Political commentary/genealogical interests

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]

Greetings,

On Saturday, April 10, 2010 the Nye County Democratic Party will be holding its Jefferson-Jackson Dinner at the Nevada Treasure Resort in Pahrump.  The evening begins at 7:00 pm.  Our speakers will be; Senator Harry Reid, Congresswomen Berkley and Titus, State Treasurer Marshall and State Controller Kim Wallin.  We will also have candidates for office speaking.

Tickets are:  $40.00 each/$70.00 per couple/$300.00 per table.  You may call me at 775-910-3494 to order tickets or you may send a check to:  1201 S. Hwy 160, Suite 105, Pahrump, NV 89048.  If you would like the tickets mailed to you, please enclose a SASE otherwise you may pick them up at the door. 

We need to get an accurate count for dinner for the caterer, so please contact me as soon as possible if you will be coming.

We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Kathleen L. Bienenstein,

Chair, Nye County Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Committee

The Daily Beast

A few days ago I blogged a post about March being the month in which outstanding women are featured. Today The Daily Beast has a featured article about

Women in the World, will showcase the stories of outstanding women leaders fighting sex trafficking, child marriage, and other challenges holding back women and girls. Featuring Meryl Streep, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Her Majesty Queen Rania, and activists from across the globe, it will be a live event—live-streamed on The Daily Beast—that focuses in depth on powerful human stories about women. The gathering will include women pioneers in government, media, social activism, business, and the arts. It’s shaping up to be an incredibly exciting three days of provocative political discussion, dramatic presentations, and fiery debate, including such terrific participants as former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright; Thomas L. Friedman; Katie Couric; Meryl Streep; Prajwala founder and anti-trafficking activist Sunitha KrishNan; Chouchou Namegabe, the Congolese anti-rape activist and journalist; Kakenya Ntaiya, the founder of girls’ schools in Kenya; Afghan women’s activist Suraya Pakzad; Barbara Walters; Christiane Amanpour; French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde; Nora Ephron; Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, former British first lady and human-rights lawyer Cherie Blair; and many, many more. To get involved with this remarkable and important event, email us. Connect with the Women in the World Summit on Facebook, Twitter, and our own Social Engagement Site.

A tip of my hat to The Daily Beast for calling such an array of women leaders to our attention.

Bank of America announced it will end overdraft fees on debit cards this summer, a move that will cost the bank a large amount of revenue and pressure others to follow suit.

Customers who don’t have enough cash in their accounts to make a purchase will simply be declined.

More than 60% of overdraft fees charged by Bank of America come from debit cards.

A new federal law is forcing banks to get permission from customers before allowing overdrafts on debit purchases and ATM withdrawals, fees that earned banks $20 billion last year.

Regulators became concerned by reports of people paying as much as $40 for a cup of coffee thanks to overdraft fees, and Congress is considering even more restrictive rules.

A 2008 study by the FDIC found that while 75% of customers are never charged overdraft fees, a small group—14% of cardholders—generates 93% of the fees.

[Source: New York Times via Daily Beast]

Notice that B of A didn’t end these fees voluntarily. It happened because of the new federal law passed in Congress.

WASHINGTON – Republican Senator John Ensign – speaking from his room at the C Street Center – has come out swinging against ex-Representative Eric Massa.
“That he would admit to a tickle fight is a travesty and an embarrassment for this Congress,” said Ensign, who at no time during his speech slept with any of his friends’ wives. “The Democrats have once again proven to have serious ethics problems.”

Ensign – who while speaking never once tried to find a job for anyone he cuckolded – said he felt his record showed him as a fierce non-tickler.

“I don’t tickle the Republican Party at all,” said Ensign, who was backed by close friend, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn. “I stridently avoid any ticklish situations.”

Ensign’s speech was cut short, however, as his parents arrived and chased away reporters with a broom and $100 bills.

[dagblog]

Authorities in Riverside County, California, say a woman with a gun robbed 11 customers at a market and got away with $6.

[MSNBC]

COME ONE and ALL  (Invite EVERYONE – friends, family, soon-to-be-supporters of Rory, et al.)

What:                 BBQ for Rory Reid for Governor

Where:             John and Vicky Birkland’s backyard
                            5832 Trailblazer Drive, North Las Vegas 89031

When:              Saturday, APRIL 17^th
Time:                 4:30 to ???

Fee:                   $10  per adult  (kids free)

Menu:              Hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, salads, fruit – and welcoming any POT LUCK dishes anyone wants to bring!

RSVP:                702 505-9459  or jabirkland@cox.net

Yes, we’re also hosting a BBQ for Kate Marshall on Sunday May 2^nd (week before Mother’s Day), so hope you can come to both events!

Sorry I haven’t yet got any cute invitation, but I wanted to get out the word so you can mark your calendars to SAVE THE DATE.  We want YOU and YOURS to come.  I’ll send out more information soon, but MARK IT DOWN.  WE would LOVE to have YOU here.

Thanks!

Vicky and John Birkland (avid supporters of our next Governor – Rory Reid)

505-9459

All Nevada voters should be aware of the following information. For those of you who may not know, Sue Lowden is running for Governor of Nevada. Currently she is running for the Republican nomination in the upcoming Primary election to run on the Republican ticket in the General Election in November.

I received the following from Friends for Harry Reid:

For Immediate Release                                                                                   Tuesday, March 9, 2010

CONTACT: Zac Petkanas, Deputy Communications Director, (702) 278-2120

Lowden’s Casinos A Dangerous Place to Work

Cited 221 Times by OSHA for Safety, Health Violations, Some Involving Exposure to “Bloodborne Pathogens”

LAS VEGAS – As a casino executive, Sue Lowden has proven that she will do anything to make a buck. As previously reported, she broke the law to deny her employees health insurance and even gave her CEO husband six-figure bonuses while slashing the jobs of hundreds of her workers.

Now, we learn that under Sue Lowden, casinos owned by Archon Corporation were dangerous places to work.  In fact, during the years she was a casino executive, the Sahara, Hacienda, Santa Fe and Pioneer Hotels and Casinos were cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at least 221 times.

Fifty-two of these violations were classified as serious. Four of the total 221 were repeat violations.

Her casinos were also fined 35 times for workplace safety violations.   Clearly she didn’t learn her lesson because one of these fines cost the company $12,400 for a repeated violation, when she repeatedly failed to keep workplace floors free of nails, splinters, holes, and loose boards at the Hacienda.

Of the other 221 violations, one includes a 2001 violation that resulted in a $1,680 fine after it was found they had violated a requirement that explosion-proof wiring must be used in areas where dangerous quantities of flammable vapors are sprayed.  Another includes a $4,500 fine at Sahara in 1994 for not providing employees medical evaluations following a report of a blood borne pathogen exposure incident. Yet another in 1992 resulted in a fine at the Santa Fe for failing to label hazardous chemicals.

“It looks like Sue Lowden will stop at nothing to make a buck, even if it means breaking the law and putting her employees’ safety on the line,” said campaign manager Brandon Hall.  “If she isn’t even willing to look out for the people who helped her make her $50 million fortune, how can Nevadans who don’t know her at all believe she’ll actually fight to protect them?” [Read more →]