And world leaders have warned of the economic repercussions of Armageddon. So we finally got to see "Game Over".
Yesterday, Rep. Joe Heck's (R-Why?) staff refused to answer questions regarding the Armageddon deadline. But now, it doesn't matter. House Republican "leaders" are declaring defeat, and a floor vote will soon be scheduled.
For the past three weeks, Congressional Republicans from Nevada and elsewhere have pushed the nation to the brink of disaster. And yes, it's led to some awful consequences. But now, it's all coming to an end. Republicans are being forced to drop their crazy demands... Because it's just plain game over.
After that month from Hell, Congressional Republican "leaders" vowed never to go there again...
Yet now, there's a chance they will actually go there again. But why? Oh, that darned President Obama is planning to clean up the mess they exacerbated by refusing to do any kind of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).
While he isn't publicly endorsing it, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) isn't ruling out a Shutdown Shitfest Sequel, either. And we all remember how he and other Republican "leaders" played coy in the run-up to the first Shutdown Shitfest last fall.
Just like last fall, the G-O-TEA base wants one. But unlike last time, they don't have Obamacare to claim as a bogeyman any more. So now, their fearmongering stand-in will be the President's planned executive action on immigration.
Oh, and of course, they're screaming about "TER'RISS!!!" and "JOBS!!!" while they threaten to hold the federal government and national economy hostage over something they promised to do before refusing to do it. Sure, that makes plenty of sense. #Not
And now, we're left to wonder if G-O-TEA opposition to any kind of positive executive action on immigration will lead them to force us into a sequel we had hoped would never come to fruition
Just over a month ago, this was official NRA policy: "Everyone gets a gun." We warned of the dangerous folly of this policy. But of course, the NRA and its "TEA" powered allies refused to listen.
Charles Vacca was a firearms instructor at Last Stop, a gun range in White Hills, Arizona. Bullets And Burgers is Last Stop's tourist promotion that brings tourists from Las Vegas and up Highway 93 to the gun range with promises of "exotic" automatic weapons, "Desert Storm atmosphere", and lunch included. Earlier this week, Charles Vacca gave a nine year old girl an Uzi military grade submachine gun to fire. This was the result of that fateful decision.
Charles Vacca was brought to Las Vegas for medical attention, but it was too late. He died. He had been shot by the Uzi he had given to the nine year old girl to use at the range.
And now, we must all endure the painful aftermath. We must all confront the haunting questions left behind at Bullets And Burgers.
Of course, the usual suspects don't want to confront anything seen as challenging their "conventional wisdom". Under its "@NRAWomen account, the NRA actually tweeted "7 Ways Children Can Have Fun at the Shooting Range". And yes, the NRA actually tweeted this out yesterday.
When interviewed by Chris Hayes on MSNBC yesterday, Last Stop operator Sam Scarmardo said he plans to seek guidance from the NRA and other gun groups going forward. Perhaps he should rethink seeking any kind of guidance from the NRA.
On average, seven American children are shot dead every day. This nine year old girl could have killed herself along with Charles Vacca. Why on earth are children shooting Uzis at ranges like Last Stop?
On MSNBC last night, Sam Scarmardo defended Last Stop's decision to allow that nine year old child to shoot that Uzi by claiming "this was a big -- something that was high on her bucket list to do and her parents took her out to do what she was gonna do." Bucket list? Really? Is the "Children's Death Wish Bucket List" supposed to be the new "killer Las Vegas tourist attraction"?
"High on her bucket list"? Really, NRA? And really, LVCVA? If this is truly our new pitch to tourists, then perhaps we should become accustomed to seeing more numbers like these.
Not again. Must we talk about this again? Why are we witnessing the beating of this dead horse again?
Oh, wait. A certain State Senator's favorite media pundit insists on beating this dead horse again. Why? A group of Republican teachers want to give this Republican State Senator an award
Before we proceed any further, let's review the dead horse the Senator and the pundit continue to beat.
Clearly, Ralston is excited by this. However, there are two major problems. And Ralston himself knows what they are.
One is the law. At best, the Nevada Constitution is unclear as to how legislators can propose an alternative to a citizen's initiative, especially when the Governor would rather not. At worst, Governor Brian Sandoval (R), Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto (D), and Secretary of State Ross Miller (D) are all correct in finding [State Senator Michael] Roberson's [R-Henderson] proposal unconstitutional.
The other problem is the politics. As we've discussed before, Roberson's proposal has led to yet another major division among Nevada Republicans. While Roberson assembled a Senate GOP "Mod Squad" of six to support it, Governor Sandoval, the other Republican Senators, the bulk of Republican Assembly Members, and the "tea party" activist base of the party have all aligthened against it. Roberson desperately needs Democrats for this to have any chance of passage, but Democrats so far look to be keeping their distance from any proposal to ratfuck harm The Education Initiative that's already legally qualified for next year's general election ballot.
The law was not on his side. His own party was not on his side. And really, no one other than his inner circle and the above mentioned media pundit were on his side. It just wasn't happening, regardless of Democratic leaders' decision to keep away from the magical, mythical, meddlesome mining tax initiative.
(And by the way, State Senate Democrats actually did release a tax proposal. So did Assembly Democratic leadership. Just because [we and] the media pundit didn't like these tax plans doesn't mean they weren't on the table last year.)
Oh, and let's not forget this: the magical, mythical, meddlesome mining tax initiative never truly existed (until it was too late). Oh, yes. That's right. There was never a bill number (until May 13). If there's no bill number, it doesn't exist.
So why was there no bill number? Think about this: When did the horse die? And who killed this horse in the first place?
Perhaps this is why Senator Roberson prefers to deflect blame onto Democrats. It's easier for him to blame Democrats than to admit that the law and the bulk of his party don't seem to agree with him.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying all Democrats have been angels when it comes to preparing a proper state budget. Far from it, I have not hesitated to criticize Democrats when they were wrong. But come on, one can't blame Democratic leaders for keeping their distance from a tax initiative that's legally questionable at best and creating even more chaos within Republican ranks.
So just keep this in mind next time some media pundit or Republican Senator tries to deflect blame for the failure of the tax initiative that was never to be.
There was no bill number. There was no coalition ready to pass it. There seemed to be no plan in place to actually pass it. We're left to wonder if there was even any actual desire on anyone's part to pass it.
So why are we examining this dead horse yet again? It's all this Republican State Senator has to run on. And for some reason, it's all the above mentioned media pundit loves to fantasize about.
Yet it's still a dead horse. But you know what isn't? The Education Initiative (TEI). It's real, it's alive, and it will be on our ballots this fall. Unlike that Republican State Senator's nonexistent tax initiative, TEI offers real funding and real solutions for Nevada schools.
So why must be beat the dead horse again?
ADDENDUM: So there was a bill number: SB 513. The problem? It wasn't introduced until two months after the IP 1/TEI deadline. So our point stands. There was no actual bill introduced until it was too late.
How did we know this was coming? Are we prophets? Or are we just able to put 2 & 2 together to make 4?
Remember the fine folks at Heritage? After several Republicans accused them of cooking the books to derail Congressional momentum for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), Heritage stood by the work of Jason Richwine... Even as reporters uncovered "research" he wrote suggesting Latin@s have lower IQs than white people. Even though Heritage ultimately quietly released him, it still stood by the findings of that epically flawed "research" on CIR.
And now, Heritage is actually soliciting state government funds for anti-immigrant militia outfits. Oh, yes. That's right. Heritage is demanding wingnut welfare taxpayer dollars for these people.
Of course, this makes perfect sense to Heritage, as it's also advocating the murder of pro-CIR Republicans.
So now, Heritage is swimming in the same cesspool as Shawna Forde and JT Ready. Heritage is endorsing their brand of "securing the border" while calling for taxpayer dollars to be siphoned over to the likes of Jim Gilchrist and the Arizona Militia. So this is what Heritage and its G-O-TEA cheerleaders now call "immigration reform"?
How did we know this was coming? Heritage jumped down the rabbit hole long ago. As of late, Heritage has been succeeding in taking most of the Republican Party down with it. And they all seem hell-bent on repeating the very same mistake they made when they rushed to endorse Cliven Bundy's "Range War" in April. When will they ever learn?
He may be indicted... But that's still not stopping him from running for President. Outgoing Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) has been indicted on two felony abuse of power charges related to his veto of a bill funding the state office in charge of investigating corruption.
Yet despite this (not so) little setback, #Perry2016 rages on. Earlier today, he addressed the Heritage Foundation. During his speech, Perry attempted to give a serious speech on Iraq. And surprise, surprise, he agrees with neoconservatives on sending American troops back to essentially restart the Iraq War.
Oh, and that's not all. Rick Perry also had something to say about Isis coming to America. He actually claimed "it's a very real possibility" that Isis terrorists have crossed the US-Mexico Border.
We know Republican "leaders" have been desperate to spin away their horrific EPIC FAIL on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), but this is truly beyond the pale. Does Rick Perry truly expect us to believe that refugee children who have come here fleeing epic violence in Central America are actually Isis terrorists from the Middle East? Who does he think he's kidding?
If anything, the children being deported are in grave danger. Yes, G-O-TEA politicians like Rick Perry want to deport refugee children back into an active war zone. And they like to call themselves the "pro-life, pro-family party"?
So Rick Perry wants to talk terrorism? He really wants to talk terrorism? Perhaps before he speaks of any more visions of "Isis on the Rio Grande", he needs to have a heart-to-heart with his own base. Oh, and perhaps he should focus on his own pending criminal trial.
They were hoping to catapult him into headline news yesterday. And hey, it's mission accomplished in that department. However, this probably wasn't the kind of headline news Nevada Republicans were hoping for.
Yesterday morning, they sent a "gift box to Ross Miller (D) in hopes of amplifying Adam Laxalt's (R) "gifted" attacks on Miller's tenure as Nevada Secretary of State. And surely enough, the Attorney General's race made headlines by the end of the day.
However, it was ultimately Jon Ralston's gift of knowledge to the public that had tongues wagging. While Adam Laxalt gave himself top honors at Lewis & Roca, the law firm where he's been employed since relocating to Nevada in 2011, most of his colleagues didn't agree. Rather, they were concerned about Laxalt's "misconstrued" language, "unacceptable" typing skills, "inadequately structured" writing, and "questionable" judgment.
And that's not all. Here's what may the the most damning peer review in the Laxalt dossier: "He doesn’t understand the legal issues or how they relate to the facts involved, so his written analysis does not make sense." Yikes! And Laxalt wanted to boast about his "Of Counsel" status at Lewis & Roca?
There's already been plenty of speculation about Nevada Republicans replacing Laxalt with someone else as their Attorney General nominee. But so far, Laxalt's campaign spokespeople insist he's staying in the race. They've also questioned the authenticity of the documents Ralston obtained.
Frankly, this comes as no surprise to us. And we certainly don't doubt the authenticity of the documents Ralston has. After all, Adam Laxalt has constantly struggled to comprehend the "legal issues" of LGBTQ civil rights. And who can forget his "most flawed" legal analysis on the Affordable Care Act? While he has every right to oppose policies like civil marriage equality and universal health care, he can't say they're illegal just because he opposes them.
We've always sensed Adam Laxalt has "issues". But now, his more serious issues have burst out of the closet. And unfortunately for him, they strike at the heart of his case for election as Nevada's Attorney General.
Must we do this again? Apparently, yes. While one local media pundit continues to beat this dead horse, national G-O-TEA media spinners have begun beating the "ZOMG!!! Hillary Clinton is a rich b---h!!!!" dead horse of a "scandal".
What Fox "News" talking heads call "rock star diva outrageous demands" are actually considered standard operating procedure for high profile politicians. If Hillary Clinton is a "rock star diva" making "outrageous demands", then so are George W. Bush, Rudy Giuliani, Sarah Palin, and Newt Gingrich.
No really, the UNLV Foundation relies on private donations to fund its efforts to raise private money for UNLV (since the public college doesn't receive enough public funding). Since Hillary Clinton's speech will be for the UNLV Foundation, her speaking fee came from private donations. Already, there have been more than enough private donations to cover the fee. She has already donated that fee to charity. And the October event will likely raise a hefty sum... For the benefit of UNLV and its students.
So where's the "scandal"? Where were all these media pundits when politicians like Rudy Giuliani cashed in on big speaking fees? And where were they when Governor Brian Sandoval (R) pushed for more UNLVbudget cuts in 2011?
Ironically, one of the most vocal critics of Clinton's UNLV Foundation gig accepted a for-pay speech at UNLV herself. And she's not alone on the list of high profile individuals UNLV and/or the UNLV Foundation paid to give a speech. So why are we still wasting so many characters arguing over this Hillary Clinton speech?
Whenever a Clinton runs for President, strange things happen. Extramarital affairs become "impeachable offenses". A money losing land deal becomes some horrifically sophisticated money laundering scheme. A tragic attack on a US consulate becomes some bizarre mass murder conspiracy. And a speaking fee becomes some heinous crime against higher education.
Perhaps if Republican political operatives and their media enablers were to spend less time hyperventilating over fictitious "scandals" and more time preparing better policies for their preferred Presidential candidates to espouse (along with decent candidates for them to prefer), they'd actually have a viable 2016 alternative to Hillary Clinton.
It looked like they were about to leave town without doing anything on the matter. After whining and screaming and crying about it for a month, they were about to leave town without bringing a single border bill to the House floor. And of course, House Republican "leaders" were planning to blame President Obama for their own failure to whip their own members into doing their job.
But hey, this has been Republican "leaders'" modus operandi on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) all along. They've feigned interest in passing some sort of legislation, then pandered to their 21st Century Know Nothing base when they became enraged at the thought of any sort of CIR passing, then abandoned their own "ideas" and while blaming President Obama for their own shortcomings.
But late Thursday night, there was another twist. House Republican "leaders" finally emerged with two bills... That catered to the whims & fancies of their most anti-immigrant members. The first one calls for the fast deportation of #BorderChildren without providing them with their due legal process, while the second one is yet another attempt at deporting all DREAMers. Both only barely passed and did so almost exclusively along party lines. (For the record, Reps. Joe Heck [R-Henderson] & Mark Amodei [R-Carson City] voted for mass deportations of refugee children, but not DREAMers.)
In one fell swoop (and two floor votes), House Republicans gave up any last modicum of "responsible governance" with their pandemonium on the House floor. Instead of doing anything to assist #BorderChildren and alleviate this humanitarian conundrum, they set the wheels in motion for a full crisis to explode by the end of their August recess.
But why? Why would they allow for such an unnecessary crisis? Why would they want these refugee children to suffer? And why are trying to use this as an excuse to deport American kids?
Well, why do they continue taking their marching orders from these fools?
So House Republicans (Joe Heck & Mark Amodei included) vote to sue President Obama for taking executive actions, then urge him to take executive action. They attack the President over their failure to pass CIR, then they attack him when he announces plans to right their wrongs to the greatest legal extent he can. They attack the President because refugee children have arrived at our border, then they attack him because he's reminded them that these children need legal due process (along with some tender loving care).
What does this all mean? Short answer: They're just biding their time until they vote to impeachPresident Obama. Longer answer: They're so terrified of their own deranged base that they've stopped caring about being consistent or making any sort of sense. And of course, they don't really care about silly things like making sense. They have more important things on their minds, important things like scoring political points. (Just don't tell them they're not even succeeding at that.)
We know where they're going with this. We've known for some time where they're going with this. We already know their final destination is Impeachapalooza.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Newport) can cry all he wants about his beloved law suit, but we all know what's actually hiding behind it. (Here's a hint for all who are still wondering what is: impeachment.) Oh, and speaking of that law suit against President Obama for daring to do his job, the House Judiciary Committee voted strictly along party lines (7-4) to authorize it.
So why do House Republicans want to impeach sue President Obama? Apparently, he issues executive orders every once in a while. And sometimes, he'll issue executive orders on major policies, such as the one barring federal contractors from discriminating against LGBTQ workers. Occasionally, he's even refused to defend certain statutes in court when he's considered them unconstitutional (such as DOMA, and the US Supreme Court ultimately agreed with him on that). Even though numerous other Presidents have issued executive orders and exercised broad discretion when enforcing statutes, House G-O-TEA "leaders" now express "OUTRAGE!!!" over this President and his executive actions.
If House Republican "leaders" so strongly object to the content of the President's executive actions, they can always correct this by actually allowing floor votes on permanent legislation. They can finally allow a floor vote on an all-inclusive ENDA. They can ensure transgender Americans have the same access to health care coverage as everyone else. And they can guarantee that married LGBTQ families receive equal treatment under the law.
However, they're not doing any of that. Instead, they whine about "teh gay cootiez" as they complain about President Obama still being President Obama. And they wonder why we simply can't take this farce of a law suit seriously?
When will they ever learn? Here's one more to file in the "Totally Ironic Department": The NRA cares about safety! And even better, "NRA News" commentator Billy Johnson endorses socialism!
Oh, yes. That's right. "Everyone gets a gun."
Billy Johnson thinks more guns and "proper gun education" can magically solve all our problems and make our world a safer place. What could possibly go wrong? Who could ever imagine...
"More guns" in the hands of minors didn't save Michael Landsberry. Actually, the opposite occurred. And 2 other kids were badly injured last October. Oh yes, and the shooter skillfully demonstrated his "gun education" by committing suicide after killing Landsberry and wounding his 2 other victims.
Look, we get it. The NRA will do and/or say anything to sell more firearms and thereby boost its membership rolls. That doesn't mean the NRA is correct. After all, we've seen what happens when "heat packing" comes to school.
Perhaps instead of setting up the framework for the next Troutdale, Sparks, or Newtown, can't we consider taking action to prevent more of these horrific tragedies? Perhaps instead of creating an environment of even more fear and bloodshed, can't we ensure our schools actually provide a safe and welcoming environment where our kids can focus on learning?
It may be fun to stay at the YMCA, but it certainly isn't fun having to live one's childhood in total fear. Yesterday, we noted Arizona Congressional Candidate Adam Kwasman's (R) total failure to recognize the kids who were actually in that school bus yesterday. However, there's an even larger issue at hand here.
For far too long, too many politicians & pundits (particularly the "TEA" tinged ones) have been talking about the #BorderChildren as if they're all a bunch of hardened thugs out to rape, murder, and steal like there's no tomorrow. Oh, and they're also allegedly full of diseases. And according to them, the only solution to this problem is to deport them all ASAP.
As we've mentioned before, it's far easier for politicians to "discuss philosophy" and attack theoretical constructs than to deal with reality. These refugee children are escaping the epic violence and poverty that many of these very politicians helped create. And now that these children are here, ambitious G-O-TEA politicians want to further their political careers on the backs of these children by hurling all sorts of insults at them while threatening to return them to the very hell they escaped.
How are elementary & middle school aged children supposed to brief Border Patrol agents with evidence documenting their reasons for migrating here within 48 hours? Think about that. When abused children seek help, do we expect them to show up at the local police station with a complete dossier documenting their abusers' crimes? There's a reason why we have a legal system complete with courtrooms, judges, and legal counsel.
But wait, there's more. For many "TEA" flavored politicians, deporting at-risk refugee children isn't enough. They also (still) want to deport DREAMers.
Oh, yes. That's right. They went there... Again. And now, they're attacking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) for calling out the idiocy of this latest G-O-TEA "immigration idea"... And for explaining the reality of life anywhere near the border.
In summary, Republican "leaders" in DC have been spending plenty of time attacking a law a Republican President signed into law in order to protect children in danger. And they're doing that on top of the usual attacks on DREAMers, President Obama, and the actually very secure border. And on top of all that, they want to play politics with even more children's lives. It may be fun for Republican "leaders" to play politics with this rather difficult and complicated issue, but everyone else would rather just work on real solutions.
Who knew this is what a true crisis looks like? It's so shocking. It's so eye-popping. And it's oh so... Stupid.
Arizona State Rep. Adam Kwasman (R) wants to move up to Congress. Apparently, he saw yesterday's big anti-immigrant protest in Oracle, Arizona, as a great campaign photo-op. So he traveled to Oracle and called attention to a big yellow school bus. And then, this happened.
At least Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Carson City) had a tele-town-hall to hide behind when he was asked about immigration on Monday. And at least Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) was nowhere to be found when immigrant rights activists showed up at his district office yesterday. But alas, Adam Kwasman wasn't that lucky. And he certainly wasn't prepared for the revelation that the big yellow school bus actually contained local YMCA campers.
Who knew it could be so fun to stay at the YMCA? But alas, the children weren't greeted by the real Village People. Rather, they were greeted by the seemingly surreal village idiots.
The only ones missing from the village idiots' convention were Cliven Bundy and the rest of the "Patriot Movement" domestic terroristshaterade addicts. After all, we know how much fun they have at the YMCA.
But seriously, this is ridiculous. Actually, this whole display of idiocy by the 21st Century Know Nothings is ridiculous. It's as ridiculous as Adam Kwasman's Congressional campaign... And dare we say it's as ridiculous as Adam Laxalt's entire political career.
Who knew this is what a true crisis looks like? Actually, we did. And we've been pointing this out ever since the media began discussing "Republican rebranding".
These are children. These are families. Keep that in mind.
They are real people. Don't forget that. We know it's easy to forget this when the usual "TEA" fueled blowhards, pundits, & spinners take to the airwaves to scream about conspiratorial nonsense.
These are children. These are families. These are people. They're not Rick Perry's personal political punching bags.
G-O-TEA politicians & pundits are busy attacking President Obama (and threatening to impeach him) because he "refuses to act". Never mind that the President has already sent a $3.7 billion emergency appropriations bill to Congress to address the current Central American migrant crisis. Never mind that the President is taking some heat from human rights advocates for proposing to deport so many of these refugees. And never mind that the solution so many Congressional Republicans claim they want has been on their desks for the past year, just waiting for their action: S 744/HR 15.
The US Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) just over a year ago. The bill they passed, S 744, has been awaiting House action. Last fall, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) and a bipartisan coalition of his House colleagues introduced HR 15 as a companion bill to S 744. For 9 months, HR 15 has been sitting in some dark House Committee room and waiting for further action. Why won't those allegedly "pro-reform Republicans" (cough- Joe Heck- cough) demand a floor vote for HR 15 now? Why can't they even take the $3.7 billion package that the President is offering them?
S 744 included an additional $30 billion for border security. And that's on top of all the billions in additional border security the federal government has spent in the past 5 years. Oh, and let's not forget the 2,000,000+ immigrants who have been apprehended & deported since President Obama took office.
Let's get real here. This isn't a "border security problem". This isn't an "Obama problem". And while this is a political problem, it's not actually what certain pundits & personalities claim it is.
These are children. These are families. They are real people. They are refugees.
They're not "illegals". They're not "aliens". They're not "garbage" that somehow needs to be "disposed of". They are real people. And it's a damned shame we are having this protracted debate on whether to humanely treat actual human beings.
Just over 2 months ago, we noticed this. While their "Range War" was still in high gear, members of Cliven Bundy's armed militia gang made violent threats against US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D). This wasn't the first time Senator Reid faced violent threats, but it also wasn't the first time we noticed the violently dangerous side of #BundyRanch.
Last month, Las Vegas Metro Police received a horrific wake-up call to the severity of this situation when Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo, along with civilian Joseph Robert Wilcox, we're shot to death by 2 extremely zealous #BundyRanch fans. Suddenly, Senator Reid looked to be awfully prescient for warning everyone about the "Patriot Movement"/sovereign citizen presence in Bunkerville & Mesquite.
But now, Senator Reid and his family face new threats. And why's that? Oh, we can thank everyone's favorite reckless "newspaper" for this doozy.
Believe it or not, the "newspaper" decided to print the streets where 2 of Senator Reid's sons live. The "newspaper" also noted that these streets happen to be in the same Henderson community where Harry & Landra Reid are moving to. Keep it klassy, "newspaper"!
Just last week, the FBI confirmed it's investigating an Indiana network with ties to the late Jerad & Amanda Miller after a member of this group threatened to kill police officers and judges who were involved with his 2011 arrest on drug charges. And last month, fellow "sovereign citizen" Brent Douglas Cole opened fire on law enforcement agents in the Lake Tahoe area. We've already seen violence emerge after Cliven Bundy and his "TEA" flavored friends decided to start their "Range War".
So why on earth did the "newspaper" publish the street addresses of Senator Reid's sons? The head honchos at Bonanza headquarters know these fringe characters are out there. Why give them such a road map to bloody tragedy?
Amazingly, the "newspaper" has found a new low to fall into. Just as as we're seeing a rise in extreme right domestic terrorism, the "newspaper" decides now is the perfect time to give aspiring "revolutionaries" the residence of Senator Reid & several of his family members. Words fail to describe the new EPIC FAIL the local "newspaper" has just committed.
And it's on! We always suspected this is what they've been aiming for. But now, it's increasingly clear what their ultimate goal has been all along.
Benghazi. IRS. Bergdahl. And all the G-O-TEA's other haute faux "OBAMA SCANDALZZZ!!!111111!!!!!!1" They never really cared about any of that, especially since there's never actually been "any there there". No, they've just wanted some excuse, any excuse, to impeach President Obama.
Earlier today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Jack Daniel's) announced a law suit against President Obama. For what? And why? He doesn't know yet, but he'll get back to us when he figures it out.
Wow. Perhaps this is why even Fox "News" pundits are questioning the utility of this law suit over nothing...
Except that we know that it's not for nothing. Rather, we know the real goal of this suit. We know the real goal is a little thing called impeachment. Remember the 1990s? Go ahead and feel the deja vu.
Yet while House G-O-TEA "leaders" want "Impeachapalooza: The Sequel", the rest of the nation wants something else. Here's a hint: #4jobs. And for all those 3 million+ Americans who are still seeking jobs, they just want a chance to survive.
While House G-O-TEA "leaders" are obsessing over scoring political points with campaign tactics that used to be considered actual punishment for real high crimes and misdemeanors, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas), Rep. Dina Titus (D-Paradise), and a bipartisan group of other House Members are introducing the same #RenewUI.
It's been nearly 6 months since Congress let the federal extension of unemployment insurance (UI) expire. Since then, over 37,000 Nevadans and 3 million Americans have been forced into unnecessary hardship. And even though the Senate has already passed bipartisan legislation to #RenewUI, House G-O-TEA "leaders" have still refused to bring it to the floor.
Instead, they're now playing impeachment games. It's nice for them that they don't have to worry about how they'll be paying the bills. Unfortunately for all the rest of us, we don't have the luxury of all this time & money to waste on impeachment games.
All this year, we've heard nothing but excuses from House Republican "leaders" when asked about comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Even though they've been the ones blocking a floor vote, they've always tried to blame someone else for their own inaction.
Once again, they're passing the buck on CIR. Once again, they're trying to blame President Obama instead to take any personal responsibility. (Didn't they use to preach that?) But this time, they're stooping to the new low of blaming both President Obama and returning Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for their failure to advance CIR.
Oh, yes. That's right. They're going there. Not only are they claiming that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is some sort of "double agent TERRORIST!!!" (way to "support the troops", jack@$$es), but they're now also claiming he's some legendary political mastermind who somehow killed CIR all the way from a US Military hospital in Germany.
Never mind that the very Congressional Republicans trying to turn #Bergdahl into the new DC scandal du jour were the same ones who were demanding that the President do everything possible to #BringBoweHome before President Obama accomplished just that. They're craving a new haute faux scandal to "investigate" to death. And in their twisted, demented minds, they actually believe they've found it in the return of a prisoner of war who suffered 5 years of Taliban captivity.
And not only that, but House G-O-TEA "leaders" now want to use #Bergdahl as their latest excuse for dropping the ball on CIR. Again, whatever happened to that time honored "conservative value" of "personal responsibility"? When did "The Buck Stops Here" become "Not My Fault, Mommy!"?
For the past year, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) has become notorious here in Nevada for his excuses and flip-flops on immigration reform. Who knew he was just setting an example for the rest of the Republican Party? (Or is it the other way around?) He and his House G-O-TEA colleagues still refuse to take any personal responsibility for their own inaction. And ultimately, millions of American families will continue to pay the price for this latest bout of irresponsible immaturity inaction from the usual G-O-TEA suspects.
