Maxfield Parrish illustration

Knickerbocker's History of New York (1899)

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The Irascible One

How to play the game, 101 --- Jim Gibbons is playing a game that puts even more odds in his favor. By not responding to his opponents' calls for debate, discuss, talk, talk, talk, every time a reporter writes that he hasn't responded it is written this way: "Front Runner Jim Gibbons ..." He is being called front runner in daily columns across the state daily. He doesn't need to respond. Go front runner.

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Boxing ringside tickets were only $1,000 --- The mayor of Caliente may be in the process of setting a record that those who are ethically challenged will have a hard time beating. Between freebie tickets to boxing matches, Rolling Stones concerts, NASCAR Skyboxes, and so many more, large amounts of what is commonly called graft has changed hands recently. Caliente Mayor Kevin Phillips, whose community may just become economically enhanced because of a DOE/Yucca Mountain railhead, has topped them all.

It has been alleged in a complaint filed with the Nevada Ethics Commission that Phillips and his wife traveled to France on the nuclear energy industry's dime. A trip to Paris with all the goodies was paid for by a French nuclear waste contractor that does business with DOE at Yucca Mountain. Interestingly, after multitudes of political corruption headlines, Mayor Phillips didn't report the trip on his financial statement filed with the state.

What does a five-day all-expense trip to Paris cost? Probably more than the state says must be reported. Any gift of $200 or more must be reported.

Even Harry Reid will have a hard time topping this one.

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What does it mean, Alfie? --- The law dealing with financial disclosure is actually simplistic in its approach, and maybe that's why so many of our elected officials have such a hard time understanding what it means. If you take something that has a value of $200 or more, you report it. Candidates don't understand what that means. Elected officials don't understand what that means. Judiciary doesn't understand what that means.

Financial statements were due May 22. Check out the reports filed with the Secretary of State or whoever is running that office since Heller wants us to believe he's out there campaigning. Finding financial reports on local candidates might mean a trip to the city or county clerk's office, but you will be surprised at just how many people that swear they are there to work for you don't give a damn about keeping you informed as to their financial situation.

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Don't let the door hit you in the . . . --- Fines of as much as $2 million are being discussed at Las Vegas City Hall against Rick Rizzolo's $kin club. He personally is facing $15 million in claims. If the city closes him down and charges big fines, what is the poor little scumbag going to do? Move to Philly where a new club with the same name is working to get open?

For sure he won't be able to sell the Crazy Horse Too, and that will upset the feds that made a sale of the club part of his plea agreement. Philly's a nice town.

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A fun(d) raiser for sure --- My immediate supervisor (check out the contact page) said I can't go and that's a shame. This is the way to hold a fundraiser for a candidate. Michael B. Stewart, Shirley Dale, and Jeffrey and Clelie Kirby are holding a fundraiser for congressional candidate Dawn Gibbon on a Yacht with a cruise to Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. For four hours I could have mingled with some of the good people of northern Nevada and schmoozed with Dawn Gibbons while lounging on the deck of a fine boat cruising the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe.

The invitation says loads about Gibbons and how she feels about campaign finance reporting. Quoting here, "Federal law requires political committees to use their best efforts to obtain and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in an election cycle. Contributions from corporations and foreign nationals are prohibited." Finally, somebody understands.

That fundraiser is June 17, and the boss will not let me go. Even if I promise to be a good boy. Even.

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To recycle, or not to recycle. That is the question --- These figures are for the most part pretty accurate, but it is the thought that counts. Where do you put your "expendable" cash?

If you had purchased $1,000 worth of Nortel stock one year ago it would be worth about $49 today. With Enron, you would have $16.50 left. With WorldCom, about five bucks. Don't blame your analyst; just pay attention to the rest of this.

If you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer in the aluminum cans one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned the cans in for a recycling refund, you would have $214.

See you at the Satellite. They have Pabst in cans.

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