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Penny Press Nevada, USA Volume 16 Number 13 NOVEMBER 29, 2018 They Stuck The Landing! American Exceptionalism On Mars! THE PENNY PRESS,NOVEMBER 29, 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: Fred Weinberg Floyd Brown Al Thomas Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They should be Press emailed to: [email protected] No unsigned or Doug French Robert Ringer 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 16 NUMBER 13 NOVEMBER 29, 2018 The 1/4 Cent Which Never Goes Away By CHUCK MUTH the freight. The latest example… Sandoval and the 2015 Nevada spokeswoman Jeanine Klein said Special to the Penny Press Back in 1998, Clark County Legislature made those “temporary” that “Residential customers will be (NV) voters approved an advisory tax hikes passed during the Great charged a quarter-percent reliability Ronald Reagan understood question for a “temporary” quarter- Recession permanent. surcharge, resulting in a 7 to 10 the nature of government like no cent hike in the sales tax for “water The Las Vegas City Council is cent increase for the average user at one since our Founding Fathers. and wastewater infrastructure” considering a resolution in support $26 a month.” And this Reagan quote is about as projects. That tax, as passed, was of the lobbying effort by the Anybody out there still paying set to expire – “sunset” in political- Southern Nevada Water Authority anywhere near $26 bucks a month Commentary speak - in 2025. (SNWA) to make the quarter-cent for their water? Didn’t think so. And while a quarter-cent sounds tax hike permanent. In a November Here’s why. like a piddling amount, a quarter 21, 2018 memo to the council from Hearken back, dear taxpayer, cent here and a quarter cent there the Director of Administrative to this article by Henry Breen of immutable as “what goes up must adds up to a pretty humongous Services, Ted Olivas wrote… the Las Vegas Review-Journal on come down”… figure. In fact, since 1999 that “This stable revenue source December 3, 2013… “No government ever little quarter cent added to your is needed to maintain the credit “Ever feel like your water bill voluntarily reduces itself in size. sales purchases has totaled up to a worthiness of water agencies and goes up every year? Get used to Government programs, once whopping $1.4 BILLION dollars. keep water bills affordable for it. On Tuesday, the Clark County launched, never disappear. Actually, Nevertheless, a move is afoot customers.” Commission, sitting as the board a government bureau is the nearest by government bureaucrats urging Let me ask you a question: for the Las Vegas Valley Water thing to eternal life we’ll ever see the Clark County Commission to Do you think your water bill is District, unanimously approved a on this earth!” remove the “sunset” clause and “affordable”? series of annual rate hikes scheduled Same goes for “temporary” tax make the tax hike permanent – you Indeed, back in December 1997, to begin in January and top out in hikes foisted upon citizens to pay know, just like how Gov. Brian Southern Nevada Water Authority Continued on page4 The Conservative Weekly Voice Of Nevada RON KNECHT PAGE 5 Penny Wisdom FRED WEINBERG PAGE 6 Inside: ROBERT RINGER PAGE 7 I said, I heard you’re closing DOUG FRENCH PAGE 9 Saudi Journo Was your plant…It’s not going to be closed for long, I hope, ANDREW LANGER PAGE 10 NOT a U.S. Citizen Mary, because if it is you ROBERT ROMANO PAGE 11 have a problem. CHUCK MUTH PAGE 14 See Editorial Page 6 —President Donald Trump THE PENNY PRESS,NOVEMBER 29, 2018 PAGE 4 The BS Hucksters Use To Sell Snake Oil Continued from page 3 2017. All customers, from the smallest home to the largest resort, can hikes passed in 2009 permanent. They claimed that nobody’s CURRENT expect to see their bills go up…” taxes would go up; therefore, it wasn’t a tax “increase.” And they ain’t done yet. From SNWA’s current website… But the lie lies within the fact that the tax increase was originally sold “In 2017, the Las Vegas Valley Water District Board of Directors as being temporary; that the temporary tax would eventually go away; that approved a change to water rates to support the LVVWD’s capital your taxes would one day be LOWER again. That’s the BS these hucksters improvements efforts over the next decade. The Water District is investing used to sell their snake oil. more than $600 million to upgrade, replace and expand pipelines, pumping In 2025, that “temporary” quarter-cent tax hike is supposed to stations, reservoirs and other infrastructure vital to the operation of the disappear. And no matter how Mr. Olivas tries to slice it and buffalo the community’s water system. Beginning in January 2018, typical monthly public, any extension of a “temporary” tax hike that’s supposed to go residential water bills will increase by about 75 cents as the second phase away is a new tax HIKE. Period. of the rate modification takes effect.” The FACT is, voters in 1998 voted for the quarter-cent tax hike with Before the third phase kicks in. Then the fourth. Then the fifth. the understanding that it would drop back in 2025. So any effort by the Eternal life! county commission to remove the “sunset” clause and either extend or Now… make permanent the quarter-cent tax hike is an outright breech of contract If the “temporary” quarter-cent sales tax hike was sold to consumers and a betrayal of the voters who voted for it. and taxpayers as necessary for “water and wastewater infrastructure” Since the VOTERS voted for the TEMPORARY tax hike in 1998, projects, why are our monthly water rates still being jacked up for the ONLY honest way to extend or make it permanent should be via “pipelines, pumping stations, reservoirs and other infrastructure” projects? ANOTHER vote of the people, not the seven members of the county Something smells here…and it ain’t the wastewater treatment plant commission. Period. near my home! If the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Clark County Commission, Sounds to me like there’s either some mismanagement going on, or the Las Vegas City Council, and any other “eternal life” government mission creep, or taxpayers have once again been scammed by the ol’ department, agency or bureau wants to extend or make permanent that bait-and-switch. “temporary” quarter-cent tax hike…put it on the ballot, make your case Oh, and here’s the most dishonest part of the scam… and let the people decide. Under the “Fiscal Impact” heading of his memo to council members, Period. Olivas listed: “No Impact.” (Mr. Muth is president of CitizenOutreach.org and publisher of That’s pure, unadulterated bull droppings. And it’s the same scam NevadaNewsandViews.com. He blogs at MuthsTruths.com. His views Republicans pulled in 2015 to justify voting to make the “temporary” tax are his own.) THE PENNY PRESS,NOVEMBER 29, 2018 PAGE 5 Commentary: Ron Knecht and James Smack in congress should lead the way. the service economy. century. As controller and deputy Time for Federal The first action is simple: The electorates in three controller, we’re acutely aware of the federal government should conservative states, Missouri, the financial and security problems Prohibition of reclassify cannabis. It should not be Oklahoma and Utah, voted federal prohibition has caused a schedule one drug. Let’s even go to approve legalized medical individuals and businesses, plus the this far: completely decriminalize cannabis in this year’s election. states that have recognized even Cannabis to End cannabis on a federal level. This leaves just six states that still just the medical value of marijuana With Republicans running consider cannabis to be illegal for and legalized that use. Nevada Republicans suffered a point on the issue. any purpose: Idaho, South Dakota, It’s surprising we have not heard significant setback in last month’s The war on drugs, especially Nebraska, Kansas, West Virginia more stories of people being robbed elections, despite good efforts, and against cannabis, has been a and Indiana. going into cannabis establishments, we need to revisit some issues. We dismal failure. Even before there We’ll be surprised if several which are all-cash businesses. We won’t change our principles, but being a recreational dispensary in of those states do not at least pass are equally surprised there have not it’s time to square those principles nearly every major municipality medical cannabis initiatives by been more robbery attempts at the with some changed facts on the in Nevada, it was not difficult to 2020. Nationwide, the people have dispensaries, which are often flush ground. procure marijuana on the black spoken. with cash. Let’s start with marijuana. market. Total social costs of Yet, federal law still classifies Touring a medical dispensary Consistent with Republican this ineffectual war have greatly cannabis as a schedule one drug, a couple of years ago, James was “leave us alone” principles that exceeded its total social benefits. with no medical uses. told by the proprietor that he must oppose federal micromanagement One friend stated, “Even before Why? Follow the money. regularly take large amounts of of people’s lives, it’s time for recreational cannabis was legal, There’s huge money in big cash to the bank.