Hugh Jackson's CityLife columns and other assorted stuff

Remember...

If Nevada had applied a 6 percent personal income tax on individuals with adjusted gross incomes of more than $200,000 in 2007, it would have generated about $1.1 billion.

And since only 2.7 percent of Nevadans reported incomes exceeding $200,000, more than 97 percent of us would have paid ... nothing.

(Read the rest)

And also enjoy...

Your Gleaner's "Damned Pundit" column in Las Vegas CityLife:

• Know your place? -- Silly students, humanities are for the rich. 5-19-11
• Southern Nevada surrenders unconditionally -- 5-5-11
• Thanks Mormons, you've done it again -- Nevada's 2012 GOP presidential caucus will totally suck. 4-21-11
• And so the courage deficit rises -- Everybody talks about fixing Nevada, but nobody (especially the private sector) does anything about it. 4.7.11
• Sharron Angle, mainstream extremist -- 3-24-11
• A few things mining spokesman Brian Sandoval won't tell you -- 3-10-11
• UNLV fumbles the snap -- Stadium follies. 2-24-11
• Hating public employees is the new black -- 2-10-11
• How the Legislature could help the economy (but won't) -- 1-27-11
• Republicans misplace their fetish -- Reading the Constitution with John Boehner. 1-13-11
• A new congressional seat -- as if we don't have enough problems already -- 12-30-10
• How Shelley Berkley can stay relevant -- 12-16-10
• John Ensign continues to impress -- 12-2-10
• Brian Sandoval to the rescue -- 11-19-10
• Was it good for you? (Spoiler alert: the answer is no). The media's dismal performance in the 2010 campaign.  11-4-10
• Will Nevadans finally vote to end welfare woodies once and for all? 10-21-10
• Why can't America catch Harry Reid? -- The Senate Majority Leader and Osama bin Laden have never been seen in the same place at the same time. 10-7-10
• Churchy? The Tea Party? You don't say. 9-23-10
• Nevada's upper crust should put it's money where it's mouth is -- 9-9-10.
• Been there didn't do that and it's too late now so tough -- Nevada had it's chance to diversify it's economy, and it took a pass. 8-26-10
• Get that woman a Bumpit! -- Because that's how important the 2010 elections are. 8-12-10.
• Voters demand complete economic destruction; politicians promise to deliver. 7-29-10
• The American right's trendy new constitutional doctrine: gut feelings -- 7-15-10
• Over the falls with Sharron and Joe  -- It could be worse; Angle and Heck could have been in charge -- 7-1-10.
• Down the rabbit hole with Sharron Angle -- So, are Sharron and Ted Angle even constitutional? -- 6-17-10
• Ironclad predictions for Tuesday's primaries (and beyond) -- All of which are true! -- 6-2-10
• GOP self-destruct sequence activated -- Eh, demographics are a bitch. 5-20-10
• Deja vu all over again for Lowden advisor -- 5-6-10.
• Stupid Democrat tricks -- Revisiting that core Democratic principle for fighting the right: If you can't beat them, join them. 4-27-10
• Dissing the Constitution with Sue -- 4-8-10
• Commie socialist Muslin fascist government takeover -- Needs more cowbell. 3-25-10
• Maybe Jerry's kid should take one for the team -- 3-11-10
• It didn't have to be this way -- 2-25-10
• Nevada's unheralded advantage: Room to maneuver -- Counterintuitive though it may seem, Nevada is uniquely well-positioned to help dig itself out of its budget nightmare and protect its economy in the process -- should it choose to do so. 2-11-10
• The pernicious pointlessness of the Democratic Party -- 1-28-10
• All together now: Aaaaaaaagh!!! The U.S. has started the new decade doing the same thing we did in the last decade: what al-Qaida wants. 1-14-10
• Congratulations, Nevada. 2010 already shaping up as a preposterous farce. 12-31-09.
• Nevada should repeal "Don't ask, don't know" -- "That's just how it works" is an excuse, not a policy. 12-17-09.
• Nevada: Tragically doomed or hopelessly screwed? -- Yes! 12-03-09.
• Why the angst over government-run health care? After all, grandma seems awfully happy with hers. 11-19-09
• Conventional wisdom: Crude but effective -- The usual narrative about ‘right-leaning Nevada’ is overstated, simplistic and far more trouble than it’s worth. 11-5-09.
• Rory son of Harry can't afford politics as usual -- Reid the Younger must tell voters what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. 10-22-09.
• Nevada's greatest untapped resource: Its rich -- We've got them outnumbered -- really, really, really outnumbered -- so now what? 10-8-09.
• Psst ... right wing protesters are not the most important thing in the world -- Eventually, the media will tire of them, and the sooner the better. 9-24-09.
• LIke a cheap suit -- No matter where you look, Harry Reid hangs over Nevada's political scene. 9-10-09.
• All the rage -- You can't reason with angry minds, so why are Democrats giving in to them? 8-27-09
• Mr. Congeniality -- John Ensign, his family, and Nevada's notions of merit. 8-13-09
• Nevada Democrats jump into health care debate -- But the system might get reformed anyway. 7-30-09.
• The comic stylings of Sarah Palin -- The GOP's star forward isn't as funny as she looks. 7-16-09.
• Dilettante watch -- Oscar Goodman thinks Nevada might want to replace one flake with another. 7-2-09.
• Sen. Harry Reid, D-AWOL -- Has the Senate majority "leader" already let his fellow Democrats ruin health care reform? 6-18-09.
• Silent treatment -- Did Nevada Democrats keep quiet about their tax proposals because they had nothing to say? 6-4-09.
• What's so funny about John Ensign? -- The idea of Nevada's junior senator running for president isn't as preposterous as it first appears. 5-21-09.
• The GOP's shrill lonesome call of the wild -- That howling you hear is the sound of Republicans insisting they don't need to change. 5-7-09.
• All dressed up and nowhere to go -- Legislators never take Democratic voters anywhere but expect them to stay loyal anyway. 4-23-09.
• Still Bill -- Now is not the time to let Raggio stand in the way of meaningful reform. 4-9-09
• What if voters are smarter than they look? -- Until a politician treats them that way, we may never know. 3-26-09
• Like it or not, you will work again -- But your governor sure is being a twit in the meantime. 3-12-09.
• Nevada needs more health care coverage, not less -- Instead of cutting the public employee benefits program, legislators should open it up to others. 2-26-09.
• From the depths of frustration and despair, a tiny burst of economic activity -- But is Nevada's newest Reid-bashing industry sustainable? 2-12-09.
• Grand old dogs -- Obama's stimulus plan prompts conditioned response from Pavlovian Republicans. 1-29-09
• They'll just move those gold mines somewhere else -- A booming industry's arguments against paying more taxes don't add up. 1-15-09
• About time -- Your government gears up for a wild binge of runaway spending. 1-1-09
• Spending cuts vs. tax hikes -- Speaking of heartland values, let's tax the rich. 12-18-08
• Harry Reid will get on board if he knows what's good for him -- Democratic cowardice has ruled D.C. for decades, but now it's time to grow a pair. 12-04-08
• Breaks as precious as the metal itself --Some of Nevada's mines produce jillions of dollars worth of gold -- just not the taxable kind. 11-20-08
• Remains of the day -- Flotsam and jetsam (that you need to know!) from the political thing. 11-6-08
• Work much? Well, you're still a pathetic slacker who doesn't deserve a tax break -- just ask a conservative. 10-30-08
• Marketing failure -- It's not the conservative Republicans' "brand" that has fallen out of favor, it's their results. 10-23-08
• Putting people first -- On the sixth anniversary of Congress giving Bush a blank check to invade Iraq, time to point some fingers -- in an unlikely direction. 10-09-08
• A thriving dimocracy -- it's head in the sand and heels dug in, the U.S. holds another dumb election. 9-25-08
• What do Sarah Palin and Chrissy Mazzeo have in common? They both inspire all-important Nevada voting blocs composed of ignorant fools and full-on bumpkins. 9-11-08
• Change we can believe in? The West's evolving political landscape could decide the presidency. 8-29-08
• Jim Gibbons wants to be a cowboy when he grows up -- In the meantime, he still hasn't shown he deserves a tax break. 8-14-08
• Nevada's stealth congressman -- Can Jon Porter trick voters into thinking he's a harmless dullard yet again? 7-31-08
• John McCain was a prisoner of war? — Oh, well in that case, we should probably let him be president. 7-17-08
• John Ensign's big head — As our prettiest senator raises his Washington profile, he becomes more and more out of touch with Nevada. 7-3-08
• Democrats' 2008 strategy: Cowering in silent fear — If Democrats woke up one day in political control of the state, would it even matter? 6-19-08
• Stay the course — Just because the nation's worst governor is humiliated and disgraced, now is not the time for him to cut and run. 6-5-08
• Can't beat 'em — In another proud Nevada moment, the entire state declares itself powerless before the awesome might of the nation's wickedest governor. 5-22-08
• Allow me to respond — An open letter to Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gambling, er, Gaming Association. 5-8-08
• Congressional candidate assures voters he's harmless — Democrat surrenders to GOP spin early in hopes of not offending anyone. 4-24-08
• Gambling addicts: Our forgotten heroes — Even in tough economic times, problem and pathological gamblers step up to the plate and do their part. 4-10-08
• And hey, let's be careful out there — Local authorities on pace to shatter single-year record for killing the citizenry. 3-27-08
• March of the minoritarians — Needlepoint, gardening, Wii -- whatever it is, won't someone please find Sheldon Adelson a new hobby? 3-13-08
• It's the Culinary, stupid — Las Vegas better hope the union's tarnished political profile doesn't diminish its economic clout. 2-28-08
• Psst, Mormons ... it's not about you — The fall of Willard Milton Romney. 2-14-08
• Economic depressant — With everyone stressing the need for a stimulus, Nevada goes in another direction. 1-31-08
• Not exactly what they had in mind — Can Nevada's Democratic Party survive Nevada's Democratic caucus? 1-17-08
• Local Republicans for dummies — A reference for the rest of us (2008 version). 01-03-08
• Rooting for the white male — John Edwards is a progressive and he's not apologizing for it. 12-20-07
• The 'socialized medicine' myth — Are conservatives deliberately lying, or just stupid? 12-06-07
• An ugly win — Did Nevada save Clinton and kill its caucus? 11-22-07
• Reid robs rubes — Nevada's senior senator coddles Big Mining and shortchanges his state. 11-08-07
• Not a Western thing — Presidential candidates have discovered people in Nevada are eerily similar to people in the rest of the country. 10-25-07

Hugh Jackson articles in The Guardian/Comment is Free:

• Harry Reid, unhealthy for America -- The Senate majority leader's position on health care reform is based on what is best for him, not the rest of the country. 10-12-09
• Bulldozing the opposition -- Rather than give in to Democrats' weak vision of health care reform, Obama should drive right over them. 9-16-09.
• Republican sexytime -- Nevada Senator John Ensign is the latest rightwing champion of social issues to be laid low by a sex scandal. 6-22-09.
• The party of no -- While it's fun to watch the Republican Party eat itself, the message to Democrats is clear: the right won't compromise. 4-30-09.
• Love abroad, hate at home -- While Europeans embraced President Obama's candour, to the US right he was attacking America. 4-8-09.
• The Republican hair apparent -- The tired formula of tax cuts finds new life in the person of Nevada's bouffant senator John Ensign. 2-19-09.
• Yesterday's men (and women) -- In spite of their minority status, the US media continues to view Republicans as if they're credible and relevant. 1-29-09.
• Taking responsibility for Bush -- As we bid farewell to George Bush today, Democrats should acknowledge that they gave him a blank cheque after 9/11. 1-20-09.
• Energy policy makes strange bedfellows -- Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens has become an advocate for renewable energy, and the Democrats' improbably ally. 8-28-08.
• Nevada's State of Nerves -- After backing Clinton in the state's caucus, Nevada's delegates anxious to unite behind Obama. 8-27-08.
• How the West might be won -- Issues such as gay marriage and gun control are losing traction in states like Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. 8-26-08.

Freelance 2008 Democratic Convention coverage

• It's not really about Obama (CityLife) -- Can we spend at least a few moments on one of the best political speeches in the modern era
• Energy policy makes strange bedfellows (Guardian) -- Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens has become an advocate for renewable energy, and the Democrats' improbably ally.
• Three's a crowd (CityLife)-- Going off message with the Clintons
• Nevada's State of Nerves (Guardian) -- After backing Clinton in the state's caucus, Nevada's delegates anxious to unite behind Obama.
• How the West might be won (Guardian) -- Issues such as gay marriage and gun control are losing traction in states like Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado.

 

Assorted older Hugh Jackson commentaries

• Affordable housing: Corporate neighbors and corporate neighborhoods, KNPR, 3-27-06
• TV stations cashing in on democracy, KNPR, 3-7-06
• Fighting terrorism with Gold, KNPR, 2-22-06
• She's got guts, KNPR, 1-27-06
• Ensign's handicap, KNPR, 1-11-06
• Things politicians won't say in 2006, KNPR, 12-30-05
• Ready for School? Military recruiters are, Las Vegas Review-Journal 8-28-05
• No Nevada elections, not this time, on KNPR 7-29-05
• Reid & Ensign: Enough with the love already, Las Vegas Review-Journal 7-6-05
• Video poker drones on KNPR 7-5-05

From deep inside the vault: Minor Heresies

From, oh, 1998 until sometime in 2001, Hugh Jackson, Gleaner proprietor, wrote a column called Minor Heresies, first for something called the Las Vegas Business Press and then for a free weekly with sex ads in the back called Las Vegas CityLife. Most of those columns, like Jackson's career in print journalism, have vanished. A handful, however, somehow managed to escape oblivion:

Always looking on the bright side On Nevada's flirtation with energy deregulation; 6-13-01

Anti-baby Baby Bush Bush's first budget tried to cut programs for women and children, too; 5-24-01

Time to declare war on drug kingpins Drug company kingpins, that is; 5-17-01

Cojones-free scaredy cats on parade Cowardly city, county officials avoid tax debate; 5-10-01

100 days, school days, Doris Day, whatever Corporations shouldn't be treated like people because they aren't; 5-3-01

The world's most grown-up man, and friends Cheney, his 'native' Wyoming and nuclear waste; 4-26-01

Fools rush in Nevada's plan to hand over its power supply to the same crowd that was gouging California; 4-19-01

And how will you be paying for that? Bush and the credit card industry trying to gut bankruptcy laws (wonder how that worked out?); 4-12-01

Rock & Roll is dead Well-deserved hit piece on the Hard Rock, 3-29-01

Teachers like sex too Well, they do, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay them more; 3-22-01

Working Dick dead What if Cheney had a conscience? A fantasy piece; 3-16-01

Blown judgment The worst, most politically tawdry Nevada Supreme Court decision that nobody ever talked about; 3-8-01

Universities embrace old profession Whoring for corporate cash on campus; 2-15-01

Full speed ahead Edmund Burke, Frankenstein, Catholics, Gingrich, Florida--it's all here in a deadline-induced ramble; 12-14-00

You mean Bush is still president? Self-explanatory; 6-21-01

Smugsy takes a whackin' The Venerable Reid's big Jim Jeffords coup; 5-31-01

Running on empty Blasting Enron before blasting Enron was cool; 2-1-01

Circuitous, but holistic Why Alan Greenspan should be the nation's repository for nuclear waste and other deadline-driven observations, 1-17-01

Bonus: Pesky colonists at it again Extremely rare Business Press specimen incidentally preserved and accidentally recovered. It's on socially responsible investing; circa February, 1999

A haphazardly collected and apparently no longer maintained hit-and-miss inventory of your Gleaner in the news

• Face to Face with Jon Ralston (TV). 6-10-08
• DNC Chairman Governor Dean Announces Blogs Selected For 2008 Democratic National Convention 'State Blogger Corps, DNCC release, 5-14-08
• Nevada Governor wants his mansion back and his wife out, Associated Press, 5-7-08
• Face to Face with Jon Ralston (TV). 5-5-08
• Workhorse or stalking horse?, Las Vegas Sun, 4-20-08
• Ouch! Why this last week made being a Republican rough, Las Vegas Sun, 3-2-08
• Edwards' message: Louder this time, Las Vegas Sun, 1-18-08
• Showdown in Nevada: Unions face off over casino caucus sites, Democracy Now, 1-17-08
• Liberty Watch Hot and Not List, December 2007
• Jon Ralston speaks with a Democratic centrist beleaguered by bloggers but unbowed, 11-2-07
• Erin Neff: Democrats and the blogosphere, 9-27-07
• iPundits, Las Vegas CityLife, 9-23-07
• All quiet on the Western front, Politico, 7-7-07
• Reid once again whips up political world, Las Vegas Sun, 6-15-07
• Reid sets off firestorm with criticism of Pace, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6-15-07
• Why do I have to pay taxes? Las Vegas CityLife, 4-12-07
• How Netroots Killed the Fox Debate, Politico, 3-13-07
• Democrats pressured to drop Fox News despite compromise, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3-9-07
• Female power at Women's Summit, Las Vegas CityLife, 1-25-07
• Is it 2008 yet?, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12-25-06
• Presidential politics get new venue, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12-24-06
• Cheering on Tom, Las Vegas Sun, 12-3-2006
• Best of the Valley, Las Vegas CityLife, 11-16-06
• Best of the City, Las Vegas Life, November, 2006
• As polls how tightening race, Gibbons campaign finally comes to life, Las Vegas Review Journal, 7-28-05
• Gibbons reverses himself, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7-24-06
• Vice is virtual for the online inclined, Los Angeles Times, 6-18-06
• Liberals log onto clout, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6-10-06
• Caught in party politics, Las Vegas Sun, 4-29-06
• Political talk, Nevada Newsmakers (video link), 4-10-06
• Goodman: Donors await word on bid, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3-17-06
• Blogging Blue Politics, Las Vegas Weekly, 2-23-06
• Six Questions About Harter, Las Vegas Weekly, 2-2-06
• On the State of the Union, KNPR, 2-1-06
• Blogospheric conditions: The Gleaner and Professional Wingnut Chuck Muth on KNPR, 1-4-06
• Blogs make 2005 a media year to remember, Las Vegas Business Press, 12-30-05
• Gibson not 'lite' on call to serve, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12-12-05
• What's mine, Reno News and Review, 12-8-05
• Bloggers poised to be player's on state's campaign landscape, Reno Gazette Journal, 11-20-05
• Reid's bold tactic surprises Washington, not Nevada, Reno Gazette Journal, 11-6-05
• Interview on KNPR's State of Nevada (audio link), 10-18-05
• Boss Vegas, Denver Post, 10-16-05
• Reid sees darker side of blog world, LV Review=Journal, 10-10-05
• All the News That's Fit to Click, CityLife 10-7-05
• Democrats have designs on state's GOP stronghold, Reno Gazette-Journal 8-28-05
• It won't be pretty. It might be cutthroat. It'll surely be fun. (Everything You Need To Know About the Next Governor's Race) Las Vegas Weekly 8-18-05
• Knappster, CityLife 7-28-05
• Campaign contributions: Rogers aided Democrats, Las Vegas Review-Journal 7-20-05
• 777/666, CityLife 6-30-05

Remember...

If Nevada had applied a 6 percent personal income tax on individuals with adjusted gross incomes of more than $200,000 in 2007, it would have generated about $1.1 billion.

And since only 2.7 percent of Nevadans reported incomes exceeding $200,000, more than 97 percent of us would have paid ... nothing.

(Read the rest)

And also enjoy...

Your Gleaner's "Damned Pundit" column in Las Vegas CityLife:

• Know your place? -- Silly students, humanities are for the rich. 5-19-11
• Southern Nevada surrenders unconditionally -- 5-5-11
• Thanks Mormons, you've done it again -- Nevada's 2012 GOP presidential caucus will totally suck. 4-21-11
• And so the courage deficit rises -- Everybody talks about fixing Nevada, but nobody (especially the private sector) does anything about it. 4.7.11
• Sharron Angle, mainstream extremist -- 3-24-11
• A few things mining spokesman Brian Sandoval won't tell you -- 3-10-11
• UNLV fumbles the snap -- Stadium follies. 2-24-11
• Hating public employees is the new black -- 2-10-11
• How the Legislature could help the economy (but won't) -- 1-27-11
• Republicans misplace their fetish -- Reading the Constitution with John Boehner. 1-13-11
• A new congressional seat -- as if we don't have enough problems already -- 12-30-10
• How Shelley Berkley can stay relevant -- 12-16-10
• John Ensign continues to impress -- 12-2-10
• Brian Sandoval to the rescue -- 11-19-10
• Was it good for you? (Spoiler alert: the answer is no). The media's dismal performance in the 2010 campaign.  11-4-10
• Will Nevadans finally vote to end welfare woodies once and for all? 10-21-10
• Why can't America catch Harry Reid? -- The Senate Majority Leader and Osama bin Laden have never been seen in the same place at the same time. 10-7-10
• Churchy? The Tea Party? You don't say. 9-23-10
• Nevada's upper crust should put it's money where it's mouth is -- 9-9-10.
• Been there didn't do that and it's too late now so tough -- Nevada had it's chance to diversify it's economy, and it took a pass. 8-26-10
• Get that woman a Bumpit! -- Because that's how important the 2010 elections are. 8-12-10.
• Voters demand complete economic destruction; politicians promise to deliver. 7-29-10
• The American right's trendy new constitutional doctrine: gut feelings -- 7-15-10
• Over the falls with Sharron and Joe  -- It could be worse; Angle and Heck could have been in charge -- 7-1-10.
• Down the rabbit hole with Sharron Angle -- So, are Sharron and Ted Angle even constitutional? -- 6-17-10
• Ironclad predictions for Tuesday's primaries (and beyond) -- All of which are true! -- 6-2-10
• GOP self-destruct sequence activated -- Eh, demographics are a bitch. 5-20-10
• Deja vu all over again for Lowden advisor -- 5-6-10.
• Stupid Democrat tricks -- Revisiting that core Democratic principle for fighting the right: If you can't beat them, join them. 4-27-10
• Dissing the Constitution with Sue -- 4-8-10
• Commie socialist Muslin fascist government takeover -- Needs more cowbell. 3-25-10
• Maybe Jerry's kid should take one for the team -- 3-11-10
• It didn't have to be this way -- 2-25-10
• Nevada's unheralded advantage: Room to maneuver -- Counterintuitive though it may seem, Nevada is uniquely well-positioned to help dig itself out of its budget nightmare and protect its economy in the process -- should it choose to do so. 2-11-10
• The pernicious pointlessness of the Democratic Party -- 1-28-10
• All together now: Aaaaaaaagh!!! The U.S. has started the new decade doing the same thing we did in the last decade: what al-Qaida wants. 1-14-10
• Congratulations, Nevada. 2010 already shaping up as a preposterous farce. 12-31-09.
• Nevada should repeal "Don't ask, don't know" -- "That's just how it works" is an excuse, not a policy. 12-17-09.
• Nevada: Tragically doomed or hopelessly screwed? -- Yes! 12-03-09.
• Why the angst over government-run health care? After all, grandma seems awfully happy with hers. 11-19-09
• Conventional wisdom: Crude but effective -- The usual narrative about ‘right-leaning Nevada’ is overstated, simplistic and far more trouble than it’s worth. 11-5-09.
• Rory son of Harry can't afford politics as usual -- Reid the Younger must tell voters what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. 10-22-09.
• Nevada's greatest untapped resource: Its rich -- We've got them outnumbered -- really, really, really outnumbered -- so now what? 10-8-09.
• Psst ... right wing protesters are not the most important thing in the world -- Eventually, the media will tire of them, and the sooner the better. 9-24-09.
• LIke a cheap suit -- No matter where you look, Harry Reid hangs over Nevada's political scene. 9-10-09.
• All the rage -- You can't reason with angry minds, so why are Democrats giving in to them? 8-27-09
• Mr. Congeniality -- John Ensign, his family, and Nevada's notions of merit. 8-13-09
• Nevada Democrats jump into health care debate -- But the system might get reformed anyway. 7-30-09.
• The comic stylings of Sarah Palin -- The GOP's star forward isn't as funny as she looks. 7-16-09.
• Dilettante watch -- Oscar Goodman thinks Nevada might want to replace one flake with another. 7-2-09.
• Sen. Harry Reid, D-AWOL -- Has the Senate majority "leader" already let his fellow Democrats ruin health care reform? 6-18-09.
• Silent treatment -- Did Nevada Democrats keep quiet about their tax proposals because they had nothing to say? 6-4-09.
• What's so funny about John Ensign? -- The idea of Nevada's junior senator running for president isn't as preposterous as it first appears. 5-21-09.
• The GOP's shrill lonesome call of the wild -- That howling you hear is the sound of Republicans insisting they don't need to change. 5-7-09.
• All dressed up and nowhere to go -- Legislators never take Democratic voters anywhere but expect them to stay loyal anyway. 4-23-09.
• Still Bill -- Now is not the time to let Raggio stand in the way of meaningful reform. 4-9-09
• What if voters are smarter than they look? -- Until a politician treats them that way, we may never know. 3-26-09
• Like it or not, you will work again -- But your governor sure is being a twit in the meantime. 3-12-09.
• Nevada needs more health care coverage, not less -- Instead of cutting the public employee benefits program, legislators should open it up to others. 2-26-09.
• From the depths of frustration and despair, a tiny burst of economic activity -- But is Nevada's newest Reid-bashing industry sustainable? 2-12-09.
• Grand old dogs -- Obama's stimulus plan prompts conditioned response from Pavlovian Republicans. 1-29-09
• They'll just move those gold mines somewhere else -- A booming industry's arguments against paying more taxes don't add up. 1-15-09
• About time -- Your government gears up for a wild binge of runaway spending. 1-1-09
• Spending cuts vs. tax hikes -- Speaking of heartland values, let's tax the rich. 12-18-08
• Harry Reid will get on board if he knows what's good for him -- Democratic cowardice has ruled D.C. for decades, but now it's time to grow a pair. 12-04-08
• Breaks as precious as the metal itself --Some of Nevada's mines produce jillions of dollars worth of gold -- just not the taxable kind. 11-20-08
• Remains of the day -- Flotsam and jetsam (that you need to know!) from the political thing. 11-6-08
• Work much? Well, you're still a pathetic slacker who doesn't deserve a tax break -- just ask a conservative. 10-30-08
• Marketing failure -- It's not the conservative Republicans' "brand" that has fallen out of favor, it's their results. 10-23-08
• Putting people first -- On the sixth anniversary of Congress giving Bush a blank check to invade Iraq, time to point some fingers -- in an unlikely direction. 10-09-08
• A thriving dimocracy -- it's head in the sand and heels dug in, the U.S. holds another dumb election. 9-25-08
• What do Sarah Palin and Chrissy Mazzeo have in common? They both inspire all-important Nevada voting blocs composed of ignorant fools and full-on bumpkins. 9-11-08
• Change we can believe in? The West's evolving political landscape could decide the presidency. 8-29-08
• Jim Gibbons wants to be a cowboy when he grows up -- In the meantime, he still hasn't shown he deserves a tax break. 8-14-08
• Nevada's stealth congressman -- Can Jon Porter trick voters into thinking he's a harmless dullard yet again? 7-31-08
• John McCain was a prisoner of war? — Oh, well in that case, we should probably let him be president. 7-17-08
• John Ensign's big head — As our prettiest senator raises his Washington profile, he becomes more and more out of touch with Nevada. 7-3-08
• Democrats' 2008 strategy: Cowering in silent fear — If Democrats woke up one day in political control of the state, would it even matter? 6-19-08
• Stay the course — Just because the nation's worst governor is humiliated and disgraced, now is not the time for him to cut and run. 6-5-08
• Can't beat 'em — In another proud Nevada moment, the entire state declares itself powerless before the awesome might of the nation's wickedest governor. 5-22-08
• Allow me to respond — An open letter to Frank Fahrenkopf, president and CEO of the American Gambling, er, Gaming Association. 5-8-08
• Congressional candidate assures voters he's harmless — Democrat surrenders to GOP spin early in hopes of not offending anyone. 4-24-08
• Gambling addicts: Our forgotten heroes — Even in tough economic times, problem and pathological gamblers step up to the plate and do their part. 4-10-08
• And hey, let's be careful out there — Local authorities on pace to shatter single-year record for killing the citizenry. 3-27-08
• March of the minoritarians — Needlepoint, gardening, Wii -- whatever it is, won't someone please find Sheldon Adelson a new hobby? 3-13-08
• It's the Culinary, stupid — Las Vegas better hope the union's tarnished political profile doesn't diminish its economic clout. 2-28-08
• Psst, Mormons ... it's not about you — The fall of Willard Milton Romney. 2-14-08
• Economic depressant — With everyone stressing the need for a stimulus, Nevada goes in another direction. 1-31-08
• Not exactly what they had in mind — Can Nevada's Democratic Party survive Nevada's Democratic caucus? 1-17-08
• Local Republicans for dummies — A reference for the rest of us (2008 version). 01-03-08
• Rooting for the white male — John Edwards is a progressive and he's not apologizing for it. 12-20-07
• The 'socialized medicine' myth — Are conservatives deliberately lying, or just stupid? 12-06-07
• An ugly win — Did Nevada save Clinton and kill its caucus? 11-22-07
• Reid robs rubes — Nevada's senior senator coddles Big Mining and shortchanges his state. 11-08-07
• Not a Western thing — Presidential candidates have discovered people in Nevada are eerily similar to people in the rest of the country. 10-25-07

Hugh Jackson articles in The Guardian/Comment is Free:

• Harry Reid, unhealthy for America -- The Senate majority leader's position on health care reform is based on what is best for him, not the rest of the country. 10-12-09
• Bulldozing the opposition -- Rather than give in to Democrats' weak vision of health care reform, Obama should drive right over them. 9-16-09.
• Republican sexytime -- Nevada Senator John Ensign is the latest rightwing champion of social issues to be laid low by a sex scandal. 6-22-09.
• The party of no -- While it's fun to watch the Republican Party eat itself, the message to Democrats is clear: the right won't compromise. 4-30-09.
• Love abroad, hate at home -- While Europeans embraced President Obama's candour, to the US right he was attacking America. 4-8-09.
• The Republican hair apparent -- The tired formula of tax cuts finds new life in the person of Nevada's bouffant senator John Ensign. 2-19-09.
• Yesterday's men (and women) -- In spite of their minority status, the US media continues to view Republicans as if they're credible and relevant. 1-29-09.
• Taking responsibility for Bush -- As we bid farewell to George Bush today, Democrats should acknowledge that they gave him a blank cheque after 9/11. 1-20-09.
• Energy policy makes strange bedfellows -- Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens has become an advocate for renewable energy, and the Democrats' improbably ally. 8-28-08.
• Nevada's State of Nerves -- After backing Clinton in the state's caucus, Nevada's delegates anxious to unite behind Obama. 8-27-08.
• How the West might be won -- Issues such as gay marriage and gun control are losing traction in states like Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado. 8-26-08.

Freelance 2008 Democratic Convention coverage

• It's not really about Obama (CityLife) -- Can we spend at least a few moments on one of the best political speeches in the modern era
• Energy policy makes strange bedfellows (Guardian) -- Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens has become an advocate for renewable energy, and the Democrats' improbably ally.
• Three's a crowd (CityLife)-- Going off message with the Clintons
• Nevada's State of Nerves (Guardian) -- After backing Clinton in the state's caucus, Nevada's delegates anxious to unite behind Obama.
• How the West might be won (Guardian) -- Issues such as gay marriage and gun control are losing traction in states like Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado.

 

Assorted older Hugh Jackson commentaries

• Affordable housing: Corporate neighbors and corporate neighborhoods, KNPR, 3-27-06
• TV stations cashing in on democracy, KNPR, 3-7-06
• Fighting terrorism with Gold, KNPR, 2-22-06
• She's got guts, KNPR, 1-27-06
• Ensign's handicap, KNPR, 1-11-06
• Things politicians won't say in 2006, KNPR, 12-30-05
• Ready for School? Military recruiters are, Las Vegas Review-Journal 8-28-05
• No Nevada elections, not this time, on KNPR 7-29-05
• Reid & Ensign: Enough with the love already, Las Vegas Review-Journal 7-6-05
• Video poker drones on KNPR 7-5-05

From deep inside the vault: Minor Heresies

From, oh, 1998 until sometime in 2001, Hugh Jackson, Gleaner proprietor, wrote a column called Minor Heresies, first for something called the Las Vegas Business Press and then for a free weekly with sex ads in the back called Las Vegas CityLife. Most of those columns, like Jackson's career in print journalism, have vanished. A handful, however, somehow managed to escape oblivion:

Always looking on the bright side On Nevada's flirtation with energy deregulation; 6-13-01

Anti-baby Baby Bush Bush's first budget tried to cut programs for women and children, too; 5-24-01

Time to declare war on drug kingpins Drug company kingpins, that is; 5-17-01

Cojones-free scaredy cats on parade Cowardly city, county officials avoid tax debate; 5-10-01

100 days, school days, Doris Day, whatever Corporations shouldn't be treated like people because they aren't; 5-3-01

The world's most grown-up man, and friends Cheney, his 'native' Wyoming and nuclear waste; 4-26-01

Fools rush in Nevada's plan to hand over its power supply to the same crowd that was gouging California; 4-19-01

And how will you be paying for that? Bush and the credit card industry trying to gut bankruptcy laws (wonder how that worked out?); 4-12-01

Rock & Roll is dead Well-deserved hit piece on the Hard Rock, 3-29-01

Teachers like sex too Well, they do, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay them more; 3-22-01

Working Dick dead What if Cheney had a conscience? A fantasy piece; 3-16-01

Blown judgment The worst, most politically tawdry Nevada Supreme Court decision that nobody ever talked about; 3-8-01

Universities embrace old profession Whoring for corporate cash on campus; 2-15-01

Full speed ahead Edmund Burke, Frankenstein, Catholics, Gingrich, Florida--it's all here in a deadline-induced ramble; 12-14-00

You mean Bush is still president? Self-explanatory; 6-21-01

Smugsy takes a whackin' The Venerable Reid's big Jim Jeffords coup; 5-31-01

Running on empty Blasting Enron before blasting Enron was cool; 2-1-01

Circuitous, but holistic Why Alan Greenspan should be the nation's repository for nuclear waste and other deadline-driven observations, 1-17-01

Bonus: Pesky colonists at it again Extremely rare Business Press specimen incidentally preserved and accidentally recovered. It's on socially responsible investing; circa February, 1999

A haphazardly collected and apparently no longer maintained hit-and-miss inventory of your Gleaner in the news

• Face to Face with Jon Ralston (TV). 6-10-08
• DNC Chairman Governor Dean Announces Blogs Selected For 2008 Democratic National Convention 'State Blogger Corps, DNCC release, 5-14-08
• Nevada Governor wants his mansion back and his wife out, Associated Press, 5-7-08
• Face to Face with Jon Ralston (TV). 5-5-08
• Workhorse or stalking horse?, Las Vegas Sun, 4-20-08
• Ouch! Why this last week made being a Republican rough, Las Vegas Sun, 3-2-08
• Edwards' message: Louder this time, Las Vegas Sun, 1-18-08
• Showdown in Nevada: Unions face off over casino caucus sites, Democracy Now, 1-17-08
• Liberty Watch Hot and Not List, December 2007
• Jon Ralston speaks with a Democratic centrist beleaguered by bloggers but unbowed, 11-2-07
• Erin Neff: Democrats and the blogosphere, 9-27-07
• iPundits, Las Vegas CityLife, 9-23-07
• All quiet on the Western front, Politico, 7-7-07
• Reid once again whips up political world, Las Vegas Sun, 6-15-07
• Reid sets off firestorm with criticism of Pace, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6-15-07
• Why do I have to pay taxes? Las Vegas CityLife, 4-12-07
• How Netroots Killed the Fox Debate, Politico, 3-13-07
• Democrats pressured to drop Fox News despite compromise, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3-9-07
• Female power at Women's Summit, Las Vegas CityLife, 1-25-07
• Is it 2008 yet?, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12-25-06
• Presidential politics get new venue, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12-24-06
• Cheering on Tom, Las Vegas Sun, 12-3-2006
• Best of the Valley, Las Vegas CityLife, 11-16-06
• Best of the City, Las Vegas Life, November, 2006
• As polls how tightening race, Gibbons campaign finally comes to life, Las Vegas Review Journal, 7-28-05
• Gibbons reverses himself, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7-24-06
• Vice is virtual for the online inclined, Los Angeles Times, 6-18-06
• Liberals log onto clout, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6-10-06
• Caught in party politics, Las Vegas Sun, 4-29-06
• Political talk, Nevada Newsmakers (video link), 4-10-06
• Goodman: Donors await word on bid, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3-17-06
• Blogging Blue Politics, Las Vegas Weekly, 2-23-06
• Six Questions About Harter, Las Vegas Weekly, 2-2-06
• On the State of the Union, KNPR, 2-1-06
• Blogospheric conditions: The Gleaner and Professional Wingnut Chuck Muth on KNPR, 1-4-06
• Blogs make 2005 a media year to remember, Las Vegas Business Press, 12-30-05
• Gibson not 'lite' on call to serve, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12-12-05
• What's mine, Reno News and Review, 12-8-05
• Bloggers poised to be player's on state's campaign landscape, Reno Gazette Journal, 11-20-05
• Reid's bold tactic surprises Washington, not Nevada, Reno Gazette Journal, 11-6-05
• Interview on KNPR's State of Nevada (audio link), 10-18-05
• Boss Vegas, Denver Post, 10-16-05
• Reid sees darker side of blog world, LV Review=Journal, 10-10-05
• All the News That's Fit to Click, CityLife 10-7-05
• Democrats have designs on state's GOP stronghold, Reno Gazette-Journal 8-28-05
• It won't be pretty. It might be cutthroat. It'll surely be fun. (Everything You Need To Know About the Next Governor's Race) Las Vegas Weekly 8-18-05
• Knappster, CityLife 7-28-05
• Campaign contributions: Rogers aided Democrats, Las Vegas Review-Journal 7-20-05
• 777/666, CityLife 6-30-05