Let’s look at the reviled and revered of the year just
past, along with projections for the one now under way.
First, 2009:
Good riddance, some say, but my take is that the year just ended was
both a wowser and a bow wowser. For example, it gave us partial bank
and stock market recovery but continuing economic jitters. Filet mignon
for Wall Street, turkey for Main Street.
We inaugurated the first half-black, half-white, all-smiling and
ever-present president. Kudos to columnist Kathleen Parker, who
recently said on TV that President Obama’s 2010 New Year’s
resolution should be to make himself scarce. Enough ubiquity
already.
In Nevada, the year found Gov. Jim Gibbons building on his
reputation for anti-tax messages … and pro-text messages. Dawn of
a new day, however, brought a divorce settlement rather than a trial
and its added tribulations. Good show, governor, though I’m
betting you would prefer a win more than a place or show.
Said year gave us the spectacle of Sen. Harry Reid, at the pinnacle
of his power, spending political capital on the Senate passing health
“reform” of questionable quality. Health insurance looks
more deformed than reformed. But maybe Congress will get this
two-headed monster fixed yet in reconciliation, as in: The fix is
in.
We also got the scramble of so many Nevada Republicans eyeing the
GOP Senate nomination—hoping to win it and challenge
Reid—that you could field them as a football team. Being
Republicans, perhaps they could mount a better defense than the UNR
Wolf Pack gridiron 11. But they don’t yet resemble team
players.
In addition, 2009 gave us special legislative session fixes that
weren’t for a state budget that wasn’t. Why? Because gaming
revenues fell off the futon that once was Nevada’s bed of roses.
Gaming helped make Nevada barely a taxing place for residents, but now
the Silver State is becoming a services free and fees for services
zone.
Last year also brought my favorite, one more whoopee cushion from
Time Magazine. It named Helicopter Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve
Chairman, Person of the Year. That’s akin to Sports Illustrated
naming Tiger Woods Husband of the Year. Profligacy pays only for
awhile, never forever.
Now we go to 2010, which sparks just a few thoughts because these
reviled/revered projections are yet to materialize:
The year just started will give us either health reform that
isn’t or send Congress back to the lobby for another grab bag of
goodies. My bet is the president will sign something into law, but only
if chief of staff Rahm Emanuel rams it through reconciliation over
House-Senate egos. I’d prefer nothing to Rahm’s ram.
This year will stick another two-pronged fork in our economic
turkey, offering drumsticks for fat cads and leftovers for the rest of
us. We once called them fat cats, but cats are cool, and cads are just
cold. Bernard Madoff comes to mind. He shattered the law even while
others bent or circumvented it. Madoff won’t ever get pardoned.
Neither will our economic turkey—thanks to foreclosures and
unemployment—until 2011.
This year in Nevada will bring another special legislative session
to wrestle with fallout from Nevada lagging the national economy when
the nation finally makes real progress toward recovery.
But nationally and in Nevada, the boss returns this year.
You’re the boss.
In democratic representative republics, voters rule. Officeholders
hold sway most of the time, but voters can change the cast of
characters by casting ballots.
Cast wisely, please; toss out the turkeys.