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HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
Yes, July 2nd is our nation’s actual Independence
Day…which is officially celebrated on the Fourth of July.
Let the “illegal” fireworks begin!
CROSS-EXAMINATION OF WOODBURY’S DEFENSE
I’ve known former Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury since 1995, back in the
days when I served as Clark County Republican Party (CCRP) chairman and Nevada
GOP executive director. He’s an honorable
man - though clearly not a “movement conservative.” He’s always been more of a moderate and has
never pretended otherwise.
In addition to be a “good egg,” Bruce is also one of the
very FEW elected officials who not only has been an active member of the
GOP Central Committee for all these many years, he’s also been a regular
financial contributor. Never was a time
that I asked him for money to support a party project or event that he didn’t
write a check…unlike some 98 percent of current tight-wad elected Republicans.
So while Bruce may be a moderate, he is NOT a RINO
(Republican in Name Only). He’s been a
very active and very supportive party soldier even when disagreeing on certain
issues and policies.
That said, Bruce submitted a letter to the CCRP last week
after the Central Committee passed a resolution censuring the GOP legislators
who just voted for the largest tax hike in Nevada history, including – as he fully
disclosed in the letter - his daughter, Assemblywoman Melissa Woodbury.
I understand why Bruce is unhappy with the action committee
members took, but I want to address this one particular paragraph of his letter…
He concluded with…
Again, I understand where Bruce is coming from. But I’m not sure he understands where
grassroots Republicans who are so angry with his daughter and the other
Republicans who voted for this tax hike are coming from. So a couple of points…
1.) While I’ll
concede that all of our GOP state legislators are hard-working and
well-meaning, that honest part is much harder to swallow in a number of cases.
How is it honest to run as a fiscal conservative who won’t
raise taxes only to turn around, after being elected, and vote for over a
billion dollars worth of new government spending along with over a billion
dollars worth of higher taxes to pay for it?
2.) Yes, Republicans
who ran as fiscal conservatives with the support of grassroots activists and
Central Committee members who then betrayed their campaign promises and broke
the party platform adopted by those same grassroots activists absolutely
deserved the censure.
3.) I don’t consider
the censure an “attack.” It was a
response. The attack was in voting to
suck an additional $1.4 billion out of the private sector and funnel it into
government.
4.) This issue isn’t
about “hundreds of decisions on complex issues.” This is about ONE issue that goes to
the very core of what being a Republican is supposed to be about.
Indeed, this wasn’t just some “minor” fee increase. This was the largest tax hike in Nevada
history, including the creation of a new gross receipts tax just like the one
some 80 percent of voters rejected at the ballot just last November!
5.) I don’t buy this notion
that those who haven’t run for and served in office should refrain from
criticizing those who do. If those in
office can’t take the heat and answer to those who elected them, maybe they
should get out of the kitchen.
6.) As for the
governor and other legislators not attending CCRP meetings and events, when was
the last time Sandoval showed up for a central committee meeting, or even a
party convention?
In addition, how many legislators and other elected GOP
officials ever show up for ANY party functions other than Lincoln Day? Though again, I must point out that Bruce
himself is a notable and rare exception.
As to his final point, that does indeed get to the heart of
this matter…
What good is it to simply elect Republicans if they vote
like Democrats?
Ask yourself this question:
If the governor who proposed this $1.4 billion tax hike and new gross
receipts tax had been, say, Democrat Gov. Dina Titus, would all those
Republicans have voted for it?
Of course not. That
Sandoval and the tax-hiking Republicans have an “R” after their name is no
excuse for the inexcusable.
Being a Republican should mean more than a party designation
on the ballot.
Or at the very least, if you’re a moderate Republican who
wants to vote for bigger government and higher taxes, then at least run HONESTLY
as a moderate Republican who wants to vote for bigger government and higher
taxes.
Is a little truth-in-labeling too much to ask for?
Indeed, don’t run as a fiscal conservative just to win a GOP
primary…and then vote like a tax-and-spend liberal. That’s bait-and-switch. It’s not honest. And in the business world, it’s illegal.
I have a lot of respect for Commissioner Woodbury, but on
this one we simply disagree.
Under the circumstances, the censure resolution was
absolutely warranted and appropriate.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Uber has officially made its way onto my naughty list after
the company declared that not only are the drivers not allowed to carry guns,
but neither are any passengers in the vehicles. In a not so surprising turn of
events, it only took 2 weeks for someone to rob an Uber driver at gunpoint
after the company changed its gun policy. When will people learn that a
gun-free zone does not deter criminals, it literally just protects criminals so
they can harm the innocent?” – Nevada State Assemblywoman Michele Fiore,
7/1/15
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