Political commentary/genealogical interests

League of Women Voters of Pahrump Valley

SUNSHINE WEEK 2010 WEBCAST

BUILDING TRANSPARANCY IN GOVERNMENT

The League of Women Voters of Pahrump Valley will host a local viewing of the WEBCAST of the fifth annual Sunshine Week event being held at the Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C. and presented by OpenTheGovernment.org. The viewing will be held at Great Basin College,  Basin Campus on Friday, March 19 from 9am-Noon (PDT).

Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote the importance of open government and freedom of information.

The confirmed panelists include Norm Eisen, Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform, and Miriam Nisbet, the new Director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS).

Given the gravity of the issues facing our nation, the need for public access to governmental decisions and policies that affect all Americans is greater than ever. Access to this information allows citizens to hold their government accountable at the local, state, and national level. Whether it is to track how federal stimulus dollars are being spent or to attend a local government meeting where land use or school funding decisions are being made, “sunshine laws” afford us access and create government transparency.

As members of the League of Women Voters, we are continuously working to keep our community fair, vibrant and strong – starting with having an open and transparent government.

Almost 200 years ago, James Madison wrote, “A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps, both.” His words remain a call to action today.

League of Women Voters of Pahrump Valley
PO Box 2432, Pahrump, NV 89041
Contact: (775) 443-7861 or lwvofpahrump@aol.com
Monthly Breakfast (optional) meetings held 2nd Saturday of each month at 8:30 a.m.
Pahrump Nugget, Highway 160, Pahrump, NV

While the Senate is almost certain to remove the controversial Nebraska deal known as the “Cornhusker Kickback” in a final health-care bill, President Obama’s efforts to cut out other state-specific arrangements are drawing resistance from lawmakers.

Such deals include a provision exempting Florida from some Medicare cuts, an issue Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) raised at the bipartisan health summit, as well as extra Medicaid cash for Massachusetts and Vermont.

“We’ve made it clear to the Senate that the president’s position in the final legislation should not contain provisions that favor a single state or a single district differently than others,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said this week.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s spokesperson responded: “We’re going to do what we have to do to get a bill out of the House and Senate.” He said of the White House’s wish: “We’ll certainly keep it in mind as we pull together a final bill.”

Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) also defended the extra money for his state on the basis that Vermont already provides generous benefits to its residents before reform and shouldn’t be “penalized for doing the right thing.”

And Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) is pushing back against efforts to cut out a provision granting Medicare benefits to residents of a single town in his state that’s suffered from mining-related health problems. But first, health-care must pass the House.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich talks to Benjamin Sarlin about being the lone liberal “no” vote and Obama’s 11th-hour campaign to win him over.

[Source: The Daily Beast]

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The League of Women Voters is the organization where hands-on work to safeguard democracy leads to civic improvement. Add your voice to over 150,000 League members and supporters across the country in making democracy work.

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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF PAHRUMP VALLEY
P.O. BOX 2432, PAHRUMP, NV 89041
Contact: (775) 443-7861 or LWVofPahrump@aol.com

MONTHLY (Breakfast optional) MEETINGS HELD 2nd Saturday at 8:30 am
PAHRUMP NUGGET
HIGHWAY 160, PAHRUMP, NV
September – June

Ron Kent, Candidate for DA of Nye County

Last Monday, former Chief Civil Deputy District Attorney Ron Kent, having been terminated from his former job, is running for election to replace to replace current District Attorney Bob Beckett.

Kent kicked off his campaign last Monday at Wulfy’s Sports Lounge in Pahrump. Over 200 people showed up to hear Kent speak.

The question was “Why are you running for District Attorney?”

Kent explained “After agonizing over this for quite some time, I determined to run for the district attorney’s office. I’ve been asked several times ‘why are you gunning for the D.A.’s office?’ Really, after thinking about it, what came to mind was the expression, ‘what you see is what you get.’” He was referring to Beckett’s performance Pahrump Mirror reporter, Paul Jones, wrote. [Pahrump Mirror, Thursday, March 11, 1010, page 3]

Kent added,

For the past 15 years under the administration of the incumbent ‘what you see is what you get’ and this is what you will receive as the citizens and the voters of Nye County into the future.

Kent said he believed a vote for Beckett would be a vote for “maintaining the status quo.”

[T]he time is long overdue that we raise the bar for the district attorney’s office, that we bring the D.A.’s office into the new millennium. I believe that we need to increase the level of service and the quality of service to the citizens because, as I said before, you all deserve better.

It was reported that Mr. Kent was born in Nevada and has been practicing law in Nevada the past 27 years. He took the Chief Deputy District Attorney position 12 years ago.

He said the thought his experience within the DA’s office and knowledge of the community and government uniquely qualifies him to assume the position of District Attorney.

I know what works in the D.A.’s office, but even more so I know what does not work in the D.A.’s office. I believe that with the 27 years of experience in the broad filed of civil and criminal law that I have, my proven leadership skills, as well as the fact that I am intimately aware of all the problems confronting government, your leadership. All of these components, coupled together, uniquely equip me to act as your district attorney and build the D.A.’s office into a law firm, a real law firm, something that every citizen in this county should be proud of.

He went on to indicate he has plans to implement and improve the current systems in place in the office with programs he had been working on for years.

If I’m elected district attorney, I have plans in place to take administrative measures to improve the efficiency of the office, the productivity of the office, but once again, and most importantly, to increase the quality of the legal deliverables that ultimately are for the benefit for all of you in this room, your neighbors, your families and your businesses.

Kent is a graduate of Las Vegas High School. He holds a BA degree in Philosophyand Psychology from UNLV. He earned his degree in law from Southern Western University of Law in California.

The federal appeals court in California has ruled that both references to God on US bank notes and “One nation under God” in the pledge of allegiance to the US flag are constitutional and not religious in nature.

It was a 2-1 ruling.

[Raw Story]

Wall Street Greed

Yesterday I watched Capitalism: A Love Story again. It is the production of Michael Moore, the acclaimed conservative film maker. (Yes, I know he is not really an “acclaimed conservative film maker.”) I had watched the movie/documentary when it first came out at a movie theater in Las Vegas. (We don’t have a movie theater here in Pahrump.) I got the DVD of it from NetFlix.

Capitalism: A Love Story is a 2009 American documentary film directed, written by and starring Michael Moore. The film centers on the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and the recovery stimulus, while putting forward an indictment of the current economic order in the United States and capitalism in general.

Topics covered include Wall Street’s “casino mentality”, for-profit prisons, Goldman Sachs‘ influence in Washington, DC, the poverty-level wages of many airline pilots, the large wave of home foreclosures, and the consequences of “runaway greed”.^[2] The film also features a religious component where Moore examines whether or not capitalism is a sin and if Jesus would be a capitalist.^[3] The film was widely released to the public in the United States and Canada on October 2, 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 9th, 2010. [Wikipedia]

The Moore documentary is two hours and seven minutes long. It is fast moving. Funny in places, heart rendering in others.

Some “nuggets” in the film keep sticking in my mind:

• The top 1% of the population controls more financial wealth than the bottom 95% combined.
• The financial meltdown began with Ronald Reagan and the policies of Don Regan which “turned the bull loose” for free enterprises, corporations gained more political power, unions were weakened and socioeconomic gaps widened.
• Exposing “dead peasant insurance” life insurance policies used by corporations such as Wal-Mart to profit upon the death of their employees.
• “Plutonomy” where economic growth is powered by and largely consumed by the wealthy few.

Overall Moore characterizes the capitalistic economic system as greed gone berserk. Even Catholic priests denounces it as “evil.”

Then this morning The Dailey Beast has the following:

A new report offers new insight into how Lehman Brothers fell into mortal peril at the start of the financial crisis, and the details aren’t pretty. The 2,200 page report by a court-appointed examiner describes an accounting trick known as “Repo 105″ that the company used to hide some $50 billion in assets from its balance sheet for two quarters. According to the examiner, the creative accounting could open up Lehman’s executives to lawsuits as shareholders can use them to show they were deceived by the company. Lehman’s collapse is widely credited with helping trigger the financial meltdown in the Fall of 2008 when it declared for bankruptcy.

See Marketwatch for more detail. You might want to read about the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers here. Even so, Richard Fuld, head of Lehman Brothers, said that he had in fact taken about $300 million in pay and bonuses over the past eight years. Lehman Brothers executive pay was reported to have increased significantly before filing for bankruptcy.

Greed.

For Immediate Release                                                                              Thursday, March 11, 2010

Lowden Used Elected Office To Pad Archon’s Profit Margin

Instead of Addressing Dangerous Workplace, Lowden Voted to Limit Payments to Injured Workers, Silenced Those Who Spoke Out

LAS VEGAS – It’s simply a matter of record that under Sue Lowden’s leadership, her casinos were dangerous places to work.  They received 221 OSHA violations for everything from not using explosion-proof wiring where flammable vapors were sprayed to withholding medical evaluations for her employees following a “bloodborne pathogen exposure incident”.

However, instead of doing the right thing by addressing these dangerous working conditions, she tried to use her position as a state Senator to reduce her casino’s worker compensation costs by limiting payments to Nevadans injured on the job.

As a member of the senate Commerce and Labor Committee, Lowden voted for draconian cuts to disabled worker compensation, trying to limit permanent partial disability (PPD) awards to workers hurt on the job with a 15% disability or more and to slash the formula by which those awards were calculated.  

Why?  In Lowden’s world, why not?  Why spend the resources making your workplace safer for your employees when you can simply limit your company’s liability by changing the rules as an elected official?

No one is more familiar with Lowden’s past conflict of interest than Robert Miller, one of Lowden’s former employees.  After meeting with management to express his concerns, Robert, a cook at the time, testified before the Nevada Senate Commerce and Labor Committee regarding unsafe working conditions at one of Lowden’s casinos, the Santa Fe Hotel.  He showed pictures of wet, greasy, debris-strewn floors and made the case that the company could prevent injuries and actually save money by enforcing basic workplace safety. 

Unfortunately for Robert, state Senator Sue Lowden – his boss – sat on that committee at the time.  He was fired from his job three days later.

“In Sue Lowden’s Nevada, it’s not only acceptable to make an extra buck at the expense of her employees, it’s business as usual,” said campaign manager Brandon Hall.  “She has proven time and again that she will do anything — regardless of whether it’s unethical or breaks the law – to squeeze her fellow Nevadans in order to build her $50 million fortune.”

Today’s news comes shortly after it was revealed that Sue Lowden gave her CEO husband $200,000 bonuses  while slashing hundreds of her employees and tried to save money by illegally denying her employees health insurance.

Background

When A Worker Testified About Unsafe Working Conditions, He Was Fired Three Days Later

Santa Fe Worker Robert Miller Testified Before Lowden’s Senate Committee On Unsafe Working Conditions. During a hearing involving Nevada’s workers compensation system, a cook at the Santa Fe Hotel named Robert Miller came before the Senate Commerce and Labor committee, which included Sue Lowden, to testify that savings could be achieved by doing more to enforce workplace safety. Mr. Miller showed the committee several pictures of wet, greasy, debris-strewn floors in various locations. According to the committee minutes: “He explained his experience with safety conditions and inspectors when he worked in a coal mine. He suggested that the state impose high enough fines so that companies would take safety seriously and would not make unsafe environments cost effective for the companies.” [Nevada Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Minutes, 2/11/1993]

Despite Meeting With Management, Conditions Remained Dangerous. Miller Slipped And Fell “On Numerous Occasions.” During a hearing involving Nevada’s workers compensation system, Santa Fe employee Robert Miller testified before the Senate Commerce and Labor committee. According to the minutes “Mr. Miller replied that he had first personally met with management and was told it would be resolved. Then he and his co-workers met with management to resolve the problem. He said that outside of a couple of days of some cleaning, maintenance on the floor, and picking up the trash, nothing was really done and he does not think the problem has been addressed.” Miller also told the committee: “though he wears the proper footwear, he has slipped on the floor on numerous occasions.” [Nevada Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Minutes, 2/11/1993]

Robert Miller Was Fired From The Santa Fe Three Days After Testifying Before Lowden’s Committee. A week after Robert Miller testified about unsafe working conditions at the Santa Fe, The Nevada Appeal reported that Miller had been fired from his job. “Robert Miller said he was fired Monday, three days after testifying before the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee about the conditions in a kitchen at the Santa Fe hotel-casino.” [Nevada Appeal, 2/17/1993]

Lowden Supported Cuts To Disabled Workers

Sue Lowden Supported Cuts To Disabled Workers’ Compensation. During the debate on overhauling the state’s workers’ compensation system, Sue Lowden supported a motion to limit permanent partial disability (PPD) awards to injured workers with a 15% disability or more. Lowden also supported a motion to slash the formula for calculating PPD awards despite a comment from Senator Shaffer, saying “I cannot take any more money away from the injured worker. I just can’t see it. We’re beating him to death now.” [NV Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Minutes, 3/10/1993]

Lowden Said Paying Partially Disabled Workers Too Much Could Be “Detrimental” For The Nevada Economy. According to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee minutes during an April, 1995 meeting discussing workers’ compensation, Sue Lowden commented on permanent partial disability (PPD) compensation. “Senator Lowden observed from an economic development point of view, one of the first items investigated by potential industries are PPD awards, in order to decide if Nevada has a good climate for business. She went on to state she feels PPD awards are so high it could have a detrimental effect to economic development.” [NV Senate Commerce and Labor Committee Minutes, 4/27/1995]

Lowden’s Casinos Cited For Numerous OSHA Violations

Sue Lowden’s Casinos Have Been Cited For 221 Workplace Safety Violations. During the years when Sue Lowden played a role in the management of the Sahara, Hacienda, Santa Fe, and Pioneer Hotels and Casinos, her companies were cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at least 221 times, including 52 violations classified as “serious” and 4 repeat violations. [OSHA Inspection Records: Hacienda Hotel and Casino, 1988-1995, Sahara Hotel and Casino, 1988-1995, Santa Fe Hotel and Casino, 1991-2000, and Pioneer Hotel and Casino, 1989-2010]

Sue Lowden’s Casinos Have Been Fined 35 Times For Workplace Safety Violations. During the years when Sue Lowden played a role in the management of the Sahara, Hacienda, Santa Fe, and Pioneer Hotels and Casinos, her companies were fined at least 35 times, including one fine for $12,400 for a repeated violation. . [OSHA Inspection Records: Hacienda Hotel and Casino, 1988-1995, Sahara Hotel and Casino, 1988-1995, Santa Fe Hotel and Casino, 1991-2000, and Pioneer Hotel and Casino, 1989-2010]

February 2001: Pioneer Hotel Was Fined For Improper Wiring Near Flammable Vapors. The Pioneer Hotel was fined $1,680 after an inspection arising from a complaint found that they had violated a requirement that explosion-proof wiring must be used in areas where dangerous quantities of flammable vapors are sprayed. [OSHA Inspection Record, Citations Issued 2/2/2001, OSHA Regulation Definitions –Spray Finishing Using Flammable And Combustible Materials]

June 1995: Hacienda Hotel Was Fined For Repeatedly Failing To Keep Workplace Floors Free Of Nails, Splinters, Holes, And Loose Boards. The Hacienda agreed to pay a $12,400.00 fine for repeatedly violating the requirement that “To facilitate cleaning, every floor, working place, and passageway shall be kept free from protruding nails, splinters, holes, or loose boards.” [OSHA Citation Record 6/13/95; OSHA Regulation Definitions – General Practices]

June 1994: Sahara Hotel Was Fined For Failing To Provide Medical Follow-Up To Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure. The Sahara was fined $4,500 after an inspection arising from a complaint found that they had violated, among others, the requirements that employers must provide medical evaluations and procedures including hepatitis B vaccination at no cost to the employee following a report of a bloodborne pathogen exposure incident. [OSHA Inspection Record, Citations Issued 6/21/94, OSHA Regulation Definitions – Blood-Borne Pathogens]

August 1993: Santa Fe Hotel Was Fined For Failing To Maintain A Clean Workplace. The Santa Fe Hotel was fined $2,500 after an inspection arising from a complaint found that they had violated a requirement that states, “All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, and service rooms shall be kept clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition.” [OSHA Inspection Record, Citations Issued 8/20/1993, OSHA Regulation Definitions –General Requirements]

April 1992: Santa Fe Was Fined For Failing To Label Hazardous Chemicals. The Santa Fe Hotel was fined after an inspection arising from a complaint found that they had violated a requirement that all containers of hazardous chemicals must be properly labeled. [OSHA Inspection Record, Citations Issued 4/17/1992, OSHA Regulation Definitions –Hazard Communication]

Sue Lowden Cut Almost ¼ Of Her Workforce And Ended Employee 401(k) Matching While Her Husband Brought Home A $200,000 Bonus

Las Vegas Sun: “SEC Filing: Sue Lowden Cut Jobs, Got Bonus.” “Republican Sue Lowden’s company gave her husband a $200,000 bonus last year — bringing the couple’s combined paycheck to nearly $1 million — even as it slashed more than 100 jobs and eliminated the employee savings match, according to an annual report.” [Las Vegas Sun, 2/24/2010]

CQ Politics: “Reid Presses Attacks on Lowden’s Jobs Record.” Last week, Reid aides pounced on Archon’s annual financial report that showed the company reduced its employee rolls by nearly a quarter compared with 2008, while Paul Lowden received a $200,000 bonus. Monday, Reid’s campaign publicized records that showed a casino owned by an Archon subsidiary shut its doors in 2004, leaving 50-plus workers out of jobs. Paul Lowden also received a $200,000 bonus that year. [CQ Politics, 3/1/2010]

Lowden Illegally Denied her Employees Health Insurance

Las Vegas Review-Journal: “When Sue Lowden Headed The Santa Fe Hotel-Casino, Management Forced A Group Of Workers To Shift To Part-Time Status And Sign Away Their Health Care Coverage.” In March 2010, the Review-Journal wrote, “When Sue Lowden headed the Santa Fe hotel-casino, management forced a group of workers to shift to part-time status and sign away their health care coverage, said a judge who ruled the company violated fair labor practices. He ordered the Santa Fe to pay two dozen employees almost $188,000 in back wages and benefits and to reinstate three workers who lost their jobs, records show … The complex legal battles between the union and Santa Fe management came after workers from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 1993, voted 300-241 for unionization in a labor board-supervised election, according to published reports. The Lowdens refused to recognize the results and dealt directly with workers in reducing hours and benefits instead of bargaining with union representatives … After the judge’s ruling, the Santa Fe was ordered to post a three-page notice to employees in the hotel-casino, admitting to the labor violations and promising not to repeat them.” [Review-Journal, 3/7/2010]

###

–
Justin Barasky
Rapid Response Director
Friends for Harry Reid
440.476.4419 cell
www.harryreid.com

Politically Nye County belongs to the Republican Party. Local elections are always full of Republican candidates. Only a scattered two or three Democrats jump into the local election meat grinder.

I was startled when I picked up the Pahrump Valley Times yesterday, March 10. Right there on the front page was the headline Two Dems file for DA. Naturally, having been a prosecutor myself, I read the article by reporter Mark Waite with some interest.

The two Democrats are Brian Kunzi and Nicholas Anthony Del Vecchio. I don’t personally know either man. I recall, vaguely, meeting Kunzi at some event somewhere but it was only a momentary handshake. I’ve never met Del Vecchio but have heard of him.

Until then I was aware of only two other candidates running the county office: The current incumbent DA Bob Beckett and Chief Deputy Ron Kent, both Republicans, are running.

The office of District Attorney is a partisan office. So it would appear that in the primary election Beckett and Kent will oppose each other for the nomination of the Nye County Republican Party. Similarly Kunzi and Del Vecchio will be the contestants for the nomination of the Nye County Democratic Party.

The winners of the primary will then provide the choice of all Nye County voters in the general election in November.

I’ve never thought much about the fact the DA’s office is partisan in Nevada. In California it is nonpartisan in theory, but very partisan in reality.

Being of the Democratic persuasion I am pleased that Democrats may, finally, begin contesting local elections in Nye County. Having competing political party elections help provide more choice to voters.

That said, just how does the ordinary voter go about learning enough about these four men to make an intelligent decision as to which one they’ll vote for? It is much more difficult to learn sufficient facts about each candidate to determine which should be the District Attorney.

Most of us think of the DA as the person who prosecutes people accused of commission of a crime. Actually, the DA is considerably more than just that. Criminal prosecutions is the primary role, of course. However, the DA is also an administrator of his office. He has to have the ability to see that his office operates smoothly and efficiently. That means he has to know something about organizing the structure of his office to accomplish that task. Then there is always the problem of hiring qualified personnel to do the myriad of tasks of running an office. Secretaries, clerks, investigators, and competent deputy prosecutors, and in some offices paralegals, to get all the normal daily stuff done.

The administrative role also requires someone with the ability to deal with judges, which can sometimes be a pain. Also, the DA needs to be able to interact well with the law enforcement agencies who supplies him with the criminal cases he must prosecute. In Nye County those law enforcement agencies would primarily be the Sheriff’s office and the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Additionally he has to deal with the County Board of Commissioners, specifically for his operating budget. In Nye County, different than California, the DA is also the legal counsel for the Board of Commissioners. That function is primarily one of civil law.

He is also the individual with the responsibility of collecting child support from absent parents in both welfare and non-welfare cases.

The District Attorney wields a lot of power. His primary duty is to see that justice is done. He possesses virtual total discretion in what cases he prosecutes. Sometimes that requires Solomon-like wisdom.

So, you may begin to see that it may not be all that easy to select who you want to be the DA. It will be interesting to see how all four candidates conduct their campaigns and who gets elected and why.

I watched President Obama’s speech in St. Louis yesterday. It was quite noticeable that he has seemingly dropped his previous effort of trying to cajole the Republican leadership into governing in a bipartisan way. The Republican leadership were clear in showing they’d have none of that and proceeded to earn its deserved moniker of the Party of No.

Obama talked about that during his speech. He reminded us of the Republican leaders participation (or lack thereof) during the seven-hour televised health care summit between himself, the Democrats and Republicans.

For seven hours we only heard the Republicans say, no, start over. Nothing of any constructive nature from the Republican side.

Looks like Obama has given up on trying to enlist any Republican support in working together.

He is getting equally hard on the health insurance industry, who are only interested in corporate profits.

Republicans seem to be only interested in politics and the election this fall. Not much, if any, interest in the condition of the American people.

Be that as it may, it is good to hear President Obama back on track, for us little people.

[Post inspired by The Daily Beast]

The conflicts between Israel and Palestine seem to have no end. I read that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Pastor John Hagee were onstage together the day before Vice-President Joe Biden arrived in Israel to try to get peace talks started—again.

Hagee, “is the right-wing Christian evangelical leader who thought New Orleans got what it had coming to it with Katrina, and is dead-set against any kind of peace settlement that recognizes Palestinian statehood. ‘If America puts pressure on Israel to divide Jerusalem, we are following the blueprint of the Prince of Darkness,” Hagee has said. “Amos 3:2 states that any nation that divides the Land of Israel will come under the severe judgment of God.’”

Netanyahu is also characterized as “right-wing” in Eric Alterman’s post on The Daily Beast. If accurate, that puts two right-wing guys together.

From the sounds of it Netanyahu isn’t really interested in any peace talks with Palestine.

But what is Hagee doing there? He belongs in the pulpit, not involved in foreign affairs. This mixing of religion and politics is counter productive. Besides, who gives Hagee the authority to tell anyone what God will or will not do?

[Source: The Daily Beast]