Opinion

“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.

Why is The Godfather so popular among conservative men?

A Mafia film with some famously violent scenes and dealing with the problems of a family of criminals? A story that ends with the underworld boss fully in control after dispatching his enemies with extreme prejudice?

True, the earnest opening lines are: “I love America. America has made my fortune.” An awesome beginning, but that’s not the reason.

Much of the reason lies with the backstory we heard about how Francis Ford Coppola came to produce and direct the film and co-author its script with Mario Puzo, who wrote the book.

This is a picture of an unsung hero of Carson City, though few know of him. No, it's not really Santa under a rainbow but it is a picture of a simple hard working business owner who, like countless other business owners, makes this city work as part of the free enterprise system. This man is out before dawn cleaning and preparing the property where he runs his business and is still at work long after dark every day throughout the year.

We love the Christmas season. As we've noted with most cultural traditions, though, Christmas holds different meanings for folks depending on their time, place and circumstances.

Carson Animal Services Initiative (CASI) would like to thank the staff at Benson's Feed and Pet Food for helping us host another great Pictures with Santa on December 5. Our furry friends came out in droves to tell Santa all about their year in hopes of a special treat, which Jim Benson promptly supplied! To all the people who came out to support CASI, we sure appreciate it! Merry Christmas from CASI ~ Building Shelter, Building Community

Last year, Nevadans voted almost 4-to-1 against taxing businesses based on their gross receipts. Amidst an anemic economic recovery, most Nevadans understood that taxing them on their top line, with no regard for their costs or profitability, was a terrible idea.

But then the 2015 legislature, at Gov. Sandoval's last-minute behest and without reasonable opportunity for anyone to examine what he proposed, passed such a tax anyway.

James Smack says it can be quite difficult to have a conversation or state facts on public affairs television with today’s progressives of the Obama/Clinton/Sanders ilk. The statist liberal crowd is used to controlling media narratives, and they don’t brook dissent or facts and logic that undermine their control.

When a conservative brings up a valid point or question, they get flustered and angry. Instead of a thoughtful, constructive, respectful answer, the conservative often gets shouted down, not debated in a reasonable exchange between civilized discussants.

Climate change is the cause of everything, even crime, prostitution and terrorism.
Those are among claims studies have made in recent years. With world leaders meeting in Paris this week to discuss a new global climate treaty, we'll hear more of these stories.

The terrorism connection, which blames the rise of ISIS (or the Islamic State) on climate change in Syria, is particularly noteworthy because President Obama said earlier this year that climate change is a greater threat than terrorism. We're guessing that will encounter some skepticism in Paris right now.

The Geminids- the king of meteor showers- is soon approaching. On December 13 and 14, the sky will glow with up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour.

Today we’re thankful that the widely despised Commerce Tax is moving toward a Nevada voter referendum.

Acting for the concerned citizens of RIP Commerce Tax, Inc., Ron filed a referendum petition on that tax in October. Tax-hike advocates brought a meritless law suit seeking to deny you a vote on it. RIP filed its answer, and a hearing on the case will be held 9 AM Wednesday, December 2 at Carson City’s court house. After defeating this suit, we’ll have legions of folks gathering signatures to put it to a vote next November.

Science is a process, not a doctrine. It asks questions and sets out to test them for answers. But our culture seems to regard science in an animate form, like a guru seated atop a mountain.

We put science on a pedestal and submit to it as the final authority on all of our problems and important questions. We rely on science to give us the answers.

We even permit science to be the driving force behind public policy, in spite of the fact that science is a search for questions that remain unanswered.

Take the issues of climate change and global warming.

Many believe that government is increasingly responding to the agenda of special interests and not acting for the common good. I am holding steadfast that our local government needs to be: of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Veterans Day, in my mind, is the most important day of the year. Even before “We” had a country, our military personnel and their families were making great efforts to secure our freedoms and safety. Without Veterans we would not have a country. For that we owe a debt of gratitude beyond any other.

In spite of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press, there are some places where journalists don’t belong and are simply not allowed: At times inside a court room with closed proceedings, a jury deliberation room, a medical exam room, and in a legal consultation, among other places.

If we share a weakness, it’s our perpetual optimism.

As free-market economists, we often reflect on the amazing achievements of the past 300 years, and doing so, grow sanguine about what people can accomplish when free to create, innovate, produce and exchange with each other mostly free of government interference.

As fathers, we teach our children to assume most folks are good and to begin relationships by extending respect, friendship and generosity unless they have clear reasons to do otherwise. As relationships progress, they should respond to others in ways reflecting the accumulated mix of good and bad a person has demonstrated.

Columbine. Blacksburg. Carson City. Sandy Hook. Aurora. Fort Hood. Nashville. Marysville. Charleston. Roseburg.
The list goes on a lot longer than this.

Whether a school, a mall or shopping center, military base, movie theater or a church, mass shootings seem to have become commonplace across America. Their occurrences are always shocking. The frequency alarming.
Instead of looking deeper into the reasons behind these killers’ actions, though, our society finds it easier to examine only skin deep and blame the weapons used to carry out their crimes.