аЯрЁБс>ўџ +-ўџџџ*џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС#` №П<bjbjЁЁ *"УУ<џџџџџџЄ2–––– Ђ 2 >ККККККККЛННННННV hО pНККНККв‹‹‹"ККЛ‹Л‹‹‹КЎ @GЬъ ьЧ–П.‹Џ ш0 ‹. э”. ‹. ‹$К"м‹є•КККНН ККК 222d–222–222џџџџ 21-Opinion Election 2008 Looms: We May Be Losers Local Elections Are Key To Your Economic Status by Johnny Gunn Some random thoughts on Election 2008. Regardless of how many headlines and puff pieces come out of the national press, the one thing we should remember: the local races are most apt to affect your pocketbook. Those people sitting on county commissions and city councils have a direct pipeline to your checkbook and the president, no matter what that TV hawker says, doesn't. Take a quick look at all the quasi-governmental agencies that exist within your county, and remember that each one must be funded. Your property taxes are a small percentage of the county's and city's take if you add in things like franchised garbage, water, schools, parks, and highways. Understanding the local political races are far more important that knowing that Hillary wants socialized medicine or that Barack has little understanding of international policy. If you have ever thought of getting into politics, this might be a good election cycle in which to plunge. Many of our legislators are not going to running for reelection because of term limits. Both the Assembly and the Senate will lose some long time representatives making 2008 a great year for novices. In this crotchety old guy's opinion the fact that so many legislators were sent back to the fray last election with no opposition was all but a crime. Republicans were reelected without opposition, democrats were reelected without opposition, and it is a given that none of them were that perfect. There are drawbacks to getting into politics and the biggest one is today's lack of public decorum, lack of courtesy, lack of good manners. One does open one's self up to some serious scrutiny and those with no soul will spread whatever is in your background all over the map. The fact that you had an unpaid parking ticket 30 years ago will become headline news. The idea of he without something in his background casting that first stone never enters the mind. And that is a shame. We need thoughtful, educated people with varied backgrounds in the legislature, not marshmallows that have perfect backgrounds because they've never attempted to do anything. You will never make a mistake if you never try. These thoughts aren't meant to lessen the value of the national election but rather to place an emphasis where it truly belongs, on the local. Unless you are in an IRS category in which money means nothing, that guy or gal running for city council has far more to say about your economic well being than any president ever, and those people that will be converging on Carson City immediately following the election will play havoc with your pocketbook. In the past some of the early primaries and caucuses were responsible for shaking out some interesting candidates, but that probably isn't going to happen this time around. Well before we should even be considering a specific person, more than 22 states, some of the largest, will hold early primaries and caucuses. These early votes are not in the best interest of the country. All we're seeing right now is the "glad-hand" from people trying to raise enough money to stay in the race. International relations are at what some consider the lowest ebb in decades, our national pride has been besmirched by such things as Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, America and its citizens are literally hated by more than one third of the world's population, and we are not going to have an opportunity to join in a debate over those situations because of the early voting. The national picture isn't much better than the international one. The country's infrastructure is crumbling, think bridges falling, levees crumbling, tunnels collapsing, and our dependence on fossil fuel coming from countries that hate us, and we have a frightening picture. We need a long and detailed debate over these problems and situations, not some pretty faces trying to raise money. Our last two presidents have been total failures, one monkeying around with baby-girls, the other monkeying around with the constitution. We should not be electing a prom queen, we should be electing a world leader, one who will make us proud once again, one who can stand up to bullies and trouble makers without calling up the entire armed forces or resorting to archaic and illegal forms of torture. The early caucuses and primaries might very well take that opportunity from us. Those are some of my thoughts as we begin this long process of finding leaders from city hall and the White House. As always, we are open to hearing your ideas and thoughts as well. •••   1cdso Ž ,-<јэтэзјЫјУјУјh5XOJQJh5Xho Щ5OJQJho Щ5CJ$OJQJh aЁ5CJ0OJQJho Щ5CJ0OJQJho ЩOJQJ   !23KcdsФ %юЖ$~78<§§јјјјј§§§§§§§§§§§ј$a$<§(Аа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %ААаАа а†œH@ёџH Normal CJOJPJQJ_HmH sH tH DAђџЁD Default Paragraph FontVi@ѓџГV  Table Normal :V і4ж4ж laі (k@єџС(No List lўOђl Style1+ Ц& 0`Р№ P€Ар@B*CJOJPJQJtH u<"џџџџ !23KcdsФ%юЖ $~78>˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€˜0€€<<<џџИйWL#ЙйWЄ>#_ _ >j j >8*€urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags€City€9.*€urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags€place€ €о ‹‘+ 1 >dfs™ Ђ>333 rrŽŽУУ$$ээЕ Е , - ##}};>>х5X aЁo Щ>џ@<@@џџUnknownџџџџџџџџџџџџG‡z €џTimes New Roman5€Symbol3& ‡z €џArialS PalatinoBook Antiqua3‡z €џTimes"qˆ№аhхЁИ&QћИІ:И„ !И„ !!№ЅРДД€24d33„№ппHX)№џ?фџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџ5X2џџ 21-Opinion Johnny GunnYour User Nameўџр…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0hˆЄАФар ј $ 0 <HPX`ф 21-Opinion Johnny GunnNormalYour User Name8Microsoft Office Word@м=@‘7уЧ@Fїт ьЧИ„ўџеЭеœ.“—+,љЎ0 hpˆ˜  ЈАИР Ш пфNevada Observer! 3Ф  21-Opinion Title ўџџџўџџџ !ўџџџ#$%&'()ўџџџ§џџџ,ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РF@ИЮъ ьЧ.€1TableџџџџџџџџWordDocumentџџџџџџџџ*"SummaryInformation(џџџџDocumentSummaryInformation8џџџџџџџџџџџџ"CompObjџџџџџџџџџџџџqџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџ џџџџ РFMicrosoft Office Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.8є9Вq