Meet the Jack-booted Thugs of the Nevada Republican Party

One of the core principles of conservatism has always been the concept of limited government which demands giving citizens more control on how they shape their local environment and policy, which by extension places more emphasis on local government and the ability of the citizen to participate in the democratic process, giving more access of the citizen to their locally elected officials. It embodies the principle that the government closest to the electorate is a government that functions more effectively, without interference or intrusion from state or federal government officials.

We constantly hear from Republicans how our “liberties and freedoms" are being taken away from us by an overreaching federal government.” If this is indeed true, would not this same standard also apply to state government?

The Carson City Charter Review Committee

The Carson City Charter Review Committee is advisory in nature and the legislative intent was never construed or intended to make them a co-equal branch of local government. Much to their collective vexation!

According to their own enabling legislation: “The Charter Review Committee advises the Board of Supervisors regarding their proposals for all necessary amendments to the Carson City Charter. The committee assists the Board of Supervisors in getting these recommendations to the Legislative Counsel Bureau in a timely fashion so that the changes can be properly analyzed by the state legislature.” The operative words are: “advisory and assist”.

It is comprised of unelected individuals who were nominated to sit on the committee by the elected officials of our city. The state representative of Assembly District 40 (which incorporates Carson City) was also allowed to nominate a citizen to sit on the committee. All nominees were subject to approval by the Carson City Board of Supervisors and to public scrutiny and review of the nominee in an open public forum.

On January 1st, 2014, Assembly Bill 312 became law and changed the procedure to allow the state representative to appoint (without consideration to the concerns of the people of Carson City) rather than nominate an individual to the Carson City Charter Review Committee.

Without introduction to our community, this individual will not have to stand before our local and duly elected representatives and no citizen will have a voice to either endorse or reject this individuals appointment by the state representative if they so desired.

A direct appointment by a state representative is dictatorial in nature, an intrusion into local government by the typical state government snollygoster’s and a violation of our rights as citizens to engage in the political process.

Perhaps, the Carson City Charter Review Committee and its past members’ served a minimal purpose within the matrix of local government. However, the current membership of this now useless entity have become so impressed with their own self-importance they firmly believe they are policy makers, and they now are trying to assert a political agenda behind the backs of the citizens of Carson City. They are cowards, all of them, and their class colors should be a bright shining yellow, preferably in neon.

The Genesis of AB-312

The Carson City Charter Review Committee became adversarial to the Carson City Board of Supervisor’s (and to the citizens of Carson City) when on several occasions they presented to the Carson City Board of Supervisors the issue of voting by Wards. And, on the same several occasions the issue of Ward voting was rejected by the Carson City Board of Supervisors for a myriad of reasons.

Their position hinged on the false premise that by not having Ward elections in Carson City, it excluded minorities from the political process, was discriminatory on its face, and was a de-facto suppression of voter’s rights. When there was not one scintilla of evidence to support their fallacious argument, nor was a civil rights action ever brought against Carson City on this particular issue they were forced to re-evaluate their position.

Their next argument was even more asinine than the previous one. If Ward voting was permitted in Carson City, it would be less of a financial burden on the candidate running in that respective Ward, as opposed to spending the money in a general election. So, we were to make it easier for the candidate, not on the citizen.

When they could not assert their political agenda, like running dogs, they went right to their state representative in a concerted effort to bypass the Carson City Board of Supervisors and the citizens of Carson City to get AB-312 passed.

The Authors of AB-312

AB-312 was sponsored, by none other, than Carson City’s own, Pete Livermore,and his big government friends,Pat Hickey and John Hambrick,who wear the Republican brand and call themselves “true conservatives.”

I have dealt with “white trash politicians” like these three all my political life. They wrap themselves up in the Flag of our nation, present themselves as great patriots, carry a copy of the United States Constitution in their breast pocket, and proudly proclaim they will defend “the rights and liberties of all the people in the Great State of Nevada.”

After their sponsorship of AB-312, and if unfortunately they get re-elected, at the next session of the Nevada Legislature they should show up wearing a pair of jack-boots with steel-tipped toes and an arm-band with a Swastika.

— Karl Edward Neathammer is a 25 year resident of Carson City. The content and views reflected in this opinion piece are solely his own. He makes no apologies and will ignore all criticism.