Opinion

When we’ve had enough of politics and politicians, we need a good fun exhilarating movie like The Right Stuff. After a long hard week, take Saturday evening to watch this rollicking 1983 classic with great casting, script, directing, settings, performances, action, music, editing and themes. Plus hot planes and some explosions.

There are many great aspects of the film, but we want to note one we find profoundly appealing. Something the world needs these days.

I recently wrote an article about child welfare needs in Carson City. This included the shortage of foster homes here in the Nevada state capital.

My wife, Lisa, and I were foster-to-adopt parents through the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) for a few years. I can tell you from first-hand experience that the need for people to step up and open their hearts and homes to foster children is critical.

But making a commitment as heavy as this requires preparation on multiple levels.

Recently Ron spoke to an industry group about the petition to give voters the final say this fall on the onerous Commerce Tax passed by the Legislature and Governor last year.

A lawyer for referendum opponents also spoke, and we were appalled at their attitude toward Nevada voters and the grossly false arguments they make against a referendum.

“Every American city, whether it prides itself on its public sculptures or deep-dish pizza, on hot-air balloons or woolen jackets, on abundant trout streams or Greek architecture, needs to develop that identity, or if it has been allowed to escape, remember what it once was.”

That single sentence written by Robert E. Price, author of “The Bakersfield Sound” and award-winning Executive Editor of the newspaper Bakersfield Californian, struck a chord with me, for as we go forth with our “reimagining,” we still don’t have a clear vision/identity of who we were or who we are today.

The Constitution is the greatest achievement of man to date in defining a government to sustain Liberty for its people. Governments exist between two poles of thought. One pole is the Government is all important and powerful and people exist to serve the Government (slave). The other pole is People create governments to protect their Rights (free). See the Declaration of Independence paragraph two.

As reported in the Nevada Appeal and on Carson Now:
“Carson City Supervisor, Brad Bonkowski’s …campaign signs were vandalized, defaced and destroyed sometime during the night. The signs were all spray-painted with black paint.

I lived within the world of Islam for 33+ years — both within the United States and in Iran. I only knew as much about Islam as the average American with a reasonably good education — which is to say, not much.

Today is April 12, a seemingly ordinary day just like any other.

But 155 years ago, April 12 was anything but ordinary.

It was the day America went to war against herself.

Early in the morning before dawn on April 12, 1861, Confederate artillery forces in Charleston, South Carolina, released cannon fire on Fort Sumter, a federal military installation in Charleston Harbor.

The ensuing artillery barrage lasted for hours before the fort's commander, Maj. Robert Anderson, surrendered the property to the state of South Carolina and the Confederate States of America.

Recently, we analyzed the records of the last seven presidential administrations on economic growth and income inequality. The Reagan, Clinton and Nixon/Ford administrations did best, with Bush43, Bush41 and especially Obama the worst.

But income inequality is trumped by income mobility – the ability of people to improve their lot and of one generation to do better than its parents’ generation.

I was honored to attend and cover Saturday's Vietnam War Remembrance and Welcome Home ceremony near the Nevada Vietnam War Memorial at Mills Park.

While there, a television image suddenly came to mind of a Vietnam War veteran sitting alone at the counter of a cafe while a young boy and his mother paid attention to a uniformed service man who had just come in.

The scene was from a television spot paid for by moments.org, a production of the INSP network, entitled "Thank You For Your Service (A Moment of Truth)."

Obama's third term as President

Monday, April 4, 2016, the greatest sportscaster ever begins his 67th and final season.

Don’t take the word of two life-long Dodger fans that 88-year-old Vin Scully, the Voice of Da Bums since 1950, is the best. His awards and recognitions are way too numerous to list, so here are the greatest highlights. The American Sportscasters Association named him Sportscaster of the Century in 2000 and first on its all-time Top-50 list later. Numerous halls of fame, a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, etc.

Do you want your streets fixed? Forget it.

The Silver Oak development is well into its second decade and there are dozens of lots left. The Shulz Ranch development has started its second decade without a single house built. The very large Lompa Ranch development has been passed by the planning board without any input from the public. And now, our wonderful planning board has passed a massive development project that will totally consume every square inch of open space on the West side.

I should not have done it, but old habits, and common sense, die hard. Carson Street is the main drag through town, always was, always will be, for going between the north and south sides of town. Just look on the map. There are no through-street alternatives that run the length of town, from College Parkway to Clearview Drive; only fragments, most of which are residential.

Spring training has begun, reminding these two All-American boys how much we love baseball and especially baseball lore. Baseball, books and film make a cheesy concoction, never more so than in the 1984 movie The Natural based on the 1952 novel by Bernard Malamud.

The Board of Directors, staff and children of Austin's House would like to thank the entire community for the tremendous support of our 2015 Appeal For Kids and 2016 Cowboy Mardi Gras fundraisers.

The 2015 Appeal For Kids ended on January 31 and our generous community stepped up once again to help local children in crisis. The Cowboy Mardi Gras fundraiser on February 26 was our best ever. Eeveryone had a great time for a great cause! Every dollar raised will be used to pay for operating expenses at Austin's House.

Recently, we’ve been reflecting on our experiences over the past year of public service together and the lessons we’ve learned.

Many of those lessons are unique to the particular functions of the Controller’s Office and include managing the departments of the office. But we also made more topical observations about our experience and how it has helped to shape and refine our views.

“When everyone is looking for gold, it’s good to be in the pick and shovel business.” — Mark Twain

The entrepreneur-turned-humorist ought to know. Even though Samuel Clemens failed miserably at both mining and logging ventures in Nevada, he gave getting rich his best shot. Twain well understood the appetite Americans have for money — and how far those who want a slice of the supply chain pie are willing to go in order to get it.
It’s the same ambitious impulse a recent Seattle Business article identified when it said, “Marijuana entrepreneurs are lining up to cash in.”

“I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy … geography … commerce and agriculture in order to give their children the right to study painting, poetry, music and architecture …”

“No pain, no gain!” For years, exercise buffs have encouraged people to hit the gym with this phrase.
Would as many have been eager to get off the couch if the rallying cry had been, “All pain, no gain”?

Each year, the Nevada controller’s financial reports have included an “economic outlook” section, as have reports by many government agencies and business, academic and journalistic entities. Nearly all such assessments are based on business-cycle analyses focused on economic sectors and geographic regions in the short and intermediate terms.

We need a break from politics. So, today we begin a series of occasional articles recounting the greatest moments in film: the most heroic, noble, moving, coolest and just plain fun scenes.

Unlike annoying on-line lists that count down from number 25 to number one, we’ll start with: The. Best. Film. Ever. Casablanca, Best Picture of 1942, features the best lifetime performances by nearly everyone in it, plus the most memorable lines and hauntingly romantic love-song theme, “As Time Goes By” sung by Dooley Wilson.

Bernie has achieved the impossible. Verily the Grace of God has shone upon him.

He’s promising free college and free health care. 

Not to be outdone, Hillary has tried to outflank him from the left by making the same promises and more -- and, just to show how the stresses of a campaign can make people go insane, she started barking like a dog (http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/15/politics/hillary-clinton-barks-like-a-dog-...).

But imagine that. They managed to convince:
▪ College professors,
▪ College administrators,
▪ Doctors and nurses,
▪ Hospital and clinic administrators,

From the Board of Supervisor meeting held on February 4, 2016
Agenda item #18
To approve Contract No 1415-145B Downtown Carson Project CMAR Construction Services for an amount NOT to exceed $8,123,628.85
The Board Voted 3 to 2
Aye - Crowell, Abowd, Bonkowski
Nay - Bagwell, Shirk

It has been said, this 8 million dollar project will enhance the downtown area to better provide residents with a fantastic dining, shopping and recreation venue. This statement is without substantiation. As far as I know, business activity numbers are accrued citywide not by area.

In our last column, we specified the duty of elected public officials: a fiduciary duty to voters, taxpayers and the broad public interest. Not, as some people claim, to government institutions such as the system of higher education, the military or some social service agency.

What’s the duty of an elected public official?

Three years ago, when Ron served on the board of regents, Nevada’s elected body that governs public higher education, that board held a big discussion on system governance at one of its meetings. It was “facilitated” by a woman with a long background in higher education administration, including having been a college president.

1. The Mayor’s State of the City Address is scheduled for January 20th and should have been held at the Community Center in the evening (after work hours) and “free to the public” — charging citizens’ admission is simply wrong. Also, is the City's State of the State Address televised and available to the citizens to watch on the City’s access channel? Additionally, his fellow Board members should be given a copy of this community address in advance.

Geoff used to subscribe to Sports Illustrated.

Since he decided not to take the magazine, he no longer has to pay its subscription fee.

Overwhelmingly, folks agree that people should be free to make the perfectly sensible decision not to buy something they don’t want.

With the New Year upon us let me begin this document by wishing you and yours a Happy New Year. May the year 2016 bring peace and happiness to each and every one of you.

This New Year will be a busy one for Carson City. Foremost on our minds, perhaps, is the Downtown Street Narrowing Project due to begin early February/March depending on weather conditions. One of the goals stated by Carson City staff is to have this project complete in time for the Nevada Day parade. We should, however, keep our chief consideration foremost: “Let's do it Right.”

In the early 1970s, as assistant city engineer in Urbana, where I attended the University of Illinois, I worked on bikeways, sewer systems to minimize pollution, promoting underground power and telephone lines, and other “green” projects. Later, as a university research engineer, I worked on many other environmental, energy and policy issues.