Opinion

Democrats have hit a new low. Beyond Antifa. Beyond plain socialism. Beyond the Clinton lies and corruption. Beyond any reason and decency.

They dug up and then hid an accusation that Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh was involved in sexual misconduct when he was in high school.

Not a series of continuing transgressions. Not an incident ten years ago, or from law school, or from his undergraduate college days. But in high school.

We guess they couldn’t find the girl with whom Kavanaugh played “post office” in kindergarten.

Housing should not be a privilege afforded only by those who can pay for it.

Shelter actually meets the physiological need for warmth as well as the emotional need for safety and security, per renowned American psychologist Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid.

American culture has been focused on being great for as far back as I can remember.

Striving for greatness is a good thing. I certainly believe in doing and giving my best in all of my daily tasks or endeavors.

Nevadans, prepare yourselves for lower utility bills. And thank tax cuts for the drop. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — passed and signed last year — will save Nevada investor-owned utility residential ratepayers an average of $200 per customer over the next five years.

When I open a document and see a grid full of data that I am tasked to make sense of, I immediately want to go hide under a rock.

Okay, maybe not quite that dramatic, but too much information all at once can cause a certain amount of angst.

I had already written out this morning's column ahead of time when I learned of U.S. Sen. John McCain's passing.

His death has changed the course of my day, because now I am writing to remember the man who earned the media moniker of "Maverick," and the reputation of someone who usually went his own way.

Document protection is more important than ever these days with virus threats seemingly omnipresent in cyberspace, the online world of the Internet and Worldwide Web.

Upon retiring from the Army in 2016, I quickly felt as though I had no direction or purpose anymore. Although I only served for 7 years personally, and always felt supported by others, something unexplainable was missing inside of me. It felt as though my purpose adapted from helping people and upholding values, to simply working for money to support my family.

Recently, President Donald Trump revoked the security clearance of former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan, who now works as a pundit for MSNBC.

People can argue the politics of this decision until they’re blue (or red) in the face. The larger issue is: Why would anyone still retain a security clearance after leaving a government position in which they were granted that status?

I told myself some time ago that I would not infuse my columns with politics, so I will tread lightly here to (marginally) "walk the line," as Johnny Cash once sang.

CARSON CITY — If success in business starts with three words — location, location, location — then the Ormsby House must have seemed like a surefire winner when it opened in 1972 almost directly across the street from the Nevada Capitol.

Several years ago, the movie comedy “Man of the Year”, starring the late Robin Williams, was based on a strange premise. His character, a comedian on the presidential ballot in just enough states to carry a majority of the Electoral College, was elected president via a computer flaw.

In case you are wondering just how great the economy is doing, look no further than job creation.

Since President Trump took office, more than four million jobs have been created, with over 157,000 jobs being added in July alone. Essentially, if you want a job, you get a job, which is refreshing news for hardworking Americans across the country.

Persistence. That's the difference between life's winners and its losers.

Winners don't quit, and quitters don't win. It's as simple as that.

One will never accomplish goals in life or realize dreams if one gives up the chase. I've had to learn some hard lessons about that over the years.

I recently helped a person figure out how to copy text from a web page onto a Microsoft Office document without all of the Internet hitch hikers along for the ride.

Primary and secondary education (K-12) has been the second fastest growing category of Nevada state spending over the past decade, rising from $1.24-billion in fiscal year 2006 (FY06) to $2.22-billion in FY17. It grew 33 percent faster than the incomes of Nevada families and businesses.

There are few work practices as inefficient and costly to a business as redundancy. Reinventing the wheel on every project only makes work harder, not easier.

Recently, we explained why U.S. Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh is probably the best person President Donald Trump could have picked for the upcoming Supreme Court opening.

We noted his outstanding record as a lawyer and appellate judge and reviewed his glowing recommendations from legal scholars and colleagues. He’s a good and decent man with outstanding credentials and judicial temperament.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mike Smith, owner of Shiny Shoes in downtown Carson City, last Sunday to talk about his "Ideas on Tap" concept as a monthly community event in the Nevada state capital.

I've often mused that I should be cloned so that I can be everywhere I need to be at the same time.

But nobody thus far has come knocking on my door offering millions of dollars for the right to duplicate me. That's probably a good thing, though, because I'm not so sure the world is ready for carbon copies of me wandering around.

Each of our lives is run by a clock. Our days are governed by time.

Most of us never seem to have enough of it in a day to do with what we want, much more everything we need done, either.

With a thoughtful and succinct speech Monday, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. With the most experience of the people Trump considered and a stellar textualist and originalist record, he was considered by many as the front runner for the nomination.

Not every hero walks on two legs. Some have four.

There are five of these serving the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and I was humbled to be able to meet them Saturday at a retirement celebration for one of their own.

The morning after the Fourth of July one year, a dog showed up at our back door; a shaking, frightened and forlorn black labrador.

Being a real patriot these days takes true grit, like the United States Marine Corps motto "Semper Fidelis," the latin translation of "always faithful."

Authentic patriotism just doesn't seem to fit the modern political narrative.

Time is a precious commodity. Once it's gone, we can't get it back.

Time machines, like the one written about by H.G. Wells, haven't been invented yet. Until DeLoreans with flux capacitors become a reality, we have to make the most of our time and make it count.

A few months ago, we decided the Controller’s Annual Report (CAR) should be published in Spanish, as well as English.

As a rule, we think most government documents shouldn’t be rendered in languages other than English. It’s expensive and difficult to do, and in most cases the social value is not great when there are public employees or friends and relatives to help folks with limited English skills.

Health and Social Services (HSS) has been the fastest-growing category of state expenditures since Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10). Nevada spent $5.5 billion on these services in FY17, up from $2.2 billion in FY06.

Much of this spending is financed through federal grants for Medicaid, food stamps and other welfare programs. As Nevada spends money on these programs, it gets some reimbursement from the federal government. However, the reimbursements do not compensate Nevada fully for all expenditures, and certain programs such as Medicaid require a matching state commitment.

I recently cleaned out old files on my computer, coming across one I hadn't seen in six years.

It was the eulogy I wrote for and delivered at my father's funeral on June 30, 2012.

Reading through it for the first time in six years stirred up a lot of memories, some painful but mostly fond.

This month, California Governor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown signed probably the most restrictive water consumption law in the country. Under the new statute, starting in 2022 every California man, woman and child will be restricted to 55 gallons of water use per day. For a family of four, that’s 220 gallons per day.

The penalties for using more water than your allocation under this newest socialist Democrat program? Between $1,000 and $10,000 per day.