(Mark Noonan) – The other day Rep. Dina Titus (D-Now in Reid's Hip Pocket) had this to say about the stimulus program and Reid's value to Nevada:
“All the economists say if we hadn't passed that stimulus package we'd be a whole lot worse off and when you go from the number one in the Senate to number 100 you lose an awful lot of power and Senator Reid can help to bring those things we need back to Nevada”
I'd like Dina Titus to explain to us what “a whole lot worse off” would actually look like. We have had some allegedly good news of late. State Treasurer Kate Marshall advised the other day that we're doing so well that we're now only about 66% below our normal cash on hand in the State treasury – a stunning improvement from last fall when we were about 70% off our norm. In other goods news, the gaming win for February of 2010 rocket all the way up…to just under 90% of the win from February 2007.
The best which can be claimed for Reid's stimulus plan is that we're not cratering as fast as we were. But even that is questionable – we might have just reached the bottom with the stimulus making no difference at all. This is especially likely when you look deeper in to the numbers and see that February's win was pumped up by Chinese New Year and the Super Bowl coming in the same month.
But Titus tells us that as long as we've got Number One in the Senate, Reid will be able to bring “those things” we need. Like what? What do we need? Do we need a government take over of our health care? Do we need to lose jobs when Yucca Mountain is shut down? Do we need the “Cap and Trade” energy tax? More accusations that the patriots in the TEA Party are a bunch of knuckle-dragging, bitter gun- and Bible-clingers?
This doesn't seem like the sort of thing having Number One would bring. Its more like having number two. A lot of it. Poured all over us.
The question to be asked is not whether or not Reid can claim credit for anything good which may or may not have happened but whether or not we, the people of Nevada, are better off now than in 2004. Do we feel more secure in our jobs? How do we feel about our home values? Is Nevada the booming wonder of the American economy it was back then? In the answer to these questions is the answer to whom we should vote for in November.
What we don't need are the career, machine politicians telling us that they've saved the day while we stare disaster in the face. Titus and Reid want one thing, and one thing only: to be returned to power. It doesn't matter to them what we're going through, as long as they continue to live the high life in DC at our expense.
They'll try everything to get re-elected – and if they can't win us over by promising us the Moon, they'll try to scare us in to supporting them by hinting direly about how awful it will be for us if we don't have them in DC.
The time for that is past. We don't want powerful, wheeler-dealer politicians in Washington. We want people who will represent us, the people of Nevada.
