Last June, one labor leader termed the 2015 legislative session “The Great Escape.”
Republican Gov. Veto El Obtúsè’s 2015 tax proposals would not have passed without Democratic and union support. Minus that bargaining chip, 2017 will bring open season on unions unless Democrats can regain a majority in at least one chamber.
Control of the state Senate lies in northwest Reno where Republican Greg Brower, a narrow 2012 winner over former Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, is the most endangered elephantine incumbent.
Last week came word that former Assemblymember Heidi Seevers Gansert. R-Reno, will run to replace Sen. Brower. The daughter of legendary First National Bank of Nevada executive Leo Seevers, she’s smart, experienced, female, telegenic and rich. The doctor’s wife also doesn’t carry the primary poison of having voted for tax hikes, at least not recently.
Nonetheless, the district remains the most vulnerable in the state to Democratic takeover. The game’s afoot.
PETITION PERDITION. You may have heard that taxophobic moonhowlers are circulating a petition to repeal this year’s paltry tax increases. The werewolves hope to get gullible government goosers to flock to the polls.
As this column alone first revealed in July, per-pupil education funding lies flat despite the tax hikes. Adjusted for inflation, we’ve done slud (sic) backwards. That’s how bad the cuts have been in this stingy state since 2008.
Who cares? We don’t need no education, which brings me to my Italian teenage crush.
MACHINE GUN MICHELE BLASTS AGAIN. As always, mercurial Assemblymember Michele Fiore, R-Gomorrah South, is chock full of simple solutions for complex problems.
On Sam Shad’s TV show last week, she said that taking ownership of the “84 percent” of Nevada owned by the feds would cover us if this year’s tax hikes are repealed.
Nevada is not worthy of such trust. See “Congress gave the new state of Nevada 4 million acres to pay for schools. What happened to them?” by former Tribunite Dennis Myers, Reno News & Review, 7-18-2013.
Shoot-First Fiore added that many government-torching GOP primary candidates will announce soon.
LINDA ANGELES KELLEY, 1941-2015. Beautiful Linda Kelley, 73, passed away on Aug. 1 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. She and husband Lyle were Sparks residents since the 1960s. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Oct. 10 at St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral. Her full obituary will be linked to this column at NevadaLabor.com/
PERDITION PART DEUX. Last week, a complaint was filed with the secretary of state about a group named Engage Nevada, which has been gathering petition signatures at Reno DMV. The group’s proposal would require drug testing of all welfare recipients. Like voter fraud, it’s a solution to a non-existent problem. Independent research has proven that drug abuse by the least among us barely (pardon the expression) moves the needle.
LV gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson was a founding funder of the GOP-leaning outfit in 2013.
Engage Nevada has not filed the petition with the secretary of state, which makes their activities illegal.
Be well. Raise hell. Esté bien. Haga infierno.
Andrew Barbano is a 46-year Nevadan and editor of NevadaLabor.com. E-mail <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us>. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Tribune since 1988.
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