This is from Bob Fulkerson over at PLAN. I’ve got some heavy equipment on my plate, but hope to make it down there on Thursday if not tomorrow:
Let’s demand new revenues with the same passion as we denounce the cuts! Attend two hearings in Carson City and Las Vegas
Tuesday, April 5, at 1 pm, Senate Revenue Committee, Room 2134 and the Sawyer Building in Las Vegas Support SB 493 to create a Mining Commission to conduct tax and environmental oversight of the industry, and SJR 15 to end mining’s sweetheart tax loopholes by completely eliminating the mining tax section from the Nevada Constitution. If passed by the Legislature, it would require two votes of the people in 2012 and 2014.
Thursday, April 7, 8 am, Assembly Taxation Committee in room 3100 of the Nevada Legislature and the Sawyer building in Carson City and the Sawyer Building in Las Vegas. Support AB 428 to limit the tax deductions mining enjoys to keep shelter it from meaningful taxation. Over a 10-year period, on 111 occasions, one mine or another did not pay a dime of mining taxes on $4.3 billion in gold produced. It’s time to end the loopholes.
The phone rang early this morning, and it was early riser, Bob Fulkerson from the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN). Lucky for him, I’d already had a cuppa. He wanted me to noodle around in a cool website and dig up which mining companies might have been contributing to some folks down in Carson City. Yup, that got me wide awake.
“Yaoza, Bob! Of course, I can do that.”
I’m makin’ a list and checkin’ it twice - gonna find out who’s been naughty and nice …
If you are of the research mind, and like to fiddle around with interesting statistical information, this website is for you! The only question you have to ask is “how deep do you want to drill?”
Even more revealing was another little task I was given which involved going onto the Nevada Secretary of State’s website, to look up Contributions & Expenses reports for various candidates.
I don’t know how it could be much more obvious that the future of American democracy depends on the passage of robust, no prisoners taken, campaign finance reform. Each and every qualified candidate should be publically financed, and not be allowed to accept one damn dime from anybody, anytime, for any reason.
These statements are filled with shadowy organizations - the Republican Leadership Council, the Citizens for Really Neat-O Government or … whatever. The point being that you don’t know who’s really behind them. Hosni Mubarak could be a contributor and nobody would be the wiser. That ain’t ‘free speech’. That’s bullshit.
Take a look for yourself.
click on the image to redirectWell, that’s enough fun for one day.
- willing tool of the Lefty Liberal Leftists, Maven
This should be an interesting week, what with the State of the State by newly minted Nevada governor, Brian Sandoval this evening, and the State of the Union, tomorrow night by newly minted centrist president, Barack Obama. The casual observer might walk away with the notion that half-measures, baby steps, middle of the road, lukewarm is what will save the day. We wouldn’t want bold, decisive, “I said it, and I own it” action. Nosirree.
Keep cutting, gutting and slashing essential services like education and Medicaid - often referred to as ‘greater efficiencies’. As though that’s ever worked in the past. This is the oldest trick in the bureaucratic books. Make the little guy squeak, then he’ll be happy to have his taxes raised to get the local roads plowed - while the untouchable defense budget and the military-industrial complex goes right along fat and happy.
There are some that ‘get it’ however. PLAN (Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada), with their director, Bob Fulkerson leads the way, bearing the flag of reality. Watch and remember during tonight’s State of the State:
“No new taxes, means no solutions”. Never a truer word was uttered, Bob. As Fulkerson points out, slashing programs and budgets to reduce the states’ budget deficit, unfairly places a disproportionate share of the burden on those who can least bear it.
And this same logic extends from the local and state level to the federal and national level.
On Sunday mornings, Mr. Maven and I enjoy our coffee while watching CBS’ ‘Sunday Morning’ - and have done so since the days of it’s original host, the late Charles Kuralt. Yesterday, I thought “Oh, great. Let’s suffer through another annoying commentary by Ben Stein…”. Normally, this is where I’d go refreshen the coffee.
This cut a bit too close to the bone. When the ever-monotone, to the right of Atilla the Hun, Ben Stein thinks Obama might just be the choice of a revitalized GOP, I know we’re in trouble.
Saturday evening was interesting. We attended a MeetUp of the Reno Skeptical Society, Skeptics in the Pub. The venue has got to change - the Sierra Gold was far too noisy and, once we moved to the patio, too frigid. However, this looks to be a good group with a positive agenda - to promote the use of critical thinking/reason in our culture and community. We had 21 attendees, and were we not shivering too hard to think clearly, it would’ve been a neat opportunity for discussion, observation and discovery. I was a little ‘skeptical’ of the youthful tilt of the group, but found them to be warm and welcoming.
To this end, I’ll be posting more content related to skepticism on this blog (see the Baloney Alert category ). I hope you will consider attending with us next month. Until their website is up, you’ll have to follow them on MeetUp.
I want to let you know about a couple of upcoming events, which I plan to attend:
On Thursday, February 3, 7:00 p.m. Director of the Hayden Planetarium, Neil deGrasse Tyson, author, skeptic and astronomer, will speak at the Redfield Auditorium in the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center. His topic: “The World as Seen Through the Lens of a Scientist”
deGrasse Tyson follows in the footsteps of his mentor, the late Carl Sagan, making science accessible, and encouraging critical reasoning skills. He has appeared many times on PBS’ NOVA, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show and more.
In February, date and location to be announced, the Reno Skeptics plan a showing of the BBC documentary, ‘Creation’, about the extraordinary life and times of Charles Darwin. Stay tuned.
Later tonight, we plan to watch what may become a favorite tee-vee program - and successor to ‘Boston Legal’ - Harry’s Law with Kathy Bates. We saw the series premier last week, and though the premise is a real stretch of the imagination (poverty law office and shoe store ) it’s great fun to watch Bates and her cohorts romp through it. File under: ‘improbable but entertaining’.
Also new, I’m looking forward to seeing Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais’ ‘An Idiot Abroad’. File this under ‘cruel but potentially gut-wrenchingly funny’, as they send round-headed naif Karl Pilkington (gotta love the name) to the ends of the earth- just to see what happens when Karl ‘encounters’ stuff.
On Tuesday, February 1, the Urban Institute is offering a really timely webcast:”What Policymakers, the Public, the Press, and Parents Need to Know about Economics … in 90 minutes or less”. Should be great. You can sign up at the Urban Institutes’ website, or just watch the video afterward. I’ll try and post it here. Why watch this, you ask. Because economics in the driving force behind it all, dearie. Everything that keeps you awake at night, has economics at the root. Well, most of it. Economics didn’t have anything to do with why you drank that late cuppa joe. Hmmm. Or maybe it did … while you were getting the tax receipts out of the shoe boxes.
Ladybird Kat has taken over the house, as undisputed queen, now that poor little Asta is gone. This isn’t bad except that I have to wash and change the sheets and pillow cases more often. Sneeze. This cat has the most eerie resemblance to Alfred E. “What me worry?” Newman.
Finally, I’ll be posting some yummy recipes and foodie ideas today and tomorrow, so stay tuned for that. And I’ve posted a few of my backyard birding photos to the gallery in addition to Facebook. Enjoy.
The knee is about ready to test on the slopes. Too bad there ain’t any new snow. I’m waiting for some new, as the frozen corduroy won’t be the best thing to test it out on.
For some time now, it has been clear to news observers, that the Las Vegas Review-Journal had a definite political slant, and an agenda to serve. I hope this serves as a cautionary tale for those who still believe the fiction about the Liberal Media (that doesn’t exist, except in the fevered imaginations of right wingnuts).
I received this email this morning from Bob Fulkerson at PLAN:
Friends,
Please find attached the complaint against PLAN for alleged copyright violations filed by “Righthaven”, on behalf of the Las Vegas Review Journal. Apparently, they would like to shut us down and have demanded our domain name and lots of money. It is an absurd and vindictive suit; we are 100% confident that PLAN is in compliance with the law.
We posted excerpts of RJ stories, then linked to the full article. That is common practice across thousands of websites. The first item in their complaint is pretty typical. Three out of about 29 paragraphs were quoted. The Fair Use standard is 25%, which we have not violated.
In every one of the articles cited in their complaint, someone from PLAN is quoted in the story. As Emily Green points out in her blog (pasted below), the R-J is now suing its own source!
This was in my evening email - from ProgressNowNevada via PLAN’s Bob Fulkerson:
Dear Bob,
In his campaign speech Monday Jim Gibbons said state government was “bloated.”
He told Nevadans to buy gift certificates for teachers.
But he didn’t tell us how many state workers and teachers are going to be laid off.
He didn’t tell us how much he’s planning to cut, or that his proposed cuts don’t balance the budget.
He didn’t talk about putting hard-core juvenile offenders back on the street; making the mentally ill homeless again or how the state won’t pay for adult diapers anymore.
Talk about a load of crap.
We know there’s a way to balance the budget without killing Nevada’s future.
If you can, please attend the public hearing atReno City Hall, 1 E. First St., Reno. The forum goes from 9:00 a.m. until noon.Tell lawmakers how the cuts will impact you. And tell them they must consider new revenue in this special session.
We have offered several options for lawmakers to consider. Our options raise $800 million and reduce cuts to $82 million. More than 500 of you have already signed onto our plan.
Statement of Bob Fulkerson, State Director, Progressive Leadership Alliance, regarding the Senate vote to proceed with debate on health care reform legislation:
“Nevada’s working families can take comfort in this historic breakthrough on health care reform. Sen. Reid has demonstrated tremendous leadership in getting to the 60 votes necessary to move this landmark bill forward. It is unfortunate that his colleague from Nevada, Sen. Ensign, has chosen to side with the insurance companies and against consumers. We are about to enter a new era in achieving affordable, accessible health care for all.”
Reno,Nevada – This Thursday at 11:00am, health care reform organizers and advocates with Nevada Health Care for America Now and PLAN will request Senator Ensign and Congressman Heller to support comprehensive health care reform at the “Have a Heart, Save Lives” Rally.
The Grim Reaper and Ghosts (representing people who have died to lack of health care in Nevada) will participate in the rally to help bolster support for winning good, affordable health care we all can afford with the choice of a strong public health insurance option.
Thursday’s action is one of more than 40 taking place nationwide through Halloween. The actions include leafleting, press conferences in front of insurance company buildings, generating calls to Congress, calling out insurance industry executives and board members working to spook Americans to protect their profits, and spreading the word that if the insurance companies win, we lose.
Bring Beach balls, sun umbrella’s, and other beach type props!
We must prove Nevadans believe we can protect our atmosphere, end our reliance on foreign energy, and recharge our economy by leading the nation in clean energy production.
Monday, April 4, 2011 at 21:22 
