The above title also adorned the 2014 election day Barbwire. Welcome to déjà vu all over again.
The 2014 column decried lack of transparency involving candidates endorsed by perennial candidate Sharron Angle’s local version of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies. They nuked that section of their website after I called.
NFRA is not part of any elected body but a cleverly titled extremist outfit that wants to impose government by the Christian Bible. (Disregard that new-fangled godless Constitution of the United States, you sinners!)
NVFRA supported Storey County Sheriff Gerald Cook-Antinoro, now up to his neck in controversy after short-circuiting a murder investigation. They also endorsed Washoe Sheriff Chuck Allen, now on TV with Cook-Antinoro opposing background checks on gun show purchases (Question 1).
NVFRA endorsed anti-tax Assemblymember Jill Dickman, R-Sparks, who voted against money for education last year but last month voted for the Oakland Raiders Las Vegas stadium tax hemorrhage. Another NVFRA darling, State Controller Ron Knecht, has led the fight to skim taxpayer money to religious schools. (Screw that new-fangled thing called the Constitution.)
Washoe County Commissioner Jeanne Herman was one of four Republicans who blocked sensible taxation for education in December of 2014, resulting in the WC-1 sales tax proposal on today’s ballot.
Washoe new car dealers were behind the 2014 anti-tax campaign. Fearing loss of customers to neighboring counties with lower taxes, the bandidos again oppose this year’s screw-the-poor levy.
I was going to vote against WC-1 because of what happened in 1982 with the “save Elderport” regressive sales tax increase. Immediately after their election win, bus bosses killed Elderport.
Reno Gazette-Journal staffers have told me they live under constant threats of ad cancellations when a car dealer sees a story he doesn’t like. The RGJ disgraced itself in 2014 doing the bidding of automotive moguls. To its credit, the Reno paper found the courage to expose the current clandestine re-run.
Ironically, the last time Washoe’s sales tax was raised, vehicle sales increased, according to research by former Tribunite Dennis Myers in the Reno News & Review.
As the old saying goes, “if they’re agin’ it, I’m fur it.” At least they can’t kill the schools like they terminated Elderport. I hope.
LIFE IMITATES ART. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s venerable TV series “The West Wing” came true. The 2005 conclusion dramatized election of the first minority president (played by Latino Jimmy Smits) who appointed his former opponent (played by Alan Alda) as secretary of state.
In Sorkin’s story, Smits won a narrow victory when late returns came in from — drum roll, please — Nevada.
BARBWIRE CONFIDENTIAL: If Republican Joe Heck wins Harry Reid’s U.S. Senate seat today, he can be proven ineligible because of that new-fangled thing called the Constitution. (No, Heck wasn’t born in Kenya.)
His disqualification could throw the senate to the Democrats, at least for awhile. Watch BallotBoxing.US/
Now are you glad you didn’t vote early?
Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno.
Andrew Barbano is a 48-year Nevadan and editor of NevadaLabor.com/ E-mail <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us> Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Tribune since 1988.
JMP says
This article is lame and makes no sense. Please start writing real news.