Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010 | 12:01 p.m.
260 days until election day; 113 days until primary day....
Details trickling out on President Obama’s visit to Las Vegas Thursday night and Friday. A Maloof DNC fundraiser for a cool million. A town hall Friday. And a tour of The Great Savior of Our Town — City Center.
Also, details of the governor’s Special Session of the Apocalypse, as reported by Sun columnist Jon Ralston:
No on water, no on “Race to the Top” education reform.
Other items in the proclamation include those 10 percent cuts, various transfers and budgetary gimmickry and furlough days adjustments previously Flashed. The hold-harmless language for school districts has since been removed.
Also: The plan to catch driver registration scofflaws is in there (Big Brotherism?), moving money around to save human services and that controversial elimination of Chapter 288 to give governments more flexibility in dealing with unions (hello, firefighters and city of Las Vegas!).
About a dozen items as of this hour — that enforcement of Internet sales tax collections is in, but not any mining prepayment.
Analysis on that from David McGrath Schwartz and I in tomorrow’s Sun.
Schwartzcatches the Lowden campaign stepping in it (again?). A soft bio ad says the Democrat Lowden beat for a state Senate seat, John “Jack” Vergiels, “taxed us while enriching himself.” Enriching himself? What, did he get a sweetheart contract for a brother-in-law or something? No. He voted to increase his tiny legislative pension. Except it was overturned and he never benefited anyway. Worst of all, the guy is dead so he can’t defend himself. Always classy. His widow is angry.
Campaign manager Robert Uithoven notes that when he died, Lowden sent condolences and notes the ad is technically accurate. He’s still probably wishing he’d left out the gratuitous “enriching himself.”
On a related note, I’m always amazed at how that pension vote, which amounted to a miniscule sum of money, is still used, to some effect, 20 years later. It’s not like it was the Tonkin Gulf vote people. But that’s politics.
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