Republican opposition in Congress has stalled legislation that would extend much-needed benefits to unemployed workers.

There are more than 14.5 million people out of work and another 2.5 million who are discouraged and have given up looking for work, according to the Labor Department.

As we have noted before, some conservatives stunningly argue that benefits keep people from looking for work.

Nevada leads the nation in the percentage of people unemplyed at 14 percent. There are 120,000 Nevadans out of work, and that doesn’t include those who have given up looking.

Despite arguments to the contrary, this isn’t about people being spoiled or lazy. There aren’t jobs available. This is about ideology: The right-wing crowd doesn’t like government, and they are willing to let millions of Americans suffer to get their way. That is tragic.

[Source: Las Vegas Sun]

I wonder  how many of those unemployed, who need this extension of unemployment benefits, are unemployed Republicans?I also wonder how those unemployed Republicans are going to vote come November?

Gawker calls it America’s Worst-Run County: Nye County, Nevada.

Citing the Wall Street Journal, Gawker says it has the entire sordid tale of the management case study that is Nye County.

Looks like everyone and his dog is getting their fill of Pahrump and Nye County, Nevada.

Sheriff Tony DeMeo DA Bob Beckett

It isn’t every day that Pahrump and Nye County makes the Wall Street Journal. The headline in the Journal issue of July 6 heralds “High Noon in Pahrump, Nev.: Sheriff Arrests the District Attorney.” The sub headline reads “The D.A. Chooses Not to File Charges Against Himself, Investigates His Nemesis.”

The article begins “Like a scene from a Western movie, the two top lawmen here are settling their scores in public.” Forging onward the Journal reports the D.A. appointed a special prosecutor “to investigate possible abuses of power by the sheriff’s office and other public officials.” The special prosecutor filed felony charges against deputy sheriff, David Boruchowitz, for arresting Beckett.

The Journal article proceeds to explain the arrest of District Attorney Robert Beckett by Sheriff Tony DeMeo’s deputy for allegedly “misusing public funds.” Then it points out that “…the D.A., refuses to charge himself.”

“[A]fter he (Boruchowitz) was summoned to lock himself in the corrugated metal county jail, he sent out a press release with his own mug shot announcing he had been arrested. A judge later rejected the charges, contending Mr. Beckett didn’t have the power to appoint a special prosecutor. So Mr. Beckett refilled the charges himself.”

The Journal then describes Nye County as “twice the size of New Hampshire…Most of the county is so desolate that for years the military conducted atomic testing here.…Its sparse local economy includes a gold mine and a dairy farm, as well as seven brothels whose fees finance the county’s ambulance services.” Pahrump gets its mention as being 45 minutes from Las Vegas and the “local government struggled to keep up with the proliferation of houses and mini-malls strewn across the desert.”

The Journal characterizes the beef between DeMeo and Beckett this way. “Mr. DeMeo complains that his department arrests people who never get prosecuted. Mr. Beckett contends that some of the sheriff’s cases aren’t solid.”

“I’ve often said they need a mother to stop the fighting,” said Mr. Beckett’s wife, JoDee Beckett. “It’s like two little boys.” [Read more →]

Lisa Kohbarger of Pahrump writes me that:

Great Basin College in Pahrump campus needs a couple more students for the PSY 101 summer class for it to go; it’s a fast class July 6-Aug 6; this is a great way for anyone to get this pre-requisites or co-requisites done and out of the way; it’ll be here in the class room at the Pahrump campus; maybe if somebody reads it on your blog they’d sign up; we have about a 1 week and half for people to sign up for this one.. any help is appreciated–thanks so much!!!! I’m in but we need a couple more peeps thanks Jack–take care ”

“It’s the general psychology class on campus here at GBC on Calvada-main campus. PSY 101 is typically a pre-requisite for associate or bachelor degrees. anybody can call the main campus here in Pahrump at 727-2000 and ask for Jeff the advisor to get instructions on how to sign up if they cannot manage the http://www.facebook.com/l/1d0c7271LdX51uYngHMarDy3pkQ;www.gbcnv.edu website and go to Pahrump campus schedule. This is a one month course, in the classroom, not online and you receive a full three credits vs. taking it the entire semester.

Good idea. You can learn a lot by taking Psy 101. I took it years ago.

Republican Sharron Angle of the Tea Party Express has now come into national politics. Americans across the nation are becoming acquainted with her and Nevada politics. She is shown here at a Tea Party rally held last March in Searchlight, Nevada, hometown of Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid.

The Nevada Secretary of State reports that the early voting turnout in Nye County, Nevada is 10.14%. Nye County is running ahead of the Nevada state average of 7.45%. Clark County turnout is 7.06%. Pershing County leads the state with 15.64%. [Nevada Secretary of State]

Traversing through Red Rock Canyon from Pahrump to Las Vegas helps shorten the miles into the city. It is also picturesque and one of the more beautiful segments of the drive.

ProgressNow Nevada reports:

This week your Clark County Commissioners will be meeting to decide whether or not to allow a developer to come into Red Rock Canyon and build a housing development.

The plan calls for homes and retail outlets to be placed on the east side of Red Rock in the Blue Diamond area.

There are plenty of places left for new development in the valley. Red Rock is not one of them. Don’t let greedy developers destroy one of the great natural spaces in Nevada in the name of another housing development.

Take Action! Use the tool above to contact your county commissioner and tell them to reject this development deal!

On the ProgressNow site you will see a green button in the upper right corner of the page. It will permit you send a message to each of Clark County Commissioners that they should reject development plans for Red Rock.

Do it.

FactCheck.org writes:

We’ve seldom seen a piece of legislation so widely misrepresented, and misunderstood, as the new health care law. We stopped counting the number of articles and items we turned out on the subject after the total reached 100.

Some of that is understandable. The debate went on for more than a year, while the different House and Senate bills changed their shape constantly.  The final law was the product of an awkward two-step legislative dance that first enacted the Senate’s version, then quickly amended it with a reconciliation “fix.” No wonder people are confused.

And even now the misrepresentations continue. The new law is no longer a moving target, but some opponents persist in making false or exaggerated claims about it. Our inboxes are filled with messages asking about assertions that the new law:

• Requires patients to be implanted with microchips. (No, it doesn’t.)
• Cuts benefits for military families and retirees. (No. The TRICARE program isn’t affected.)
• Exempts Muslims from the requirement to obtain coverage. (Not specifically. It does have a religious exemption, but that is intended for Old Order Amish.)
• Allows insurance companies to continue denying coverage to children with preexisting conditions. (Insurance companies have agreed not to exploit a loophole that might have allowed this.)
• Will require 16,500 armed IRS agents to enforce. (No. Criminal penalties are waived.)
• Gives President Obama a Nazi-like “private army.” (No. It provides a reserve corps of doctors and other health workers for emergencies.)
• “Exempts” House and Senate members. (No. Their coverage may not be as good as before, in fact.)
• Covers erectile-dysfunction drugs for sex offenders. (Just as it was before the new law, those no longer in jail can buy any insurance plan they choose.)
• Provides federal funding for abortions. (Not directly. But neither side in the abortion debate is happy with the law.)

You can go to the FactCheck site and read their analysis of the points given above.

Sue Lowden, former chair of the Nevada GOP, has some suggestions for health care policy rather than the Democrats’ plan.

1. Save as much as you can in tax-free health savings accounts;

2. Barter with your doctor.

She said

I would have also allowed for us to have savings plans increase instead of being decreased like in this bill,” said Lowden. “I would have said to all of you, if you have a health savings account, I don’t really care how much you save, good for you. pre-tax, go ahead and save as much as you want. It’s your — it’s for your health. And if you want to save $20,000, good for you. Save it pre-tax.

And I would have suggested, and I think that bartering is really good. Those doctors who you pay cash, you can barter, and that would get prices down in a hurry. And I would say go out, go ahead out and pay cash for whatever your medical needs are, and go ahead and barter with your doctor.

This is the lady leading in the polls to be the GOP nominee to run against Nevada’s Senator Harry Reid.

How many people are in a position to save up $20,000 for a health savings account? Not many of anyone I know.

And barter with your doctor rather than pay in cash? Wonder if she barters with her doctor? I doubt it.

A fellow named Russell decided to try the barter idea:

I just called my doctor and he wont take a 1973 Dodge Dart with a new motor for my upcoming yearly physical, which runs about $600 and that includes prostate exam. I offered to throw in 3 dead squirrels and a live chicken and still no deal! Heck I even went so far as to offer to mow his lawn for a month and he still shot me down! So much for that airhead’s idea to barter for health care….How stupid are republicans thinking you can barter with health care providers? Can you imagine what their ads will look like in the fall…”please vote for me and I’ll do my best to repeal health care so you wont have access to decent affordable healthcare”….yea…that sounds like a winning message.

Lowden made national TV on the Jay Leno Show bringing the spotlight on the state of Nevada.
[Source: TPM]

The upcoming 2010 election in Nye County and particularly in Pahrump is getting well underway.

Candidates have been kicking off their campaigns—with their new websites:

Laurayne Murray, pictured left, is running for Nye County Commissioner for District 5.

She has gone online with her campaign website you can find by clicking  here. She maintains a Facebook page here.

Carolene Endersby, right, running for Pahrump Town Board has  also initiated her campaign website which you can see here. She also has a presence on Facebook here.

Tom Waters, left, also running for Pahrump Town Board, has his campaign website here and is on Facebook here.

I am fortunate to know all three of these candidates. They are friendly, personable, well educated, experienced in diverse ways, level headed, and outstandingly well qualified to fill the offices for which they seek election. I intend to vote for each of them.

I am confident that once you visit their websites you will concur in my judgment. So go to their sites and read all about them. See if you don’t agree with me.

Like anyone running for election the three of them need your help and support to get elected. So when you get to their sites drop them an e-mail and offer to assist them in getting elected. Also, when they are appearing at the various meet and greets, candidate’s forums, or other such events, go see them in person and talk with them. None of three bite. You’ll wind up being their admiring friend.

Then drop me a comment and tell me what you think of them.