Business Politics – 2007 April

INSIDE VEGAS by Steve Miller
AmericanMafia.com
April 30, 2007

Miller reports in Inside Vegas on the latest shenanigans committed by our elected official where Vinny Faraci, Federal Inmate Number 18408-053, was quietly given the County’s blessing to operate a Vegas topless bar after he gets out of prison. This comes on the “heels” of Las Vegas City Council’s decision to grant a license to Mike Signorelli for the “Crazy Horse Too.”

Faraci and his attorney, David Chesnoff, now hope Metro P.D. will recommend he get the coveted license before he starts his five month sentence on July 1st.

The son of reputed Bonanno crime family captain “Johnny Green” Faraci of New York, the younger Faraci worked with Rick Rizzolo, Federal Inmate Number 41390-048, at the Crazy Horse Too as a shift manager during the years patrons were beaten or killed for not signing inflated credit card tabs. He has a felony mail fraud conviction on his record; and was recently convicted of his second felony – tax evasion. Faraci was also part of the Crazy Horse Too management team that last summer pleaded guilty to racketeering.

According to Miller, that didn’t faze the County Liquor and Gaming Licensing Board. Faraci’s attorney, Mayor Oscar Goodman’s law partner Chesnoff, didn’t even have to speak at the 30 second long hearing. (Goodman’s other law partner Jay Brown represents the Crazy Horse.)

After his release from Taft Federal Prison Camp in December, Faraci plans to become the general manager of a topless bar named “EDEN” located on Valley View Blvd. Miller believes if he’s granted the license, he will be the first club executive to ever go to work wearing a prisoner’s ankle bracelet.

Miller also writes that a source claims Faraci is really hoping to get a key employee license at Pure in Caesars Palace with help from the City Council, County Commission, and local courts because he and Rizzolo provide girls for private parties with casino executives, and drugs and “security” for the exclusive clubs frequented by TV and movie stars. In return, the politicians tap the casinos for campaign contributions.

If I were to write this stuff as a screenplay or novel, I would probably be told it’s just a bit too over the top to be believed. Welcome to business as usual in southern Nevada. After the rash of recent scandals–which never seem to be “discovered” by Metro’s corruption unit–one would think that our politicians would try to employ some standards for a few months, but apparently I am simply gullible to think they have enough sense to even pretend honesty for awhile.

Posted by Zounds Off at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, announced last Thursday its net income grew 10 percent in the first quarter, as higher refining, marketing and chemical profit margins overcame lower crude oil and natural gas prices. Net income rose to $9.3 billion, or $1.62 per share, for the January-March period.

I waited through the weekend after this announcement–and as I have been for several weeks, now–for Harry Reid to step forward on rising gasoline prices as he did for the past few years when Republicans were in power in Congress. Except for attacking Bush on the Iraq war, which is a politically safe position with Americans, he seems to be a no show on all other issues. Thank you, Harry for being so concerned for the working poor who can’t make you millions in real estate deals.

Posted by Zounds Off at 3:25 AM | Permalink

After apparently performing well this week for the Democratic debate, Joe Biden must have either felt compelled to up the stakes or somehow his mouth got away from him. This morning on “Meet the Press” Joe Biden listed several ills that can be laid squarely on Newt Gingrich and his government revolution of the nineties, including the Virginia Tech. tragedy and shock jock Don Imus’ stupid remark. It seems if Newt hadn’t twisted the moral compass of the country, these events could not have happened, according to Biden. It’s possible he meant The Contract With America which included several bills which President Clinton signed into law, but, unfortunately–or thankfully, I chose to go get another cup of coffee rather than listen to Biden spin that remark. But for someone who wants to be a serious candidate, this one sounded to me just like a stupid remark.

Posted by Zounds Off at 2:55 AM | Permalink

I have to admit that I missed the Democratic Presidential hopefuls debate last night; I was in the throes of reviewing Plato’s “Apology of Socrates,” where Socrates is on trial for upsetting the status quo with his questions–he says that he has been ttrying to find someone wiser than he and concludes he can’t because he alone knows that he doesn’t know things but the others even believe they are experts outside their professions. Along with “Apology” I was looking at Erasmus’ “Praise of Folly.” Here the goddess Folly argues how important she is to people by being the origin of all madness, which lessens human anxiety when we can laugh at fools. Folly also points out that all people suffer forms of madness or are foolish at times. I find these more enlightening than the “madness” of what profession politicians say after years of rehearsal at “knowing” the answers to our questions. From what I gather on the Internet, not much was really covered last night–the “real” news is how each candidate’s team put the spin on the outcome. From MSNBC I have noted how each candidate “really” did.

Mike Gravel, former Sen. of Alaska, told reporters, “I’ve been blanked out by the media,” but seemed to think that his debate performance had broken him into the big time. Gravel may be this season’s Howard Dean.

“If he had more time I think he could have expanded more on some of his ideas,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D- Calif. there to spin for Senator Chris Dodd.

Strategist “Mudcat” Saunders of the John Edwards campaign complained that, “There weren’t enough questions about economic fairness.”

Steve Murphy, a consultant with the New Mexico Governor Richardson campaign declred, “Bill Richardson alone among the major candidates running on the Democratic side is for withdrawing all of our troops from Iraq. There is a very clear distinction between him and all the other real contenders.”

Representative Dennis Kucinich claimed victory, saying “I was able to demonstrate a clear difference between myself and my colleagues from the Senate who voted for the war.”

From the camp of Senator Barak Obama came the line that Obama “looked strong and confident.”

However, one former Republican congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Obama bombed, he was flat. He seemed so unsure about his answers. Hillary was very disciplined; she seemed aiming at the general election audience.”

And that is how it “really” was.

Posted by Zounds Off at 6:15 PM | Permalink

In their arguments for new taxes to pay for roads in Nevada legislators note that vehicle traffic on Nevada highways has doubled from 1990 to 2005, but during that same period, total lane miles have increased by only 12 percent.

What I want to know is since Nevada was collecting taxes for the last 15 years on all those new driversand vehicles, where are the dollars that Nevada collected if they didn’t build new roads?

Posted by Zounds Off at 4:41 AM | Permalink

The L.A. Times reports that for the first time since Nevada became a magnet for Californians in the 1990s, the Phoenix area has nudged Las Vegas aside as the No. 1 destination for people fleeing the Golden State and its soaring home prices.

The Arizona-bound are at the head of a long parade of bargain hunters marching out of expensive urban California and settling ever eastward, in Riverside, San Bernardino, Buckeye, and now Phoenix.

Tax returns for 2005, the most recent data available, show that a net 11,375 households — representing nearly 29,000 people — moved from California to Maricopa County in 2004. At the same time, a net 10,657 households with about 23,000 members moved from California to Clark County, NV.

Whew! Maybe with a respite from Californians coming to Nevada and their impact on housing prices, I might get a chance to finally buy a house. Nah, not a chance, now. I may have to move east to Missouri.

Posted by Zounds Off at 4:32 AM | Permalink

In his article Buckley writes about the hope that Nigeria experienced in the 1960’s when it threw off colonialism and became a democratic nation. However, since 1966 Nigeria has basically had military despots until the elections of last week, which promise only continuing chaos.

“Still we confront, year after year, decade after decade, the surrealistic proposition that progress is measured by the extent of democratic practices. In a brilliant dispatch from Kano, a formerly prosperous city in the north of Nigeria, Lydia Polgreen of The New York Times gave us the true measure of the problem.” he writes.

Nigeria is the second-wealthiest country in Africa and exports 2 million barrels of oil per day, but the money disappears into the hands of politicians and random profiteers. Observers calculate that, since independence, $380 billion has been wasted or plundered. The straits of the country are best recorded by describing daily life.

“In Kano’s Government Residential Area, where the wealthy live,” Ms. Polgreen writes, “each household is its own power and water company. Plastic water tanks on spidery legs tower over the tiled roofs, each fed by an electric pump sucking water from a private well. The electric company provides light just a few hours a day, so the air is thick with the belching diesel smoke of a thousand generators, clattering away in miserable, endless unison.”

The reporter cites specific cases. “Idriss Abdoulaye sells water from a pushcart for 20 naira a jerry can, about 15 cents, to people like himself, too poor to have wells. He makes about $2 a day, and cannot afford to send his sons to school.”

Consider the enterprise of Saidu Dattijo Adhama. He was in the textile business, and in days gone by he produced 3,000 garments a day. “Six years ago he was forced to shut down because paying for private generator power to run his knitters and spinners and pump water for his bleaching and dyeing machines left him unable to compete with cheap imports flooding the country in the wake of trade liberalization. ‘The reason I went out of business is simple,’ he said. ‘It is the Nigerian factor. No light. No water. No reliable suppliers. How can I compete with someone in China who opens the tap and sees water? Who taps a switch and sees light?'”

There is sentiment for returning to power Muhammadu Buhari, who ruled with a big stick for two years but in a regime in which there was less crime and corruption than at present.

After reading this article I have to wonder… is this a picture of the type of democracy our country has brought the Iraqi people?

Posted by Zounds Off at 4:09 AM | Permalink

The Las Vegas City Council voted unanimously to follow through on a plan to sue the FAA over the right-turn flight path. The estimated cost is somewhere between $300,000 and $350,000 taxpayer dollars.

Mayor Oscar Goodman has been urging Las Vegas locals to contact the FAA with their complaints about noise.

Perhaps Oscar, the city council, and the residents of the Summerlin area will indemnify the airlines, McCarran airport, and the FAA from all lawsuits if a plane happens to fall from the sky because it was forced to fly too close to the backwash of a previous flight on takeoff. Summerlin probably exists only because of the increasing number of flights bringing tourists to and from Las Vegas. Its residents will most likely have to “enjoy” what the rest of the valley has been all along until the proposed Ivanpah airport is built.

Posted by Zounds Off at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

About the Senate hearings on Thursday, MSNBC reported that Gonzales stated, “The moment I believe I can no longer be effective I will resign as attorney general,” and making it clear he did not believe it had come to that.

It must have been the only thing he made clear in the hearings.
Here are a few samples (all quotes apparently verbatim from the transcript) provided by wsws.org:

Could he give specific reasons why seven US attorneys were fired on December 7, 2006?

GONZALES: Senator, I have in my mind a recollection as to knowing as to some of these United States attorneys. There are two that I do not recall knowing in my mind what I understood to be the reasons for the removal.

Was the US attorney for Las Vegas, Nevada, Daniel Bogden, fired because his office had conducted an investigation of a Republican congressman?

GONZALES: I do not recall what I knew about Mr. Bogden on December 7th. That’s not to say that I wasn’t given a reason; I just don’t recall the reason. I didn’t have an independent basis or recollection of knowing about Mr. Bogden’s performance.

Was the US attorney for Milwaukee, Stephen Biskupic, taken off the firing list because his office prosecuted an official of the Democratic-controlled state government?

GONZALES: Senator, I — again, this was a process that was ongoing that I did not have transparency into. I don’t recall — transparency into with respect to Mr. Biskupic.

In response to criticism that he did not appear to have prepared for the hearing:

GONZALES: Senator, I didn’t say that I was always prepared. I said I prepared for every hearing.

And the response that summed up both the content and form of his testimony:

GONZALES: Senator … I don’t recall remembering.

MY QUESTION: Mr. Gonzales, are you an idiot?
Likely response:
GONZALES: Mr. Zounds Off … I don’t recall remembering.

OK, I am baffled as to how he got the job, let alone still has it. Oh…right. Cronyism, a politician’s best friend–practiced by Democrat and Republican alike.

Posted by Zounds Off at 7:05 PM | Permalink

Let me say at the beginning, I am not an economist, but here are just a few numbers which the International Forecaster posted which I find interesting:

The number of US homes entering foreclosure doubled from a year earlier. Owners of 168,829 homes got notices in the first quarter. That is versus 83,154 for the same period last year. Riverside County, CA had a 172 percent rise in homes entering foreclosure. Others with mega increases were Clark County, Nevada, (Las Vegas) 143 percent; L. A. County 92 percent.

March industrial production fell 0.2 percent.

The euro rose .0016 to $1.3542, the pound rose .0016 to $199.01, the Canadian dollar rose .49 to 88.44 and the dollar index fell .06 to 81.87.

Consumer debt is growing; student loan debt is growing so fast that undergraduates may not be able to pursue graduate degrees.

But this is how the picture was presented on a few PBS shows on Friday:

PBS Nightly Business Report covered how the Dow Jones almost reached 13,000 on Fiday, closing at a new record high. The blue chip average rose 153 points to 12,961. The NASDAQ jumped 21 points. Fueling the rise were a batch of strong earnings reports in corporate America, including better than expected earnings from Dow component Caterpillar and Honeywell. Even though only a quarter of S&P; 500 companies have reported their earnings, Wall Street analysts are already boosting their growth projections.
But wait, weren’t expectations by Wall Street on earnings once 9 percent, then lowered to 3.3 percent, and now predicted at about 5 percent though three quarters of companies haven’t reported. And wasn’t another CEO, this time with Qwest, convicted on nineteen charges which included falsification of figures to show higher earnings than there were. It kind of makes me leery of trusting the market analysts who remain “bullish” on the stock market, where a rosy forecast means more investment which means more money for the analysts.

And Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury, was on Charlie Rose April 20 pushing for China to open its country to capital market reform and let leading financial institutions in to do business, claiming that as they do better, we do better. He believes China’s incredible growth will somehow translate to a stronger U.S. economy.
Isn’t this is the same China with a protectionist economy, no qualms about patent and copy write theft, continued human rights violations, and no problem polluting itself to death, with, as we have seen with pet food recall, poor quality control over the products they sell to us.

Are we still living under the mantra that we can simply spend our way out of recessions or avoid a devastating recession altogether? Let me remind you, I am no economist, but something about the numbers does not sit right with me. As a nation we seem to be continually encourage to increase our debt now in the hopes that we can somehow pay for it later. But what happens when we can’t pay for “it?” And do we really think other countries will care except as to how our problems affect their economies? I think the whole world is waiting for us to become a second or third class nation, and I think we are helping ourselves in that direction.

Posted by Zounds Off at 7:41 AM | Permalink

Here are the Top 10 most gratifying jobs and the percentage of subjects who said they were very satisfied with the job from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago as reported by LiveScience:
Clergy–87 percent percent
Firefighters–80 percent percent
Physical therapists–78 percent percent
Authors–74 percent
Special education teachers–70 percent
Teachers–69 percent
Education administrators–68 percent
Painters and sculptors–67 percent
Psychologists–67 percent
Security and financial services salespersons–65 percent
Operating engineers–64 percent
Office supervisors–61 percent

Here are the 10 least gratifying jobs, where few participants reported being very satisfied:
Laborers, except construction–21 percent
Apparel clothing salespersons–24 percent
Handpackers and packagers–24 percent
Food preparers–24 percent
Roofers–25 percent
Cashiers–25 percent
Furniture and home-furnishing salespersons–25 percent
Bartenders–26 percent
Freight, stock and material handlers–26 percent
Waiters and servers–27 percent

Oh, oh! I bet we have a preponderance of people in this valley who are working the jobs in this second list. As Las Vegas Mayor Oscar keeps pushing for a sport team, we have a workforce that “specializes” in meaningless service jobs and has little satisfaction. Could it be that we aren’t living in “Happy Valley” even if the mayor of Las Vegas is? Could it be that there are actually people here who deplore the deteriorating quality of life, who might want to raise children somewhere else, but have found that the cost of living versus the “living wage” for most simply means they will never get out alive? Maybe we should try harder to bring in education teams, i.e. teachers, and improve education and opportunity. Might mean happier people, which might mean less drug and alcohol abuse, crime…. Sorry, guess I was caught in a dream state again, one other than Nevada.

Posted by Zounds Off at 4:51 PM | Permalink

Steve Miller reports that Mayor Oscar Goodman stormed out of the room after complaining to City Attorney Brad Jerbic that he “didn’t understand” why he must abstain from voting on the permanent licensure of the Crazy Horse Too this week.

Jerbic did not need to explain that the Mayor’s law firm represents the past and present owners of the topless bar before the Mayor left for the majority of the hearing, only to return when it looked like the Council was about to close his client’s troubled business once and for all.

Moments after Goodman re-entered the small room located behind the City Council dais; a room where two Council members at a time were being served sandwiches during the extended hearing, the Council made a sudden about face and granted Goodman’s law partner Jay Brown’s client, Mike Signorelli, the permanent license after Goodman returned to the his seat on the Council dais and watched silently as they voted. (Note that Jay Brown is Harry Reid’s business partner who has been involved in some of Harry’s amazing land deals.)

“The Mob” might not be running Las Vegas anymore, but it sure looks like “a mob” is still here. I wonder what the side dishes included with those sandwiches in the back room.

Posted by Zounds Off at 5:11 PM | Permalink

State Engineer Tracy Taylor decided this week that the Southern Nevada Water Authority can pump 40-thousand acre-feet of water per year for 10 years from White Pine County near the Utah border.

The water authority wanted 91-thousand acre-feet per year as part of a plan to build a 250-mile pipeline to deliver rural groundwater to Clark County which has a 2 billion dollar proposed price tag.

For those who are confused with acre feet and math, an acre foot is the amount of water which would cover an acre to the depth of one foot and a rule of thumb is that one acre foot will supply the needs of a family of four for one year; therefore 40,000 acre feet per year would serve about 160,000 individuals. With growth in the valley still approximately 7,000 persons a month or 84,000 annually, the pipeline doesn’t even cover two years worth of population increase, yet would cost at least $1,000 per person currently living in Clark County–and who could predict how high it could go if the contracts go to some of the same contractors who worked on Boston’s “Big Dig” and have offices and crews in Nevada. I seem to recall that one of the contractors working at McCarran airport, Bechtel, was a major contractor for Boston’s “Big Drain.”.

Posted by Zounds Off at 4:42 PM | Permalink

A few headlines from the week for our enjoyment as motorists:

Gas shoots up 7.4 cents, highest since August

Crude falls before energy inventory report: Price down for a third day as government data expected to show another drop in gas stocks; loss for week tops 5%.

London Brent crude was down 61 cents to $65.32 a barrel after a fall of $1.32 on Tuesday. That brought the loss to more than 5 percent this week, partly on news that Nigeria hopes to restart some fields shut by militant attacks. U.S. crude was down 37 cents at $62.73 after losing 51 cents on Tuesday

Each spring before the summer driving season gasoline prices soar, and each year oil companies claim that the problem is changing over to summer blends and the other “experts” point to lack of refining capacity.

These experts call for more refineries, politicians make promises to ease restrictions, and, meanwhile, there hasn’t been a new refinery been built in the U.S. since 1976 when our population was barely half what it is now.

So this leaves me with these few questions:

Is there any other industry that does less to improve infrastructure while bleeding its customers and making record profits?

Is reblending fuel much more difficult than changing a few commands in the computer and opening a valve?

Where is Harry Reid, who was so vocal when Republicans were in control of the Congress, on gasoline prices now that the Democrats control Congress? (And don’t tell me he is busy with other issues; note that the Senate has not manage to get anywhere with the Democrats’ “First 100 Hours” proposals. As far as I can see, Harry has managed only to make millions on questionable land deals, blame others for everything, and move the Nevada Democratic caucus, which has now become meaningless in the wake of all the “real” states who have moved their primaries.)

Does anyone really believe that a Democrat is any different than a Republican except for the rhetoric? Unfortunately, yes, which is why nothing will ever change.

Posted by Zounds Off at 3:46 PM | Permalink

Clark County commissioners are considering deep budget cuts at University Medical Center, the region’s only public hospital. Faced with a projected deficit of $54 million, commissioners may close Nevada’s only burn care unit and a regional HIV wellness center, among other facilities.

The newest crisis came to light this past winter when former CEO Lacy Thomas was accused of all kinds of mismanagement and favoritism, while underreporting UMC’s financial problems by millions. Apparently, this is almost the same situation as four years ago, when UMC needed a $33 million taxpayer-funded bailout.

Where do our “fearless leaders” find these wonderfully incompetent people to fill these positions–Lacey, former school Superintendent Garcia, etc? Is there a master list to choose from of fools and liars guaranteed to live high, serve the few, and generally screw up everything for the rest? If so, I would like to be on the list–I can screw up just fine with several millions of dollars to put in different pockets. In the alternative, I think we should give over running local government to a committee of third graders; they, at least, would give more weight to the quality of nap time than to the quality of lap dances.

Posted by Zounds Off at 1:52 AM | Permalink

“Food and energy costs are surging, but if you don’t have to eat and drive, life is not that bad.” So said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors, after reports that although wholesale prices went up one percent for the month of March, it was primarily food and gasoline prices which rose leaving other sectors flat last month; however, this came after a 1.3 percent jump in February. (See Wholesale prices jump 1 percent in March)

Sounds like double digit inflation to me no matter what spin you put on the story and Joel, I do ocassionally have to eat. And I guess life isn’t too bad for the home buyers with interest only and negative amortization mortgages soon to adjust as long as they can eat and drive?

Posted by Zounds Off at 12:46 AM | Permalink

I told a friend a few weeks ago that I thought the Internet was falling apart, getting buggy, and just acting strange, but he assured me that it might burp but will go on. Now I have evidence that I might be right. Okay, so he is too.

The article Researchers explore scrapping Internet reports that some university researchers, with the federal government’s blessing, want to scrap the Internet and start over.

It appears that starting over may be the only way to correct security, mobility, and other problems that have attacked the net since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock helped supervise the first exchange of meaningless test data between two machines on Sept. 2, 1969.

The Internet “works well in many situations but was designed for completely different assumptions,” said Dipankar Raychaudhuri, a Rutgers University professor overseeing three clean-slate projects. “It’s sort of a miracle that it continues to work well today.”

The end of the Internet brings to mind a few questions:
If the Internet goes down, will I still have a voice?
Will women stop writing R U 🙂 and LOL without e-mail?
And will drivers here ever learn that the left lane is for passing and not a “designer” lane for current and former Californians? All right, I know that has nothing to do with the Internet, but it’s a fact.

Posted by Zounds Off at 2:12 AM | Permalink

On Tuesday transportation experts, local officials, business, labor and construction industry representatives testified before the Senate Taxation Committee in support of Senate Bill 324.

SB324 would raise the gasoline tax by 6 cents a gallon over two years and allow annual increases after that tied to inflation. Fees for driver’s licenses would be increased, vehicle depreciation schedules adjusted, and a portion of the sales tax collected on vehicle sales and repairs would be directed to highways.

Proponents of the bill claim that it is time for the legislature to make some tough decisions. Placing an increasing tax burden on Nevadans through this bill will hit the working poor the hardest. It isn’t a tough decision in Nevada to tax those who can least afford it; tough would be to raise the taxes on casinos which make billions each year.

Posted by Zounds Off at 4:39 AM | Permalink

Vonnegut, who wrote books such as “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Cat’s Cradle,” and “Hocus Pocus,” died Wednesday at 84.

Although he had stopped writing novels several years ago, he continued to write articles and to lecture regularly, exhorting audiences to think for themselves.

Think for yourself…? Politicians vote by corporate campaign contributions to their PACs and polls. Americans follow every get rich scheme from flipping real estate to stock market “wizardry,” and our students probably don’t know who Kurt Vonnegut is and aren’t savvy enough to even go on-line for the “Cliff Note” version. Thinking for themselves? Think again.

Posted by Zounds Off at 7:10 PM | Permalink

Although Nevada Governor Gibbons has declared that new taxes are not an option, the state legislature has considered inflation driven increases in gasoline taxes, doubling the cost of driver’s licenses–which I am sure they will when they require the new license which should also increase people’s risk of identity theft–, shifting sales taxes on vehicle sales and repairs (So now there would be a tax on services and labor? I will pay a tax for the luxury to fix my car crippled by bad roads in the state?), and a reduction on depreciation allowance on registering vehicles. I thought we already had one of those; every year I register my aging 1992 Ford, it cost more than the year before.

But with the sad state of roads in Clark County, it appears the state legislature is still hoping to raise the gasoline tax. However, Nevada’s gasoline tax already stands at 23.8 cents per gallon, which ranks 18th highest nationally, but Nevada’s counties are permitted also to levy “local option” gasoline taxes up to 10 cents per gallon, which places Nevada second only to Hawaii for overall gasoline taxes in recent years

When looking at the tax bite we pay, I find that Nevada levies a 6.5 percent general sales or use tax on consumers, which is above the national median of 5 percent and then we can add other local sales taxes to the hit. State and local governments combined collect approximately $1,058 per capita in general sales taxes, which ranks 7th highest nationally. (See the Tax Foundation) I read that Nevada adds a tax to your car insurance premium–here I am required to have insurance and must pay Nevada for the requirement. We apparently pay taxes on taxes collected on goods subject to federal excise taxes, car registration is simply a personal property tax, and, when all is done, I find that the tax free day for Nevadans will come on May 8, 2007, one day AFTER California. And of course, casinos in Nevada continue to pay the lowest taxes on revenues of anyplace I can find–a maximum of 6.75 percent. Did you know that a 4.4 percent increase in tax on casino revenue–currently near $6.8 billion–would make up the $300 million per year shortfall for which our legislature wants to tax us?

Posted by Zounds Off at 5:46 PM | Permalink

I was reading a Reno Gazette-Journal article which stated that, though many lawmakers and the governor started by making methamphetamine addiction in Nevada a top priority, several issues are sinking and might not get the support needed.

Increasing treatment options and reducing the wait lists was the top suggestion during a recent governor’s task force meeting, but no new funds have been added to the budget for treatment beds and the amount proposed by Gov. Jim Gibbons apparently will help only a small percentage of those waiting for treatment.

Maria Canfield, director of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency, said that in 2006 about 2,226 people waited an average of 24 days for treatment, while the $3.8 million Gibbons proposed will take only about 154 people off the list.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, said that adding more treatment money is key to addressing Nevada’s meth crisis.

According to my math that $3.8 million for 154 people works out to about $24,675 per person. By contrast Nevada spent $18,000 per prisoner per year in 2001 according to the Department of Justice figures I found. I looked for more recent numbers from the Nevada Department of Corrections but I think you need an accounting degree to understand the numbers; however, it still appears less than $24,000 per inmate. I am not suggesting that the Nevada Department of Corrections run the meth program for the state but I would like to know how $3.8 million can only help 154 addicts.

Posted by Zounds Off at 3:58 AM | Permalink

Thursday, April 5, 2007: NYMEX West Texas Intermediate for May delivery closed down $0.10 at $64.28 per barrel. Average retail price is closing in on $2.80 per gallon.

Last year about this time:
April 20, 2006 Oil prices hit a record high of $72.49; average retail price $2.78. (Gasoline prices would average over $3.00 a gallon in August of 2006.)

Some of Harry’s past responses to high gasoline prices:
August 19, 2005
Democratic Senators Ask President to Investigate and Relieve High Gas Prices
Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Assistant Democrat Leader Dick Durbin, and Senator Maria Cantwell sent a letter to the White House asking the President to take a leadership role in helping to bring down gas prices. While oil companies are experiencing record profits, American families and businesses are facing record gas prices, even when crude oil supplies are at record highs.

October 12, 2005
Reid Unveils Proposals to Lower Gas Prices
Las Vegas, NV – Putting forth a real plan to lower skyrocketing gas prices and see America become energy independent by 2020, U.S. Senator Harry Reid today focused on four proposals to help give Nevadans relief at the pump.
Reid highlighted both near term and future proposals to lower gas prices now and protect consumers down the road.
“With gas hovering around three dollars a gallon, Nevada families are feeling the pinch of skyrocketing prices,” Senator Reid said. “As part of a larger strategy to make America Energy Independent by 2020, I have been working with my Senate colleagues on a plan to reduce gas prices in the near and longer-term future.”
Reid proposed better regulation to prevent market manipulation and price gouging, imposing criminal penalties for offenders, passing legislation to encourage investments in new oil refining capacity, offering a tax rebate to American gas consumers, and creating a strategic gasoline and jet fuel reserve. Sen. Reid also called on President Bush to meet with oil company CEOs and urge them to lower prices.
July 27, 2006
Reid Calls Oil Profits ‘Backhand to the American People’
After ExxonMobil Corporation announced on Thursday that it had made a profit of $10.36 billion during the second quarter of 2006 Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called the oil company’s profits “shocking” and part of the GOP’s “backhand to the American people.”

This year’s response by Harry to high gasoline prices:
April 6, 2007
?????
I am still waiting for Harry to combat the big oil companies this year now that Democrats are in the driver’s seat, but I don’t hear anything yet. Maybe Harry is just asleep at the wheel. Part of the Democrats first 100 hours proposal included H.R. 6 – Repealing Big Oil Subsidies as their plan to control big oil profits. Can I say…IT AIN’T WORKING! Of course, now that they are in power, it behooves Democrats to only wag the stick while oil companies can wave the bucks, thereby protecting campaign donations. In an earlier posting I predicted that Democrats would not fight oil prices this year and I guess I was right. As a side note, I wonder what happened to the liberal blogs who bragged that the oil companies would get it from the Democrats now in power. Last one I checked closed the comment section on its hurray for the Democrats versus oil companies posting. Hmm…afraid of what people might write? As to most Democrats versus Republicans rhetoric, it generally reminds me of some lyrics by the Who:

There’s nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
…
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss
(Won’t Get Fooled Again from the album Who’s Next)

Posted by Zounds Off at 1:15 AM | Permalink

All I can say before before launching into this is that keeping up with current world madness is pushing ill winds through my medulla. It is what it is.

It’s getting close to Easter, and you know what that means. That’s right kids, Good Friday is almost upon us. Hooray!

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. Commemorate? Hell, the US is fixin’ ta celebrate-shock and awe style, baby! I can’t think of a better day (or reason) to sow some death by blowing the smithereens out of some terrorists, and according to some, neither does King George or his court.

Ahmadinejad, of course, is not making things any easier with his own provocations, although it sounds like the moderates in Iran have control for now.

Is governments waiving their cocks at each other really that much fun? I’ve had mine out in a variety of climes, and will admit that at first it is refreshing. This is especially true for the desert, where intra-trouser junk sweat is fact of existence. But no matter how much you might love exposing yourself, it gets old quick and those without deviant pathologies quickly realize it should be put away lest unpleasantness ensue.

Before that strange digression (what was that?), I was trying to say that Ahmadinejad, Bush, Blair, and the rest of the high government gangs are really quite obvious, hiding in plain sight as they do. Petulant little thugs on both sides of the ocean trying to prove who has the biggest schlong with which to violate the other, not for a second considering the fates or well-being of the people they claim to be protecting.

(Of course, Iran may still be pissed about Operation AJAX (and rightlfully so), where in 1953 we helped orchestrate the overthrow the democratically elected Mohammed Mosadeq, subsequently installing what was Iran’s most brutal regime with the Shah. Why did democracy-delivering and supporting America do that, again?)

Each of these leaders seek only to instill fear in their populations. They get rich, you get dead. The leaders (and their handlers) continue to use their respective media to try and convince you that war and conflict and death and destruction and “sacrifice” are really the only foreseeable future and that you should just get used to it. If the terrorists don’t get you, the global warming will. Ruuun! Wait. Pay the global taxes, then Ruuun! Coming soon to a bank account linked national ID card near you.

No. I will not get used to it.

Muslims do not inherently hate Christians. Christians do not inherently hate Muslims. Sure, some of them do, on both sides. These are the fundamentalists and the extremists, the very people whom all governments claim to be fighting and yet they are the very groups that these governments support, secretly and otherwise. The Clash of Civilizations is manufactured with the helping hand of the constructed “-ist” du jour.

Problem-Reaction-Solution. All would be well served becoming familiar with this concept.

For my part, I’m simply tired of living in an Orwellian fruitcake land-a place where tiny tyrants on both sides of the ocean are handed credibility they do not deserve. People the world over are tired, and we’re tired of these very same things. Dark clouds of oppression hang over all as we view the front-runners for the US ’08 elections, assuming we make it that far. Would you like to vote for the fascist 9/11 profiteer ghoul, or the fascist protocol droid speaking in bad accents?

What? You don’t like either one? Oh, you don’t have enough money to matter. Sorry ’bout that.

Televisions need to be turned off and Congressional phone lines need to be jammed. If a mass of voices aren’t raised in a loud and forceful manner then the consequences, while not entirely predictable, will most assuredly be dire.

Or, you can continue pretending that everything is going to be just fine while Danny Bonaduce (of intellectual reality show Breaking Bonaduce fame) is brought on television to publicly call for the death of Rosie O’Donnell who is actively putting to use her First Amendment rights while Joe Scarborough giggles along. (For anyone not following, this isn’t about whether or not you or I are Rosie fans) Also, here’s a bit about Joe if you weren’t previously aware.

On our current trajectory, here’s the blurb I imagine I’ll be typing in the very near future at the behest of the auspicious and merciful Homeland Security (translation: Here is the part where I transition gracefully back to sarcasm as I reign in this ramble-wreck).

George II: Extreme Edition, has been forced to do something he never wanted to do on Good Friday. Many fans and citizens (aren’t those the same?) have speculated on just what the “something” is. Write in cursive and spell correctly? Beat Condoleeza in a urine-stream duel commenced over the executive toilet? While these are good guesses, they’re not quite correct. No, the Chosen One was forced to spend Good Friday bringing democracy to Iran. God has tested George with a logistical problem (pointed out in their daily morning conference call), specifically the fact that most of our soldiers (and all the mercenaries we’ve hired) are a bit tied up at the moment converting Islamist savages in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seizing on the chance to prove his piousness, a brilliant plan has been implemented.

12 hours worth of cruise missiles chocolate Jesus.

Confectionery Christ. Luscious Lord. Sweet Salvation. Minus the genitalia of course, which would just be offensive. Everyone knows there’s just no manly way to eat a chocolate dick.

While Iranians are reportedly dancing in the streets, high on cocoa communion, George is solemn and exhausted after passing his test of faith. Not only did has he finaly shown the Middle East what being crucified is all about, he did it without promoting the pagan Easter Bunny. He even had extra Choco-Jesus (with sprinkles) made for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which pretty much makes him a lot like Job, without the boils and hardship but with alcoholism. An unnamed GOP staffer (rumored to have ‘caught the Holy Ghost’) was heard saying, “Take that, Kanye!”

In celebration of the newest Middle East success, iTunes is giving away free Lee Greenwood albums with the purchase of the Easter iPod (the battery automatically comes back three days after dying). Also, to counter some of the (frankly unpatriotic) ill will generated by $8/gallon gasoline, Exxon has agreed to give away extra-large Chinese-manufactured plastic flags (with fill-up at participating stations) that not only stick to your vehicle, but double as a coat on those chilly nights when the propane runs out. Now everyone will be just as warm as the troops!

UPDATE:

(Let the small sigh of apprehensive relief begin. We’re certainly not out of the woods yet, but any avoidance of war is always a good thing. Tip of the hat to the Iranian moderates. Now it’s time to start looking out for the next manufactured incident, which will likely come sooner than later, unfortunately.)

Posted by Human Head at 3:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Attorney Jan Schlichtmann and his innovative Public Shade Tree Trust were featured last week in over 200 media and news publications and outlets across the country and around the world. The groundbreaking project to help towns and cities protect the urban forest from the poisoning caused by leaks from our aging natural gas pipeline network can be reviewed by going to Google News..

Mr. Schlichtmann’s career and his representation of eight Woburn, Massachusetts families against W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods for the contamination of the Woburn City water supply was chronicled in the national bestseller, “A Civil Action” that became a major motion picture starring John Travolta as Mr. Schlichtmann.

He also spoke at the the recent Mass Torts Made Perfect Conference in Las Vegas, NV.

Posted by Zounds Off at 5:24 PM | Permalink

The Business Press has reported that local attorney George West III is putting car dealerships on notice to disclose all the items that go into the price of a car or face a jury.

West’s campaign to force franchised car dealers to adhere to state and federal disclosure laws has already netted him and his clients three settlements in the valley, two with local Courtesy dealerships and one with Integrity Chrysler. Another two lawsuits are pending, one against Vista Chevrolet and the other against Fletcher Jones Toyota.

West says what he’s found among some dealerships in Southern Nevada is the practice of hiding fees in finance agreements, which by law are supposed to be itemized both for the bank doing the financing and for the custome,r and is both widespread and easy to conceal. The pending local lawsuits are class actions, or are seeking class-action status, which could mean huge losses for the dealerships if West can prove to a jury that hundreds, if not thousands, of unwitting customers are financing cars with hidden fees attached.

Dealerships make their money, not on actual car sales, but on the extras they get buyers to agree to: extended mechanical warranties, service agreements, GAP insurance, the spray that seals a car’s undercarriage, paint sealant and Scotchgard fabric protector.

Car dealers know this, West says, and routinely add the price of after-market products to the vehicle’s selling price, which can mean as much as $2,000 on the base price of a new car. Often that $2,000, which is listed as a “paint sealant” or a rust-prevention package, pays for nothing more than a $40 car-wash contract, according to documents West provided.

Business Press reports a conversation with an ex-dealership worker who says. “I used to do it. I ordered the stuff, too. It was car soap and spray-on wax.”

Other businesses do it also. The next time you buy furniture and and ask and pay for Scotchgarding, you will find that drinks and spills pour right through your couch and that what you actually paid for is for some company to come and clean your couch once.

Posted by Zounds Off at 4:59 PM | Permalink

On Friday the Wall Street Journal reported that while Mr. Gibbons, a five-term Republican who served on the armed services and intelligence committees and now governor, sought funding in 2004 for a no-bid federal contract for Sierra Nevada for a $4 million contract, to develop a helicopter radar-landing system, his wife, Dawn Gibbons received about $35,000 in consulting fees in 2004 from the same Sierra Nevada Corp., of Sparks, Nev. Plus, it has been reported that this company also has had dealings with Gibson’s other partner in no bid contracts, eTreppid Technologies, the Reno-based federal defense contractor whose relationship with Gibbons is the subject of an FBI investigation. For more see Defense Contractors.

Posted by Zounds Off at 2:45 AM | Permalink