Penny Press Nevada, USA Volume 15 Number 24 FEBRUARY 15, 2018 THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 2

www.pennypressnv.com The Penny Press is published weekly by Penny Credits: Far West Radio LLC All Contents © Penny Press 2018 Publisher and Editor: Contributing Editors: Press Fred Weinberg Floyd Brown Al Thomas Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They should be Doug French Robert Ringer emailed to: [email protected] No unsigned or Logotype unverifiable letters will be printed. Pointedlymad John Getter Pat Choate licensed from: Ron Knecht Byron Bergeron 775-461-1515 Rich Gast Penny Press NEVADA USA 16 PAGES VOLUME 15 NUMBER 24 FEBRUARY 15, 2018 Las Vegas Metro's Forfeiture Problem By DANIEL HONCHARIW Metropolitan Police Department — Moreover, because the seizing provides renewed evidence that Special to the Penny Press is using a legally dubious argument law enforcement agency is often the value of forfeited property is to keep the public in the dark permitted to keep all or a portion oftentimes petty, thereby belying In recent years, a number of when it comes to how, exactly, the of the proceeds generated by law enforcement’s justification states have implemented policies department utilizes the practice. the forfeited property, there is a for the use of civil forfeiture — that have curtailed the abuse of Given the due-process concerns perverse incentive for authorities namely, that the practice is crucial “civil asset forfeiture” by law related to forfeiture, Nevadans to abuse the practice to bolster for the purpose of crippling major deserve better. their budgets — a phenomenon crime syndicates. Civil forfeiture refers to the commonly referred to as “policing The AG’s 2017 report documents Commentary law enforcement practice of seizing for profit.” multiple instances of forfeitures a person’s property based on the It’s difficult to comprehend how within Metro’s jurisdiction where mere suspicion that such property such a seemingly anti-American the value of the property in question enforcement agencies. Nevada isn’t was connected to criminal activity, practice can flourish, unchecked, in is less than $1 — hardly enough to one of those states. regardless of whether criminal the supposed “Land of the Free” — bring any major criminal enterprise Instead, the rate at which charges are ever filed against the yet the situation is only worsening to its knees. Nevada authorities have exploited owner. In forfeiture proceedings, in Nevada, and the public is being These instances suggest that the practice has accelerated rapidly, individuals are required to spend left in the dark as to why. local law enforcement is literally according to the Nevada attorney their own time and money defending According to the AG’s recent taking quarters out of the pockets general’s 2017 Forfeiture Report their seized property in court, with report, the amount of forfeited of individuals through a practice released this month. no presumption of innocence. property in Nevada totaled $3.7 that provides minimal due-process Making matters worse, the It’s a system that completely million during fiscal 2017, a 12 protection. state’s largest beneficiary of upends the American notion of due percent year-over-year increase. As multiple studies have civil forfeiture — the Las Vegas process. Interestingly, the report also documented, such forfeiture Continued on page4 The Conservative Weekly Voice Of Nevada RON KNECHT PAGE 5 Penny Wisdom FRED WEINBERG PAGE 6 Inside: ROBERT RINGER PAGE 7 This country has come to feel Gomer Pyle Has the same when Congress is in DOUG FRENCH PAGE 9 session as when the baby gets MERRILL MATTHEWS PAGE 10 Joined The TSA hold of a hammer. ROBERT ROMANO PAGE 11 —Will Rogers See Editorial Page 6 CHUCK MUTH PAGE 14 THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 4 Metro: Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt Continued from page 3 patterns often amount to legalized theft against the state’s poorest, who Thus it appears that the department is unlawfully keeping these records are disproportionately targeted by the practice. from seeing the light of day — an especially troubling thought, given the Metro’s reluctance to be transparent about its forfeiture activities, perverse incentive civil forfeiture provides for abuse by authorities. however, makes things even worse. It has left the public no way to Ideally, state law should simply prohibit the practice of civil forfeiture investigate the extent to which there might be abuse or mismanagement. — allowing only for criminal forfeiture in cases where illegal conduct In fact, the Nevada Policy Research Institute has been trying for has been proven and due process rights are protected for the property’s months to ascertain the underlying fact patterns behind such petty cases, owners. to no avail. In the interim, however, Nevadans should at least demand transparency Instead of providing the relevant records, Metro’s Office of Public from our law enforcement agencies regarding the use of civil forfeiture. Information has consistently denied the requests on the basis that “arrest After all, without such transparency, it is virtually impossible to assure the reports are considered criminal history which cannot be disseminated to public that our local law enforcement agencies are not, in fact, “policing non-media.” for profit.” This response is peculiar, given that media outlets are no more entitled to public records than is the general public, nor are criminal history records Daniel Honchariw is a policy analyst at NPRI and author of the report, specifically exempted from the purview of Nevada’s public-records law. “Who Does Civil Asset Forfeiture Target Most?” THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 5 Commentary: Ron Knecht & James Smack Robert Taft was born in Ohio outlawed the sale of alcoholic the trials “victor’s justice” and a Robert Taft: in 1889, the eldest son of future beverages). violation of some of the most basic President William H. Taft. The Upon his election to the United principles of our justice system. Father of Taft family had been a force in States senate in 1938, he became a His Nuremberg stand was Ohio politics since Ulysses Grant leader of the conservative coalition, not popular, and was one of the was president, with President Taft’s a cooperation of some Republicans principal reasons he was denied the the Modern father Alphonso serving in Grant’s with conservative Democrats who Republican nomination in 1948, administration as Secretary of War stood in opposition to their party losing to establishment Governor Conservative and Attorney General. and president to defeat further Thomas Dewey of New York. President Taft served as expansion of the New Deal. This By the early 1950s, Taft had Movement Secretary of War during the was only the beginning of Taft’s built a solid reputation as the Theodore Roosevelt administration, conservatism and its effect on our conservative voice of the senate There have been only two and was elected president in 1908. government at the time. and a national leader. At this point, sons who followed their fathers’ President Taft became the only Taft continued to strongly he made his strongest attempt in footsteps to become President of the former president to become Chief oppose the growth of the federal 1952 to secure the nomination for United States. John Quincy Adams Justice of the Supreme Court, government occurring during president. followed his father John Adams in serving for nine years in that the reign of President Franklin Taft was the favorite going into the early years of our republic, and capacity until his death in 1930. Roosevelt. He supported the the 1952 Republican convention, George W. Bush followed his dad Robert started his political reduction of federal spending with about half of the delegates George H. W. Bush more recently. career in the 1920s, serving in the and a balanced budget, lowering committed to his cause, the most Had circumstances been Ohio legislature for twelve years. taxes, and limiting fledgling social primary votes, and the backing of different during the Second World He distinguished himself in the programs such as Social Security. party conservatives. However, his War, we might have had a third legislature as a vocal opponent to Senator Taft was also very nemesis Dewey and others backed man follow his father to the highest the Ku Klux Klan and a supporter much opposed to the United States General Dwight Eisenhower for office in the land. of the repeal of prohibition (which entering into World War II. Taft the party nomination. In a nasty strongly opposed any intervention ideological fight, Eisenhower won into wars in Europe and Asia, the nomination due to his perceived either financially or with troops, electability. advocating instead for more Even though Eisenhower and Tips Of Our Cap solutions to domestic issues. He Taft disagreed on almost every was consistent in his opposition to foreign policy question, Taft aid to countries fighting Germany endorsed Ike and helped him win and until Pearl Harbor. the presidency. Taft was elected In 1940, Taft made his first Senate Majority Leader. Bronx Cheers bid for the Republican presidential Unfortunately, Leader Taft nomination. However, his non- was unable to serve for long. In interventionist stand made him the early part of 1953, he was unpopular with establishment diagnosed with cancer and by the The Penny Press Tips Its Cap To: Republicans. So, he finished summer was terminally ill with the Nevada District Judge Elissa Cadish who denied a Metropolitan Police Department request to second in five of the six ballots at fine the Las Vegas Review-Journal for publishing the name of a man now facing federal charges disease. He passed away on July in connection with the Oct. 1 Las Vegas mass shooting. The man, Douglas Haig, was identified the convention, unable to create 31, 1953. in a Metro document released to the newspaper in January. Haig’s name was included in one of enough momentum to deny the Without the work of Robert two phrases that were supposed to be redacted. We’ve always known Metro is barely competent. nomination of Wendell Willkie. Taft paving the way, we may well This proves it. In 1947, Taft led passage of the have never seen Barry Goldwater Taft-Hartley labor act, which is still nominated for president in 1964, Steve Wynn, accused of demanding sexual favors from female employees over the last three law today. The act banned several nor President Ronald Reagan decades, has denied any wrongdoing and blamed his ex-wife for leading a campaign that resulted in an “avalanche of negative publicity” and, ultimately, his resignation as Wynn Resorts chair- unfair union practices. Taft worked elected in 1980. man and CEO last week. This is still America and you’re still innocent until PROVEN guilty. hard to pass that legislation, gaining bipartisan support to override the The Penny Press Sends A Bronx Cheer veto of President Harry Truman. And A Bouquet of Weeds To: Taft stood firmly against the RON KNECHT Nuremberg trials. Taft called and JAMES SMACK Nevada state Sen. Julia Ratti, D-Sparks, who chaired the first meeting of the Legislature’s interim Committee on Affordable Housing. The committee’s purpose is to determine “methods to increase the availability of affordable housing.” At its first meeting, the panel heard six hours of testimony—all totally unnecessary since the government should stay the hell out of housing, given how well it has done in the past. www.pennypressnv.com THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 6

From The Publisher...OPINION Does Gomer Pyle Run The TSA in Reno? Do you have any idea why the average citizen no longer electronics, of which I carry a lot. has much trust in his or her government at all levels? So they swabbed my four cell phones (actually three Because much of that government doesn’t trust the because they missed one), my iPad, my laptop and my average citizen. Bluetooth. The Bluetooth set off an alarm in their scanner device. This is also a relatively new phenomenon. That meant a patdown, taking off my belt, my shoes and According to the Pew Research Center, in 1958, the number an inspection of my suitcase. All in all about 20 minutes. of folks who trusted their government was 75%. Now, here’s where my lack of trust came in. An experience I had last week at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport may go a long way to explaining that How do I know that Gomer Pyle who was operating the lack of trust on our side. scanner didn’t do something to make that bluetooth swab set off an alarm so he could have a little more fun at my I was making a trip to Dallas. I have a TSA Trusted Traveler expense? number which means that the so-called Transportation Safety Administration has my fingerprints, a background The answer is that I don’t. check and, probably a list of the thousands of flights I have made over the last 30 years. In 1958, I might have been one of the 75% who would say, “Oh, that’s OK. Gomer is just looking out for my safety.” That means they know damn well who I am and have (Of course I would have been six years old.) granted me a pre-check. Today, having read the FBI text messages, the Devin So, I go through the line. And I’m told that I have Nunes memo and watched the clown act surrounding the been “randomly” selected for additional screening. For so-called “special” prosecutor, I am not one of the now the 12th time in about 14 calendar months. Which by 30% of trusting souls. any mathematical definition is hardly random. And, as additional evidence of that, I have NEVER had a similar If my government, having vetted me, doesn’t trust me, situation come up in Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, who should I trust it? Especially in the form of a very bad Minneapolis or…ANYWHERE ELSE. imitation of Jim Neighbors. Yes, Gomer, I’m talking about YOU! Now it could be that there’s a credible threat that terrorists are trying to sneak through the pre-check lane at Reno. Gomer Pyle was making $37,793 a year PLUS Federal Or it could be that the union guys who work for the TSA in benefits. Reno are putting on a show for Washington. Which do you think is more likely? That is why, since 2007, the share of Americans saying they can trust the government always or most of the time But it gets better. has not surpassed 30%.

It used to be that when you were selected for additional As taxpayers, we need to do some additional screening of screening, you went in the body scanner. our own.

Now, they want to dissemble your luggage and swab your FRED WEINBERG THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 7 Commentary: Robert Ringer awareness lasted, but I would estimate that it was perhaps two or three Cosmic Consciousness minutes. Since that time, I have had similar experiences on a handful of occasions, each of them lasting only a few seconds to a few minutes, Each of us discovers his own path to what is commonly referred to as but nothing to match the intensity of that unexpected blink of heightened a “higher consciousness” or “heightened state of awareness.” For me, the consciousness I experienced on my way to JFK Airport many years ago. path opened up in my early twenties in New York City. My experience became more understandable years later when I read It was a very active, very exciting time of my life, filled with high a book titled Cosmic Consciousness, by Dr. Richard Maurice Bucke, hopes, eternal youth, and unlimited opportunities. I experienced new published way back in 1901. Dr. Bucke was a graduate of McGill Medical things every day, and I constantly thirsted for more. I was passionate about School and a prominent psychiatrist in Canada. my work and was always on the go. Sleep was an occasional distraction; At age thirty-six, he experienced an “illumination” that lasted only a gourmet dining was a corned beef sandwich at a Lower East Side deli. few seconds, but during which time he claimed to have learned more than I didn’t have any money to speak of, so I got to know the less trendy he had in all his years of academic study. Dr. Bucke ultimately came to parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens pretty well. I could not have believe that his experience was the emergence of a new faculty in man that imagined a more exhilarating activity than walking around Greenwich takes simple consciousness to a new level of awareness. He postulated that Village, taking the subway to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, or browsing such historical figures as Jesus, Buddha, Dante, and even Walt Whitman at Macy’s on 34th Street (at a time when only New York could boast of possessed advanced consciousness on a consistent basis, while in the rest having a Macy’s store). of us this aptitude is still evolving. I usually stayed at the old Prince George Hotel on 28th Street, as it was If Dr. Bucke was right in his assessment, the implications are enormous. inexpensive and more than suitable for my needs at the time. Best of all, It would mean that human beings, through the phenomenon of free will, there was an automat right across the street, and when it came to dining have the power to break through their mental paradigms and accomplish treats, the automat was just a notch below my favorite deli. things they have previously believed were not possible — in their careers, As exciting as those times were for me, I probably did not fully in their personal relationships, and, above all, in spiritual matters. appreciate the magnificence of it all. There was a feeling of urban Which is where high-energy activity comes in. Who is more likely to spirituality that I certainly will never again experience — first, because succeed, the guy sitting on his couch, watching television, guzzling beer, I will never again be in my mid-twenties and, second, because the world and stuffing himself with taco chips … or the person who’s out and about was much younger than today, much more wholesome and innocent. and actively engaging the world with a high level of energy? It seems self- To be sure, the hippie revolution was in full bloom, but most of the evident that the atoms in a person’s brain vibrate at a much higher rate of certitudes that formed the foundation for American culture were still in speed when he’s actively living life than when he’s sedentary. place. I had never heard such terms as “illegal immigrant,” “transgender,” In this regard, Lee Iacocca, the legendary automobile industry or “global warming.” College and pro football players were clean-cut, all- innovator, once said something that has served me well over the years. American role models, and, for the most part, television networks reported Iacocca explained that whenever he was feeling down, the one thing he the news fairly and objectively. found that always picked him up and got him back into high gear was To be sure, life wasn’t always fair to everyone, but, for better or worse, rolling up his sleeves and immersing himself in work. it was a time of certitudes. It was comforting to know that Western culture Plain and simple, when you raise your energy level, good things stood strong on the foundation of a generally accepted code of conduct. happen. That’s because when you take action, the atoms in your brain This was my world when I discovered New York City in my early vibrate more rapidly, which in turn makes it possible to telepathically draw twenties. I didn’t give it much thought at the time, but I now realize that to yourself the things, people, and circumstances you need to accomplish I was in an elevated state of consciousness as a result of my incredibly your objectives. active life. And if you raise your energy level high enough, you may, on occasion, Thus it was that on a beautiful, sunny day in November, I was driving even find yourself in a heightened state of awareness — call it “cosmic on the Grand Central Parkway on my way to JFK International Airport. consciousness” — that could forever change your life. I feel privileged My mind was exploding with a thousand and one thoughts about my life, to have experienced this phenomenon, and all I can tell you is that it’s an both business and personal. awesome experience. Then, just as I began steering my car south onto the Van Wyke ROBERT RINGER Expressway, everything about my life seemed to coalesce into sharp focus Robert Ringer (© 2018)is a New York Times #1 bestselling author who has in my consciousness. It was as though I were being given the cognitive appeared on numerous national radio and television shows, including The means to solve all my business and personal problems simultaneously. A Tonight Show, Today, The Dennis Miller Show, Good Morning America, sense of being connected to an infinite source of power came over me. ABC Nightline, The Charlie Rose Show, as well as Fox News and Fox Instead of having to exert the usual intense mental effort to sort out my Business. To sign up for a free subscription to his mind-expanding daily thoughts, every item that was significant to me at the time — perhaps forty insights, visit www.robertringer.com. or fifty in number — instantly became clearly fixed in my mind in such an orderly fashion that I felt a sort of omniscience. It seemed as though a bright light had suddenly brought my thoughts out of the dark recesses of my subconscious mind and allowed me to consciously focus on all of them simultaneously. It was a feeling of immense power, incredible joy, and an inner ecstasy that made me feel www.pennypressnv.com almost immortal. I do not recall exactly how long my euphoric state of heightened THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 8 THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 9 Commentary: Doug French Writing in early December, Mr. Grant, a managing director and chief global strategist at the investment bank B. Riley FBR Inc., concluded, “Regardless of the protestations Central Bank Musical Chairs made by the Fed, and the other central banks, the flow of ‘pixie-dust money’ has not relented. I remind you of the Wall Street adage: ‘Act on what they do and not on what If the last few stock market days are interrupting your sleep, Jim Bianco and they say.’” CNBC’s Rick Santelli are saying, get used to it. The total assets of all central banks hit The latest volatility reflects the worry that inflation make cause Draghi to stop the $16.4 trillion plus (an all-time high) and these banks now, collectively, own 33 percent presses (not just talk about it), creating a market event. of all the world’s sovereign bonds (someone/something had to buy ‘em). Lord Keynes continued in Chapter 12 of General Theory, Santelli’s question to Bianco was, if the aggregate size of the world’s central banks “Thus the professional investor is forced to concern himself with the anticipation of is at an all-time high, and these bank’s have purchased a third of all government paper, impending changes, in the news or in the atmosphere, of the kind by which experience will these banks be able to “normalize in size” (shrink) without “going through a lot shows that the mass psychology of the market is most influenced. This is the inevitable more stock market anguish?” Bianco’s response was a flat, “no.” result of investment markets organised with a view to so-called ‘liquidity’. Of the Reversing trillions of dollars worth of securities purchases will create market maxims of orthodox finance none, surely, is more anti-social than the fetish of liquidity, turmoil. And now that price inflation has entered the equation, the ride is bound to be the doctrine that it is a positive virtue on the part of investment institutions to concentrate bumpy. So, who should 401k investors be worried about and keeping an eye on? Bianco their resources upon the holding of ‘liquid’ securities. It forgets that there is no such thing and Santelli agree, that person is ECB head man Mario Draghi. Santelli believes Draghi as liquidity of investment for the community as a whole.” may be caught without a chair in this game of monetary musical chairs. By the way, it’s On the issue of liquidity Evariste Lefeuvre, Chief Economist for Natixis North not all about the Fed any more. “All central bank stimulus is fungible,” says Bianco, “it America and Global Head of Cross Asset Research Expertise in international doesn’t matter who does it.” management, wrote an illuminating piece for Seeking Alpha in 2015. Stepping beyond The patron saint of central bankers, John Maynard Keynes, wrote in The General Murray Rothbard’s “Mystery of Banking” Lefeuvre wrote, Theory, “traditional banks engage in credit intermediation between ultimate savers and “For it is, so to speak, a game of Snap, of Old Maid, of Musical Chairs — a pastime borrowers. Modern banks engage, as dealer banks, in collateral intermediation: financing in which he is victor who says Snap neither too soon nor too late, who passed the Old bond portfolios with insured money markets instruments. The list of actors involved is Maid to his neighbour before the game is over, who secures a chair for himself when the quite long: investment banks, brokerage houses, MMMFs, asset back conduits, SIV, music stops. These games can be played with zest and enjoyment, though all the players hedge funds…” know that it is the Old Maid which is circulating, or that when the music stops some of He (again, writing in 2015) concluded, the players will find themselves unseated.” “The longer sovereign yields remain low and the longer the scarcity of safe assets Surely central bankers aren’t just speculating with funds created from nowhere? (something very likely given that there is no sign of reduction of the size of the balance However, the once “lenders of last resort” are now engaging in social policies, boosting sheets of many central banks and, meanwhile, fiscal imbalances are being corrected - see the collective wealth effect, while keeping the under-capitalized, over-leveraged, and chart below), the most likely is a rise in the percentage of illiquid assets in the portfolios less than competent operators in business. of many investors. Given that the collateral absorption of dealer is dwindling and that While the Fed is loaded with Treasuries and Mortgage-Backs, the Swiss National repo and MMMFs remain quasi-money claims, the divergence between investors’ needs Bank is “in a very risky position. Some 94 percent of its balance sheet assets lie outside (yield pickup), central bank policy targets (safe asset negative yields) and regulation the country. According to SNB data, about 20 percent is invested globally in equities, outcome (asset light and lower security inventories), the next crisis might not be driven including $88 billion in U.S. stocks,” wrote Mark Grant for Bloomberg last last year. by credit and funding scarcity but rather by illiquid assets and collateral freeze.” Draghi’s ECB has a taste for even gamier paper. “According to UBS, the ECB holds If you’re tossing and turning; you should be. 26 bonds rated below investment grade, or “junk,” amounting to $21.2 billion in notional DOUG FRENCH debt,” Grant wrote. THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 10 Commentary: Merrill Matthews many regions of the country. In roughly 180 counties, ozone levels still Rejecting the Cloudy Logic of EPA exceed the 2008 requirement of 75 ppb. The new 2015 standard would move the goalposts. More than 958 counties — roughly one-third of all counties — could be classified as “nonattainment” areas if the standard is Ozone Rules changed to 70 ppb. They’ll face severe penalties for failing to meet the new standards. The Environmental Protection Agency just missed a court-ordered The federal government can freeze funding for transportation projects. deadline to announce which regions of the country are complying with an And it can force factories and other buildings in nonattainment areas to Obama-era ozone rule. The agency says it needs more time to make that install expensive emission reduction technologies. determination. As a result, local economies would pay a significant price. In 2015, Green activists are livid. The Environmental Defense Fund accused the the EPA claimed that compliance would cost states, excluding California, agency of “allowing vulnerable communities to suffer the consequences $1.4 billion by 2025. of polluted air while Administrator Pruitt stalls.” The actual costs will likely be far higher. As recently as 2011, the Ozone is the main ingredient in smog. So one might assume that the agency calculated the annual cost of meeting the 70 ppb standard at nation’s city dwellers are struggling to breathe. Only the activists’ rhetoric between $19 and 25 billion. An analysis from the economic consulting is breathless, though. Ozone levels have dropped by a third since 1980. firm NERA estimates that new ozone standards could cost the economy This precipitous drop didn’t stop the Obama administration from $270 billion annually between now and 2040. issuing a strict new ozone rule in 2015. The regulation requires states to Why would federal regulators choose to ignore the crippling costs limit ground-level ozone concentrations to 70 parts per billion. Previous associated with their rules? Because they’re required to. The Clean Air standards issued in 2008 had set acceptable ozone levels at 75 ppb. States Act prohibits the EPA from considering costs when determining air- are poised to waste billions adhering to these new rules — all to address quality standards. a problem that has been getting better for a decades. Congress knows the updated ozone rules will devastate the economy. Regulators are working with states to ease the compliance burden as This summer, the House passed the Ozone Standards Implementation Act much as possible. But the EPA can’t nix the regulation on its own. Only of 2017 to delay the 2015 standards. It’s now up to the Senate to do the Congress can do so. same. The new regulations aren’t needed. The United States has already Over the last few decades, America has made extraordinary progress slashed air pollution dramatically. Since 1970, levels of six common in ridding the air of harmful pollutants — including ozone. Imposing air pollutants have dropped by an average of 70 percent across the draconian ozone standards — at immense economic cost — is irrational nation, even as economic output jumped over 240 percent. Levels of and irresponsible. carbon monoxide alone have fallen by 84 percent since 1990, while lead MERRILL MATTHEWS concentrations have dropped by 85 percent. Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy The 2015 regulation, known as the National Ambient Air Quality Innovation in Dallas, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @MerrillMatthews. Standards for Ozone, would create an immense compliance burden on THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 11 Commentary: Robert Romano well before being allowed to rise again in subsequent years. What could The U.S. is Going Broke meet muster by both political parties very much dictated the terms of the outcome. Say, you’re a fiscal conservative. You think the federal government Almost every single funding agreement to keep the government is spending too much of your hard-earned tax dollars and that the $20.7 funded, or to raise the debt ceiling, since that time has been bipartisan. trillion national debt is pushing it. You took a gander at the campaign Because of this feature, a few different outcomes have occurred: 1) Both brochures of each of the major parties in 2016, Democrats and Republicans, sides agreed to increase defense and non-defense spending, as in 2018; and discovered Republicans were actively campaigning on balancing the 2) Defense and non-defense budget authority was frozen, as in 2011, but budget. then both rose in 2016 and 2017; 3) Defense spending was frozen and non- So, you rolled the dice and as fortune would have it, the Republicans defense spending cut slightly, but then both were later allowed to rise, as were elected to majorities in the House and Senate plus claiming the White in 1995; 4) Defense budget authority increased and non-defense budget House for only the fourth time since the Great Depression — the other authority was cut in 2000, but then both rose dramatically in the 2000s; times were 1953-54 and 2003-07 when they had all three. And, at least and 5) non-defense spending cuts were traded for slight tax increases, as initially in 2017, it looked like this might finally be the time spending in 1982, before being allowed to rise. could actually be cut. President Donald Trump offered his first budget, Again, thanks to the Senate filibuster and/or divided government, which proposed increasing defense spending but cutting non-defense and every one of those has been a bipartisan compromise. Some of them came other mandatory spending, with a full $4.5 trillion of overall spending cuts about after partial government shutdowns. To the extent there were some over ten years. cuts and freezes on the discretionary side of the ledger, they were all more Fast forward a year later, and although Congress did agree to increase than offset by increases in so-called mandatory spending — that is, Social defense spending, it was unwilling to cut spending elsewhere. The result Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, food stamps and other is $165 billion of defense spending increases and $131 billion of non- automatically paying programs based on eligibility. defense over the next two years. The reason? For that reason, the $20.6 trillion national debt has grown every single Once again, the Senatorial requirement to get a supermajority — 60 year since 1957. votes to govern and achieve cloture on any legislation — remains the Since 2000, the debt has grown an average 7.4 percent a year. But the main culprit. Despite owning majorities in both house of Congress, Gross Domestic Product has only grown nominally, prior to adjusting for Republicans still require Democrat votes to pass appropriations bills and inflation, at 3.96 percent. As a result, the debt to GDP ratio has risen to 104 other continuing resolutions, which gives the opposition major input into percent. But it will get worse. spending. Democrats would not agree to increase defense without also If both continuing growing at those rates, by 2048, the debt will be a increasing non-defense. gargantuan $185 trillion, but the GDP will only be $42.7 trillion. That’s Now, others might note that, in reverse, the filibuster veto on a debt to GDP ratio of 433 percent. And so ridiculous that nobody would legislation has been almost useless for Republicans. In 2013, having a ever believe we could pay it back. We’d be broke. majority in the House, Republicans were unable to hold up a continuing That is why we hope that the President’s budget he just submitted for resolution to achieve concessions rolling back Obamacare. There was a Fiscal Year 2019, which includes another $4.5 trillion of proposed deficit partial government shutdown until Republicans relented. No concessions reduction and works toward a balanced budget is actually taken seriously were achieved. Obamacare remained the law of the land, and spending by Congress. But if history is any guide, sadly, they’ll ignore it just like still increased. they do every year. The only achievement on the fiscal side during that period was To break the bipartisan cycle of increasing the debt, eliminating the budget sequestration, which arose out of the 2011 debt ceiling deal. For filibuster on spending bills could help but only when one party holds the similar reasons, the sequestration applied to both defense and non-defense House, Senate and the White House. When each party holds a chamber, spending. In that case, Republicans had the House, Democrats had the that’s divided government and you’d still need a bipartisan deal, filibuster Senate and the White House. So, the only spending agreement that could or no filibuster. It’s a feature of the Constitution, which includes majority be had was similarly bipartisan, one where if one side could not increase, rule, the bicameral system and the separation of powers. then neither could. Because of Congress’ repeated failure to keep spending reined in, that Similar dynamics played out in the 1980s. Non-defense discretionary is why so many have supported a Balanced Budget Amendment in the budget authority started out at about $160 billion before hitting a low in past. Which is probably the way to go, because all this bipartisanship sure 1982 of about $138 billion but by 1985 had risen back to nearly $162 is getting expensive. billion. The non-defense spending cuts came in exchange for slight tax ROBERT ROMANO increases after the historic 1981 tax cuts. Defense spending rose from $141 Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for billion in 1980 to $292 billion by 1988. Limited Government. The compromise of 1982 again owed to the need for a bipartisan arrangement to get past the Senate. Democrats wanted to pare back a portion of the tax cuts, but to get there, non-defense spending was cut as www.pennypressnv.com THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 12 THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 13

Watching Out for Our Country, County and City LIKE A HAWK! KELY 1230AM Ely’s Radio Station 293-1875 Georgetown Ranch THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 14 Commentary: Chuck Muth over unsubstantiated allegations that Mr. Wynn has denied. Before Burning Steve Wynn at the There is one exception: Attorney General Adam Laxalt returned a $5,000 donation from Mr. Wynn. But since the Gaming Control Board— Stake, Consider This… which the AG’s office represents — has opened an investigation in this matter, that’s a legitimate reason. But what about everybody else? Two When it comes to this Steve Wynn kerfuffle, as comedienneJoan points… Rivers was wont to say, “Can we talk?” One, if you somehow now judge Mr. Wynn’s money to be “dirty” First, I’ve only spoken with Steve Wynn on the phone once. It was in money, you should give it ALL back, not just what he may have donated the spring of 2009 after his attorney threatened to sue me over a column over the last year or two. I’d written in which I used a quote by Mr. Wynn declaring that “Anybody I mean, how do you say any money given last year is bad, but all the who raises taxes now is purely psychotic.” money given for the previous 20 or 30 years during which the alleged We spoke for almost an hour. No lawsuit was filed. And we actually conduct occurred is OK? ended up having a very productive chat about education reform. Makes no sense and is totally hypocritical. We also met once in his office at the Wynn Resort on the Strip in Secondly, if you decide to give any of the money back for any reason, 2011, just after Mr. Wynn did an interview, I think on FOX News, blasting the money should be returned to the DONOR, not given to some charity. ObamaCare. A mutual friend suggested he pick my brain about possible If you no longer want Mr. Wynn’s money, give Mr. Wynn’s money voter registration projects, but we never went beyond that conversation. back to Mr. Wynn. To use his money to make a donation to some unrelated And that’s it. In fact, neither I nor my business nor my non-profit charity in a self-serving effort to garner some kind of political brownie organization has ever received a dime from Mr. Wynn or any of his points is just plain wrong. affiliated businesses. So there’s no financial conflict here. A closing observation—and I KNOW this is gonna get me a ton of That said, I can tell you this: If I had been the beneficiary of his “male privilege” hate mail… generosity I sure as shootin’ wouldn’t return his donations based solely Unlike the Jefferson Starship song, we didn’t build this city on rock- on the unsubstantiated sexual misconduct allegations — and let’s be clear and-roll. Las Vegas was built on gambling, booze and sex. Sexy women here; that’s all they are at this point…allegations — published recently by are, and always have been, featured in advertising from here to the moon. the Wall Street Journal. Sex sells. And it oozes all over the Strip. And now would be a good time to remind everyone of that quaint Our nickname is “Sin City” — which has nothing to do with honoring old American tradition of an individual being considered innocent until your father and mother. And the ongoing marketing slogan is, “What proven guilty. The operative word being “proven,” not accused. happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” — which has nothing to do with our In addition, all but one of the accusations made against Mr. Wynn all-you-can-eat buffets. in the WSJ story were made anonymously. So much for facing your So for people to be shocked — SHOCKED! — that some kind of accuser. And the one individual who was actually named said only that he sexcapades may have occurred in this decidedly adult playground is “repeatedly asked her to spend time with him outside of work.” ridiculous. This ain’t the Bible Belt — not that there’s anything wrong Inappropriate, maybe. Sexual assault, hardly. with that. This is Vegas. Plus, multiple other accusers in the story admit that once they made Or as Joan Rivers’ was also wont to say, “Oh, grow up!” it known that Mr. Wynn’s alleged advances were unwanted, he stopped. CHUCK MUTH Hardly the act of a “predator.” (Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach and publisher of And then there’s the report by one unnamed woman who says he paid NevadaNewsandViews.com. He blogs at MuthsTruths.com) her $1,000 in cash for a massage. Now, maybe this woman was offended at being asked to give Mr. Wynn a massage and didn’t want to. But let me suggest that a “Help Wanted” ad offering to pay $1,000 for a one-hour massage would result in women lining up around the block looking for an application. And probably a few men, too! Oh, and by the way, I wonder if those women claimed the $1,000 cash payments on their income tax returns. But that’s another issue altogether. Let’s get back to recipients of Mr. Wynn’s contributions who actively, often aggressively, sought his financial support in the past but ran from him like the proverbial scalded dog after the WSJ story broke. Unless the donations they received were obtained by Mr. Wynn illegally or were somehow related to the accusations — which they weren’t—I just don’t see the point in suddenly deciding to return them. Especially, again, THE PENNY PRESS,FEBRUARY 15, 2018 PAGE 15 KNNR 1400AM

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