Quote Of The Day

"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.

"In 2006, which is really our peak year, we collected $188 million in regional connection charges. Last year, we collected three (million). "
- Pat Mulroy, General Manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, demonstrates that you can chart economic activity by looking at water use. - Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

"People come out like this idiot in Wisconsin, the present governor, and all at once he’s blaming it on the unions, and blaming it on the people who are the beneficiaries… and it was administrations before his that really caused this to get out of hand. "
- Jim Rogers, Owner of Intermountain West Communications, says the the problem was the public failed to notice as government bodies pumped up public wages and benefits. The sentiment was also tweeted by Rogers, who has recently taken a liking to Twitter. - Tuesday, March 8, 2011.

"We’ve seen the bottom, and now we’re coming up. There are going to be some challenges, like Cosmopolitan has a major challenge. How (do) you pay back four billion in debt? "
- Phil Ruffin, Owner of the Treasure Island Resort and Casino, reports the state of the Las Vegas Strip. - Monday, March 7, 2011.

"There’s a lot more activity now than there usually is in the early session of the legislature, and in meeting with legislators in private there’s a lot more tension. You can just feel the tension. "
- Former State Senator Ernie Adler former State Senator describes the atmosphere in Carson City. - Thursday, February 24, 2011.