BARBWIRE by ANDREW BARBANO

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We live in a company town servicing a plantation.

Soon after I moved to these parts decades ago, I realized that Nevada is basically Smallville spread over a big geography.

Nothing's changed.

The lowly still return their meager wages to the company store in exchange for borderline sustenance.

As I've repeated since 1982, if you've got kids and your income is not upper-middle class or above, be a good parent and move somewhere else.

Our own latter day version of cartoony King Ludwig of Bavaria deigned to venture down from his fairy tale castle last week to remind the peasants who owns this cruel and unusual place.

Steve Wynn hisself sauntered through the badlands of Carson City and granted audiences to Gov. Veto El Obtùsé, the light-guv and even garden-variety legislators.

His most excellency let his temporary public workers know that the gambling industry will not suffer the indignity of a tax increase.

By royal proclamation, Le Grand Stefán declared his fiefdom "unhealthy."

And what he sez, goes, at least in Vegas, where some media quake at the mention of his name.

Others dare not speak it at all, kind of a Gomorrah South version of Harry Potter's Dark Lord.

"Right now, the industry has a real serious health problem," Wynn told reporters.

"He argued the (gambling) industry's recovery from the economic recession is endangered by the growth of casinos in other jurisdictions and said lawmakers must consider how to keep it healthy going forward," the Las Vegas Sun reported.

Neither major Sin City paper bothered mentioning that Wynn and his clansmen have long invested Nevada profits in those other jurisdictions.

So he was basically complaining about competing with himself.

The Reno Kazoo-Journal mentioned Wynn not at all.

"He said we need find a way to make sure education is funded in a way that doesn't include going back to (gambling)," stated Sen. Mark Hutchison, R-LV.

Mr. Wynn thus gave orders that he will continue his long record of enriching himself at the expense of school children. (The story of his personal "Show Me the Monet" art collection tax break will be posted with the expanded web edition of this column at NevadaLabor.com/ Use the search engine for "Wynn". Do the same at Sen. Joe Neal's website.)

Back in the 1990's, Congress killed a tax break for investors in expensive art.

So Mr. Wynnderful juiced thru the infamous "Show Me the Monet" tax break so that Nevada cops, parks, roads and schools could subsidize his ego.

Lawmakers placed a rider in the law that Nevadans be admitted for half price.

The Nevada Museum of Art ignored the law when they displayed some of the stuff he sent north to meet the minimum days to preserve his tax break. (Barbwire 10 October 2004).

Wynn may drip doofusness, but he pales in comparison to the madcap Sheldon Adelson who plunked down a reported $100 million or so last year to knock that black guy out of the White House.

I've been on the receiving end of what the gambling-industrial complex can do in an election.

They can actually make people believe that their bosses or fellow church members (or both) will know exactly how they vote.

They make people believe that all hotels and related businesses will collapse if taxes are raised.

I've seen them get away with convincing workers that electing pro-consumer candidates will put the power company out of business, thus causing all casinos to go dark.

They threaten to fire employees who sign any initiative petition they don't like, even though that's blatantly illegal.

Who's gonna fight 'em?

You and me.

As always. [MORE]

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno.

WEB EXTRAS...

HONOR YOUR DON. Keep sending comments supporting legendary Nevada photographer Don Dondero (1920-2003) for the Nevada Press Association Hall of Fame.

His life's work appeared worldwide, including this newspaper.

Enlist in the campaign to install Big Don.

Please send me your memories and endorsements via e-mail or to P.O. Box 10034, Reno NV 89510.

The Barbwire got the late Reno Gazette-Journal columnist Guy Richardson elected last year.

Let's go for a repeat.

BARBWIRE.TV. Support the return of community TV to these parts.

If last year's elections didn't convince you of the need, the 2013 legislature certainly will.

Join up. You may donate at ReSurge.TV or contact me.

This is important.

Thank you.

VOTE FOR THE LUCKY 13, the most powerful Nevadans of 2013. Send nominations to <barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us>

Last year's rogues gallery will be linked to the expanded web edition of this column at NevadaLabor.com/

LET'S GET IT ON. E-me to get on the Barbwire News bulletin list for information not filtered through corporate lenses.

I broke a bushel of major stories last year which the above lead item will very probably top.

Turn on, tune in and tell a friend.

Be well. Raise hell. / Esté bien. Haga infierno. (Pardon my Spanglish.)

____________

Andrew Barbano is a 44-year Nevadan, chair of the Nevada César Chávez Committee, producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration, first vice-president and political action chair of the Reno-Sparks NAACP, labor/consumer/civil rights advocate, member of Communications Workers of America Local 9413/AFL-CIO and editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. Check local listings for other Nevada cable systems. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us. Barbwire by Barbano has originated in the Daily Sparks Tribune since 1988.

Smoking Guns... Barbwire Corporate Welfare Archive Barbwire Corporate Propaganda Archive Cabellyup.com Star-stuck: Dirty deals for dirty movies Ghostrider Nicolas Cage sticks it to school kids Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 5-16-2013 Daily Sparks Tribune FROM HUGH JACKSON THE LAS VEGAS MEANER GLEANER The best Nevada political commentator alive Policy with the stars Of Wynn service, lip service and Cage fighting Las Vegas CityLife / 5-15-2013 Rules of Disengagement Gov. Veto El Obtúse struck dumb, but with a smile Las Vegas CityLife / 4-17-2013   ...and more ammo... We Don't Need No Education The continuing Barbwire series The Post-Dated Recession: Pay me now or pay me later Barbwire by Barbano / Expanded from the 9-6-2012 Daily Sparks Tribune The Post-dated Recession By Joshua H. Silavent / Daily Sparks Tribune / 5-3-2011 Union decline and rising inequality in two charts by Colin Gordon Economic Policy Institute / 6-5-2012 Used in journalist Mark Robison's extensive Hard Labor: Nevada unions tout role in helping workers, firms, economy (Sunday 2 Sept. 2012 Reno Gazette-Journal, page one, Reno Rebirth section of the print edition). Union men Jim Burrell, Paul McKenzie and Guy Louis Rocha did the movement proud. Not included in the RGJ online edition. WOMEN AND UNIONS — ORPHAN MAJORITIES The Barbwire Labor Day column Reno Gazette-Journal / 9-3-2012 Nevada Press Assn. Better Newspaper Contest HAT TRICK: Barbwire takes first place three years in a row. The winning entries Suing for Schools: The 20-year shuck Expanded from the 2-21-2010 Daily Sparks Tribune Click here to view the show on your desktop RED flags flying low over Sparks Expanded from the 1-10-2010 Daily Sparks Tribune The wrath of self-righteous racism Expanded from the 11-8-2009 Daily Sparks Tribune Government contacts Nev. congressional delegation Nevada Legislature State of Nevada Secretary of State Carson City Clark County City of Las Vegas Douglas County Reno City Council Sparks City Council Washoe County Commission Washoe Registrar of Voters The campaign against forcibly-paid newspaper obituaries And they wonder why the newspaper business is dying?   The Dean's List    The Dean of Reno Bloggers could very well be Andrew Barbano, self-described "fighter of public demons," who started putting his "Barbwire" columns online in 1996 and now runs 10 sites. RENO NEWS & REVIEW, 11-9-2006 The 2009 first-place Nevada Press Association award winners Tony the Tiger & the flaky NFL Barbwire / 11-30-2008 Deregulation is never having to say you're sorry Barbwire / 8-3-2008 Nevada: A good place to visit, but do you want to live here? Barbwire / 6-15-2008 The 2008 first-place Nevada Press Association award winners The price of a piece / 6-17-2007 Boxing Pandora /9-23-2007 The Lady in the Red Dress 10-28-2007 1997 Pulitzer Prize entries ...and more ammo yet The life and times of Travus T. Hipp The best who ever was

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Copyright © 1982-2013 Andrew Barbano

Andrew Barbano is a 44-year Nevadan, editor of NevadaLabor.com and JoeNeal.org; and former chair of the City of Reno's Citizens Cable Compliance Committee, He is producer of Nevada's annual César Chávez Day celebration and serves as first vice-president, political action chair and webmaster of the Reno-Sparks NAACP. As always, his opinions are strictly his own. E-mail barbano@frontpage.reno.nv.us.

Barbwire by Barbano moved to the Daily Sparks (Nev.) Tribune on Aug. 12, 1988, and has originated in them parts ever since.
How a hall-of-famer's hunch birthed the Barbwire in August of 1987
Tempus fugit.

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