Within the memory of at least a couple of generations, as Nevada goes in the federal elections, so goes the nation. The GOP would be wise, indeed, to keep this as creed.
The way I see it is thusly: Nevada, unlike many, MANY states in our great nation, is not alltogether unlike the human body. We are currently the fastest growing state in the nation, with a large transient population figuring in the overall electoral process; prior to containing a population over six digits Nevada was largely driven by the mining industry with a *gasp* transient population figuring into the electoral process. What Nevada has, and many states do not have in such numbers, is the transient vote. As years progress the transient vote dilutes and concentrates (as do so many of the waters in the Great Basin) , yet it does remain. This translates into something of a "bloodflow" of national sentiment running through our state. This "bloodflow" is essentially the same as what runs through the nation as a whole, and since that transient part of our population comes from the nation as a whole the national sentiment tends to be reflected.
Require proof? The last time Nevada sent electors for a candidate who didn' t win the Presidency was 1908 when the Nevada majority voted William Jennings Bryan over William Howard Taft. That was one hundred years ago!!!
In perspective: that was the same year that the Cubs won the World Series for the LAST TIME; Arizona and New Mexico were both, as of yet, territories. (As an addendum, Nevada was the ONLY West Coast state to send electors for J.F.K. in 1960.)
In an entire century, including some monumental upsets, Nevada has voted with the winner each and every time since 1908, as well as in 1864, 1868, 1872, 1876, and 1888.
In other words: since statehood in 1864, Nevada has voted in opposition to the victor in 1880, 1884, 1892, 1896, 1900, and 1904***.
So, in one hundred and forty four years and 37 Presidential elections, Nevada has NOT voted for the winner six times.
31-6. I'd say that's a pretty fair handicap.
I won't even keep that a secret for the GOP; this is history at its finest. Watch Nevada! Here is history, precident, and future all wraped into one neat little package!!!
WATCH NEVADA!!!
***In fact, in 1892 Nevada voted with the "populist" candidate (Weaver) with Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, and parts of North Dakota and Oregon!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Jill Derby...in the Interest of the Fairness Doctrine
I'll keep this one short.
I don't like her. Not one iota. In fact, my dislike for her quite possibly transcends my dislike for Obama. She's another greasy change band-waggoner and, frankly, I find her "aw shucks" presentation of herself to be patronizing.
Despite the aggressive campaigning from both sides, Dean Heller has been a fine representative for the Second Nevada Congressional District. Indeed, I would be fairly upset to lose his representation.
T'other day I noticed that the DNC felt compelled to advertise for Ms. Derby, I reckon with a feeling that this district was, possibly, winnable for the first time in its nearly thirty year history. The DNC ad does two things which really get under my craw more than just about anything else: one, it quotes only the Las Vegas Sun, and two, it refers to those quotes as being from a "local paper." Um, different city, 450 miles away, completely different district(s). Talk about patronizing, the best that can be argued is the opinion of an editorial staff in the "second" paper of a city eight hours away from 'almost' everybody which exists in a separate, distant congressional district? She is culpable for this nonsense, at least by proxy, and if this is the best that she is able to muster ('I'm not a Republican and it's time for a change and those people waaaaay down there agree') then she obviously does not take Northern Nevada seriously enough to warrant her election.
So let me say this now: if you, Jill Derby, win our representation, I will make it my mission to blog you out! It will become a personal vendetta, and I will relish each and every savory, dillish second.
In the interest of the possible reinstatement of the "Fairness Doctrine," I offer a Democratic response to the above post:
I don't like her. Not one iota. In fact, my dislike for her quite possibly transcends my dislike for Obama. She's another greasy change band-waggoner and, frankly, I find her "aw shucks" presentation of herself to be patronizing.
Despite the aggressive campaigning from both sides, Dean Heller has been a fine representative for the Second Nevada Congressional District. Indeed, I would be fairly upset to lose his representation.
T'other day I noticed that the DNC felt compelled to advertise for Ms. Derby, I reckon with a feeling that this district was, possibly, winnable for the first time in its nearly thirty year history. The DNC ad does two things which really get under my craw more than just about anything else: one, it quotes only the Las Vegas Sun, and two, it refers to those quotes as being from a "local paper." Um, different city, 450 miles away, completely different district(s). Talk about patronizing, the best that can be argued is the opinion of an editorial staff in the "second" paper of a city eight hours away from 'almost' everybody which exists in a separate, distant congressional district? She is culpable for this nonsense, at least by proxy, and if this is the best that she is able to muster ('I'm not a Republican and it's time for a change and those people waaaaay down there agree') then she obviously does not take Northern Nevada seriously enough to warrant her election.
So let me say this now: if you, Jill Derby, win our representation, I will make it my mission to blog you out! It will become a personal vendetta, and I will relish each and every savory, dillish second.
In the interest of the possible reinstatement of the "Fairness Doctrine," I offer a Democratic response to the above post:
"I disagree."Fair enough.
How Bad Can it Be?
In all reality I do not anticipate any drastic horrors from an Obama administration.
First off, he's not a child. He's young, granted, but not so young that he doesn't recognize his limitations. He's also shrewed, and so he'll make sure to surround himself with the best people he can muster; he can't afford to look bad. His inner circle, you can bet, will be very strong and immanently qualified.
Second, chances are he's going to run in 2012 and he's made an awful lot of moderate promises. He has the "gift," the "Jedi mind trick" as Mary Catherine Ham calls it (mmm...ham...): whenever evidence is presented regarding prior statements, prior acquaintances, prior voting records, he merely states that it is "untrue" and, largely, people believe it. If someone produced evidence that he's from a Martian colony about one hundred miles from the Olympus Mons base camp and green, slimy tentacles spurted from beneath his off-white shirt, he'd simply retort: "No, there's no truth to that whatsoever...by the way, McCain has voted with Bush over 90 percent of the time! Now does anyone know where I can find some tungsten?" Through that, he has seemed to cast his more extreme views aside and convinced a majority of the public as to his, well, sanity. With that, coming across as of sound, reasonable mind, feeling people's pain and understanding their plight (i.e. trying to appease at least 50% of the population) he cannot afford to take a strong ultra-left stance on just about anything. Something may get by, and he may even use his "Jedi mind trick" to get away with one or two, but he really can't to much more than that if he wants to have a prayer in 2012. And the one or two that he could get away with cannot be shoot-the-moon, big-ticket items, either. Sneak in strict government oversight of health insurance? sure; re-enact the Revenue Act of 1932? asinine, but possible; repeal the second amendment and force the general populace into communal apartments? not likely.
On top of that, the rest of his party want their chances, too, in 2012 as well as the midterm elections in 2010. If he were to go too crazy I'm pretty sure that enough Democrats would reach across the aisle and, at a minimum, support a censure resolution to temper him just enough to get through a couple more election cycles. Same, really, applies for 2014 if he were re-elected. That leaves two years where he could go crazy, which is scarcely enough time for anything serious to happen. And pretty sure the Party is going to want their cake in 2016, too, so I'm not too worried.
That's not to say that some really drastic changes may not be in the works. It is very plausible that he could try to levy some Hoover-style tax increases, and if he's studied even a tiny bit of Great Depression history, he knows that is a catastrophic mistake. Even so, his wealth distribution is likely a bit more remarkable than Hoover's Revenue Act. In 1932 the tax rate was raised across the table on an ascending scale. Obama's basically puts the burden only on a fraction of the population...unfortunately, it's the portion that largely drives the economy. But, and I'm no real economist here (I can add, and I can figure out a lot of variables if I have at least a modicum of information), I sense his plan turning out more FDR-style than anything: whatever legislation he and a democratic congress pass won't solve the problem, but it won't make it a whole lot worse, either. So there will likely be some shake-up, but in the end nothing much worse than where we are now; things seem to be stabilizing, though there may be fluctuations (either or both directions) for awhile, but nothing too drastic, at least not in the greater scheme of things. Plus his wealth distribution "benefits" the vast majority of Americans, at least on the surface: the electorate, at large, will be pacified.
Then again, I could be horribly, horribly wrong; it has happened before.
Still, I'm not too worried. We, as a nation, have elected socialists in the past and we're still here today to reflect upon it.
Which is another glorious factor to consider. Think, for a moment, about all the propaganda out there, all the signs that exist what tell us that this man may, possibly, try to rule this nation in a Lenin-fashioned elitist style. Some friends went to a local Obama rally and returned with Che-style t-shirts (quite frightening, actually) in olive drab with Obama appearing as Che...well, you get the idea; I can't, for the life of me, find a copy on a Google image search! Anyway, from those shirts to the Soviet-style signs...well, nothing exists in a vacuum, and someone, somewhere (Obama, a campaigner, someone) felt inclined to include those as campaign materiel. It is quite possible that there is a distinct and vapid (at least for me) shock about to take place, and there is evidence to support that theory. If so, in the face of such evidence, then the United States is about to grasp that pendulum and swing wildly, and all within the guise of the established system. In the time that we've been a nation some countries have moved from Monarchy to occupied territory to autonomous, democratic nation, to fascism, to socialism, often with horrible hinge factors at each turn. In this country it has happened before, and it could be happening again; but only twice has blood been seriously spilt; once over an eight year span in order to gain our independence, and again 78 years later in what would become a "doozey" of a brawl. We have not been a country where every generation has been touched by open revolt! And, if some pundit's predictions come to pass in the next 24 hours, we won't here, either.
So take me for what I am...a young(ish) guy, possibly trying to calm himself down with stories of..."hope."
First off, he's not a child. He's young, granted, but not so young that he doesn't recognize his limitations. He's also shrewed, and so he'll make sure to surround himself with the best people he can muster; he can't afford to look bad. His inner circle, you can bet, will be very strong and immanently qualified.
Second, chances are he's going to run in 2012 and he's made an awful lot of moderate promises. He has the "gift," the "Jedi mind trick" as Mary Catherine Ham calls it (mmm...ham...): whenever evidence is presented regarding prior statements, prior acquaintances, prior voting records, he merely states that it is "untrue" and, largely, people believe it. If someone produced evidence that he's from a Martian colony about one hundred miles from the Olympus Mons base camp and green, slimy tentacles spurted from beneath his off-white shirt, he'd simply retort: "No, there's no truth to that whatsoever...by the way, McCain has voted with Bush over 90 percent of the time! Now does anyone know where I can find some tungsten?" Through that, he has seemed to cast his more extreme views aside and convinced a majority of the public as to his, well, sanity. With that, coming across as of sound, reasonable mind, feeling people's pain and understanding their plight (i.e. trying to appease at least 50% of the population) he cannot afford to take a strong ultra-left stance on just about anything. Something may get by, and he may even use his "Jedi mind trick" to get away with one or two, but he really can't to much more than that if he wants to have a prayer in 2012. And the one or two that he could get away with cannot be shoot-the-moon, big-ticket items, either. Sneak in strict government oversight of health insurance? sure; re-enact the Revenue Act of 1932? asinine, but possible; repeal the second amendment and force the general populace into communal apartments? not likely.
On top of that, the rest of his party want their chances, too, in 2012 as well as the midterm elections in 2010. If he were to go too crazy I'm pretty sure that enough Democrats would reach across the aisle and, at a minimum, support a censure resolution to temper him just enough to get through a couple more election cycles. Same, really, applies for 2014 if he were re-elected. That leaves two years where he could go crazy, which is scarcely enough time for anything serious to happen. And pretty sure the Party is going to want their cake in 2016, too, so I'm not too worried.
That's not to say that some really drastic changes may not be in the works. It is very plausible that he could try to levy some Hoover-style tax increases, and if he's studied even a tiny bit of Great Depression history, he knows that is a catastrophic mistake. Even so, his wealth distribution is likely a bit more remarkable than Hoover's Revenue Act. In 1932 the tax rate was raised across the table on an ascending scale. Obama's basically puts the burden only on a fraction of the population...unfortunately, it's the portion that largely drives the economy. But, and I'm no real economist here (I can add, and I can figure out a lot of variables if I have at least a modicum of information), I sense his plan turning out more FDR-style than anything: whatever legislation he and a democratic congress pass won't solve the problem, but it won't make it a whole lot worse, either. So there will likely be some shake-up, but in the end nothing much worse than where we are now; things seem to be stabilizing, though there may be fluctuations (either or both directions) for awhile, but nothing too drastic, at least not in the greater scheme of things. Plus his wealth distribution "benefits" the vast majority of Americans, at least on the surface: the electorate, at large, will be pacified.
Then again, I could be horribly, horribly wrong; it has happened before.Still, I'm not too worried. We, as a nation, have elected socialists in the past and we're still here today to reflect upon it.
Which is another glorious factor to consider. Think, for a moment, about all the propaganda out there, all the signs that exist what tell us that this man may, possibly, try to rule this nation in a Lenin-fashioned elitist style. Some friends went to a local Obama rally and returned with Che-style t-shirts (quite frightening, actually) in olive drab with Obama appearing as Che...well, you get the idea; I can't, for the life of me, find a copy on a Google image search! Anyway, from those shirts to the Soviet-style signs...well, nothing exists in a vacuum, and someone, somewhere (Obama, a campaigner, someone) felt inclined to include those as campaign materiel. It is quite possible that there is a distinct and vapid (at least for me) shock about to take place, and there is evidence to support that theory. If so, in the face of such evidence, then the United States is about to grasp that pendulum and swing wildly, and all within the guise of the established system. In the time that we've been a nation some countries have moved from Monarchy to occupied territory to autonomous, democratic nation, to fascism, to socialism, often with horrible hinge factors at each turn. In this country it has happened before, and it could be happening again; but only twice has blood been seriously spilt; once over an eight year span in order to gain our independence, and again 78 years later in what would become a "doozey" of a brawl. We have not been a country where every generation has been touched by open revolt! And, if some pundit's predictions come to pass in the next 24 hours, we won't here, either.
So take me for what I am...a young(ish) guy, possibly trying to calm himself down with stories of..."hope."
Before the Regime Change
Know, ye, who have battled hard in these uncertain times that your fight has not been in vein. Be that as it may, you fight is also far from finished. We know not what will come through this change of regime, what perils may be forthcoming, and we may have to settle into our trenches and prepare for a long battle of attrition.
In these precious hours prior to the general election, do not despair! This great nation has seen extremes between adjacent leaders in the past and has survived, as we, the nation and its citizens, will continue to do. But it will take courage and fortitude to overcome inevitable inequities and the possibilities of internal strife.
The road ahead is, indeed, uncertain, but we have the choice between fearing the possibility of darkness and grasping a lantern to trudge onward with renewed vigor. I chose the latter.
Sleep well tonight, and face the future with you head held high.
In these precious hours prior to the general election, do not despair! This great nation has seen extremes between adjacent leaders in the past and has survived, as we, the nation and its citizens, will continue to do. But it will take courage and fortitude to overcome inevitable inequities and the possibilities of internal strife.
The road ahead is, indeed, uncertain, but we have the choice between fearing the possibility of darkness and grasping a lantern to trudge onward with renewed vigor. I chose the latter.
Sleep well tonight, and face the future with you head held high.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Posters the DNC Doesn't Want You to See
Okay, so I tried very, very hard to take the image I have posted twice now (the Obama image with the caption "hope," or "change," or "progress") and do a fine mix with some Maoist posters. Problem being, I don't know the first way to go about that. So instead I'm just going to post some pictures I've found and add my own captions to them.
I call this one "HOPE."
I call this one "CHANGE."
I call this one "PROGRESS," what with the factories belching smoke & "greenhouse gasses" AND a breast-feeding woman, in spite of being French. WOO!
I call this one "AWE-SOME."
I call this one "HOPE."
I call this one "CHANGE."
I call this one "PROGRESS," what with the factories belching smoke & "greenhouse gasses" AND a breast-feeding woman, in spite of being French. WOO!
I call this one "AWE-SOME."
Saturday, October 25, 2008
In Brief: Polls, Then and Now
I keep looking for wee little glimmers of red-state hope (no pun intended...okay, maybe a little pun), but there is very little to which I can grasp at this point. Some polls seem marginally favorable, others detail such a wild distance that the preference of the pollsters glares a "brilliant" luster. So far the biggest little morsel I can chew right now is that infamous blunder, that Dewey defeated Truman. That morsel happens to taste like a fine steak...but I still have that nagging feeling that my waiter forgot my baked potato. And, damnit, I like baked potato.
How, you ask, feeling the same sense of either surging joy or silent, lugubrious declension (in my case: silent, lugubrious declension), do I know that my little, khaki Idahoan has been consigned an inauspicious demise beneath the vermilion glow of a heat lamp?
Gallup now has Obama's lead between 7-8 percent. Gallup tends to err closer to fact than most any other poll. Gallup's polling pictures one of the narrower projections amongst the more major pollsters. Many, in fact, have the figure closer to nine.
Here I'm making a projection, still hoping that the ghost of "S" can miracle me into wrongness...we're gonna see something similar to 1948, with a reasonably close popular vote, but an electoral college map so out of balance it may shift the orbit of the planet (hopefully, though, without Strom Thurmond or one of his disciples earning ANY EC votes).
That, on top a rather disturbing article I read in my morning rag citing that Obama and McCain are neck-and-neck in rural areas as well, with a precedent that the Republican candidate generally must garner 15% or more of the rural vote to offset that of the urban AND the fact that ONE SINGLE PROTESTER showed up (conspicuously, I add, since I was nearby but had to remain covert as part of my infiltration), and he supported Ralph Nader!!! Whew, that's a mouthful of ugh.
Yet there are some small golden glimmers out there, and time will tell if they are for the fool: one, that the rural vote seems to be so tight and yet the EC is still far from decided; two, a point that another Gallup poll tries to show is that, proportionally, the number of first timers is staying the same. That bodes well for the youth vote! But then I come back to the "fond" memories I have from four years past.
To tell you the truth, I have found my memory skewed. What I remember:
It seems like a mathematical equation. Then again, there was quite a bit of wishy-washy in the polling that year, too, so maybe, just maybe, there is some hope. But in the end "closeness" and "Bush" were nearly always consistent, and this year "leading" and "Obama" are nearly always consistent (as well as most normally occurring within the same sentence). So it's mathematical after all.
And that, friends, pretty much dashed my hope of seeing Nevada donning the only pretty red dress she has (see picture).
In related but other news, here's a headline, which, of course, I can't find again, from foxnews.com: 1 Percent of French Prefer McCain. OK, so if that doesn't prove how we should vote, I don't know what would.
Besides, we mustn't base our decisions upon the expressed wishes of people "over there." I would call it something akin to a rancher, requiring a "new" vehicle to help in the feeding of cattle, and settling upon a Prius because his buddy in the "big city" drives one and tells him that it saved him $1,028 in gas last year: it's simply does not fulfill the needs of the rancher, who will, in all probability, destroy the car in the 400 yards between the garage (aka: "car-hold") and the haystack.
Good weekend to all!
How, you ask, feeling the same sense of either surging joy or silent, lugubrious declension (in my case: silent, lugubrious declension), do I know that my little, khaki Idahoan has been consigned an inauspicious demise beneath the vermilion glow of a heat lamp?
Gallup now has Obama's lead between 7-8 percent. Gallup tends to err closer to fact than most any other poll. Gallup's polling pictures one of the narrower projections amongst the more major pollsters. Many, in fact, have the figure closer to nine.
Here I'm making a projection, still hoping that the ghost of "S" can miracle me into wrongness...we're gonna see something similar to 1948, with a reasonably close popular vote, but an electoral college map so out of balance it may shift the orbit of the planet (hopefully, though, without Strom Thurmond or one of his disciples earning ANY EC votes).
That, on top a rather disturbing article I read in my morning rag citing that Obama and McCain are neck-and-neck in rural areas as well, with a precedent that the Republican candidate generally must garner 15% or more of the rural vote to offset that of the urban AND the fact that ONE SINGLE PROTESTER showed up (conspicuously, I add, since I was nearby but had to remain covert as part of my infiltration), and he supported Ralph Nader!!! Whew, that's a mouthful of ugh.
Yet there are some small golden glimmers out there, and time will tell if they are for the fool: one, that the rural vote seems to be so tight and yet the EC is still far from decided; two, a point that another Gallup poll tries to show is that, proportionally, the number of first timers is staying the same. That bodes well for the youth vote! But then I come back to the "fond" memories I have from four years past.
To tell you the truth, I have found my memory skewed. What I remember:
Kerry good, Bush bad. Kerry up big, Bush falls like nuclear warhead. Bush makes signs of comeback, Kerry up too big to overcome. Bush wins popular AND electoral vote, Kerry actually concedes within two months.I then do just a modicum of research into the recent past and find:
September 6: Bush up 7; September 17: Bush up 8; September 28: 8 again; October 4: tied; October 12: Kerry up 1; November 1: pick 'em.So, by and large, Bush actually lead most of the time, contrary to what my stupid brain was telling me (FIE ON YOU!), although it did show Kerry with the narrowest of leads about this same time last year, terminating in a technical tie. Of course, America doesn't believe in soccer and she doesn't believe in ties; although the narrowness of the polling was reflected, Bush prevailed by 3,012,171.
It seems like a mathematical equation. Then again, there was quite a bit of wishy-washy in the polling that year, too, so maybe, just maybe, there is some hope. But in the end "closeness" and "Bush" were nearly always consistent, and this year "leading" and "Obama" are nearly always consistent (as well as most normally occurring within the same sentence). So it's mathematical after all.
And that, friends, pretty much dashed my hope of seeing Nevada donning the only pretty red dress she has (see picture).
In related but other news, here's a headline, which, of course, I can't find again, from foxnews.com: 1 Percent of French Prefer McCain. OK, so if that doesn't prove how we should vote, I don't know what would.
Besides, we mustn't base our decisions upon the expressed wishes of people "over there." I would call it something akin to a rancher, requiring a "new" vehicle to help in the feeding of cattle, and settling upon a Prius because his buddy in the "big city" drives one and tells him that it saved him $1,028 in gas last year: it's simply does not fulfill the needs of the rancher, who will, in all probability, destroy the car in the 400 yards between the garage (aka: "car-hold") and the haystack.
Good weekend to all!
Monday, October 20, 2008
David Ward, and Riding the Coattails of "Change"
I just realized that I haven't posted anything, useful or otherwise, in nearly a month. Now I have been preparing a neat historical look, or examples upon which we may like to reflect before casting our votes, and I promise that will get done before the election. But for now, a little filler.
So, I just have to chuckle whenever I see David Ward's campaign materials around town here. CHANGE FOR RENO!!! As happy as I am that he's decided to use this quadrennium's most important (and misused) catchphrase to bolster his campaign, I find it delightfully ironic.
In 1995, the City of Reno began a new era when Jeff Griffin became the new Mayor. The years before, culminating with Mayor Sferrazza, had seen a dramatic downturn throughout the city. Major projects had been conspicuously neglected as the city, though ever growing in population, fell farther into the charnel. Some sectors of the city were slipping rapidly into dilapidation, and tourists and residents alike tended to steer clear of the downtown economic center. With Mayor Griffin (and continuing with current Mayor Bob Cashell), the city took the reigns and began a series of municipal projects intended to undo much of the damage that the previous years of negligence had inflicted.
What's so damn funny to me is how it reminds me of some remarks made by one of my heroes a few years ago.
So, I just have to chuckle whenever I see David Ward's campaign materials around town here. CHANGE FOR RENO!!! As happy as I am that he's decided to use this quadrennium's most important (and misused) catchphrase to bolster his campaign, I find it delightfully ironic.
In 1995, the City of Reno began a new era when Jeff Griffin became the new Mayor. The years before, culminating with Mayor Sferrazza, had seen a dramatic downturn throughout the city. Major projects had been conspicuously neglected as the city, though ever growing in population, fell farther into the charnel. Some sectors of the city were slipping rapidly into dilapidation, and tourists and residents alike tended to steer clear of the downtown economic center. With Mayor Griffin (and continuing with current Mayor Bob Cashell), the city took the reigns and began a series of municipal projects intended to undo much of the damage that the previous years of negligence had inflicted.
What's so damn funny to me is how it reminds me of some remarks made by one of my heroes a few years ago.
And that is not altogether different here. Our mayors and our very diverse city council have accomplished much in the past thirteen years, and yet there is much to be done. In reading over Mr. Ward's website I am taken by a number of items, not the least of which being his attention to term limits; I am generally in favor of the imposition of term limits. Also his concepts of dealing with the old Mapes site, the Kings Inn, the Woolworth's building, &c. reflect many screams I have been making for years now. Yet his Ideas for Change seem to reflect a number of Johnson/Carter-style social plans what are reminiscent not only of policy that lead to near economic devastation in the late 70's, but also of exactly what Mr. Reagan was talking about when he discussed his "change.""And now we hear talk that it's time for a change. Well, ladies and gentlemen, another friendly reminder: We are the change."
Truer words have been scant spoken. Yes, the economy, here and almost everywhere, is currently aslump, so this is not the time to be attempting major civil projects (bikes on demand, a Park-&-Ride, expanded municipal transit, &c.). This is a time for real action to improve ourselves, our economy, and our people; not so much a time to be focusing on pipe dreams of ambiguous change."We focused on hope, not despair. We challenged the failed policies of the past because we believed that a society is great not because of promises made by its government but only because of progress made by its people. And that was our change."
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Addendum: Best of Rural Nevada Part 1
I have seen the light!
After my friend made the suggestion that, perhaps, the TA Travel Center, Mill City may trump the Carlin Pilot, I decided I'd better take a closer look. It had, after all, been nearly a decade since I'd stopped there.
AM Gold and Jefferson Starship CDs, along with a completely unnecessary package of bills of lading definitely trumps the music selection at the Pilot as well as the selection of erotic cows at the Flying J in Winnemucca.
It is also the only place I've yet seen with Obama's tax plan inscribed on the wall of a men's room stall. Think about it!
However, Flying J does have their Flying J E-Store. I had no luck finding their online selection of bovine erotica, but perhaps my humble readership will fare a bit better than I.
After my friend made the suggestion that, perhaps, the TA Travel Center, Mill City may trump the Carlin Pilot, I decided I'd better take a closer look. It had, after all, been nearly a decade since I'd stopped there.
AM Gold and Jefferson Starship CDs, along with a completely unnecessary package of bills of lading definitely trumps the music selection at the Pilot as well as the selection of erotic cows at the Flying J in Winnemucca.
It is also the only place I've yet seen with Obama's tax plan inscribed on the wall of a men's room stall. Think about it!
However, Flying J does have their Flying J E-Store. I had no luck finding their online selection of bovine erotica, but perhaps my humble readership will fare a bit better than I.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Best of Rural Nevada Part 1
A few of my most basic favourites...
- Best Basque Food: Let's not kid, this may seem weird to many from out of the area, or even newcomers to our metropolitan centers. For most of Nevada,though, persons of Basque heritage are as common as (often more so than) Irish, Hispanic, English, German, Portuguese, or even Russian, and Basque-style food is just unworldly good, as long as you're willing to eat parts of the cow (or pig, or goat) you've never even seen rendered into soap (cast off your shackles, people! sweetbreads are the new porterhouse). Now my personal favourite Basque restaurant is the Santa Fe here in Reno, so I just had to plug them. However, that's really not entirely fair since this is a "rural specific" list.
Therefore, my categorical favourite goes to the Nevada Dinner House in Elko. I know this comes as sacrilege to many Northern Nevadans, especially those in Elko itself, most of whom believe that the Star Hotel is king amongst the Basque eateries. Sorry, folks, perhaps I the runes happened to fall just right for me, but I found the Nevada Dinner House to be far superior. In fact, just in the Elko area alone I think that the Star places third to the NDH and Biltoki. Sorry, gotta call 'em as I see 'em. - Best Radio Station: I have to give this a technical tie. First in the running is KELK in Elko (I'm not just plugging Elko here, I promise). Granted, they're geared toward a mostly female core and play some stuff what I would consider to be suspect at best, but they get mad props for carrying local athletic events as well as my beloved Wolf Pack.
Take those props out of the equation, however, and this is an open-and-shut case. Hands down, the best station out there is KGFN 106.3 FM Radio Goldfield. There aren't a whole lot of radio stations outside of the metros, granted, but it would be hard to beat this station. They have to have a lot of heart to be able to do what they do out there, and they broadcast just about everything. "Solid Gold," they call it, from 1940 to 1990. Nothing vulgar, but how many other stations will broadcast ol' fashioned blues, then some bluegrass, then Tina Turner, then Benny Goodman, then Disco, then some bad country, then Blondie? Radio Goldfield is a must-tune-in the next time you're driving U.S. 95 through Esmeralda County (see right). Can't wait that long? Click the link above, they have a live stream! - Best Truck Stop: I have always been partial to the Flying J in Winnemucca, what with their selection of Buckwear. However, while their music selection became legendary amongst my circle of friends in the late nineties, they have gone downhill a bit in recent years. Who has picked up their slack? The Pilot in Carlin. The Flying J in Wells is still pretty dern good, though, but while the Pilot isn't necessarily the cleanest truck stop by the strictest definitions, it still gets the nod thanks to their selection of truly awful Techno, &c. Depeche Mode, anyone?
- Best McDonald's: Why not add this category? It's easy, anyway. The McDonald's in Ely is probably the nicest, but I can remember having McPizza and McTacos (can't find much on those things) in Tonopah. Is it a coincidence that McDonald's has their test site near where the Feds have their test site? Anyway, case closed, Tonopah McDonald's wins.
- Best Sandwich: Owl Club in Eureka, dead, done, best sammich. And, while you're there, ask them about their infamous W.R.A.N.G.L.E.R. shirts. Not everyone has surrendered the Sagebrush Rebellion.
- Best Non-Sandwich Non-Ravioli Hot Food: International Cafe in Austin. They have good reading while you wait, too. They're in an older building on the NORTH side of the highway.
- Best Ravioli: Bruno's Country Club in Gerlach. Yes, it is worth mentioning both Gerlach and Bruno's if for nothing other than the famous ravioli. World-ending, second coming of Christ-style, Soviet Union collapsing good, they are, and definitely worth the gas money to drive out there.
- Best Cold/Frosty Beverages: Toiyabe Cafe, Austin. Fine vittles, too, don't get me wrong, but their treats are unsurpassed.
- Best Margarita: El Marques, Tonopah. Food is good...good, not great. Fine people. In my humblest of opinions, they make the best margarita in the state of Nevada, flat out. If you follow the link, the map seems to put the place in Manhattan, a mountain town nearly an hour to the north of Tonopah with no services, so don't pay attention to that bit.
Okay, that's enough to put me to bed for this evening. The next time you find yourself traversing our great state, I hope that this list (and those to follow) provide modest assistance.
Whimsical Item of the Day
I have seen a moderate increase in traffic of late. The funny part is that at least 80% of the new traffic (and welcome, folks!) are all people searching then coming across a picture I have a few posts down.
Now I am nothing if not accommodating for people. Hell, I'll damn near bend over backwards for anybody, so long as they use their turn signals when they drive and don't officiate Western Athletic Conference football. So here it is again, so that, at least for a week or two, it will be easier for our well-intentioned yet misguided friends to find.
I will at least take the time to point out, once again, just exactly how much this design resembles Soviet propaganda posters of the 1930's through the 1950's. The question remains: inspired by neat proletarian artwork or a chilling view of things to come?
Aaaahhhh...that's better.
Now I am nothing if not accommodating for people. Hell, I'll damn near bend over backwards for anybody, so long as they use their turn signals when they drive and don't officiate Western Athletic Conference football. So here it is again, so that, at least for a week or two, it will be easier for our well-intentioned yet misguided friends to find.
I will at least take the time to point out, once again, just exactly how much this design resembles Soviet propaganda posters of the 1930's through the 1950's. The question remains: inspired by neat proletarian artwork or a chilling view of things to come?
Aaaahhhh...that's better. Now I am going to move on to something completely different in upcoming blogs. I will throw in the occasional reference/link to nice things like Gallup and the Sarah Palin fan club, but I have decided to run a periodic series chronicling my personal favorites from the non-metro Nevada I love ever so much. Stay tuned!
Monday, September 1, 2008
FOOTBALL!!!
Thanks be to the Almighty that it's time for Football once again.
And once again, I'm riding the coattails of my most esteemed friend.
Of course I'm not saying anything new here, just something what needs to be said, again and again, with FIERCE conviction. Now, I LOVE football, and I love "acting out" as it were at the games. For someone like me, it's cathartic; it makes me feel like I'm a part of something greater to be able to bring adaptations of my eccentricities to the field. They work for me, people like them (by and large), they don't hurt anyone. I am a fan, and a rabid one at that, going to games as a sense of release, to be a part of the community, to be a part of something far greater than I alone. That aside, on a fundamental level I go for the same reason as everyone else: to enjoy football and enjoy the experience.
Some, however, attend for all the wrong reasons. Meu Amigo (follow the link above) gives an excellent diatribe relating to the antics of some attendees whose substandard decorum infects the experience of those around them. Please read the link, he does a fine job.
Please, when attending games, remember the Golden Rule, that's all I ask. Ridiculing someone because their shirt is a little older than yours (ask the person, there may be a good reason for it!), or because it's a little bit faded, or because someone cheers or supports their team in a manner somewhat different from the manner in which you "support" them, or because he...or she...wears one brand over another, or because they happen to use proper English (or don't use the "F" word every third syllable), or because you assume that, merely due to a physical trait, such as flowing locks of blonde hair, that someone has had one or two or fifteen sexual partners and "calling them out" on that 'fact' is deplorable. Act your age(s), for God's sake!
It's what separates US from THE ANIMALS.
And once again, I'm riding the coattails of my most esteemed friend.
Of course I'm not saying anything new here, just something what needs to be said, again and again, with FIERCE conviction. Now, I LOVE football, and I love "acting out" as it were at the games. For someone like me, it's cathartic; it makes me feel like I'm a part of something greater to be able to bring adaptations of my eccentricities to the field. They work for me, people like them (by and large), they don't hurt anyone. I am a fan, and a rabid one at that, going to games as a sense of release, to be a part of the community, to be a part of something far greater than I alone. That aside, on a fundamental level I go for the same reason as everyone else: to enjoy football and enjoy the experience.
Some, however, attend for all the wrong reasons. Meu Amigo (follow the link above) gives an excellent diatribe relating to the antics of some attendees whose substandard decorum infects the experience of those around them. Please read the link, he does a fine job.
Please, when attending games, remember the Golden Rule, that's all I ask. Ridiculing someone because their shirt is a little older than yours (ask the person, there may be a good reason for it!), or because it's a little bit faded, or because someone cheers or supports their team in a manner somewhat different from the manner in which you "support" them, or because he...or she...wears one brand over another, or because they happen to use proper English (or don't use the "F" word every third syllable), or because you assume that, merely due to a physical trait, such as flowing locks of blonde hair, that someone has had one or two or fifteen sexual partners and "calling them out" on that 'fact' is deplorable. Act your age(s), for God's sake!
It's what separates US from THE ANIMALS.
Friday, August 29, 2008
State-Sponsored Compulsory Servitude
My friend did a great write-up of the Obama's "secret plan" for "universal voluntary service," which can be read here.
Two quick blurbs about the Obamajunge:
Middle-High school age children get to throw in 50 hours per year. College students, many of whom get to pay for thier own education at a state school, get to chip in 100 hours per year, or twelve and a half eight-hour Saturdays. Sign me up!
And what about more "underprivilaged" neighborhoods? Will a youngin' in inner city Oakland be willing to chip in 50 hours if he/she already has to work 30 hours per week to help support their family? How many would even care anyway? This is assuming that, given crime rates in cities such as Oakland, that they are not already engaging in court-orderd community service. But hey, whatever doesn't kill them can only make them more pissed off.
Not to mention, think of the irony! Obama mandating the youth of the nation to engage in unpaid service?
Sorry that the quality of the writing is not quite up to snuff, I have been exhaused of late. I do hope, however, that the sentiment comes across without entirely sounding like an Obamambot-style rant.
Two quick blurbs about the Obamajunge:
Middle-High school age children get to throw in 50 hours per year. College students, many of whom get to pay for thier own education at a state school, get to chip in 100 hours per year, or twelve and a half eight-hour Saturdays. Sign me up!
And what about more "underprivilaged" neighborhoods? Will a youngin' in inner city Oakland be willing to chip in 50 hours if he/she already has to work 30 hours per week to help support their family? How many would even care anyway? This is assuming that, given crime rates in cities such as Oakland, that they are not already engaging in court-orderd community service. But hey, whatever doesn't kill them can only make them more pissed off.
Not to mention, think of the irony! Obama mandating the youth of the nation to engage in unpaid service?
Sorry that the quality of the writing is not quite up to snuff, I have been exhaused of late. I do hope, however, that the sentiment comes across without entirely sounding like an Obamambot-style rant.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Stuff I Loathe
I have not been getting a lot of traffic lately. Sometimes, when I hit on one or two things of importance to someone somewhere I get one or two. The State of Nebraska has visited me a couple of times, and I have even gotten three international hits. So, in an attempt to drive up my ratings, I'm going to give a little blurb about stuff I loathe (since it's wrong to hate). This is a short list...short, but effective.
Lack of courtesy (this is my biggest pet peeve; everyone from those bastards who won't use their turn signals to people who won't say "thank you" for holding a door for them...they can all rot); hippies; burners (Northern Nevadans should know what I mean); UNLV; the City What Shall Not Be Named; the reds; the Reds; the Atlanta Braves; the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; the Denver Broncos; the Boise State Broncos; the Raiders; the Red Raiders; the Dolphins; the Cowboys; mind games between significant others; the Dodgers; UTEP; Texas; Texas; Texas; people who belittle other people because their beliefs fail to coincide; atonality; USC; Jacques Chirac; assholes who drive SUVs or a 1967 Ford pickup with bumper stickers what say "No Blood for Oil," "Obama 08," "Endless War," "Think Green," &c. &c. &c; James Buchannan; Gary Buchannan; canine lymphoma; cholera (been there, done that, saved by Poweraide); teenage drivers; teenage girls who think they can sing; Spaniards; nose flutes; wank jobs who think they're musicians because they can play G, C, and D7 chords on a gee-tahr; saxophones; teenage oboe players; soccer; the word "malignant;" people who say "numero uno" who do not speak Spanish as a native language; (most) democrats; when my cat puts her butt in my face at four in the morning; the Nevada Indoor Clean Air Act...
The list goes on, but I think this is a fair start.
Lack of courtesy (this is my biggest pet peeve; everyone from those bastards who won't use their turn signals to people who won't say "thank you" for holding a door for them...they can all rot); hippies; burners (Northern Nevadans should know what I mean); UNLV; the City What Shall Not Be Named; the reds; the Reds; the Atlanta Braves; the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; the Denver Broncos; the Boise State Broncos; the Raiders; the Red Raiders; the Dolphins; the Cowboys; mind games between significant others; the Dodgers; UTEP; Texas; Texas; Texas; people who belittle other people because their beliefs fail to coincide; atonality; USC; Jacques Chirac; assholes who drive SUVs or a 1967 Ford pickup with bumper stickers what say "No Blood for Oil," "Obama 08," "Endless War," "Think Green," &c. &c. &c; James Buchannan; Gary Buchannan; canine lymphoma; cholera (been there, done that, saved by Poweraide); teenage drivers; teenage girls who think they can sing; Spaniards; nose flutes; wank jobs who think they're musicians because they can play G, C, and D7 chords on a gee-tahr; saxophones; teenage oboe players; soccer; the word "malignant;" people who say "numero uno" who do not speak Spanish as a native language; (most) democrats; when my cat puts her butt in my face at four in the morning; the Nevada Indoor Clean Air Act...
The list goes on, but I think this is a fair start.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Greening with the Patricians
Since the release of "An Inconvenient Truth," we have seen environmental action (or, perhaps rather, environmental attention) move from the fringe to the mainstream, almost overnight. It is not the scope of this quick note to speculate upon the validity of Mr. Gore's evidences, and I will point out that wastefulness in any capacity is a bad thing, be it gasoline, food, scrap iron, &c.
Conservation is good.
However, as with any such rapid development in philosophy, a kind of "rage," or "craze" has been born; along with that craze comes a growing belief that one cannot feel good unless they are contributing to the solution. For some people this means attempting to levy feelings of guilt over those who are seen as contributing to the problem, and since we have seen an exponential growth of environmental sentiment, it is a mathematical certainty that there will be a correlating rise in the number of guilt "mongers."
Guilt is bad.
Environmental agendas have been vanguards for the Left for some time now, and this convenient rage (pun intended) fuels their ambitions (again, pun intended) at a critical juncture in time. Along with this, however, is the promulgation of a common stereotype that the Right is out to fulfill their ambitions upon the brow of labor, over the toil of the lower income brackets: that the so-called "common folk" are indentured to the capitalists.
Right is Czarism.
Left is salvation.
Therein lies the problem. At this critical juncture what boils down is that those who can feel good about helping the environment are largely those who can afford to feel good. It is the brow of labor which sweats in these times, and requiring lower income families to purchase more expensive equipment and/or fuel in order to further one agenda merely serves to punish those families. Nominal savings in energy usage concurrent with rising energy prices becomes a wash, and we are left with "feel good" environmentalism wrought upon the toil of the lower income brackets. Chances are that an American scraping by on $22K per year is not going to care a whole lot about how any moose one light bulb is saving, let alone someone living in abject poverty in Calcutta. For many the thought of owning a Prius is a nice idea, but when you can only budget $2K for a used car the economy (and often even the condition) are right out.
Include in this the number of people who believe that rising fuel costs are a good thing...Erik Kirschbaum, for example. These are nice things to say, when one can afford to say them (or, rather, actually live by them) all the while blatantly flying in the face of the problems that these people profess an attempt to alleviate.
Left is Czarism.
Left is popular complacency.
Environmentalism is the fight of the patrician Left, at least as it is currently waged, and to ignore that fact is to ignore a very important feature of this election year. They purvey of themselves to be the caretaker of the downtrodden, yet it is one of their proudest vanguards which is currently leading to many of the economic woes of those who are least capable of paying for it.
Until people are able to deal with the "greening" in a rational manner rather than as a mania, it will continue to be a major, unspoken factor of economic difficulty.
Conservation is good.
However, as with any such rapid development in philosophy, a kind of "rage," or "craze" has been born; along with that craze comes a growing belief that one cannot feel good unless they are contributing to the solution. For some people this means attempting to levy feelings of guilt over those who are seen as contributing to the problem, and since we have seen an exponential growth of environmental sentiment, it is a mathematical certainty that there will be a correlating rise in the number of guilt "mongers."
Guilt is bad.
Environmental agendas have been vanguards for the Left for some time now, and this convenient rage (pun intended) fuels their ambitions (again, pun intended) at a critical juncture in time. Along with this, however, is the promulgation of a common stereotype that the Right is out to fulfill their ambitions upon the brow of labor, over the toil of the lower income brackets: that the so-called "common folk" are indentured to the capitalists.
Right is Czarism.
Left is salvation.
Therein lies the problem. At this critical juncture what boils down is that those who can feel good about helping the environment are largely those who can afford to feel good. It is the brow of labor which sweats in these times, and requiring lower income families to purchase more expensive equipment and/or fuel in order to further one agenda merely serves to punish those families. Nominal savings in energy usage concurrent with rising energy prices becomes a wash, and we are left with "feel good" environmentalism wrought upon the toil of the lower income brackets. Chances are that an American scraping by on $22K per year is not going to care a whole lot about how any moose one light bulb is saving, let alone someone living in abject poverty in Calcutta. For many the thought of owning a Prius is a nice idea, but when you can only budget $2K for a used car the economy (and often even the condition) are right out.
Include in this the number of people who believe that rising fuel costs are a good thing...Erik Kirschbaum, for example. These are nice things to say, when one can afford to say them (or, rather, actually live by them) all the while blatantly flying in the face of the problems that these people profess an attempt to alleviate.
Left is Czarism.
Left is popular complacency.
Environmentalism is the fight of the patrician Left, at least as it is currently waged, and to ignore that fact is to ignore a very important feature of this election year. They purvey of themselves to be the caretaker of the downtrodden, yet it is one of their proudest vanguards which is currently leading to many of the economic woes of those who are least capable of paying for it.
Until people are able to deal with the "greening" in a rational manner rather than as a mania, it will continue to be a major, unspoken factor of economic difficulty.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Five Reasons Why I Would Not Live in Nebraska
There are many good things to say about the place, don't get me wrong. However, there are at least five pressing things keeping me away.
(Honourable Mention: the Unicameral; any state which does not have two houses in their legislature is not for me, and since Nebraska is the ONLY state with a unicam, well, there it is.)
5.) Humidity: I hate humidity. I can tolerate it, in small doses for short periods of time, but even then it's a tough ride. I'll take the occasional nose bleed and split finger over swollen joints anytime.
4.) Public Lands: Nevada has a LOT of public land and a load of things to see on those public lands if you have the slightest idea what you are trying to find. Things like ghost towns, the "petrified forest" north of Gerlach, the Reese River, &c. &c. Nebraska: not so much. This will relate to #2 somewhat closely.
3.) Runza: If you've never tried one...don't. I guess it's an acquired taste, as there are far more people who admit to loving the stuff than should be allowed to breed, but for this Nevadan it's something akin to the Midwest's version of haggis. Rather than boiling it in a wee sheep's stomach, though, it served in some kind of soggy pita bread. I hate to think of the number of random "use every part of the buffalo" things that they contain, but more is almost never better, and if mustard can't make it taste good then it's just not fit for human consumption.
2.) Mountains: I love mountains. Big mountains, small mountains, mountains what climb on rocks; fat mountains, skinny mountains, even mountains with chicken pox! Nebraska has no mountains. They have Chimney Rock...woo. In Nebraska you lose cell service if you drop into a depression deeper than you are tall; in my case that's particularly sad. No mountains, no me. Not only are there no mountains but you'd have to drive half a day just to see one! To hell with that.
1.) Tornadoes: I think this is self explanatory...to the point that I nearly left it off the list. I can handle earthquakes: if the house falls down I can always dig out. Conversely, if the tornado doesn't destroy all my family heirlooms then the accompanying rain will certainly finish the job unless I keep them in a below-ground safe encased in concrete. I would like living in a place where I'd be reading about wildfires rather than fearing them, but it's just not worth it.
So there it is; that should be just enough to get my mother all riled up.
(Honourable Mention: the Unicameral; any state which does not have two houses in their legislature is not for me, and since Nebraska is the ONLY state with a unicam, well, there it is.)
5.) Humidity: I hate humidity. I can tolerate it, in small doses for short periods of time, but even then it's a tough ride. I'll take the occasional nose bleed and split finger over swollen joints anytime.
4.) Public Lands: Nevada has a LOT of public land and a load of things to see on those public lands if you have the slightest idea what you are trying to find. Things like ghost towns, the "petrified forest" north of Gerlach, the Reese River, &c. &c. Nebraska: not so much. This will relate to #2 somewhat closely.
3.) Runza: If you've never tried one...don't. I guess it's an acquired taste, as there are far more people who admit to loving the stuff than should be allowed to breed, but for this Nevadan it's something akin to the Midwest's version of haggis. Rather than boiling it in a wee sheep's stomach, though, it served in some kind of soggy pita bread. I hate to think of the number of random "use every part of the buffalo" things that they contain, but more is almost never better, and if mustard can't make it taste good then it's just not fit for human consumption.
2.) Mountains: I love mountains. Big mountains, small mountains, mountains what climb on rocks; fat mountains, skinny mountains, even mountains with chicken pox! Nebraska has no mountains. They have Chimney Rock...woo. In Nebraska you lose cell service if you drop into a depression deeper than you are tall; in my case that's particularly sad. No mountains, no me. Not only are there no mountains but you'd have to drive half a day just to see one! To hell with that.
1.) Tornadoes: I think this is self explanatory...to the point that I nearly left it off the list. I can handle earthquakes: if the house falls down I can always dig out. Conversely, if the tornado doesn't destroy all my family heirlooms then the accompanying rain will certainly finish the job unless I keep them in a below-ground safe encased in concrete. I would like living in a place where I'd be reading about wildfires rather than fearing them, but it's just not worth it.
So there it is; that should be just enough to get my mother all riled up.
Monday, July 21, 2008
McCain vs. Obama and the Gallup Announcers
If you feel like keeping track of these things as they go by, Gallup has Obama leading McCain by six. These things do change day-by-day, and poll-by-poll, inasmuch as polls are trustworthy anyway, but Gallup is normally pretty good about these things.
http://www.gallup.com/
I remember back in 2004 I would check out various network websites to see the electorate's opinions regarding the debates. It would seem that the conservative base raced to the Communist News Network to vote for Bush, while the Libs headed straight for Fox News to plug for Kerry. Just food for thought.
http://www.gallup.com/
I remember back in 2004 I would check out various network websites to see the electorate's opinions regarding the debates. It would seem that the conservative base raced to the Communist News Network to vote for Bush, while the Libs headed straight for Fox News to plug for Kerry. Just food for thought.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Harry Reid Is Still a Villainous Scourge
Sorry to my loyal reader for my absence. I offer this as a token of my saudade for the delay.
At it again, they are. Those people, down there, the ones in that damnable metroplex in Southern Nevada. Unwilling to make concessions to anybody, incapable of even the slightest sacrifice, reserved from any empathy with those who stand in their way, they have succeeded in their plans to rape much of White Pine County of its water (to the tune of 19 billion gallons per year). They are now beginning to look to the future; not for any sort of real solutions, but to extend their raping, this time across state lines.
The plan: by 2015 (the 100th anniversary of the Lusitania sinking...coincidence? I think so), be able to pump up to 16 billion gallons from Snake Valley, which straddles the Nevada (White Pine)/Utah border.
See exhibits A...; B (It's a hot, desert climate...let's build SWIMMING POOLS!)...; and C (as the quote on Google states: "Every guest to Bellagio must witness our spectacular dancing waters that come to life on our 8-acre lake.")...just to give three. Eight acres, for the love of God!?
So that Senator Reid can stick another 400,000 people down there without the infrastructure or, more importantly, the resources to sustain them?
So that the Belagio can have eight acres upon which to dazzle the masses while marching their armies of the damned (or army of darkness?) across my beloved state to pillage our precious resources?
That's how I define unfounded...hell, that's how I define unwarranted.
This at a time where our own TMWA is considering leasing their utilities to private investors. Normally I would not be entirely opposed to such action, but there are two important factors as to why this is a bad idea: 1.) this is still Nevada, and I don't need investors from California or Texas or wherever else is raw and evil controlling our aquatic resources...Nevada's water, by God, sir, will be run by Nevadans; and 2.) what's to keep the Southies from sending up their own "investors?"
Not to rant like a raving lunatic...perhaps I should have allowed myself to cool off a bit before writing. But I, certainly, have to vent once in a while.
At it again, they are. Those people, down there, the ones in that damnable metroplex in Southern Nevada. Unwilling to make concessions to anybody, incapable of even the slightest sacrifice, reserved from any empathy with those who stand in their way, they have succeeded in their plans to rape much of White Pine County of its water (to the tune of 19 billion gallons per year). They are now beginning to look to the future; not for any sort of real solutions, but to extend their raping, this time across state lines.
The plan: by 2015 (the 100th anniversary of the Lusitania sinking...coincidence? I think so), be able to pump up to 16 billion gallons from Snake Valley, which straddles the Nevada (White Pine)/Utah border.
Water conservation efforts? I'd like to see examples. I would love to be proven wrong in the face of such overwhelming evidence to the contrary...The project is backed by casino executives, developers, union representatives and others who point to water conservation efforts in (_@$ \#&@$) and who warn of an economic downturn — beyond the one the state already is experiencing — unless the city gets more water.
See exhibits A...; B (It's a hot, desert climate...let's build SWIMMING POOLS!)...; and C (as the quote on Google states: "Every guest to Bellagio must witness our spectacular dancing waters that come to life on our 8-acre lake.")...just to give three. Eight acres, for the love of God!?
How do you define unfounded? Because the groundwater is coming from places that most people down there are unaware even exist (or, if they do, they don't care since they are "the hicks")?"In a ruling last week, Taylor granted SNWA just over 6 billion gallons a year of the 11 billion gallons of groundwater it sought from Delamar, Dry Lake and Cave Valleys in Lincoln County, despite warnings from opponents that the pumping could have a catastrophic impact.
"SNWA representatives had contended the water authority met all requirements for the pumping from the three valleys and said critics’ disaster scenarios were unfounded. The valleys, located between about 75 miles and 125 miles from (_@$ \#&@$), are expected to be the first tapped for the agency’s massive pipeline project."
So that Senator Reid can stick another 400,000 people down there without the infrastructure or, more importantly, the resources to sustain them?
So that the Belagio can have eight acres upon which to dazzle the masses while marching their armies of the damned (or army of darkness?) across my beloved state to pillage our precious resources?That's how I define unfounded...hell, that's how I define unwarranted.
This at a time where our own TMWA is considering leasing their utilities to private investors. Normally I would not be entirely opposed to such action, but there are two important factors as to why this is a bad idea: 1.) this is still Nevada, and I don't need investors from California or Texas or wherever else is raw and evil controlling our aquatic resources...Nevada's water, by God, sir, will be run by Nevadans; and 2.) what's to keep the Southies from sending up their own "investors?"
Not to rant like a raving lunatic...perhaps I should have allowed myself to cool off a bit before writing. But I, certainly, have to vent once in a while.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Harry Reid Is a Villainous Scourge
I mean that, I really do, from the bottom of my war-weary heart. The reasons are plentiful, but the ones tugging at me so vociferously in recent hours come from a florid counterpoint of dirtiness interweaving into black texture of demise.
It all surrounds growth. Some months past I gave a brief tutorial regarding the activities which have provided revenue for the State of Nevada. Ever since the Great Depression, gaming has been Nevada's crutch. However, the amount of monies the industry is capable of pumping into the coffers is not congruent to the rate of growth; the fact is, it hasn't been for a long time now. Unrestricted or, rather, uncontrolled growth (along with the social programs what generally follow) is a major concern for a fiscally sound Nevada.
Growth also provides great difficulties in a state devoid of a number of vital resources. Chief among them: water. Southern Nevada has an advantage in the form of access to the Colorado River and Lake Mead. They have a disadvantage in having to share that water with another desert state with a rapidly growing population. As it stands the Southern end of the state (along with Arizona) is bleeding Lake Mead faster than river flow is able to replenish the reservoir, which is leaving them to grab what water they can where they can find it. They began courting the town of Ely, offering them a pittance in exchange for significant quantities of White Pine County water; when the courtship failed they responded with coercion. Current populations are unable to suffice with their own resources, leaving them to pillage other locales within the state; growth fuels these atrocities.
Taxation vs. budget reallocation: each of the past two governors have had to deal with budget crises, and each have handled these crises in different fashions. Kenny Guinn decided that a massive tax levy was necessary, aimed high, and still managed to get a portion more than was necessary after three special sessions by the state legislature. Jim Gibbons has vowed to balance the budget without taxation. While I cannot envy either, nor will I condemn either in this post, the fact remains that the deficit this time 'round leads to significant budgetary constraints and some remarkable spending cuts.
What is congruent here: along with such strains upon the State of Nevada relating to rampant growth is the planning of a new community, some 60 miles north of the North B.M.I. Townsite, which is planned to comprise up to 150,000 homes (leading to anywhere between 350,000 to 450,000 residents). It's not what he's not doing, it's that Sen. Reid is an active player in the development, under the guise of job growth. Creating jobs is great...at what cost? We, as a state, can't afford this growth. We must ask ourselves, for a left-of-moderate Democrat such as Reid, what could possibly provide his motives? He is an active participant in a major engagement which will do little but to exacerbate our state's woes, and will not himself so much as provide a believable spin for the situation.
Reid is a cancer. There, I've said it.
It all surrounds growth. Some months past I gave a brief tutorial regarding the activities which have provided revenue for the State of Nevada. Ever since the Great Depression, gaming has been Nevada's crutch. However, the amount of monies the industry is capable of pumping into the coffers is not congruent to the rate of growth; the fact is, it hasn't been for a long time now. Unrestricted or, rather, uncontrolled growth (along with the social programs what generally follow) is a major concern for a fiscally sound Nevada.
Growth also provides great difficulties in a state devoid of a number of vital resources. Chief among them: water. Southern Nevada has an advantage in the form of access to the Colorado River and Lake Mead. They have a disadvantage in having to share that water with another desert state with a rapidly growing population. As it stands the Southern end of the state (along with Arizona) is bleeding Lake Mead faster than river flow is able to replenish the reservoir, which is leaving them to grab what water they can where they can find it. They began courting the town of Ely, offering them a pittance in exchange for significant quantities of White Pine County water; when the courtship failed they responded with coercion. Current populations are unable to suffice with their own resources, leaving them to pillage other locales within the state; growth fuels these atrocities.
Taxation vs. budget reallocation: each of the past two governors have had to deal with budget crises, and each have handled these crises in different fashions. Kenny Guinn decided that a massive tax levy was necessary, aimed high, and still managed to get a portion more than was necessary after three special sessions by the state legislature. Jim Gibbons has vowed to balance the budget without taxation. While I cannot envy either, nor will I condemn either in this post, the fact remains that the deficit this time 'round leads to significant budgetary constraints and some remarkable spending cuts.
What is congruent here: along with such strains upon the State of Nevada relating to rampant growth is the planning of a new community, some 60 miles north of the North B.M.I. Townsite, which is planned to comprise up to 150,000 homes (leading to anywhere between 350,000 to 450,000 residents). It's not what he's not doing, it's that Sen. Reid is an active player in the development, under the guise of job growth. Creating jobs is great...at what cost? We, as a state, can't afford this growth. We must ask ourselves, for a left-of-moderate Democrat such as Reid, what could possibly provide his motives? He is an active participant in a major engagement which will do little but to exacerbate our state's woes, and will not himself so much as provide a believable spin for the situation.
Reid is a cancer. There, I've said it.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
I'm a Republican and I Don't Have to Apologize for It
And as a result, I am adding one of the GOP bog add-ons. I'm sure they won't mind (since they give you the links on their own web page) and if anything perhaps they'll track me a bit. Then they'll take notice of me. Then the world will be my oyster and everyone will have a Victory Garden.
In other news, a co-worker and I were arguing to-day (I like hy-phens) about "change" and what is the "best way" (in a general sense, not in a "what's-the-best-way-to-change" sense); she argued that federalization is best, at least at this juncture, in order to tame rampant business interests from destroying the lower classes (sound familiar?), but happened to destroy her own argument by discussing the corruption of the federal government, and in the same breath, no less. Ergo, her disillusionment gave me the perfect plug for privatization.
Privatization/federalization; you be the judge.
By the way, don't you just LOVE those Obama t-shirts in the throwback style of Communist
Propaganda? Think it may be (less than) subtly letting you know where he plans on leading us? If there's anything out there that just cries "Left of Lenin," this would be it.
Ain't that right, Comrade Obama; or Комраде (товарищ) Обама.
Just remember to be careful of what you wish, you just might get it. God/karma/fate/whatever you chose to call him/her/it or whatever your beliefs has/have funny ways of coming back to bite the proverbial buttocks.
I prefer this one:
Happy gardening.
In other news, a co-worker and I were arguing to-day (I like hy-phens) about "change" and what is the "best way" (in a general sense, not in a "what's-the-best-way-to-change" sense); she argued that federalization is best, at least at this juncture, in order to tame rampant business interests from destroying the lower classes (sound familiar?), but happened to destroy her own argument by discussing the corruption of the federal government, and in the same breath, no less. Ergo, her disillusionment gave me the perfect plug for privatization.
Privatization/federalization; you be the judge.
By the way, don't you just LOVE those Obama t-shirts in the throwback style of Communist
Propaganda? Think it may be (less than) subtly letting you know where he plans on leading us? If there's anything out there that just cries "Left of Lenin," this would be it.Ain't that right, Comrade Obama; or Комраде (товарищ) Обама.
Just remember to be careful of what you wish, you just might get it. God/karma/fate/whatever you chose to call him/her/it or whatever your beliefs has/have funny ways of coming back to bite the proverbial buttocks.
I prefer this one:
Happy gardening.
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Misery Index and You (or, the 38.5 Year Rollercoaster)
During the L. B. Johnson administration, an economist named Arthur Okun devised a simple system to measure the national economic performance; he called it the Misery Index, and it added two important figures together: the rate of inflation and the rate of unemployment concurrent for a given period of time. The formula is no more complex than simple addition (unless, of course, you seek averages, in which case you must know how to divide *gasp*).
In any case, my thoughts turned to the so-called misery index for two reasons: one, Ronald Reagan, in his address to the 1988 Republican National Convention, made mention of the index's use during the 1976 campaign in order to discredit incumbent Gerald Ford, using it himself in turn to discredit Jimmy Carter while showing the strides his administration had made toward the restoration of the economy - this set a precedent in my mind relating to the economic situation through different decades; two, I overheard a comment the other day relating to "Reagan's Recession" and what an "awful" president he had been. The utterer had disappeared before I could retort with "remember the '70s" and "it's about the whole picture, not about whether or not your folks could sell a house," but it got the ball rolling in my head: I HAD to devise a way to show simple economic indicators from where we've been prior to Reagan, through his administration, and right up to the present. If nothing else, it would help to show the state of our current "recession" and perhaps put it into perspective for some people.
My first thought was to create a so-called "Pocket Misery Index Calculator" which could be produced at will from my haversack of goodies, until I found http://www.miseryindex.us/, which not only shows Okun's index by year (subdividing for administrations as well), but also by month from 1948, as well as both factors of the formula by month, again from 1948. This can be accessed from anywhere (maybe not Kansas, but anywhere else). I now have all the ammunition I need to wage a war of attrition upon the masses.
I shall heal the contrite!!!
So I spent a great deal of time this evening putting together raw numbers, and I must say that there are a few results what surprised even myself. I do not have graphs as of yet, but I will, and when I do I will post them. Readers beware.
What I do have are figures...many, many figures. I have broken them down in the following manners, beginning in 1969:
In any case, my thoughts turned to the so-called misery index for two reasons: one, Ronald Reagan, in his address to the 1988 Republican National Convention, made mention of the index's use during the 1976 campaign in order to discredit incumbent Gerald Ford, using it himself in turn to discredit Jimmy Carter while showing the strides his administration had made toward the restoration of the economy - this set a precedent in my mind relating to the economic situation through different decades; two, I overheard a comment the other day relating to "Reagan's Recession" and what an "awful" president he had been. The utterer had disappeared before I could retort with "remember the '70s" and "it's about the whole picture, not about whether or not your folks could sell a house," but it got the ball rolling in my head: I HAD to devise a way to show simple economic indicators from where we've been prior to Reagan, through his administration, and right up to the present. If nothing else, it would help to show the state of our current "recession" and perhaps put it into perspective for some people.
My first thought was to create a so-called "Pocket Misery Index Calculator" which could be produced at will from my haversack of goodies, until I found http://www.miseryindex.us/, which not only shows Okun's index by year (subdividing for administrations as well), but also by month from 1948, as well as both factors of the formula by month, again from 1948. This can be accessed from anywhere (maybe not Kansas, but anywhere else). I now have all the ammunition I need to wage a war of attrition upon the masses.
I shall heal the contrite!!!
So I spent a great deal of time this evening putting together raw numbers, and I must say that there are a few results what surprised even myself. I do not have graphs as of yet, but I will, and when I do I will post them. Readers beware.
What I do have are figures...many, many figures. I have broken them down in the following manners, beginning in 1969:
- Inflation rates by year, including averages per administration.
- Unemployment rated by year, including averages ditto.
- Misery index ditto.
- Averages for all three by administration.
- Averages ditto by decade (e.g. 1970-1979).
- Averages ditto by semidecade (including the seven year period 1969-1975, and 2.5 year period 2006-present).
For now, I will abbreviate: the rate of inflation through the Nixon administration was 5.00, unemployment was 4.98, and misery was at 9.98. Spike for poor Ford, with 8.66, 7.27, and 15.93, respectively. And for Carter: inflation - 9.73, unemployment - 6.54, misery - 16.27! Remember, these are averages, not high-low.
Reagan: inflation - 4.56, unemployment - 7.54, misery - 12.19; G. H. W. Bush: inflation - 4.38, unemployment - 6.23, misery - 10.68.
Clinton: inflation - 2.60, unemployment - 5.20, misery - 7.8; G. W. Bush: inflation - 3.06, unemployment - 5.53, misery - 8.58.
For the record, the current misery index (May, 2008) is 9.68.
What we see (and you will, too, in coming days) is that the mid '70s spiked hard, and it failed to relent until 1981. The high water mark was 1980, with 13.58 inflation and 7.18 unemployment for a misery of 20.76! This was, may I remind the reader, prior to Reagan's election.
The rampant "misery" of these years culminating the decade did lead to significantly higher unemployment rates for 1982 and 1983, but inflation fell from 13.58 in 1980 to 10.35 in 1981 to 6.16 in 1982 to 3.22 in 1983. Unemployment subsequently rebounded with the period 1984-1988 with 7.51 (1984), 7.19 (1985), 7.00 (1986), 6.18 (1987), and 5.49 (1988). This is a far cry from where the nation was just years prior.
Long story short: the '70s were a really, really baaaad time economically, and it took time, initiative, effort, and more time to right the ship, so to speak. It has always been easier to destroy than to create, and that decade did a fine job of economic destruction, and it took a whole lot of effort (all through the mid '90s, in fact) to put things right again. That's twenty years...Sheesh!
Compare that to the past few years:
- 1996-2000: inflation - 2.48; unemployment - 4.60; misery - 7.09
- 2001-2005: inflation - 2.55; unemployment - 5.83; misery - 7.98
- 2006-present: inflation - 4.07; unemployment - 5.72; misery - 9.79
And I will take Bush's 9.68 misery against Carter's 20.76 any day; people need to look at the past and reflect upon it rationally. Tomorrow I will post my notes. Happy reading!
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