By DR. LARRY MOSES
No one asked me but… Welcome to East California.
The last coal-fired plant in southern Nevada has shut down. After 52 years of contributing to the power grid, the Reid-Gardner power plant is starting its demolition.
Most of the 170 people who once worked at the plant lived and spent their money in Moapa Valley. I well remember the educational support the community received from the plant. When funds were needed, above CCSD allotment, NV energy was always a willing participant in the fundraising.
NV Energy has assured those people dependent upon the cheap power generated by coal that rates will not raise and the world will now be safe for democracy. This is one more example of the creeping Californication of Nevada that was evident in the last national election. California has banned coal-generated power from their state and therefore East California (Nevada) should not have it either.
NV energy representatives have said once the land is rehabilitated, it may make a good site for a solar farm. One must not worry that solar power is about three times as expensive as coal produced energy for we have been assured that in the future the cost of solar power will come down. Besides the environmentalist assure us that we will be saving the planet from the terrible effects of coal fumes. They are quiet about the environmental impact of solar and wind farms.
No one asked me but… Nuclear waste is coming to Nevada. The rumblings have started again across the land.
We in Nevada accepted the fact that our state land is of little value. This is evidenced by the fact that we have given it to the federal government. The nation has come to accept our evaluation and considers our desert a wasteland with no more value than a place to store the nation’s nuclear waste.
Nevada went Democrat in the last election. Unfortunately for Nevada, other than the east and west coast, the nation went Republican. The Republicans have no commitment to the State of Nevada. This was not the case when President Obama and Senator Harry Reid ran the country. Both men were supported by voters in the State of Nevada and returned the favor by battling against the repository at Yucca Mountain. With the Republicans in power, the issue is back on the table and you can expect a different outcome. As President Obama reminded people often: “elections have consequences.”
Maybe the State of Nevada should build a nuclear power plant on the Yucca Mountain site and use the nuclear waste to produce power for the state. The state could also charge storage fees. Oh! Wait the Yucca Mountain site is not part of the State of Nevada, it is owned by the federal government who would benefit from any power produced or storage fees.
Governor Sandoval has stated Nevada will fight against the reopening of the Yucca Mountain repository plan. He is supported by the Nevada Senators and Congressmen/women. This is not very reassuring when one understands that this is a Democrat state in a Republican world.
The only comforting thought is that the Republicans in power are so inept they will not be able to take advantage of their majorities in both Houses of Congress.
No one asked me but… It is time for someone to tell Donald Trump he is no longer campaigning. He won!
Someone in his organization has to have the courage to tell the emperor he has no clothes. Every leader needs someone who has the fortitude to challenge the actions of the boss.
There apparently is no one who dares tell President Trump that it is time to stop baiting Hillary, challenging a hostile media, stop the tweets, and to just get down to work. President Trump needs to stop his petty fights and merely get on with getting on.
Republicans in general need to study the Democrat’s mode of operation and quit fighting among themselves and support programs that they campaigned on. Harry Reid never took into consideration what the Republican minority wanted; he merely forced through the Democrat program.
The problems President Trump and the Republican leadership is having in establishing Republican principles in government is not coming from Democrats; it is from inside their own ranks. It is a given that Democrats are going to oppose Republican programs. If this were the only opposition, the Republican agenda would be easily completed. The opposition within the party is killing all Republican reform of government. The Republicans have a tendency to circle the wagons against Democratic opposition and then begin to fire into the middle.
The medical issue is an example of Republican ineptitude. The Republicans have had eight years to develop an alternative to Obamacare. When Obamacare passed, it was with 100% Democrat vote. The Republicans cannot count on anywhere near a 100% Republican vote for Trumpacare.
It may be that Democrats are used to the mob mentality where even those who may disagree go along with the program because their leadership says it is best. Republicans may suffer from the fact that each Republican feels that they are the smartest person in the room and if others don’t agree with them it is their fault.
This may explain why Democrat strongholds are in areas where people live in masses and depend upon others to take care of them. Republican support centers are in areas where people are more independent and learn to take care of themselves and this leads them to not follow the mass mentality. I am not suggesting one is better than the other; however, it is different.
This theory may be completely flawed and is presented by an individual who doesn’t consider himself either a Republican or Democrat. I am not sure where I land on the political scale and am not sure I want to know.
On the medical issue, I believe every American needing medical care should be able to receive it. I further believe Obamacare is not a medical program, it is an insurance program and benefits only the insurance companies. I am not sure what the Republican plan is but it appears to be just a modification of the insurance program proposed by the Democrats.
It probably doesn’t matter what the Republican plan is because they cannot unite to pass a “repeal and replace” law anyway.
Thought of the week…Government is inherently incompetent, and no matter what task it is assigned, it will do it in the most expensive and inefficient way possible.
– Charley Reese
