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A Fair Deal for Nevada |
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A Fair Deal for Nevada |
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SIGN OF THE TIMES? This just in from one of our spies:
Opening scene : Passenger cabin of an airliner. Voiceover: "Please return to your seats and buckle your seatbelts. We are experiencing some turbulence. Err...Your seat cushion may be used for floatation. Thank you for flying Guinn Air 001." Second scene: Under water with schools of fish and other marine life swimming about. This goes on for several minutes. Final scene: Rescue helicopters dropping life preservers. Wonder if the show was an Aaron Russo production. JD |
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Wynn & the Casinos' Subsidized Art
It's time to write legislation which would forbid the casinos from selling, giving away, or otherwise disposing of art purchased under AB 536 -- except to a Nevada public-education institution. As I see it, when the casinos tire of displaying various pieces of their public-funded $25,000+ art, that art ought to be donated to one of Nevada's art musuems. Or, if the "art" consists of artifacts, whether statues, tapestries, or slot machines made of felt and chips, there are two State Historical Societies and a State History Museum in Nevada that would be pleased to add such objects to their collections. Such an amendment of AB 536 admittedly wouldn't return to the schools the funds the bill allows casinos to steal. However, good museums and museum exhibits do attract tourists - who bring dollars which help support schools. Further, many children are taken to visit our museums on school field trips. An exhibit of casino-donated art and artifacts, along with an explanation of how such items came to the musuem, could be quite an educational experience. Should the Steve Wynns of Nevada cry, "Unfair theft of my investment and profit!" at such a proposal, let us remind them that, by avoiding taxes, they made their profit at purchase. We might remind them, also, that musuem donations are considered great PR for the wealthy. I've no objection to art collections or expensive decor in the casinos which, for better or worse, fuel Nevada's economy. But I do believe it's only right that when the tax-payers are paying for the decorations and displays (and how often will the casinos want to redecorate when doing so means a tax break?), we're entitled to keep OUR valuable purchases within the state, and to use them for our citizens' public benefit.
Lyndall MacCowan |
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I Was Impressed
Joe has done his homework (for some 30 years) and obviously wants to get people back in government. As the candidate for Reno Mayor, I support what Joe stands for. And I am proud that he is brave enough to demand that casinos pay their fair share. This critical issue is also a vital part of my campaign platform.
Sam Dehne |
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The stand that state Sen. Joe Neal has taken on the Yucca Mountain nuclear storage proposal is a courageous change for a Nevada politician. The past 20 years have been dominated by anti-nuclear political stands unsupported by any rational scientific analysis. The same people who oppose the passive deep burial of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, until recently endorsed live atom bomb testing at the Nevada Test Site. Anyone who pointed out this hypocrisy was described as venal and accused of taking some kind of payoff from nuclear industry. In one case Gov. Bob Miller and Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa wanted to remove the Lincoln County commissioners from office because they wanted to cooperate with the nuclear industry. Remember when then-Gov. Richard Bryan promoted his "Bullfrog County" designed to punish Nye County for its stance in favor of Yucca Mountain by stealing its federal funds? State Sen. Neal is a breath of fresh air for Nevada. He demonstrates that he is not afraid of the casino industry, nor the Bryan-Miller axis. I hope he can maintain his level of testosterone in his upcoming gubernatorial campaign and give quid pro quo. Joe, there are a lot of people in the state who agree with you.
Richard V. Wyman |
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Take Care (everybody) |
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Gary Pierce |
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For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Senator Joe Neal, please take the time to do so. The Senator took the time to talk to four of us for an hour over coffee at Marie Callenders. He answered all questions with humor and clarity, and he never asked for a dime. As Dr. Paulson observed after he left, similar access to Guinn would cost a hundred dollars a plate, and then you would get a packaged speech and a handshake at the door. Senator Neal is confident about winning, and he has the presence and the intelligence, and more importantly, the connections, to make it happen. After 27 years in the Nevada legislature he knows Nevada law, and he knows the lawmakers. There was a time when people doubted that he would be taken seriously, but you might want to explain to your friends that the Democratic establishment will support him, and organized labor in Nevada will support him. I will support him. He's going to be Governor. He proposes a novel concept in recent Nevada politics: he's going to represent the voters. He has no plans to exclude any groups or to unfairly exploit any groups, including small businessmen. Spread the word. Register to vote. Support Joe Neal.
Ann Reynolds |
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Thank you for coming to our Community College of Southern Nevada class today and speaking about your campaign. I learned a lot from your talk about casino taxes. Good luck on your campaign; you can count on my vote.
Bernadette Collins |
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The time is right to pray and act. It isn't a time to respond to events. It is a time to focus on goals and to progress toward the goal. If our goal is making Nevada a better place to live, then we simply continue to live our lives in the best possible way, and refuse to be defeated by other people's definition of defeat. If organized labor has abandoned Joe Neal, then organized labor will lose by its own choice. The speed with which the current casino/developer regime will absorb and digest the wage scales offered by union jobs will amaze us all. Joe Neal is offering us a chance to elect a human being to the post of Governor. We cannot pass up the chance to whole-heartedly support him, to our friends, to our bosses, to our employees, to our children, and to our postmen. To the grocer. To the receptionist at the bank. To anyone who is sick of having our lives fed to slick men who tell each other that gambling is just another business. Remember that if we don't elect Joe Neal that what is happening in Las Vegas is the future of Nevada. Northern Nevada can no longer afford its smugness. What is happening in Verdi is a direct consequence of the success that pure greed has enjoyed in Las Vegas. What better climate for the usurpation of property rights than a core of corrupt and blind public servants who court money from any source with deaf ears to the people who live in the area? But we have to remember that what happens here is not the fault of the politicians. It is the direct and irrevocable responsibility of the people who allow it to happen. Stop gambling and register to vote. Start spending your time somewhere other than a casino. Avoid stores with slot machines. If a person is ruining his life or your life by gambling, avoid that person. The State of Nevada is still small. It can be controlled by a group of rational sensible and compassionate people, but we cannot lose our focus by accepting someone else's rules. If we want to stop being dominated by casinos publicly, then we must start carving out areas of sanity around ourselves. Cynicism is not useful. If anyone who is reading this is not registered to vote, then register. I was talking to a man today who wasn't registered to vote because he was a convicted felon. That's the only good excuse I've heard. (He was telling me that all of the employees of the company that he works for were convicted felons, and that is why they are being exploited, because they perceive themselves as powerless, and won't protest abusive treatment.) I asked him if he knew anybody who was eligible to register to vote, and he said no. He works for a company that disposes of toxic waste. I talked to another woman who just moved here from Oregon and was working for 5 dollars an hour. She told her boss that the minimum wage was 5.15, and she was fired. It is typical for casinos to hire full time and fire three weeks later, or to have much of their staff on-call, with two or three jobs. Preparing dealers to pass a drug test is an industry in itself. Time is our enemy. If we are going to have a large population based on the casino industry, then we will have all the problems that go with diseases of the spirit. Spend your money and your time away from slot machines. If you work in a casino leave after work. Stop gambling. Register to vote. If you live in Reno, vote for Sam Dehne. Elect Joe Neal Governor. Stop treating casino owners like they are gods. They are con men. Enjoy your day.
Ann Reynolds
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I wanted to write and wish you the best of luck in the elections and also let you know that we are proud of you here in Los Angeles. Seeing brothers such as yourself continue the pursuit is inspiring and I look forward to meeting you.
G.O.M.A.B. |
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Tax season is sort of like living in a different country for three and a half months. I was stopped by a policeman the other night on my way home from the office because I had forgotten to renew my license plates. . .I had to think a minute because I had been living in 1997 all day, but sure enough, it was March, and it wasn't yesterday that I had put aside the registration notice, it was two months ago. At least I had renewed my insurance. I even did a load of laundry a couple of weeks ago. . .now I'm back to buying underwear. But I have checked my e-mail a couple of times, and I've noticed a few billboards, and I've saved the notice about where my new polling place is. When April 15 hits, my wheels will still be spinning even though I've run out of road. At that point it will be time to seriously discuss the importance of electing Joe Neal Governor of Nevada. This can't be an expensive campaign, it has to be a campaign for the heart of Nevada, a word of mouth campaign, a campaign that simply ignores the boring and tiresome rhetoric in the casino/developer script. I have no right to discuss Senator Neal's goals, but I am very interested in how he plans to balance the rights of small business owners with the needs of Nevada's labor force. If we nurture small business, and I think Nevada must do that, then we must also draw the line between allowing small business to exist and allowing huge corporations to totally exploit workers. Nevada needs corporation money, but we have allowed our employment laws to deteriorate to the point where Nevada workers have no dignity and few rights. Any advantage that small business owners have gained by having the right to pay cheap wages is eaten up by having to compete with gaming corporations for every aspect of our economy. Unions are currently strong in Southern Nevada, but this is more to the advantage of the union than the state. Out of state workers flock here for union jobs while Nevada workers slave away in the casino industry, hustling tips and facing constant layoffs. Many of the current construction projects that include residential casinos in the plot plans are built with Nevada labor at cut rate prices. The union knows about it and tolerates it, and yet state contracts (paid for with Nevada tax dollars) offer scale wages to out of state workers when resident quotas aren't met. And I don't know if the anti-waste dump movement has noticed, but the federal government is building the waste dump at Yucca mountain. The cause of defeating the dump went down the tubes when Howard Cannon lost the Senate race to Chic Hecht in the early 80s. The rest is just shouting, and the people shouting about the dump the loudest are the politicians that are selling the state's natural resources and employment rights to casino/development. If we don't recognize the advent of hazardous waste as a serious industry in Nevada, then we will lose control of the hazardous waste. It will fall to numerous small contractors who will not pay well and who will not follow regulations, and will go bankrupt at the same rate as those illustrious individuals who build Las Vegas swimming pools. It's already happening. We need to make some serious deals about who will be allowed to run casinos, what they will pay their employees, what kind of businesses can be included in casino complexes, and where casinos will be tolerated. These decisions should be made by elected officials, and anyone affiliated with the casino industry should be excluded from the discussion. They should be excluded from election. We should lengthen the residency requirement for voting, and forbid policy making by non-elected officials. We need to make some serious deals about who can handle hazardous waste of any kind, what the pay scale has to be, and how long you can live in the state before you are certified to work in this industry. The unions can prosper here and still respect Nevada's taxpayers and Nevada's unique needs. At the very least the construction industry in Nevada can be stopped from blatant abuse of union regulations when it is convenient for the casino/developer interests. Guinn will not confront these issues, any more than Jan Jones will confront them. Russo probably has no idea what I'm talking about. Taxing dealers tips isn't the issue. Paying dealers is the issue. Anyone who thinks that dealers tips are gifts has obviously never tried not tipping a dealer. Dealers income should be paid by casinos, not squeezed out of gamblers by emotional extortion. Our next Governor will be from Las Vegas, (unless, Heaven forbid, we elect Russo, who lives in LA), so let's elect someone who thinks for himself. What is going on in Las Vegas will affect every aspect of life in Nevada. If we don't regulate the gaming and hazardous waste industries, then Nevada will truly be a wasteland, morally and economically as well as physically. The betrayal of Nevada's citizens by its elected officials is business as usual in Las Vegas. We have a chance to survive as a state that prizes freedom and nurtures its young people. We will not have another one. Let's get to know Joe Neal.
Ann Reynolds |
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Report received and appreciated. Will pass it on to my fellow committee members as well as Democrat Women. Thanks again.
Marlene A. Fowler |
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I attended the nuclear waste meeting at the convention center, with my husband March 6. I was shocked that we were the only two people who showed up. It's a shame that our community is on the verge of having thousands of tons of high-level nuclear waste shipped right through our town, via Union Pacific, and no one cared enough to attend the meeting. I wonder if the people of Elko are even aware of this threat to our health and our community. We need to let our elected officials know that we will not stand for this. Anyone who wants more information should contact Citizen's Alert in Reno.
Alelissa Cavanagh-Rezendes |
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David and Beth Fisher |
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To the editor: Your in-depth reports of Dec. 31 and Jan. 18 on the probable gubernatorial candidates, Kenny Guinn and state Sen. Joe Neal, make clear that Mr. Guinn is far from becoming "the inevitable next governor because the gaming industry is backing him." Most all Nevada voters are in support of Mr. Neal's plan to increase the gaming tax for the largest casinos, keeping the current tax without change for the smaller ones. Some detractors call this a "populist campaign." If they mean that Mr. Neal's plan is a popular one, tuned to the views of the majority and commonly liked or approved by the populace, they are right. It's true that Mr. Guinn is in a strong position with the hundreds of thousands already given to his campaign by the casinos and developers. It's also true that until recently he had taken no stand on economic, political or social issues. This leaves the strong impression that he, as governor, would be no more than a political minion to do whatever bidding the casinos dictate. Southern Nevada politicians gradually are waking up to the fact that their keepers are the voters and not the casinos and developers. The water related, quarter cent sales tax fiasco confirms this. Your report on Mr. Neal as an honest, straightforward politician -- and as a fighter for just causes -- provided a most favorable impression. A lot can happen between now and election time. But for now, my vote is for Mr. Neal and for any candidate for other offices that share his views.
JOHN P. CONNOR |
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I like your webpage. Good Luck in the campaign. May God be with you always. Mama's pulling for you up in Heaven.
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Welcome aboard! 1. First priority: expanding our e-mail network statewide and nationwide. Forward this memo and start collecting addresses and the folks who go with them. Tell them to fill out the volunteer form at http://www.neal98.org, and to fill it out thoroughly. 2. Have people check out the new website at http://www.neal98.org. The number of hits per day has been growing phenomenally since we launched the site. The statewide press has also been very gratifying. The Carson City Nevada Appeal thought so much of the Neal98.org website that they reproduced the entire front page in their 1-30-98 edition. 3. Save, forward and/or print items from the website, and e- or snail-mail them to your friends and recruits inside or outside Nevada. Tell people to spread the word in their towns. Contribution checks are always welcome! 4. Post website excerpts on chat rooms and bulletin boards you frequent and at list-serves to which you subscribe. Post hard copies on real-world bulletin boards you pass in your travels, such as at Senior Citizen centers and other public areas. 5. If you find a website which would benefit from a link to Neal98.org, ask them to look at Joe's site and please add a link. If you have your own website, do the same. 6. Inform us as to what the important issues are in your Nevada community. 7. Send us information on upcoming events now thru November. E.g., Joe will be keynote speaker at the Churchill County Democrats Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Fallon on March 20th. Anything like that coming up your way? News of hot dog feeds and pancake breakfasts are welcome, too. If the Vietnam Vets Campaign to Ban Land Mines could score an international treaty and the Nobel Peace Prize all because of a little creative use of e-mail, we can certainly do the same and make some history of our own with Senator Neal!
Andrew Barbano |
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To the editor, Las Vegas Review-Journal: Your in-depth reports of Dec. 31 and Jan. 18 on the probable gubernatorial candidates, Kenny Guinn and state Sen. Joe Neal, make clear that Mr. Guinn is far from becoming "the inevitable next governor because the gaming industry is backing him." Most all Nevada voters are in support of Mr. Neal's plan to increase the gaming tax for the largest casinos, keeping the current tax without change for the smaller ones. Some detractors call this a "populist campaign." If they mean that Mr. Neal's plan is a popular one, tuned to the views of the majority and commonly liked or approved by the populace, they are right. It's true that Mr. Guinn is in a strong position with the hundreds of thousands already given to his campaign by the casinos and developers. It's also true that until recently he had taken no stand on economic, political or social issues. This leaves the strong impression that he, as governor, would be no more than a political minion to do whatever bidding the casinos dictate. Southern Nevada politicians gradually are waking up to the fact that their keepers are the voters and not the casinos and developers. The water related, quarter cent sales tax fiasco confirms this. Your report on Mr. Neal as an honest, straightforward politician -- and as a fighter for just causes -- provided a most favorable impression. A lot can happen between now and election time. But for now, my vote is for Mr. Neal and for any candidate for other offices that share his views.
JOHN P. CONNOR |
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Your homepage preview looks wonderful!. I will talk to you tomorrow.
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