Where does the time go? It seems like we never have a spare minute to blog at the tail end of the week, what with producing CityLife as well as our soon-to-be-Emmy winning TV show, Political Insiders. We’re coming for you, Tim Russert! Well, OK, we’re actually coming for Jon Stewart, who the New York Times reported is losing his executive producer, Ben Karlin.

But just because we didn’t blog doesn’t mean we weren’t making Quick Hits, freezing them, and then preparing to thaw them out and pop them in the microwave that is this blog. Here we go!

» It’s so sad. Would-be Republican presidential candidate (and outgoing U.S. Senate minority leader) Bill Frist decided he’d opt out of running for president in 2008, to return to his roots, "healing." (Frist was a heart surgeon before becoming a senator.)

Anyway, our own Harry Reid had his way with Frist so often, the poor guy must have thought he was in prison. But his decision to bow out of the race after having lost the Senate to the Democrats shows some insight. It’s like he somehow knows that voters would probably reject him for a candidate who didn’t diagnose a comatose woman via VHS tapes. Hey, do you think Frist might have some inside political information?

» Quotable: "Anybody and everybody can ask any questions whatsoever about any business dealings I’ve had with the city. All they have to do is ask me." — Bill Walters, golf course developer and the sweetheart of the Royal Links/city of Las Vegas "sweetheart deal" fame.

» Quotable: "Bill Walters, the real estate developer and owner of the Royal Links Golf Course, who through his attorney Richard Wright, declined to be interviewed or provide responsive documentation." — report of law firm Senn Meulemans, LLP, the law firm hired by Attorney General George Chanos to investigate the aforementioned sweetheart deal.

» Metro Police at the tail end of last week submitted its investigation of the Jim Gibbons/Chrissy Mazzeo incident to District Attorney David Roger with a recommendation that no charges be filed. We’re going to go out on a limb here and say that Roger will not file charges.

Although Gibbons and his defenders will claim he’s been vindicated, however, no such vindication took place. Metro and the D.A. have but one question to ask when mulling such a case: Can we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime occurred? That’s a far different question than asking "Did a crime occur?"

We’re not saying one did, mind you. We’re saying we will never know what really happened during the time both Gibbons and Mazzeo admit they were alone together. And that’s not good for either Gibbons or Mazzeo.

» What’s that? The airport will reach maximum capacity by 2011, at least six years before another airport can be built near Primm in the Ivanpah Valley? Does that mean we’ll finally be able to get a parking place during the holidays?

» So who was the only person brave enough, or is that stupid enough, to level some criticism at incoming Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley in a Review-Journal profile? Why, it’s none other than unethical, ousted state Sen. Sandra Tiffany!

"She [Buckley] was very partisan, and she was never open to new ideas. She’ll say she’s working with you when she has no intention of changing her mind," Tiffany said. "She always against business. If she hasn’t changed her heavy-handed, partisan ways, she’s going to be ineffective."

Now, you don’t have to be Sigmund Freakin’ Freud to see Tiffany is projecting here. Very partisan? Check. Never open to new ideas? Check? No intention of changing her mind? Check. Heavy-handed? Check. Partisan? Check. Ineffective? Super-double-check!

And while we don’t think Buckley is always against business (which is not to say that always being against business isn’t a pretty good guide to policy, mind you) at least Buckley isn’t pro-her own business. That’s what got Tiffany in trouble, you’ll recall: Allegedly using her Senate position to drum up clients for her Internet surplus government property sales gig.

Buckley, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the best lawmakers ever; she broke the glass ceiling on the speaker’s job; and she has something that Tiffany does not: a future in politics.

» Quotable: "Long live the socialist revolution! Destiny has been written. … We have shown that Venezuela is red! … No one should fear socialism! … Socialism is human. Socialism is love. … Down with imperialism! We need a new world." — No, Sen. Tiffany, it’s not Barbara Buckley’s first-day remarks to the Assembly. It’s newly re-elected Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He’s got some catchy lines, don’t you think? No wonder Christian televangelist Pat Robertson wanted him killed.

» And finally today, we can’t wait for Wednesday’s Clark County Commission meeting wherein the Las Vegas monorail will ask for permission to expand to McCarran International Airport.

Why? Because of the mystery. Ever since our bedtime stories consisted of the exploits of Frank and Joe Hardy, we’ve enjoyed probing the depths of the unknown. If this case were a Hardy Boys novel, it would probably be dubbed The Mystery of the Bullshit Express.

See, the monorail wants to expand to McCarran Airport, but according to a story in the Las Vegas Sun, a ridership study on that route is still "a few weeks" away. So how do Clark County commissioners know if the route will be successful? How does the monorail? And even if the ridership study comes back with stellar numbers, how do we believe them? Founder Bob Broadbent blithely predicted 50,000 riders per day on the current route, which sees less than 20,000!

See? It’s a mystery!

More mystery: How can a monorail that has never, ever lived up to its performance standards in ridership or revenue promise future investors that it will make money? How does such a train overcome the fact that its bonds are rated "junk," which makes borrowing prohibitively expensive (unless Michael Milken gets his trading license back anytime soon)? Cue mystery music!

How can a monorail that has never broken even begin to suggest that ridership and advertising revenue will suddenly start to pay the bills?

Sure, they’ll argue that linking up to McCarran will bring the train lots of new riders (assuming The Mystery of Getting Checked Baggage to Your Hotel can be solved). And they’ll say that support from new stations, like at the Hard Rock hotel or Thomas & Mack center, will help.

And they’ll suggest that the monorail will do something that it has not done to date: Fight traffic congestion. "We’re building 40,000 hotel rooms over the next few years. The streets around the resort corridor are already congested," says Curtis Myles, in the interview with the Sun. "How are the people going to get around when those new rooms come online?"

Perhaps by then, the various government transportation departments won’t have every single road between the airport and the rest of Las Vegas under construction? That way, people can use things like taxis. Or hotel shuttles. Or have friends or family pick them up in a car? Or rent a car? Perhaps they could use aviation director Randy Walker’s favorite, a limo? (And the Regional Transportation Commission has gone to all the trouble of providing buses that ply the actual Las Vegas Strip, too.)

So the arguments for the monorail are still a mystery. Unless…

Unless the monorail plans to do what it did before, and rely on the public dole, all welfare-train style. Remember, the $650 million in bonds that built the monorail (and provided the cash that’s sustained it through lo these many years of unprofitability)? They were state-issued, tax-exempt bonds. If the monorail had to pay interest, the train likely would never have been built.

And think of all the savings the monorail got when the state Tax Commission helpfully certified the train as a "charity," thus allowing it to avoid paying the sales and property taxes that regular folk pay every day.

Could it be the monorail has a secret plan to, once again, use tax-free bonds and get out of paying its fair share of taxes in order to make the airport connector pencil out?

It’s a mystery, that’s for sure. We can’t wait to see what happens at the hearing!

OK, now we get it. Gov.-elect Jim Gibbons is giving a spot on his various transition teams to everybody in Nevada, so we’ll all be part of Team Gibbons!

Only kidding, readers. You know we at Various Things & Stuff would never accept a position on a Gibbons transition team. We’re far too busy heading up our own transition team, one dedicated from moving us from lampooning Gibbons as a congressman and candidate, to criticizing him as a governor. Things are going well, thanks for asking.

But Gibbons’ office did today announce two long lists of people who he has asked to help him on the issues of the budget and education. And, much like the inclusion of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Richard Bryan on his main transition team, some of the names may surprise you. We’ll review each list here.

First, the budget committee:

Perry Comeaux, the state’s former budget director. A solid choice, someone who knows the numbers and helped Gov. Kenny Guinn with his budgets. (As a result, Guinn has disowned Comeaux and banned him from the Capitol complex. Just kidding. We think.)

Bob Beers, who’s new-math budget numbers should be a refreshing change to Comeaux’s cold, hard figures based squarely in reality.

Bill Bible, who was Bryan’s budget director, knows the numbers, and heads the politically powerful Nevada Resort Association. Another solid choice.

Scott Craigie, who served as a chief of staff to ex-Gov. Bob Miller and helped qualify the Education First initiative that Gibbons used to insulate him from the charge that he hates schoolchildren and wants to take away their funding. In reality, Education First was just "sounds-good, feels-good legislation." And that’s not us saying it, that’s Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio.

Heidi Gansert, the Republican assemblywoman from Reno who is part of the all-unimportant Republican Assembly Caucus voting bloc. She apparently had some free time on her hands.

Lynn Hettrick, former Assembly minority leader and a truly decent person with a great sense of humor. We hope some of that rubs off on Gibbons.

Bernice Matthews, a Democratic state senator. As a result, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus has disowned Matthews and banned her from the Democratic caucus meetings. Only kidding. Actually, we’re not.

John Marvel, the Republican assemblyman who in 2003 defected from the Assembly Republican caucus and voted for the largest tax increase in state history, a tax increase that Gibbons vocally opposed, but one that his wife Dawn — an assemblywoman at the time — supported. We’re guessing she told him to put Marvel on the team.

And now, the education committee:

Patty Wade, a member of Gibbons overall transition team and a Reno businesswoman. We literally have nothing funny to say about her.

Barbara Cegavske, a state senator who survived ethics allegations to get re-elected and ask Nevada school superintendents at a recent hearing, "What is it that you can do that doesn’t cost us money?" So, we’re guessing the ideas she’s going to bring to this group are going to be very interesting. And free!

Jim Rogers, chancellor of the university system and the man who gave Cegavske a $3,000-per-month "consulting" contract through his KVBC Channel 3 television station, thus creating an undisclosed conflict of interest for Cegavske, who was vice chair of the Senate committee that oversees education and funds universities. Still, Rogers a good choice, having spent a lot of time and money to improve education in Nevada.

Maureen Peckman, the woman who led the business group that tried to stage a coup to take over the Clark County School District and install a New York man as superintendent, with Rogers blessing. She failed.

Walt Rulffes, the man who eventually was appointed superintendent. Can you say "awkward"?

Larry Ruvo, president of Southern Wine and Spirits, because let’s be honest: This group is going to need some serious booze.

Maurice Washington, of whom it can actually be said this: He’s actually less ethical than Cegavske. But he did have a charter school affiliated with his church in Sparks, which school he pimped to convince a bank to loan him the money to buy the land on which the church sits. Here’s a tip, committee: If Washington suggests saving money by not paying the worker’s compensation insurance premiums at schools, don’t listen!

Bret Whipple, chairman of the university system board of regents who narrowly lost to Lt. Gov.-elect Brian Krolicki the grand championship on the new reality game show, Obsequious. (It hasn’t been syndicated yet, but they think your network is really, really great and would love to work with you.)

Howard Rosenberg, a fellow regent. Hey, somebody has to object to Rogers’ ideas.

Scott Craigie, who is totally busy these days, but can rest assured that education is well on the way to reform thanks to that initiative he helped get passed, Education First. The heavy lifting is done, people!

Bob Forbuss, president of ambulance company American Medical Response and a former trustee on the Clark County School Board. He’s another good guy who will really bring something to this group. Like first-aid supplies.

And a host of what appear to be well-qualified educators, including principals, superintendents, higher education officials and academics. Somehow, however, even a single official of the Nevada State Education Association failed to make an appearance. Because what in the hell could teachers have to tell the future governor about education?