Opinion

The river life is a good life. Mississippi River life is as good as it gets, and when you're pretending to be Mark Twain it gets even better, as you become the one and only unfettered monarch in America, no matter what anybody else says. And fun? As Huckleberry might like to say, "I reckon not."

I fell in love last November with some ducks who marched in perfect procession down a red carpet to a fountain in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, and jumped in. They do it every day, and have been doing it for 85 years. To see it, well, it's enough to make an ogre smile.

Nevada Republicans meet in Winnemucca September 7 to elect our leaders for the 2020 campaign. We need to turn Nevada red for two reasons: 1) to help re-elect Donald Trump president; and 2) to win enough legislative seats to assure the 2021 redistricting will be a fair process, not another Democrat gerrymandering riot.

The future of our world shines ever so bright, and the good energy is ever so palpable, as we welcome 75 Fulbright Scholars from 47 countries to America. These are the best and the brightest and they will do great things.

Lake Tahoe is a gateway for these young superstars, thanks to the Northern Nevada International Center and UNR.

In last week’s column, I showed things really are much better now than in the past and said this week I’d provide some reasons for hope in the future.

Just a few years ago the Board put into effect a method of how to select a City Manager. This procedure was discarded at a later Board meeting as the Mayor said: “I will ask Nancy if she wants the job”. There are numerous city employees and potential outside qualified candidates that were not given an opportunity to apply for this position.

What is even more bizarre, is that the Mayor did not ask Stacy Giomi if he wanted the job, as he had previously applied for this very position.

There is no truth, as it turns out, to the rumor that Russian hackers plan to set off every car alarm in America at the same time, effectively making every man, woman and child crazy as a loon.

I know there is no truth to this rumor because I made it up. Still, we have to believe there are far worse scenarios brewing out there. The question remains, who is smarter, the good hearted cyber security folks, or the badass criminal hackers? It probably changes from week to week.

Many folks have had enough of the anger, condescension, dishonesty, hate, bitterness, aggression, etc. that are so plentiful these days. So, despite my inclination to answer so much of it (and it needs to be answered), I write today about some reasons to be grateful for the world we inhabit -- and hopeful about the future.

While in a wistful mood of late, I've been listening to the music of Miss Dinah Washington, who was on her seventh husband when she died of an overdose of alcohol and weight reduction pills at age 39, so young.

Dinah had a soft as cotton, tough as leather sound of someone who had seen more in her 39 years than you or I will ever see.

Horse advocates are asking people to send this letter to the Reno City Council.

Dear Ms/Sir:

Phase II of the Bella Vista Ranch development (between South Meadows Parkway and Rio Wrangler Parkway is approved.

The 77-acre housing development will fence off several hundred horses from their only water source as soon as construction begins.

The development plan (p. 75) originally called for maintaining the horses access to water, but that provision has since been removed and there is no alternative plans for ensuring the horses' access to water!

As Thomas Paine professed, "These are the times that try men's souls." Thomas must be spinning like a lathe. The framers of the Constitution had George Washington in mind when they entrusted authority to the office of chief executive. The framers could not have imagined a Donald Trump, even with stimulants.

CARSON CITY – More than 46,000 Nevadans on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would be affected by a proposed rule change announced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Services program.

My heroes will soon be floating away on a slab of ice with no internet, no phone service and no days off. These are the hearty scientists from 17 nations willing to ride around on an ice flow for months on a stretch, amidst the fastest changing climate in the world, the North Pole.

“Job growth was about 227,000 in June but 46 percent of the people surveyed say they are not better off. Democrats claim the 50 percent growth of the stock market does not help the common people because most do not invest in stocks, except those with 401(k) plans. But the stock market indicates companies are willing to invest, which leads to job growth. Please explain.”

A thoughtful reader’s good points.

Will you agree with me that most people are good-hearted? Even robocallers, when they are done antagonizing the general public, must go home to their loving families and their loving dogs. Even tailgaters, when they are done terrorizing the general public, must go home to their loving families and their loving dogs. Well, maybe not tailgaters.

While waiting in line for a lift ticket this past winter I passed the time by whistling, "Born to Lose." I don't know why I was whistling that particular Ray Charles song, though I'm sure a psychiatrist could tell me. Be that as it may, a mother and young son were walking by when the little guy asked, "Mom, why is that man whistling?"

"Because he's happy, Honey," she answered with a smile.

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Those are the last lines of the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. The technology of the day – hand-writing in cursive – delayed the final copies until July 4.

Holidays are often as fleeting as any other day, ending about as indeterminately as they had begun. On occasion, though, there is always that one day...

When I was about 10 years old, I spent the Fourth of July holiday at the beach with family.

As usual, Mom and Dad piled their four children into the cab-over camper and drove south — all night — to Morro Bay, Calif., where my grandparents lived.

For those of us old enough to remember King George, his wrath, and our grievances, well, bearing witness to the list of monarchies still in existence in the 21st century is enough to make a cow laugh. How can you not do anything udder than laugh out loud at a king, a queen, a duke or an earl when their countries trot them out for our admiration?

Whether you are working on a research project for a history class, or hoping to pass your citizenship test, the Carson City Library is here to help you. Since our establishment in 1966, the Carson City Library has been a natural meeting place for families and friends to congregate and learn. Each and every day we are fortunate to serve our community and welcome new visitors.

Prescription drug costs have skyrocketed at an alarming rate, rising faster than other goods and services in the U.S. since 2014. The increase in prices has left consumers with higher health care costs forcing them to make difficult decisions regarding their health. It has specifically hurt some of our most vulnerable populations – including our older generations on fixed incomes. This is especially concerning in my district, Assembly District 22, given its large aging population.

Swathed in an elegant suit of red, white and blue and enveloped by a huge crowd of the same beautiful hues, President Donald J. Trump announced his re-election campaign Tuesday night.

After reviewing the failures and treachery of his opposition and the Fake News, he counted at length the accomplishments of the American people and his administration. He ushered in the summer of our politics, economy and culture and outlined the challenges we face and how we will Keep America Great.

This is my final column on the sad legacy we Boomers are leaving our children.

The first one defined the public interest as mainly maximizing economic growth. That piece and the next showed that the economic policies, practices and institutions that maximize growth also promote fairness among individuals. They also debunked obsessions with income inequality. The third part focused on the 21st Century revival of progressivism and statist liberalism, plus the addition of political correctness (PC).

Here I offer directions for some solutions.

This is the third in my series on the sad legacy we Boomers are leaving our children.

The first column defined the public interest as mainly maximizing economic growth. That piece and the second showed that the economic policies, practices and institutions that maximize growth also promote fairness among individuals. They also debunked obsessions with income inequality.

Here I focus on the revival of progressivism and liberal statism, plus the addition of political correctness (PC).

In my last column I raised the sorry legacy my generation, the Boomers, are leaving our children and grandchildren.

I outlined the main problems, especially the increasing embrace over the last 150 years of statist liberalism, progressivism and now even socialism – or, in general, the slide away from our essential founding values, social institutions, practices and policies to coercive collectivism. Another problem area has been the embrace of certain exotic goals and their derivative ideologies as being central to our politics instead of the special interests they are.

The last vacation I took was more than five years ago in Las Vegas. Being the country boy that I am, my arrival to the “Entertainment Capital of the World” was filled with both excitement and angst.

Join us on our free leader-led hikes each week to enjoy Nevada outdoors around Carson City! Meet in the dirt area opposite Murphy Drive on Combs Canyon Road to carpool to the trailhead. Water and sturdy closed-toe shoes required. Hat, sunscreen and hiking poles recommended.

Bring a friend and/or friendly dogs. All hikes are 2-4 miles with duration of about 90 minutes, sometimes with elevation gains of 500’ or more.

Holman W. Jenkins, a great columnist, recently speculated something I had also imagined: Some organ of the lamestream media will soon decide it has made a cosmic mistake in following the anti-Trump story line, perhaps issue a mea culpa for its biased and corrupt coverage to date, and at least get on the truthful side of the story.

This is the sixth in a series of columns summarizing my Controller’s Annual Report (CAR) for fiscal year 2018 (FY18).

The first two columns showed that since FY06 state spending has grown faster than Nevada’s economy, thus imposing an ever-larger real burden on Nevada families and businesses, whose real per-capita incomes are lower now than in FY06. The next two analyses reviewed spending on health and social services and on K-12 education, the two largest budget items by far and the only major areas on which spending has grown faster than Nevada’s economy.

The 80th session of the Nevada Legislature is underway with over 1,200 bills up for consideration. With so many bills it is nearly impossible to give each one the proper consideration required, as was intended by the founders of our great state. This means we are considering a great number of laws; however, what we should be focusing on is producing well thought out legislation.