SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL 01/14/2015

BACK FROM THE DEAD I think maybe, just maybe, I’m gonna start getting a flu shot every year from now on.  I’ve been laid up since last Friday afternoon and am only feeling about 60% back to normal today.  But I think I have just enough energy left this morning to get out a Silver State Confidential with some items that have been backed up for awhile.  Bon appétit (cough)! NOT A REFERENDUM TO “GO CRAZY” The New York Times ran a story last Friday about the philosophical balancing act facing Republican governors around the country as we enter into this post-red wave governing era, including this reference to the situation here in Nevada… The dynamic is different in each state capital, but in most the governors will probably take the lead, according to a sampling of state lawmakers and strategists. In Nevada, for example, Republicans now control both chambers of the Legislature and the governor’s office for the first time since 1929. Gov. Brian Sandoval, who was sworn in for a second term last week in Carson City, has gained the upper hand in alliance with moderate Republicans in the Assembly against a crop of no-new-taxes conservatives. Chuck Muth, president of the conservative group Citizen Outreach, who has been critical of Mr. Sandoval and the moderate legislative leaders, said he believed, albeit somewhat reluctantly, that the 2014 elections were more a rejection of Democrats than a mandate for ambitious conservative action, as was the case in 2010. “This election was not a referendum to go crazy, though I wish it was otherwise,” Mr. Muth said. “It’s a tough high-wire act to both be a conservative activist and push for conservative legislation and yet at the same time acknowledge that political reality.” To read the full article, click here CHAOS CAUCUS UPDATE The following letter-to-the-editor by Lynn Muzzy of Minden was published in the Reno Gazette-Journal over the weekend.  I think it sums up the situation quite nicely… “Regarding ‘Pat Hickey: Assembly GOP behaving like bad lounge act’ (RGJ Voices, Jan. 1): The newly elected conservative Republican Assembly majority ejected Mr. Hickey from their leadership because he has proven to be a RINO, a Republican-in-name-only. If he were honest, he would have run for re-election as a Democrat. “The cynical Mr. Hickey, (Assemblyman) Randy Kirner and (Assemblyman) P.K. O’Neill plan to betray their voters and their party’s principles by supporting Governor Sandoval’s proposed tax hikes that will hurt working Nevadans. The RINO caucus has even discussed allying themselves with Assembly Democrats to wrest control of the Assembly from those Republicans who believe in lower taxes and smaller government.” What he said. PRESIDENT OF THE RATIONALIZATION CAUCUS Liberal Republican Assemblyman Paul Anderson of Las Vegas did an interview on KNPR last week in which he declared that “ultimately the state does not have enough money to pay for all of its services.” The obvious solution: Cut some services, right? Wrong. Anderson, appointed by Speaker-of-the-Weak John Hambrick to Majority Leader-in-Exile Michele Fiore’s leadership position, maintains the state is already “running very lean, but overall it needs more money.”  He also criticized Republicans who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, saying it “is like a jury deciding a person’s guilt or innocence before looking at the evidence.” No it isn’t. It’s like taking a marriage vow for people who are truly committed to each other. How would marriage vows work if couples promised to remain faithful to each other, but, you know, still keep their options open in case somebody better comes along? People who refuse to sign the Tax Pledge and criticize it the way Anderson did simply are not committed to the notion that the problem is government spends too much, not that citizens are taxed too little.  It’s easy to rationalize and justify well-meaning government programs and raise taxes “just a little” to grow government.  It’s a heckuva lot harder to say “no.” Ask any parent! But it’s the “right” thing to do. THE CURE FOR CRUMMY PUBLIC SCHOOLS In what was essentially a CYA public relations press release, a pair of Clark County School District bureaucrats inked an op-ed that was published last week in the Las Vegas Review-Journal in which they declared that progress on fixing the local failure factories “so far is encouraging.” Only if you’re wearing a pair of those Ronco rose-colored glasses! But here’s the money line from the column… “We have implemented urgent and disruptive reforms in 14 ‘Turnaround Schools,’ starting with replacing ineffective school principals.” Read that again.  “Replacing ineffective school principals.” That’s an education reform fix that, get this, doesn’t require MORE MONEY! And it apparently WORKS! And if the district is acknowledging that we have a bunch of ineffective school principals, doesn’t it make sense to assume that we also have a bunch of INEFFECTIVE TEACHERS? So instead of trying to fix our crappy schools by simply throwing more money at them, shouldn’t we first streamline the process for canning low-performing principals and teachers? And instead of wasting time inking “move-along-nothing-to-see-here” op-eds, maybe school bureaucrats should spend more time in the classroom?  Or maybe they should be canned, as well? Just an idea. RECALL FEVER: CATCH IT! The following was sent to Assemblyman Chris Edwards on Monday.  It’s pretty much self-explanatory… Dear Chris, The Virgin Valley Tea Party has voted to consider a recall of your election.  I would note there was only one dissenting vote. The reason for this is we worked hard for you to help bring you to victory based on what you projected as conservative values.  But, we have been keeping very close tabs on the upheaval in the assembly and also who you have chosen to align yourself with. We are very concerned and disappointed.  It is disheartening to think we sent someone to the assembly to represent our conservative values and then find out we were misled. So with that in mind we are inviting you to a special meeting to help us better understand why you are now aligned with the establishment.  If you cannot make a meeting then we ask that you fill out a form we will email to you.  This will be a questionnaire with yes or no answers. We, the constituency, have every right to ask for more information as to your political leanings. I have carbon copied all of our membership and will be sending your replies out in the same manner. The meeting will be set at a date and time that is convenient for you. In Liberty, Connie Foust, President Virgin Valley Tea Party WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOP ESTABLISHMENT LOSES Local media in Nevada seems to have latched onto the notion that the problems between our governor and the state GOP is unique.  It’s not.  Far from it.  And it appears Florida could be joining us on Saturday.  According to a story in yesterday’s Tampa Bay Times… “The race for Florida GOP Chairman is looking more and more unpredictable. The latest sign of trouble for Leslie Dougher, the governor's candidate and ostensible frontrunner? Republican National Committeeman Peter Feaman is endorsing former state Rep. Kurt Kelly for chairman. “This is a pretty big deal in terms of making more voting members comfortable going to (Kelly), considering Feaman would presumably think twice before ticking off the governor and backing someone likely to lose. . . . “Dougher's allies think she has the votes to win. But in a sign of their anxiety, we've heard some Republicans involved in the campaign suggest/warn/hint that if Dougher doesn't win, then Gov. Rick Scott would cease raising money for the party and the Republican National Committee could find another vehicle to funnel money to for the 2016 presidential race.” Why, it’s déjà vu all over again.  When it comes to the moderate Republican establishment, it’s either their way or the highway.  Unless “their” people are in charge, they take their ball and go home. DRIVE-BY MUTHINGS Establishment Republicans are gonna need a very energized, highly-motivated base of supporters to come out of the woodwork in 2016 if they are to have any chance of replicating their electoral success of 2014.  To that end they appear to have already settled on one of two candidates: Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush. We’re doomed. *   *   *   *   * I wonder… I wonder if, when Gov. Brian Sandoval, liberal Republicans and Democrats proclaim that “everything” has to be on the table when it comes to the budget this year if that will include state taxpayer money being wasted to fight Yucca Mountain when, you know, like, that’s what we have members of Congress for? Which raises ANOTHER good question:  *Should* Nevada’s congressional delegation continue with its knee-jerk opposition to Yucca Mountain?  Because according to news reports today, a bill is being prepared in Congress that “could include financial incentives for Nevada to drop its long-held opposition to the once-proposed repository.” Wouldn’t it be the responsible thing to do to at least look at the offer before saying “no”?  I wonder how we, the people, would vote on such an advisory question if it was on the ballot? *   *   *   *  * At a legislative forum hosted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Glenn Cook, Nevada State Sen. Moderate Mike Roberson (RINO-Las Vegas) declared, “No getting around this, we need more money for essential services.” OK.  Now, define “essential.”  Do that and it’ll be smooth sailing ‘til sine die.  Without such a definition, Roberson’s statement is as meaningless as his signed Taxpayer Protection Pledge. *   *   *   *   * So according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal expose, a group of private, anonymous donors have been funding Nevada Go. Brian Sandoval’s foreign junkets…er, um, “trade missions” (yeah, THAT’S the ticket!) to far-away exotic locales such as China, Israel, Mexico and South Korea.  And the generous donations to the governor’s travel club, code-named Success Nevada, are neither considered “gifts” nor “campaign contributions.” Welcome to Nevada! *   *   *   *   * The unreconstituted left-wingers over at the Progressive Liberal Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) used ex-Democrat Assemblyman Jason Frierson – who singled-handedly shot down the campus carry bill last session by not allowing a committee vote on it – to deliver this year’s Liberal State of the State Address, or whatever they call it. Frierson barfed up all the usual left-wing rhetoric and policy ideas that have proved to be such dismal failures over the years, while slamming conservatives for declaring that “more money isn’t the answer.” “We cannot continue to proclaim that throwing money at the problem isn’t the answer when all we’ve done is continue to cut funding, taking money away from our kids.” That’s just an outright, demonstrably false lie.  I sure as heck WISH the governor and Legislature had been cutting spending, especially during the peak of the Great Obama/Sandoval Recession here in Nevada.  But it just didn’t happen.  Spending has continually increased.  Period. FAMOUS LAST WORDS “Retiring Dem Sen. Boxer brags: ‘I have about a thousand accomplishments’. True. All of which will need to be fixed at some point.” - @FredThompson “The Nevada Legislature has a storied, infamous history of deliberately delaying the introduction of tax-increase legislation, then debating the plan behind closed doors.  Lobbyist get their say.  Unwashed taxpayers do not.” – Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial, 1/14/15 HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Silver State Confidential is an email newsletter on Nevada politics, public policy and current events published (usually) daily by Chuck Muth, Nevada's #1 Renegade Conservative and the man voted "Most Likely to Irritate Liberals!"  Click on the link below for subscription information…