Well, all that computer training we had last week was for naught: It turns out our Information Technology department isn’t going to implement our new system, due to technical problems.
Hey, don’t feel sorry for us: We won a lot of money betting that it wouldn’t happen. In fact, we may even have enough to buy a Porsche nicer than the one the head of our I.T. department drives!
So, while we’re shopping, why don’t you enjoy some delicious Quick Hits?
• If you think legalizing an ounce of marijuana is a good idea, you must be uninformed! That’s the word from Metro Police lobbyist Lt. Stan Olsen, a perfectly nice guy who probably didn’t realize he was insulting a whole bunch of smart people.
After learning that several members of the clergy supported Question 7, the ballot initiative that would legalize one ounce of marijuana, Olsen said … what’s that? You’re surprised that clergy are endorsing marijuana? Why, people? Don’t you read the Bible? Here, let us help:
“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the free tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind, and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1: 11-12)
OK, so God created all the plants and declared them good, which includes marijuana, right? So there you go! Anyway, back to what Olsen said when he found out that clergy were supporting Question 7:
“I would guess they don’t have the true facts, or they could not make this decision. I am sure the motives of these people are good, but if they knew the facts, they would take a different position.”
Oh, snap! Somebody’s going to be spending a long time doing penance, baby!
Seriously, however, the arrogance in Olsen’s remark cannot be understated. (We’re totally sure the motives of Lt. Olsen are good, by the way.) He’s saying you must agree with the police — and oppose the initiative — or you must be uninformed about the issue.
But there is another possibility: You can be fully informed and support the initiative, because the current regulatory scheme that pertains to marijuana is a total joke! That means, believe it or not, there are very smart people who have fully considered all the ramifications of the initiative who have, nonetheless, come to the conclusion that they support it. Because of the facts, not in ignorance of them.
So don’t hate on the clergy, and don’t hate on the voters who disagree with you, Lt. Olsen! (As for saying bad things about God’s creation, well, dude you are totally on your own with that. Perhaps one of those marijuana-supporting clergy can help?)
• The Republican Party of Nevada lost its executive director in a mini-scandal that came at the worst time of all, a month before Election Day. It seems Chris Gulugian-Taylor sent out the announcement of a Minuteman rally (subject line: “Help stop the illegal invasion”) to the GOP’s e-mail list, complete with nasty little digs like this:
“If you are tired of seeing illegals catered to, then join us to send these Un-American corporations a message.
“We’ll not allow these illegals destroy our country. We’ll not permit corporations like Chicago Title, Wells Fargo Bank, and Miller Brewing promote [sic] and financially support the take over [sic] of America by the Illegal Invaders.
“Your voice is needed to let these Un-American companies know we will not tolerate them supporting illegals over law abiding citizens.”
Ouch, baby. That’s got to hurt, especially if your party is trying to appeal to Latino voters and not alienate them.
At first Gulugian-Taylor defended his actions, saying the Minutemen “do a lot of work for [U.S. Rep. Jim] Gibbons, [U.S. Sen. John] Ensign and the Republican ticket. They’re having a rally, and they asked us to send it out on their behalf. We did it for them. It came with our return address, but it’s not an endorsement.”
Yeah, that wasn’t going to work, especially because in the very same news story, Republican operative Steve Wark called sending out the release a “fundamental error in judgment.” Correcting for party loyalty bias, that means “major fuckup.” (And not least because the un-American Wells Fargo has supported Gibbons with the only political currency that really matters, money.)
Finally, as pressure continued to mount, Gulugian-Taylor fell on his sword and offered his resignation, which party chairman Paul Adams swiftly accepted. (Yale Cunningham is the new executive director.)
But that wasn’t enough for some. Luis Valera, who has worked to support GOP candidates, was still waiting for an apology from the state Republican Party, or so he told the Las Vegas Sun.
“As long as the party leadership feels this way, our of sheer self-respect, I have to distance myself,” Valera said.
Look, we don’t want to be dicks about this, but are you really surprised? Hell, we’re talking about the party that wanted to make felons out of illegal immigrants, and to declare (in contravention of the U.S. Constitution) that children born to illegal immigrants should not be U.S. citizens, and that defied its own president when George W. Bush finally struck a moderate position on immigration!
Yes, both parties want to appeal to minority groups in order to get elected. Granted. But when’s the last time a Democratic Party e-mail was hijacked by racists? We’re just asking.
• We’ve blogged briefly before about U.S. Rep. Jon Porter’s newfound toll-road fetish. (Actually, we can’t be sure if it’s a fetish. One day after advocating them, Porter turned around the next day and declared he wasn’t a fan.) Anyway, he might be for them.
The point is, Deputy Transportation Secretary Maria Cino came to town, in part to meet with Porter, but while she was here, she told Nevada not to expect money for road projects like the Boulder Dam bypass.
“There’s never going to be enough money. We have to think innovatively. There are many investment companies excited about talking to the state of Nevada about public-private partnerships,” she said.
Yeah, we’re sure there are. Because under the Bush regime, privatizing the profits and socializing the costs is the order of the day. Nevada taxpayers can buy land, build roads and maintain them, but let a private company manage them so more well-off drivers can at least have a traffic-free commute.
Sounds wonderful. We’ll call them “Lexus Lanes,” although that title has already been taken. And while we’ll confess to using Lexus Lanes ourselves in our native California, we’ll also say this: Travel from one place to another in America is a right, and we all pay our gas taxes to build the roads upon which we exercise that right. These are public assets that should not be privatized.
So when an official of the administration comes in and says “there’s no money,” we need a congressman who will say, “says you, flunkie. We’ll see what happens when I go back to Washington and tell my party that if they want my vote, they’ve got to come with the green for roads.”
Alas, all Porter said was this: “I’m not a fan of tolling roads, but I’m for looking at innovative solutions. I think it’s a very strong, viable option that should be given serious consideration.”
Hell, Porter’s been a Republican lackey for so long, he’s actually started using the exact same words as the Bush people! When they’re screwing Nevada, no less!
You want an “innovative solution”? How about electing somebody who’s not going to roll over for the idea of privatizing every public space in America, who will fight to get Nevada at least its fair share of highway dollars, and who won’t sacrifice independence to party loyalty? That’s a very strong, viable option that should be given serious consideration, if you ask us.
• Well, we’ve only read through the first part of that attorney general-commissioned report about Bill Walters‘ dealings with the city of Las Vegas, but man, does it look bad! So far, we’ve learned:
¶ Walters allegedly got favorable treatment from the city in almost every way possible.
¶ Ex-city Public Works Director Dick Goecke was allegedly Walters’ inside man at the city, giving him information and favors.
¶ The City Council pretty much let Walters rob taxpayers blind. Allegedly.
We’ll have a full and complete blog on the report when we’re finished reading. Man, we can’t wait to see how things turn out!
• This just in! Review-Journal business reporter Jennifer Robison reports that small businesses are adding staff. This comes despite a Robison report from last year concluding that oppressive taxation would doom Nevada’s business climate forever.
Why, it’s a business miracle!
• And finally today, we commend to you a story on religion and politics in the Las Vegas Sun. Sure, it’s not as exciting as the Review-Journal’s Sunday wire report about the hot new cars for fall, but we found it compelling anyway.
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