By: Chuck Muth
Nevada News and Views

TODAY’S NN&V HEADLINES

  • The Simple Formula for Ending the Recession in No Time Flat (Chuck Muth) – “In 2020, this town will be more unionized,” predicts D. Taylor, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Union in Las Vegas. “The question of going union has been enhanced by the recession.” Yeah, right. That’s like saying your marriage has been enhanced by having an affair with the wife of your best friend. I mean, who would ever buy that one?
  • Krolicki Mounts Defense, Rips Attorney General (Brian Krolicki) – The Las Vegas Sun’s Dec. 16 editorial (“Where’s the outrage?”) may have generated a little emotion but certainly didn’t lead readers to “outrage” based on the facts.
  • Sebelius Rips Krolicki, Shreds His Defense (Steve Sebelius) – On Sunday, the Las Vegas Sun printed an op-ed from Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, crowing about the “outrage” visited upon him by the attorney general’s office, which sought an indictment against Krolicki for allegedly misusing state funds. While entertaining, the op-ed fails to survive the close scrutiny that we at Various Things & Stuff are only too happy to provide.
  • Panel Asks for Patience as They Do the “Vision Thing” (Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau) – As lawmakers prepare to study the state’s revenue structure and develop a long-term vision for Nevada’s future, several members of a citizens panel appointed to assist in the process agree on two points: Give us a chance before you pass judgment on our effort, and don’t put our work on a shelf.
  • Parraguirre to Head Nevada Supreme Court in 2010 (Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau )- Nevada Supreme Court Justice Ron Parraguirre will take over as the new chief justice of the seven-member court in 2010.

Click here to read these stories at the Nevada News & Views site!

SURVEY SAYS!

Do you agree with Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano that “the system worked” in thwarting the underpants bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab?

  • Yes
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To cast your vote in today’s online survey, click here!

MUTHS TRUTHS

The Las Vegas Review-Journal ran a story yesterday about the chaos which is the Clark County Republican Party these days, including the loss of about a dozen veteran party leaders who have quit the organization in recent weeks.

Who does this benefit the most, other than the Reid Dynasty?

Primarily the “newbies” who have taken over control of the organization but now don’t know what to do with it. “Clark County GOP’s new leadership gets to keep whipping the party corruption horse instead of getting their own act together,” observes VegasVoter at the Reid-B-Gone blog. “Believe me, those folk don’t want you to notice they are dividing and not uniting.”

Indeed. The main problem with the metaphorical ethnic cleansing going on at the Clark GOP these days isn’t that they’re culling RINOs from the herd, but they’re running off fellow conservatives simply because they’ve been around more than one election cycle and have political and grassroots organizational experience.

It reminds me of an old story, which I’ll clean up considerably for publication here. An old bull and a young bull stood at the top of a hill looking down on a herd of cattle. The young bull says, “Lets race down to that field and ‘get’ one of those cows.” To which the older bull replies, “Let’s walk down there and ‘get’ them all.”

The conservative movement desperately needs the vitality and energy of the new folks, but the new folks, likewise, need the wisdom and experience of the veterans. The question is whether the two will recognize their mutual need and resolve their differences in time for Republicans to take advantage of the political opportunities staring them in the face for 2010.

I put the odds at no better than 50-50.

TUBE TIP

RightBias.com says THIS five and a half minute video clip shows Sen. Max Baucus indulging “in a drunken tirade against Republicans during the health care hearings.” Either that, or maybe he was just doing his Foster Brooks imitation.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“Essentially, any first lady is to a large extent window dressing, just showing up for public events. I’m not sure how substantive having a first lady is.”

– Robert Olmer, Gov. Jim Gibbons’s campaign manager, Reno Gazette-Journal, 12/28/09