Penny Press Las Vegas, NV Volume 2 Number 23 MARCH 3, 2005 Cup, Busch, Back Next Week! THE PENNY PRESS, MARCH 3, 2005 PAGE 2 American Idol Star Diana DeGarmo To Sing National Anthem At LVMS Diana DeGarmo, who burst on the national stage by finishing runner-up in the 2004 American Idol competition, will perform the National Anthem prior to the March 13 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. DeGarmo, 17, has been performing around the world throughout the past year and is preparing for the release of her first album, “Blue Skies.” “I am a huge fan of NASCAR and am very excited about this opportunity,” DeGarmo said. “I’m really looking for- ward to the whole experience.” DeGarmo’s performance will be punctuated by a flyover from the USAF Thunderbirds. It will be the second con- secutive year the Air Force’s most precise flying team will perform the flyover. Robin Leach, former star of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, will return for the second year as master of ceremonies for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Tickets are available for the NASCAR Weekend by calling 1-800-644-4444 or by logging on to www.tickets.com. www.pennypresslv.com The Penny Press is published weekly by Penny Credits: 5010 Productions, Inc. All Contents © Penny Press 2005 Publisher and Editor: Contributing Editors: Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They should be sent to our offices at 418 1/2 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Press Fred Weinberg George Harris Al Thomas Vegas 89101. They can also be emailed to: Logotype Circulation: Doug French Bill Here [email protected] No unsigned or unverifiable Pointedlymad Charlotte Weinberg Dolores Lonergan Pat Choate letters will be printed. licensed from: Rich Gast Joyce Meyer Bob Jennings 702-740-5588 Fax: 702-920-8215 Penny Press LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 16 PAGES VOLUME 2 NUMBER 23 MARCH 3, 2005 Hollywood Celebrities Oppose Liberal Because He’s “Anti-Choice” By BRENT BAKER everything else. Democratic leadership’s first choice wife of Alan Horn, president of Media Research Center The MRC’s Ken Shepherd to run for a Senate seat in Rhode Warner Brothers; the actors Camryn caught this short item from Woodruff Island because that candidate oppos- Manheim, Christine Lahti, Kathy Hollywood versus a liberal on the February 28 Inside Politics: es abortion rights. Najimy and Heather Thomas; Susie Democrat. CNN’s Judy Woodruff “A group of Hollywood activists Victoria Hopper, wife of the actor Tompkins Buell, a founder of the on Monday picked up on a New are raising money to oppose Rhode Dennis Hopper, enlisted 16 actors, Esprit clothing company; and Callie York Times story about how some Island Democratic Congressman Jim producers and philanthropists to Khouri, the screenwriter of “Thelma Hollywood celebrities are raising Langevin who is being recruited by sign a letter objecting to the poten- and Louise.”... money to oppose the nomination of party leaders to run for the Senate. tial candidacy of Representative Jim For the article in full: www. The New York Times reports that the Langevin, who is being recruited nytimes.com donors, including the wife of actor for the 2006 race by the Democratic Langevin’s Web site: www. Dennis Hopper and actors Christine Senatorial Campaign Committee.... house.gov Media Analysis Lahti and Camryn Manheim oppose “This is even more important Langevin is hardly right of cen- Langevin because he is against abor- than one precious Senate seat; it is a ter. The American Conservative tion rights.” fight to protect women and families, Union has assessed an 18 percent current Rhode Island Democratic Christine Lahti is now starring and a fight for the core and soul of rating for him over his congressio- Congressman Jim Langevin to chal- on WB’s Jack and Bobby. Manheim our party,” Ms. Hopper wrote in the nal career (he was elected in 2000), lenge nominal Republican Lincoln is best known for her role on ABC’s letter. “Unbelievably, some conser- barely less liberal than his Ocean Chafee for his Senate seat in 1996. former series, The Practice. vative D.C. Democrats have recruit- State colleague, Patrick Kennedy, Woodruff explained that the donors, “Donors Oppose Senate Choice ed Representative Jim Langevin, a whom ACU put at 12 percent. For “including the wife of actor Dennis Over Abortion” read the headline radically anti-choice candidate.”... the ACU’s ratings of the delegation Hopper and actors Christine Lahti over the February 28 article by Ms. Hopper’s letter included a from Rhode Island and Providence and Camryn Manheim, oppose David Kirkpatrick. An excerpt: roster of big Hollywood donors, Plantation: acuratings.com Langevin because he is against A group of wealthy Hollywood including Chris McGurk, vice abortion rights.” But he’s liberal on donors is raising money to fight the chairman of MGM; Cindy Horn, Welcome To Las Vegas’ GEORGE HARRIS PAGE 4 Newest Paper! PAT CHOATE PAGE 5 FRED WEINBERG PAGE 6 Inside: Penny Wisdom DOUG FRENCH PAGE 7 DIANE GRASSI PAGE 8 Hurting Productivity I don’t know the key to suc- AL THOMAS PAGE 10 cess, but the key to failure is JOE TARTARO PAGE 11 Won't Help Unions trying to please everybody. —Bill Cosby JOYCE MEYER PAGE 12 See Editorial Page 6 PET OF THE WEEK PAGE 15 THE PENNY PRESS, MARCH 3, 2005 PAGE 4 Commentary: George Harris 3) Economic development will suffer, as businesses relocate to other Jobs! We Don’t Need states that do not saddle employers with this cost imposed by government mandate. 4) Although the bill allows a $1/hour reduction in wage for companies No Stinking Jobs! that provide health benefits, there’s a provision in the bill that requires the business to offer full insurance to all dependents in order to qualify. Most The following Nevada Assembly Republicans are to be commended for likely, many businesses will opt for no insurance and pay the $1/hour their bravery for voting against Assembly Bill 87. They understand econom- increase, which will lead to decreasing the number of Nevadans who have ics and had the common sense to put the welfare of the state above political health coverage. pressure. 5) Businesses that have little discretion in their workforce size will be forced to raise prices, passing the expense on to Nevada consumers. Heros: Lynn Hettrick, Garn Mabey, Chad Christensen, Heidi S. Gansert, Businesses that cannot pass on the increase will have lower profits, accu- Tom Grady, Rod Sherer, Francis Allen, Sharron Angle. mulate less capital and will not be able to grow. 6) The bill mandates minimum wage payments for the only category of If your Republican Assemblyperson isn’t on this list, write them and let worker heretofore not covered by the law - the owner/operator of a small them know that you will be watching how they vote for the balance of the business. Yes, entrepreneurs, you may no longer opt to not pay yourself dur- session and remind them that they should have stood up against AB 87; the ing the startup phase of your new enterprise, or not at any other time along worst piece of legislation since last session’s unnecessary tax hike! The bill your business’s path either. And if you do accidentally pay yourself less they passed, Assembly Bill 87, whose primary sponsors were Democrats than minimum wage, you can actually go to jail. This bill elevates violations Chris Guinchigliani and anointed Governor to be Richard Perkins, is online from a civil offense to a criminal offense. here: In my more cynical moments, I could perhaps see the wisdom of pass- http://www.leg.state.nv.us/73rd/bills/AB/AB87_R1.pdf ing this dog in hopes it would eliminate the minimum wage ballot question Why is this the worst bill of the session so far? from the 2006 ballot. This hope is quickly crushed to dust by reality - not 1) It mandates than Nevada set a minimum wage greater than the federal only is it true that nothing can remove the ballot question from next election minimum wage. This increment in Nevada will always be equal to $1/hour, season, but if this bill and the ballot question both pass, Nevada’s minimum increased every year by the smaller of the Consumer Price Index or 3%. wage will be permanently set at $2 more than the federal minimum wage, Which means at the end of this year when Congress increases the federal effectively ending entry-level jobs in Nevada forever. So I would like to minimum wage $1/hour, Nevada’s minimum wage will instantly rise to take this opportunity to thank those Democrats who have never had to meet $7.15/hour and will adjust upward from there for inflation. a payroll for using their majority in the Assembly to place another burden 2) Crime will increase, as youth idled by the reduction in entry-level onto the backs of small business people in Nevada. jobs find alternate criminal enterprises to engage in. GEORGE HARRIS THE PENNY PRESS, MARCH 3, 2005 PAGE 5 Commentary: Pat Choate a handful of controversial judges. the risk would as low as investment tion. Now, Senator Bill Frist, the Squandering The The Social Security fight is in Treasuries. Equally important, Senate Majority Leader, is threaten- particularly dangerous to this we would have the use of the facili- ing to change Senate rules outlawing Election Administration. The financial prob- ties. filibusters if the Democrats use that lem that exists is slight and even Other options exist. Rather technique to block the President’s Congress usually grants a newly- the most diehard supporter of the than searching for such choices, the nominees.