Quote Of The Day

"We’ve seen closures of libraries; we have no seasonal park workers anymore to clean our parks. We have volunteers opening and closing regional parks in the evenings. We have delays in getting to folks who are most vulnerable, who are served by county services. Folks who are clients of the public guardian’s office, it takes us seven days longer than it used to to get to someone when there’s a report of a person with disabilities, or an elderly person who can’t care for themselves. We will go in and help them but sometimes that seven days can be a matter of life and death. "
- Washoe County Manager Katy Simon sings the budget-cut blues, and worries about the more cost shifting from the state to the counties. - Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

"The Reagan Library was going to have a big debate among the Republican candidates this week, and they had to put it off for six months because nobody’s declared (with the exception of Tim Pawlenty). I think it’s a very weak field so far, and some people have said it’s Obama and the 11 dwarfs, but there isn’t anybody that has nationwide stature that I think, feels strongly enough to challenge him. And even people like Mitch Daniels are walking away saying I think Obama’s going to be awfully strong in 2012. "
- Ty Cobb, Former Special Advisor to President Reagan, churns over the possibility of a Donald Trump candidacy in the Republican primary. - Monday, April 4, 2011.

"I tell my board, ‘can you do something to drive the cost of gold down?... ’cause it’s making it tough on us.’ "
- Tim Crowley, President of the Nevada Mining Association, in mock helplessness over a legislative drive to strip the mining industry of some of its legal business deductions, resulting in a higher tax. - Thursday, March 31, 2011.

"We were really given a nod of approval by the carpenters union when they came in there recently (bought) a hundred acres day one. Put a million feet up (building space) day one. And now they are looking at going vertical with another million feet. "
- Lance Gilman, Partner-Broker at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, describes a trade union venture using pension funds to buy land and build spec buildings with union labor. - Wednesday, March 30, 2011.

"I think the reality, at this point, is that it’s pretty early in this session, and to some extent, to keep my powder dry. "
- Dan Klaich, Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education relates the message he has been getting from his pro bono lobbyists, headed up by former Senator Richard Bryan. - Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

"This bill assumes that everybody has health insurance. A lot of people do not, and while it runs 100% contrary to any policy that Senator Leslie would propose, people are calling this the anti-poor people bill. "
- Chris Ferrari, President of Ferrari Public Affairs, on Sheila Leslie’s bill that make products like Sudafed a prescription drug requiring a visit to the doctor, rather than an over-the-counter medicine. - Monday, March 28, 2011.

"Frankly, the legislature has an excellent argument that it is unclaimed property. "
- Mendy Elliott, Partner, Nevada Business Strategies, supporting Assemblyman William Horne’s assertion that unclaimed winnings for Ticket-In-Ticket-Out games can be swept by the state. Currently the casinos are taxed on the amount, but get to keep the money - Thursday, March 24, 2011.

"The Defense Department and the intelligence agencies tell us that there about a hundred Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. About a hundred. So is that a 100,000 troop mission? I think we need to step back and take a look at that. "
- Governor of Mississippi Haley Barbour, testing the waters in Nevada for a Presidential bid. - Wednesday, March 23, 2011.

"The month of April should be a very interesting month for announcements in that race on several fronts. "
- Former State Senator and State GOP Party Chair Mark Amodei, with a cagey response when asked if he will announce a run for Congressional District 2. - Tuesday, March 22, 2011.

"I would be turning my attention more to the administration and President Obama. I think he’s done far more to hurt the economy of the state of Nevada than our brothels have. "
- Congressman Dean Heller, dismissing remarks made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who told the Nevada Legislature that brothels are hindering economic development, and should be shuttered. - Monday, March 21, 2011.

"It’s a catch-22 but the trustees have been pretty adamant, and the community seems to be pretty adamant as well that they think the Legislature ought to look somewhere else to try to balance the budget."
- Superintendent Dwight Jones of the Clark County School District, describes a facet of the governor’s budget as a “taking” of construction bond funds, although the money will come from a separate account, and is to be left in the district's control. - Thursday, March 17, 2011.

"If I were to cut more than half my attorneys, I still wouldn’t make that. "
- Washoe County District Attorney Dick Gammick contemplates a 33 percent budget cut, which is the number prescribed by the Washoe County Commission. - Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

"When this state was suffering a year ago during the special session, it was mining that stepped up and pre-paid their taxes... If you step up as a business and try and help, you are crushed. Which is what’s going to happen to mining. "
- Todd “Taxpayer” Bailey says no good deed goes unpunished when the state legislature is looking for tax revenue. - Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

"Everybody agrees that congress has never before required citizens of the United States to purchase a product, under the commerce clause or any other provision in the constitution. It is a very dangerous concept and a very dangerous precedent, if you believe that the federal government is a government of limited constitutional powers. "
- Mark Hutchison, Nevada's lead special counsel for the court challenge to federal health care reform, who believes that this is the major defining constitutional case of our time. - Monday, March 14, 2011.

"Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Those fees were taken for a very specific purpose, to benefit Southern Nevada and the quality of water. Because the legislature was short, they decided to come in and take that money. It’s taxation without representation. "
- Anthony Marnell III, President of the M Resort Spa and Casino, firmly asserts that $60 million collected for a sewer fund should have been used as planned or refunded, rather than swept by the state legislature. - Thursday, March 10, 2011.