Penny Press Nevada, USA Volume 14 Number 42 JUNE 22, 2017 THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 2

www.pennypressnv.com The Penny Press is published weekly by Penny Credits: Far West Radio LLC All Contents © Penny Press 2017 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 eFax: 201-304-0355 Rich Gast Penny Press NEVADA USA 16 PAGES VOLUME 14 NUMBER 42 JUNE 22, 2017 Public Ought To See School District Labor Negotiations By DANIEL HONCHARIW systematically prioritizes the job trash” clause, it reads: And certainly, if an individual Special to the Penny Press security of its members over the In the event civil or criminal has truly gone through such a safety and security of students. proceedings are brought against a process and been cleared by a court, A recent epidemic of sexual- This shows up most clearly teacher and the teacher is cleared his personnel file should be cleared. misconduct revelations has the in the lack of public transparency of said charge, all written reports, However, that has not been Clark County School District within the collective bargaining comments or reprimands concerning the way CCSD administrators and scrambling to draft new policies. process — the process through actions which the courts found not union reps have been interpreting which the government and its to have occurred, shall be removed the article. organized workers negotiate for a from the teacher’s personnel file.” Rather, it has been interpreted Commentary new contract. (Emphasis added.) in such a way that the standard Behind closed doors, it’s all Technically, this standard is practice is to scrub all allegations too easy for the representatives actually very strict: It only allows of misconduct, regardless of how The new rules are intended of government and of government wiping of the files for teachers who frequent or credible, unless they to better govern communications unions to form a common front meet three very specific conditions are accompanied by a guilty verdict between district employees and against the public — whether it’s — teachers who have: — at which point the predator is students, especially with regards to the taxpaying public or, as in this 1) Been the subject allowed to quietly move to another social media and texting. case, the youth and families the of “civil or criminal school where new students can be While more explicit district district was established to serve. proceedings,” and victimized. standards in this area may be Take for example Article 12, 2) Have been “cleared Note that the Las Vegas helpful, alone this simply won’t Section 10 of the current collective of said charge[s],” Review-Journal’s “Broken Trust” be enough. What makes such bargaining agreement between 3) Which courts series revealed that at least two of misconduct possible in the first CCSD and the CCEA teacher union. have “found not to have the teachers arrested during just the place is that the teacher union Often dubbed the “pass the occurred.” 2016-17 school year “had a known Continued on page4 The Conservative Weekly Voice Of Nevada RON KNECHT PAGE 5 Penny Wisdom FRED WEINBERG PAGE 6 Inside: ROBERT RINGER PAGE 7 Someone gave me a bracelet DOUG FRENCH PAGE 9 My Father Taught Me that said, “she thought she could, so she did.” Well, NO EXTRA SECURITY PAGE 10 To Act Like Cosell tonight, we did! HEALTH SYSTEM NOT ALL BAD PAGE 11 —Karen Handel See Editorial Page 6 CHUCK MUTH PAGE 14 THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 4 Nevada Should Have No Open Meetings Exemptions Continued from page 3 history of inappropriate behavior, according to police records,” yet were statutes which expressly mandate that all collective bargaining be made permitted to teach anyway. public. This is powerful evidence that, for the safety of students and the Minnesota law, for example, explicitly defines all “negotiations, common welfare of the community, the provisions of collective bargaining mediation sessions, and hearings between public employees and public agreements need to be crafted publicly and transparently. employers or or their respective representatives” as public meetings. For years, critics of back-room dealings have called for transparency Although some union officials claim that sunlight on negotiations in collective bargaining. The latest CCSD scandals merely provide the would undermine the bargaining process, there’s no evidence, so far, to latest evidence that those calls are justified. support such claims. Current state law, however, exempts the bargaining process from In fact, the idea that increased transparency will somehow undermine Nevada’s Open Meetings Law. This means that all negotiations between public policy is completely illogical. Isn’t more information always better the teacher union and CCSD — including those that led to the adoption than less information for policy-making purposes? of Art. 12, Sec. 10 — remain hidden from CCSD parents as well as the So if CCSD wants to get serious about cracking down on delinquent taxpaying public. behavior within its tens of thousands of employees, it should start by Sunlight on union negotiations could have precluded this type of offering the public a full view of the bargaining process through which the clause — and its varying, contradictory interpretations — from ever being district’s disciplinary rules are drafted. adopted in the first place. Specifically, Nevada should remove the Open Meetings exemption Parents witnessing in real time what seems to have been an incoherent to collective bargaining, thereby mandating that such negotiations be union-district discussion would, most likely, have rebelled. performed in public. Already wrathful, given the failing educational system for which And to those unions who continue to resist transparency on baseless they must pay, parents are unlikely to react well to union efforts to grounds, parents should be asking one simple question: “What are you blindly prioritize the protection of its members from potentially frivolous hiding?” allegations over the safety of the community’s students. Daniel Honchariw is a policy researcher and analyst at the Nevada Policy And it’s all so needless: Several states where government unions enjoy Research Institute, a free-market think tank. powerful influence — Minnesota, Idaho, Texas, to name a few — have THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 5 Commentary: Ron Knecht & Geoffrey Lawrence Estonia began by eliminating American firms in total hold $2.6 and file. Second, taxpayers in Federal Taxes: taxes entirely on retained corporate trillion in offshore earnings, more similar financial circumstances earnings. Moldova and others than one-eighth of our economy. should receive similar treatment, Lower Corporate soon followed suit and Western Other companies, like Tyco and while those in different financial European nations responded by Fruit of the Loom, have relocated circumstances should receive lowering their own rates. their corporate headquarters to roughly proportional treatment. Rates, Use AMT The is the only other nations altogether in order to Third, tax policy should not remaining industrialized nation that benefit from better tax laws. distort behavior by making certain as a Lifeboat hasn’t lowered its corporate tax The United States needs to transactions subject to multiple rates during this wave of global reestablish itself as the preferred levels of taxation or especially As economists and public tax competition. So, it now has place to do business and to punitive taxation. Finally, the interest advocates, we’re very the highest statutory corporate tax destination for global investment tax burden should transparent and interested in the federal tax code rate in the developed world at 39.1 by dramatically lowering corporate visible. and the various ways in which percent, according to a recent report income tax rates. President Trump We certainly agree with Trump it creates, destroys or distorts from the Congressional Budget has suggested a top statutory rate of and others that the current tax code economic incentives. Office. 15 percent. That would be a huge is needlessly cumbersome in large The federal corporate income This punitive tax cost of doing step in the right direction. part because of the need to calculate tax has been a huge deterrent for business in the United States leads But we differ slightly with taxes under two completely companies to reinvest profits earned American firms to leave profits other reformers’ ideas we’ve different systems. However, if tax abroad back into America. In the earned by their foreign subsidiaries heard. In particular, the president reform were to meet all the stated early 1990s, democratizing nations offshore and reinvest them in foreign has suggested that repealing objectives listed above, the tax in Eastern Europe launched a round markets rather than investing at the Alternative Minimum Tax would look like the AMT, not the of global tax competition to attract home. Apple and General Electric (AMT) would substantially regular income tax. industry by slashing corporate each hold hundreds of billions reduce compliance burdens faced That’s why we see the AMT income tax rates. of dollars in earnings offshore. by American businesses and not as a problem to be eliminated, households. but as a likely vehicle for federal Congress originally created tax reform. Comprehensive tax a minimum tax in 1969 after reform is very difficult because Tips Of Our Cap then-Treasury Secretary Joseph big and small businesses and other Barr showed 155 high-income interested parties all want to include households paid no federal different, sometimes incompatible, and income tax because they were elements. able to maximize deductions and But the AMT is a flat, low-rate exemptions. The current AMT tax already written into law. By Bronx Cheers was formalized as a parallel tax itself, it’s easy to comply with, system to the regular system as creates few distortions, and imparts part of President Reagan’s 1982 tax greater equity than the regular The Penny Press Tips Its Cap To: reform. income tax. Repeal of the regular Under the AMT, for both tax code would cause all filers to households and businesses, most default to the AMT. And no one The voters of Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District and the voters of South Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District exemptions and deductions are would pay more under the AMT for wisely overlooking huge amounts of outside money and electing supporters of President Trump to Congress in closely watched special elections. disallowed and a low, flat tax rate than they currently do, although is assessed on all income. If the many filers would experience a The which reactivated the last week at as a new tax due under the AMT exceeds the dramatic reduction in tax burden. home for F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter jets. Now with 10 pilots and a few of the $100 million, cutting-edge calculated amount of tax due under The AMT can be a lifeboat for stealth jets, the 6th Weapons Squadron will have 30 instructor pilots and 24 F-35s by 2023. Another campaign promise the ordinary income tax rules, then federal tax reform efforts that have from the President being kept. taxpayers pay the AMT instead. floundered for decades. It’s just Tax economists generally another gift of the Reagan legacy. The Penny Press Sends A Bronx Cheer emphasize a few guiding principles And A Bouquet of Weeds To: for tax reform (besides low rates and a broad base). First, RON KNECHT and A federal judge who approved and the city of Ferguson Missouri which offered up a to minimize compliance costs, settlement in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of Michael Brown, an taxes should be easy to understand GEOFFREY LAWRENCE unarmed, black 18-year-old, whose fatal shooting by a white police officer nearly three years ago in Ferguson, Missouri, set off months of protests. Brown got himself shot by acting irresponsibly and making his parent rich doesn’t seem to be in the taxpayers’ best interests. www.pennypressnv.com THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 6

From The Publisher...OPINION My Cosell-like Attitude Came From My Father I’m not part of the conservative club any more than I’m part of It is possible—although I’m not sure he would have admitted the liberal club. If I call them more conservative than liberal, it—that he learned some or all of these things as he was raising that’s because it is the way I happen to see things. his children and that the Phil Weinberg when he left us was as much the product of having raised three children as those The reason for that is my late father, Philip Weinberg. children are the product of having been raised by him and my mother. He always taught by example. Led from the front and encouraged me to act a little like Howard Cosell, tell it like it is After all, kids don’t come with operating manuals and my father and let the chips fall where they may. So if you wonder why I was an engineer by training. But it doesn’t matter because the don’t spout anybody’s party line except my own, it is because lessons he taught—intentionally or otherwise—have been so he taught me how valuable independence can be. valuable that I can only hope that I’m capable of passing some of them on to my own stepchildren. Also doing the right thing no matter who you anger. More than the lessons, are the memories. I vividly remember The older you get, the more that you realize Father’s Day may standing outside an apartment complex in Brooklyn with him not just be a ploy by the greeting card manufacturers to sell telling me, “Son, there used to be a baseball stadium here and more cards and retailers to sell more stuff but should just be a real baseball team played there.” He never acknowledged taken at face value as an opportunity to thank and honor the that the Dodgers had moved to LA and abandoned Ebbets man who raised you. Field. And, given the choice between the Dodgers and the Angels when I owned a Las Vegas radio station, I chose the Last Sunday was the fifth Father’s Day since his death and Angels because he would have been horrified had I consorted those lessons he taught become clearer with every passing with dem bums… year. I remember him showing me my first computer in the early Unlike the late Tim Russert I can never imagine calling my 1960s and his explanation of how the monster IBM System father, “Big Phil”. But he sure was. 360 worked.

Philip Weinberg’s public title on the day he died in 2012 was I remember coming home one Friday in 1963 to the death of Professor Emeritus at Bradley University. John Kennedy and his explanation that the country is bigger than just one man and things would be just fine because that The title barely began to cover his career and his public life. is the genius of this nation’s founders.

But growing up in his shadow gave me a perspective on life He might have missed a few little league games (I never got that many people never get. past the minors in the Richwoods Little League anyway) but he never missed a crisis. You could tell when something was He rarely lectured my sisters and me. His example was usually relatively unimportant—he wouldn’t hesitate to yell at you. But enough. He continuously taught by example that this is the when the chips were down, there was nobody you would rather United States of America and any little boy or girl could grow have covering your back. Until almost the day he died, he was up to be President, or publish a newspaper run a radio network the first call I and my sisters made when there was a problem. or swing any bat you’re big enough to want to pick up. However difficult the problem was, his calm analysis was always dead on and his advice and support were invaluable. He was the living embodiment of the concept that ordinary people can do extraordinary things by simply putting one foot In the immortal words of Michael Corleone, “what better in front of the other and moving forward. If that were all he consigliore can I have than my father?” taught me in 60 years, it would have been enough. But he also taught me that when you do get where you want to go, grace Indeed. and humility will take you even farther. And, trust me, that’s a difficult lesson to learn no matter who is trying to teach it. FRED WEINBERG THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 7 Commentary: Robert Ringer The entire affair was a bad joke. The Dirty Dems had no interest in getting to the truth. On the contrary, their sole objective was to impugn Sessions’ character. Fortunately, Che, Alexandria, and the Radical Left he did what most of us expected he would do — make them look like the hateful mob they are. It’s only fitting that Wednesday, the day of the Alexandria shooting rampage by a And in doing so, Sessions also made Robert Mueller’s assigned task — finding Radical Left extremist, was the 89th birthday of mass murderer Che Guevera. Che has collusion between the Trump administration and the Russians (which is now a virtual long been a hero to the Radical Left, especially those lost souls who occupy — literally impossibility) and/or finding obstruction of justice on the part of Donald Trump (an — our college campuses. To them, the American flag represents evil, while a Che T-shirt absurdity, given the facts, but still a possibility) — much tougher. is cool. While it may be true that Mueller was once listed as a registered Republican (no As I have long pointed out, the Radical Left, going all the way back to Karl Marx, one can confirm that he still is), Newt Gingrich was, as usual, on target when he said, has advocated the use of force to achieve what it can’t get through the ballot box. Its “Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair.” He members unapologetically refer to this as “by any means necessary.” also noted that at least several of the lawyers whom Mueller selected for his team have The Radical Left has steadily increased its violent tactics over the years, beginning contributed to Democrats in the past. Translation: The fix is in. with the George Bush era. Its members saw Bush as a threat to derail their march toward As to the Alexandria shootings, the Dirty Dems are already calling for more gun totalitarianism and a shutdown of free speech. Sadly, Bush, a RINO to the core, alleviated controls and blaming the shooter’s derangement on Donald Trump’s rhetoric. But what if their concerns by repeatedly capitulating to their fascist demands. the shooter had been a Republican and his victims had been Democrats? No problem. The That led to the country’s first openly Radical Left president, Barack Obama, who not solution would still be stricter gun-control laws and the impeachment of Donald Trump. only gave his tribe free reign to commit acts of violence, but repeatedly encouraged such The Dirty Dems’ motto is: Heads, I win; tails, you lose. violence (as in, “We’re gonna punish our enemies.”). Finally, we have the kumbaya snapshot in time that has come out of all this. Over The New Black Panthers’ voter intimidation outside a voting station in Philadelphia, and over again, we heard politicians and “news” commentators mouth platitudes like, a clear violation of law for which no one was ever prosecuted, was an early example of “This is our time to all come together as one.” But much like Uncle Bernie’s remarks, this. Ditto with Obama’s inviting Black Lives Matter leaders to the White House, along their words didn’t ring true. with the mothers of criminals such as Michael Brown and Freddie Gray. To the Radical Left, “We have to all come together” is a euphemism for “We all have Then, just when most normal Americans had come to believe that no politician to forget what we believe in and join with the Democrats in pursuing their agenda. (And, would ever have the courage or principle to stand up to the purveyors of violence and of course, help them remove Donald Trump from office.) “Coming together” sounds intimidation, along came Donald Trump. This completely changed the political landscape, warm and fuzzy at a time like this, but it’s wishful thinking so long as Radical Leftists because Trump threatened to put an end the entrenched system of criminality in D.C. are free to stir their cauldron of hate. This, in turn, caused the Radical Left to become hysterical and shed any subtlety It was sad to hear a pastor giving a prayer before Congress in which he called for about its belief in the use of violence to achieve its political ends. Whether it’s Kathy “kindness, goodwill, and compassion.” Again, nice words, but the truth is that there is Griffin holding the severed, bloody head of Donald Trump or the violent assassination of zero kindness, zero goodwill, and zero compassion on the Radical Left. On the contrary, Donald Trump in the Central Park version of Julius Caesar, it’s clear that the Radical Left its members traffic in hatred and violence. now believes it’s time to pull out all stops and ratchet up its violence in an all-out effort To those of you who are serious about having the D.C. swamp drained, let me assure to stop Donald Trump and the tens of millions of Americans who voted him into office. you that nothing will change until and unless Republicans go on the attack against the When Bernie Sanders came out quickly on Wednesday to denounce the Alexandria very people who preach violence and are now in charge of all the phony investigations. shooter, it was an all-too-obvious case of CYA, because Sanders has been preaching Unfortunately, the McCain-Ryan-McConnell axis will never do that, so it will be up to violence for decades. When you whip crowds into a frenzy by calling for “free” healthcare, Trump and his close allies, or those who follow in their footsteps, to do the job. “free” college education for all, and a guaranteed minimum wage for everyone, you are I also don’t believe that draining the swamp is possible unless Trump or someone implicitly calling for violence. else on the right is willing to crack down — and I mean really crack down — on political Why? Because the fulfillment of such communist goals necessitates the use of force. violence. This will shock and disappoint many of my readers, but given that a violent, Let’s get real here: No one is going to voluntarily support his neighbor’s lifestyle, pay for left-wing dictatorship is now on the horizon, I no longer favor unfettered “free speech.” his neighbor’s children to go to college, or fund his neighbor’s healthcare. The Radical This is now a state of emergency, and I believe that those who preach hatred and Left knows this, which is why, in frustration, it employs fascist tactics to force people to violence should be prosecuted and, if found guilty, imprisoned. I’m not just talking about accept its ideas. crazies like Pocahontas, Maxine Waters, and Granny Pelosi, but media people as well. Radical Leftists are like spoiled children throwing a perpetual tantrum, because And, of course, those who put on productions like “Julius Caesar,” the sole purpose of they cannot fathom not getting their way. Thanks to the shameful, unprincipled ranks which is to inspire people to commit acts of violence. This is akin to yelling fire in a of Republicans like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Susan Collins, Lisa crowded theater, which is not protected free speech. Murkowski, and, above all, leaders Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, the Radical Left has I will end as I do in so many of my articles by emphasizing again that people always been able to get Republicans to go along with its nefarious schemes. Few people really do get the government they deserve. Republicans need to clean house in order realize that the “go along to get along” band of Republicans is actually the Radical Left’s to show they are serious about draining the swamp. So long as voters keep reelecting secret weapon. unprincipled, cowardly hacks like Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, and Mitch McConnell, For decades, the Dems have been able to count on their “colleagues across the aisle” nothing will change. to help them implement their fascist agenda — an agenda that includes a multitude of These lapdogs for the Radical Left make it impossible for Republicans to ever have coercive and unconstitutional programs and actions. Their focal point of their platform, enough votes in Congress to effect meaningful change. If voters don’t have enough sense of course, is open borders, voter fraud, and, above all, redistribution-of-wealth programs, to throw out of office the rotten eggs in the Republican Party, they deserve to live in a all aimed at capturing votes to assure their hold on power. country where violence rules the day. This is why the voter rebellion in 2016 caught them by complete surprise. Donald As Lou Dobbs, the number-one voice on television when it comes to cutting to the Trump as president is still unthinkable to them. He must be removed from office by any chase, would say, “What the hell is the matter with the Republican leadership?” Answer: means necessary, because he will not capitulate to their intimidation. Lou, it’s really quite simple. They are hopelessly unprincipled and corrupt — and perhaps In reality, of course, Trump’s presidency is not so much about Donald Trump, the even a bit stupid and masochistic. individual, as it is about everyday folks who are fed up with the criminal activity of ROBERT RINGER the ruling class in Washington. This is unacceptable to the Radical Left, thus it’s not Robert Ringer (© 2017)is a New York Times #1 bestselling author who has appeared on surprising that its members demonize freedom fighters at every turn. The message is numerous national radio and television shows, including The Tonight Show, Today, The simple: Either agree with us or we will label you “evil.” Dennis Miller Show, Good Morning America, ABC Nightline, The Charlie Rose Show, This is one of the fundamental tactics used by Saul Alinsky, and when someone like as well as Fox News and Fox Business. To sign up for a free subscription to his mind- Jeff Sessions gets out of line (by supporting the Radical Left’s symbol of evil, Donald expanding daily insights, visit www.robertringer.com. Trump), they quickly lock arms, isolate him, and aim nasty epithets in his direction, just as they did in the Senate Intelligence hearings. THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 8 THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 9 Commentary: Doug French rides atop the Stratosphere. Polish Maverick’s Place Peddled “Sartini also said he is enthusiastic about growth prospects at the Stratosphere, which has 15 developable acres on the periphery of the Again property,” Velotta. Some property that is. If I was wondering if the clock was ticking, the front page of today’s What comes to mind is the Herbst Family of gas station, car wash, Las Vegas Review Journal confirmed it is. “Owners of PT’s Pubs to and convenience store fame buying three casinos in Primm on I-15 at buy the Stratosphere, 3 other Nevada casinos.” The owner of 56 bars— the California border from MGM Mirage in 2007 for $394 million: Golden Entertainment—is buying the often peddled “Strat” plus two Buffalo Bill’s, Primm Valley and Whiskey Pete’s. They also bought the Arizona Charlie’s properties in Las Vegas and the Aquarius in Laughlin Terrible’s hotel-casino in Las Vegas at Paradise and Flamingo roads, two for $850 million. casinos in Pahrump, one in Searchlight and the Terrible’s Town casino Eighth-grade graduate Bob Stupak had built the Stratosphere from in Henderson. They’re Northern Nevada casinos were in Reno, Sparks, nothing and $550 million from someone who couldn’t have been paying Verdi and Dayton. attention and opened in April 1996, at the time, the 3rd most expensive Then in 2009, the company filed for Chapter 11, took the slot route hotel-casino project in Las Vegas history. The self-proclaimed Polish operation and let the lenders have the casinos. Steve Green wrote for Maverick was bankrupt three months later. the Las Vegas Sun, “On March 10, Herbst announced the restructuring Richard N. Velotta reports, “Golden has received financing totaling agreement that would reduce debt by converting more than $848 million $1.1 billion from JPMorgan Chase Bank, Credit Suisse, Macquarie in bank debt into new debt and equity and cancel more than $330 million Capital and Morgan Stanley & Co. to fund the cash consideration as well in bond obligations. Under the plan, the Herbst lenders will take control as to refinance Golden’s existing credit facilities.” of 15 casinos in Nevada, Iowa and Missouri; but the Herbst family will Once upon a time, Carl Icahn purchased these properties for $300 maintain a 90 percent ownership stake in Herbst Gaming’s slot route million, give or take, and sold them in 2007 for $1.3 billion. “Our business that includes 6,800 slot and other gaming machines at locations gaming investments are a successful example of our strategy of acquiring such as gas stations, bars and grocery stores throughout Nevada.” undervalued and out of favor assets, and improving operations and Tick, tick, tick enhancing value,” Icahn said in a statement. DOUG FRENCH Golden head man Blake Sartini isn’t concerned about buying assets cheap. In a 15-minute conference call Monday afternoon, Mr. Sartini crowed the acquisition is “a perfect fit” for Golden, which serves a www.pennypressnv.com millennial crowd at its taverns and now will have a collection of thrill THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 10 Congress Should Have The Same Security We Do I don’t have the same take on the shootings at the ballyard As far as security goes, let’s protect them the same way last week which critically injured GOP Whip Steve Scalise we protect everyone else. and some staffers as many members of Congress and the blithering media. Not only are they not more important than you and I, they work for us, not the other way around. The biggest two points everybody seemed to want to make is 1) it’s horrible, and; 2) Congress needs more protection. Part of the reason some nutburger wanted to kill them is because we treat them like Gods. I’ll go with point one. If they were just treated like the very average people they Point two, however, not so much. really are, there would be much less incentive to shoot them. Our founding fathers conceived Congress as an average person going off to Washington to serve his (or her) FRED WEINBERG neighbors. And when that person—say the local blacksmith—needed to get back to his or her family in maybe two or four years, you might send his neighbor the rancher.

Congress was never designed to provide sub-royalty to the poor starving masses. Nor was it designed to provide a well paid career for people who would have a tough time getting a job in most other professions.

Here’s an idea:

How about we pay Congress the median American salary which in 2016 was $55,775. That would insure turnover. THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 11 Commentary: Fred Weinberg Hospitals Association don’t want to see Obamacare—laughingly referred Nothing Wrong With the Front Lines to as the “affordable care act”—repealed and replaced that should tell you something. of Health Care—Just the People Those folks are NOT the people on the front lines. They—as our former President—have little or no interest in “bending Raking It Off the Top the cost curve” and actually making healthcare affordable. They don’t want to bid on services and drugs. They want to rake 30% off the top and I have, in this space, said plenty of unkind things about the nation’s 30% of nothing is…well you get the point. broken health care system which politicians somehow think can be One last thing. I’m now old enough to have Medicare, for which I pay cured by simply insuring everybody damn the cost or the unexpected $130 a month and an addition $129.17 a month for a supplement (not sold consequences. to me by AARP). But those unkind things never extend to the people on the front lines. Nothing makes me madder than some moron telling me it is an The doctors, the nurses, the imaging technicians, the people who man “entitlement”. the information desks at the hospitals and everybody else up and down I and my employers (which have included me over the years) paid the line. a huge amount of money into the treasury prior to the time I turned 65 Last week, I had some outpatient hernia surgery at Renown Medical under the guise of a “medicare tax”. Today’s rate is 2.9% all in. It was Center in Reno. NEVER less than .6%, even in the 60s. And I’m still paying today. Plus From the diagnosis at one of their urgent care locations the Friday the premium. before Memorial Day to the imaging to the surgery took three weeks. As That’s not an “entitlement”. It’s prepaid health insurance. we rolled into the Operating Suite, the OR Nurse told me that I would Only some politician in Washington who has already spent the money be among her last patients, as that was her last day before she retired. I can call that an entitlement. told her that my experience was she would be bored stiff and back in the Thank you everyone at Renown. Other than a small amount of pain for OR in six months. Whatever happens, I wish her well, because you need a few days and an incision which is healing, I came out just fine. a conversation like that before the gas passer puts a mask over your nose Now, if we could just transplant some brains into some politicians… and mouth. FRED WEINBERG I’m guessing that nobody looks forward to the actual surgery but when I woke up in the recovery room, there was my wife and two more cheerfully competent folks monitoring my vitals and telling me they would let me go in about an hour. When I was ready to go, they asked me if I wanted a wheel chair. I asked if they wanted the scene from Days of Thunder where Tom Cruise and Michael Rooker, playing NASCAR drivers, raced wheelchairs out of the Daytona hospital. Amazingly, she knew the scene. The kids who work for us don’t even know the movie. I politely declined as we had to visit the pharmacy to pick up some pain medication which I probably wouldn’t use and I felt I could make it to the parking deck on foot. I was right. About both not taking the Percocet and walking to our car. And I can’t overlook the star of the show, the Surgeon, Dr. Alvaro Devia. I never saw him after it was over, but he was typecast for the role. A few days after the surgery everything has happened exactly like he told me it would. I would not hesitate to place me or anyone from my family in his hands. Now, I’ll grant you, this was probably not the most serious surgery performed at Renown even that day. But it was to me. I want you to know that when I’m kicking politicians’ butts over the issue, it is NOT because of anything being done by the folks on the front lines. But when interest groups like AARP and the AMA and the American THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 12 THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 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,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 14 Commentary: Chuck Muth Every week in Nevada, CNN Chief Needs a Therapy Puppy and a Pacifier someone is trying to Jeff Zucker, the head of the nation’s biggest fake news network, CNN, is screw us. whining over what he claims is an “unconscionable and dangerous” effort by President Donald Trump to de-legitimize the press which has, according to him, increased the threats faced by his fake news peddlers. “We’ve been dealing with this in very real and heightened way over the last 18 months,” he blubbered. Oh, cry me a river. Most of the time, we CNN has brought this all on itself by throwing off even the thinnest veil of covering this president fairly and objectively. And they’ve been pulling this same kind of crud for YEARS. They weren’t dubbed the “Clinton News elected that someone. Network” back in the 90’s for nothing. CNN was particularly brutal covering former House Speaker Newt Gingrichafter the Republican take-over of Congress in 1994. And it was unceasing in its negative coverage of former Republican President George W. Bush. In addition, the network has served as the unofficial propaganda machine That's why we conserva- for Democrats against any and all GOP presidential candidates over the years…with the possible exception of Sen. John McCain. But he doesn’t count as a Republican. tives NEED a WEEKLY And it’s even worse when a Republican is also considered a principled conservative. On the other hand, CNN goes out of its way to protect Democrats and voice. liberals – only occasionally criticizing them with kid gloves to project a false sheen of objectivity. But their efforts to de-legitimize President Trump have taken their bias, including outright and demonstrable lies, to an all-new level. It’s shameful. Disgusting. Unconscionable. And yes, dangerous. The poisonous political environment that exists today – in which a That's why the Penny Press Bernie Sanders supporter decides it’s OK to take a high-powered rifle and go “Republican hunting” at a local playground – can be laid directly at the feet of CNN and its “amen corner” at other liberal news outlets. has made sticking up For years CNN has used its bully pulpit – with the key word being “bully” – to beat Republican elected officials into submission on a wide variety of public policy issues and campaigns. And once they’ve decided to target an for us little guys a whole individual, they’ve been a pit bull on a bone. They just won’t let it go. Then along came Mr. Trump. Unlike most Republicans, he bites back. And after decades of having it all their way, CNN doesn’t like it. But new Nevada tradition. CNN has brought this all on itself. The public caught on to their act long ago but never had a champion tough enough to put them in their rightful place. Now we do. Of course, CNN and others wrap themselves in the shroud of protecting “the peoples’ right to know.” But no one elected them to do that for us. They’re self-appointed. With no accountability. Unlike our government’s Penny Press constitutionally established “checks and balances,” the media has operated its anti-GOP/anti-Trump propaganda machine with absolute impunity. Enough is enough. 775-461-1515 I’m certainly not condoning violence or physical threats against the self- proclaimed “reporters” and “journalists” at CNN. But to blame President eFax 201-304-0355 Trump for the negative reactions to their ongoing and relentless fake news for simply defending himself and counter-punching in the political arena is absurd. [email protected] Our advice to Jeff Zucker if he won’t change his evil ways and stop trying to de-legitimize Trump’s presidency: Suck it up, buttercup. It’s gonna be a pennypressnv.com long seven-and-a-half years! CHUCK MUTH THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 15

Sparks Reno Carson City www.LaMejorReno.com THE PENNY PRESS,JUNE 22, 2017 PAGE 16

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