Weekly remarks: GOP's Dean Heller sees regs killing jobs; Obama 9/11 should bring unity

Weekly remarks by Sen. Dean Heller, as provided by Republican Party leadership

Hi, I’m Senator Dean Heller from the great state of Nevada.   

Americans have had to endure great hardships over the past few years. This recession has robbed millions of people of their jobs, their homes and their sense of security.

No state has been hit harder than Nevada. My state has the unfortunate distinction of leading the nation in unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies. There is no question that the status quo of dysfunctional government must end. People from all over the country are struggling just to get by and are desperate for real solutions.

Unfortunately, job creation and economic growth has taken a back seat to political posturing and grandstanding in Washington.

It is clear that the approach of this administration and its supporters have taken for economic recovery has failed miserably. 

Out of control spending, a healthcare law that no one can afford, and a seemingly endless....

Democrat Steve Wynn on Obama: 'Until he's gone, everybody's going to be sitting on their thumbs'

Going out on juniper limb here, but it doesn't seem like Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn will be one of the major bundlers of campaign fundraising cash for President Obama's reelection this year, next year or any year.

Wynn, the head of Wynn Resorts, was on a conference call this week with investment analysts, talking about the nation's business climate and the outlook for hotel and gaming in Las Vegas and Macau, when the subject of Washington came up.

Holy Smokes! You'd have thought someone hit the million-dollar jackpot on the nickel machines!

Wynn, a billionaire who calls himself a Harry Reid-supporting Democrat, went off on an epic rant. According to the wondrous website Seeking Alpha, which has the entire call transcript, Wynn blasted....

Sarah Palin fan denied, then granted personalized Nevada license plate

A Sarah Palin supporter in Nevada has sued the state after repeatedly being denied a personalized license plate emblazoned with the letters "GOPALIN."

James Linlor filed suit last week after he was refused the plate, as he was in 2009 and 2010 when he applied for the same tag and others like it.

But the license plate was issued months ago, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

When Linlor first began trying to obtain a Palin-themed plate, an official at the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles apparently thought that political license plates could not be issued. A line in the Nevada Administrative Code forbids plates that “express contempt, ridicule or superiority of ... political affiliation.”

But Linlor discovered that other plates that could be seen as political had been issued. Plates with "GOGREEN,” “DMOCRAT,” “AL GORE,” “KERRY,” “EDWARDS,” “DEAN,” “HILLARY” and “RONPAUL,” were all approved, but Linlor claims other plates like "BUSH" were denied.

Eventually all of the denials of the Palin plates were reversed and Bruce Breslow, director of the Nevada DMV said he wouldn't have refused them in the first place had he known.

So, now that the floodgates are open, we went to the Nevada DMV website and found several political (and not-so-political) plates that are currently available for Silver State residents.

Osama bin Laden's death photos will be viewed by select members of Congress

Osama bin Laden's final photographs that President Obama originally refused to release will soon be viewable by certain members of Congress.

A government official told CNN on Tuesday that members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the equivalent committees in the House, will be granted the opportunity to view the photos taken of Bin Laden soon after he was shot and killed by the SEALs.

In an interview that aired Sunday, Obama explained on CBS why he didn't want to release the gory photos of the fallen terrorist leader.

"We don't trot out this stuff as trophies," the president told CBS' Steve Kroft on "60 Minutes." "The fact of the matter is, this was somebody who was deserving of the justice that he received. And I think Americans and people around the world are glad that he is gone. But we don't need to spike the football," Obama said.

Still, there has been a clamor by some to see the photographs: Some do want the football spiked, and others simply want closure. Bin Laden's son, Omar, was one of those who wanted proof that his father was dead, and Monday he requested to see either photos or video of his dead father. In the meantime, he said he and his family will go on believing that his father wasn't shot, killed and buried at sea.

Donald Trump in Vegas: 'Our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people'

Donald Trump dealt a series of F-bombs during a speech Thursday night in Las Vegas where he condemned the president specifically and policymakers as a whole.

"Our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people," the billionaire told an audience of approximately 1,000 people at the Treasure Island hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip hosted by several Republican women's groups.

The real estate mogul and television producer continued his battle cry of taking oil from countries after we have defeated them in battle.

"In the old days, when you won the war, it was yours," Trump said, earning applause from the crowd. "When we win a war … we leave with nothing."

Regarding Asia, Trump said they should be honoring the United States with tributes as well.

"I'd say to South Korea, 'All those televisions you sell us, all the billions you make — we're going to protect you and make sure you're in good shape, but you're going to pay for it,'" he proclaimed. "You know something, they would do it in two minutes."

And China? Trump says there's no benefit trying to be a good neighbor environmentally if halfway around the world the most-favored nation is mucking up the air.

Sen. John Ensign had said resigning 'would be admitting guilt'

 
Just recently, Republican Sen. John Ensign had this to say about an ethics investigation and the possibility that he would resign:

“If I was concerned about that, I would resign. That would make the most sense, because then it goes away.... Resigning would be admitting guilt, and I did not do the things that they're saying.”

But that was in March. On Thursday the junior senator from Nevada — who a few years ago strongly suggested that former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) resign in the wake of his arrest in an airport bathroom sex scandal — announced that he would give up the office he had held for 11 years. This does not mean, Ensign explained in a statement, that he’s done anything wrong, at least as far as the law is concerned. 

“While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule, or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly, I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings, or especially public hearings," he said. "For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great.” (Entire statement available on the jump.)

Ensign was referring to the efforts of the Senate Ethics Committee, which had named a special counsel to investigate whether Ensign violated ethics rules and federal law after his affair with Cynthia Hampton, the wife of Doug Hampton, who was then his top aide. Ensign's wealthy parents wrote the Hamptons a $96,000 check after they left his staff.

Steve Wynn politely calls Obama a liar; Neil Cavuto laughs and says the billionaire makes a lot of sense

 Steve Wynn, the billionaire casino mogul, says that even though his business is doing better this year compared with last year, the White House is not telling the whole truth when it says the economy is improving.

"Baloney is being slung at the American people," Wynn complained.

"It's a very misleading thing that is happening," Wynn told Fox Business' Neil Cavuto Wednesday morning, explaining that the people who frequent his fancy resorts are able to adjust to the current economic climates easier than the middle class employees who work for him. "Everything is more expensive. So the living standard of the working people -- of the middle class of America -- is being materially deteriorating because of the fiscal policies of our government," Wynn said.

When asked by Cavuto if Wynn is reacting to the cool-down of the "the devil-may-care" ways of corporate culture or factors that pre-date the current administration, Wynn turned his attention to President Obama, specifically, and how he is presented by the media.

"You guys on television use the term 'disingenuous' when the president talks about -- says something that isn't true," Wynn said on the cable show.

"That's a fancy word for lying," Wynn said, which got a chuckle out of Cavuto.

Nevada's Sharron Angle returns to politics, as will all the ways Harry Reid slammed her

 

Is Sharia law taking hold in U.S. cities? Are the unemployed spoiled? And what exactly constitutes a 2nd Amendment remedy?

Republican Sharron Angle gave us all sorts of things to ponder during her failed 2010 bid to oust Democratic Sen. Harry Reid. Now, Nevada's doyenne of head-scratching statements -– who once characterized entitlement programs as a form of idolatry –- is returning to the political arena, where she'll likely dole out more.

Angle, a former state lawmaker and a "tea party" darling, announced this month that she would vie for the congressional seat that Republican Rep. Dean Heller is vacating to run for the Senate. Many Republicans in the Silver State groaned. They'd prefer an establishment candidate, such as Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki or state GOP Chairman Mark Amodei, who wouldn't carry as much baggage into the general election.

In her race against Reid, Angle raised millions of dollars and charmed a number of voters with her warm persona. But the unpopular Reid still trounced her by about 6 percentage points. To be sure, Angle ran a flawed campaign, but what ultimately sank her was Reid's barrage of commercials drubbing her lightning-rod statements.

Angle often speaks in fiery rhetoric that simultaneously rallies her conservative supporters and turns off moderates. For example, when asked what she'd tell a teenager who'd been impregnated by her father, Angle essentially said she'd encourage the girl to give birth, turning "what was really a lemon situation into lemonade."

Not the best metaphor.

To outdistance Angle, a tireless campaigner, her rivals will likely ...

Except for the affair, ethics probe and no money, Nevada's GOP Sen. Ensign was a certain 2012 victor

Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign, a Christian who preached strong family values until about the time he admitted a sexual affair with a former aide who was married to a current aide whom he then helped get lobbying work, says he's putting his family ahead of his own career by deciding to retire next year.

Other factors that may have had something to do with the 52-year-old ex-veterinarian's surrender to political reality are: an ongoing Senate Ethics Committee investigation, a distinct lack of money, zero support from fellow GOP senators, a growing array of challengers, a high unfavorable rating and his name atop the list of most vulnerable 2012 incumbents.

Other than that, the former House member would have been a shoo-in for a third Senate term. Ensign said his self-imposed troubles had "zero effect" on his decision. So, add that whopper to the list of reasons he's gone.

Ensign's overdue departure sets up an even more interesting national ....

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval: 'The cure is not more government spending'

Like many other governors confronting their legislatures and budget problems these days, Nevada's new chief executive Brian Sandoval (his official biography is here) faced cutting expenses.

"We find ourselves on the new terrain of a changed global economy," he told legislators the other night, "and the crossing is hard."

Taking office 27 days ago, the former attorney general and federal judge found a preexisting budget gap of $1.2 billion. And began adjusting. "I can tell you the process was as painful as it was necessary," he said. Although the problems are common to most states we've examined so far (scroll down for links to previously published state of the State messages), Nevada's solutions are unique.

The new governor outlines them below.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Gov. Brian Sandoval State of the State Address, Jan. 24, 2011, as provided by his office

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Distinguished Members of the Legislature, Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court, Constitutional Officers. My Fellow Nevadans:

It is a special honor to be here for my first State of the State with so many new members of the Legislature. Nevada is fortunate to have these leaders take office when we are in such a time of need. Welcome, all of you.

Welcome, too, all of the many guests who have joined us here in the Assembly chamber. Kathleen and I are honored that you are willing to share this evening with us. Please also allow me to....