August 2006 - the Nevada Seniors Coalition
Transcription
August 2006 - the Nevada Seniors Coalition
Nevada Seniors Coalition, Inc. A better quality of life for seniors, their children and grand children The NSC FOGHORN TM August 10, 2006 Volume 5, issue 8 Special points of interest: Bad Ideas and Good News National Grandparents Day will be celebrated on September 10, 2006. It has been designated by presidential proclamation since 1978 to be the first Sunday after Labor Day. By Ken Mahal, AIA, President Nevada Seniors’ Coalition, Inc. REPUBLIC WANTS ANOTHER SWEETHEART DEAL FROM POLITICIANS In case you forgot Republic Services has a contract extending until 2020. This all happened out of the blue back in1999. I never in my life heard of a subcontractor to government get such a sweetheart deal so don’t bet on how we will come out on reducing our garbage pickup from two days a week to one day a week with no reduction in our cost. With all of the pets and babies in this town that alone would seem to be enough to not want to cut out half of our garbage pick ups let alone all the other smelly things that get into our garbage containers. We have been filling our recycling boxes every since they have been doing it and see little problem in doing it. So politicians put on your thinking caps, keep the twice a week collection while at the same time come up with a way to increase recycling substantially. If we lived in Germany they have bags for everything that goes into the recycling so no matter what we do here it will never be as difficult as they must do in Germany. With all of the growth here there should be little question that the building and service industries should all be doing their part with out a complaint. As for apartments there is no question that they should be required to do it. What a shame to not recycle considering all of the waste that must be hauled out to Apex and also dumped on the side of the highway on the way to Apex. In fact a lot of our waste could be burned for fuel in generating electricity. There is a large power plant near the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul that has been burning rubbish for over twenty years. So that is also another possibility. Sure it takes scrubbers to clean burn it. 9 There are about 56 million grandparents in the U.S. 9 5.7 million have grandchildren under 18 living with them. 9 2.4 million (1.5 million grandmothers and 880,000 grandfathers) are responsible for the basic needs of these grandchildren. 9 1.4 million grandparents are working and also responsible for their grandchildren’s basic needs. Data from various sources-vwp Inside This Issue Please Don’t Quote Me 3 Illegal Immigration Article 4 Political Advertisements 6 Political Advertisements & Desert Florist Advertisement 7 At the July Meeting 8 Members 8 Hear Now Program 9 From the Editor 9 Next Meeting Information 9 Today in History 10 About NSC 10 COMMISSIONERS MAY FORCE DEVELOPERS TO SUBSIDIZE HOUSES This might be a good time to vote any commissioner out who is up for election on the Clark County Commission. They are talking about forcing developers to include a number of low income homes in their projects for our poor teachers and other poorly paid workers who they think we need in Las Vegas. Why we have to subsidize anyone is beyond my thinking ability when it comes to housing. I bet most of us remember when we had to rent an apartment because we weren’t earning enough to buy a home. So what is wrong with the teachers renting for a few years until they save enough to make the down payment and can make the monthly payments as well? Another idea might be for the overly wealthy teachers union to get into the financing of starter homes for these poor teachers who cannot afford to go into debt on their own. Only since World War II have we had the big boom in single family home owners. This happened when our banking system was stabilized and when savings and loan banks were formed just for that purpose. This idea of forcing developers to mix subsidized housing in the midst of regular market rate housing would be another disaster waiting to happen. How unfair that would be to the rest of the homes going in the project if they were forced to subsidize the cost of low cost so called starter homes. If we want to do something worth while in low (Continued on page 2) Copyrighted 2006 NSC P AGE 2 NS C FOG H OR N VOLUME 5 ISSUE 8 (Continued from page 1) cost affordable housing we should be setting aside certain zoned properties that would be used for master planned manufactured homes placed on small lots with narrowed streets. Why is it that the politicians from the Clark County Commissioners to the city councils of our cities won’t talk about building some master planned manufactured home residential areas throughout Clark County? Instead of throwing people out of their manufactured homes why aren’t we using our heads and creating master planned manufactured home communities? I see nothing wrong with living in this type of housing. In fact after WWII my wife and I built a neat little 400 square foot home with a flat roof and slab on grade that we lived in until we could afford to build our full sized home some half dozen years later. OUR MAYOR GOODMAN AND THE CITY COUNCIL HATE HOMELESS PEOPLE Mayor Goodman and his La Vegas City Council members are making jokers of themselves in their dealing with the homeless issue. How could they waste taxpayer’s money on the time it took to write the ordinance let alone the time it will take to enforce this bad ordinance prohibiting the feeding of homeless people? About half a dozen years ago I wanted to take the Mayor out to the Twin Cities to show him how the United Way out there collects $80 to $90 million dollars a year for non profit social services. If he had done that by now we could be well on the way to providing service centers for the homeless and a dozen other issues that should be taken care of to make our area a first rate community. What do we need? For starters a first class performing arts center, a museum a dozen community centers serving our ethnic population as well as half a dozen more activity centers for Boys and Girl Scouts and on and on. How do we make a United Way of Las Vegas work? We must get commitments from every major business leader to come on board to make the business of raising money work as well as the management of non profit social services who would need help from the business community in how best to manage the nonprofits. One really needs to see it to understand how much we are lacking in becoming first class cities where people want to live work and play. I didn’t intend to get going on this but if you have ever seen what should be done, can be done and see how lacking we are it really makes one sad to realize how much we haven’t done to make the greater Las Vegas area a first class city of cities that we are all proud to live in. When we get national attention because we have a Mayor who doesn’t want to feed the homeless how can we ever keep people from laughing until the fall out of their proverbial chair? Sure we know how to build places for people to live, stores for people to buy things and lots of medical facilities for sick people, that is a start but it is a long ways from being a community of people. OUR FLORENCE PETRIS GETS US NOTICED ON TV This past week it was nice to see our name prominently noted on TV8 telling about our meeting date, where and who our speakers are. Florence you do a good job. Thank you. (She also gets us written up in Lovin’ Life a publication of Senior Friends and in the RJ’s Tuesday column, Around the Valley — Editor) THE NEWS IN LAS VEGAS IS MURDERS, ROBBERIES, CHOP SHOPS ETC Have you ever listened to the news and think, well all they need to do each day is change a few names and locations but basically most of the time the news is about killings, accidents, lawsuits and the likes that tells us mostly how badly we are doing. What is the good news about Las Vegas? Lets all come up with one good thing that we can send to all of the TV stations to see if we can help them. It might be nice for a change to be bored to sleep because the news is so benign. And with that I sign off for this issue. A first grade teacher presented each child the first half of a well known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Don't change horses.........until they stop running. Strike while the.......................bug is close. It's always darkest before.....Daylight Saving Time. Don't bite the hand that .............. looks dirty. No news is...............................impossible. A miss is as good as a......................... Mr. You can't teach an old dog new ........... math. The pen is mightier than the ................ pigs. An idle mind is..............the best way to relax. Where there's smoke there's ........... pollution. A penny saved is ........................not much. Two's company, three's ........... the Musketeers. Don't put off till tomorrow what ....... you put on to go to bed. Children should be seen and not ........spanked or grounded. You get out of something only what you ..... see in the picture on the box. When the blind lead the blind ............ get out of the way. And the WINNER... 17. Better late than.......................pregnant. VOLUME 5, ISSUE 8 NS C FOG H OR N “Please P AGE 3 Don’t Quote Me” Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself "Lillian, you should have remained a virgin." -- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter) I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: "No good in a bed, but fine against a wall." -- Eleanor Roosevelt I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap. -- Bob Hope Don't worry about avoiding temptation, as you grow older, it will avoid you. -- Winston Churchill Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty, but everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out. -- Phyllis Diller By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step; he's too old to go anywhere. -- Billy Crystal P AGE 4 NS C FOG H OR N VOLUME 5, ISSUE 8 PO Box #19333*Las Vegas, NV 89132-0333*Tel (702) 388-1118 * www.SecuredBordersUSA.com * staff@SecuredBordersUSA.com HELP STOP THE “ILLEGAL ALIEN IMMIGRATION INVASION” ‘TAKE ACTION NOW’ *SIGN & NOTARIZE OUR NATIONWIDE PETITION* I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!” By Rick Roberts - 760 KFMB AM San Diego, CA : http://www.760kfmb.com; rickroberts@kfmb.com I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but here's the bottom line, I want my country back. I want my kids to be able to walk to the store or walk to school without being abducted by some 3-time convicted child molester. And the politically correct powers that be in this country just can't seem to get over themselves with "CAN'T WE JUST HELP THIS PERSON!" No! You can't. But they're let loose to prey on more children. I want my kids back. I want my country back. I don't agree with everything this President does. I've never agreed with anything 100% that any President has done or said. You know, I was very young during the Vietnam War. So I probably missed that thing by a hair. I don't know whether I would have agreed with that or not at the time. I was too stupid to have an opinion at that point and time even though I thought I did. I want my country back. I want some semblance of respect for authority, whether I agree with it all or not. I want the Boy Scouts to be "boy" scouts, not boy and "we think she's a girl" scouts. I want Girl Scouts to be "girl" scouts not Girl Scouts and "Bruce." I want my country back. I want to be able to wake up in the morning knowing that I can walk outside without some gang-banger on parole taking my life. Or being able to go down and purchase a car without having to worry about you know 90% of the parts being made overseas in some sweatshop. I want my politicians, when they finally do get my vote, to do what the hell they said they were going to do in the first place. I want the Abramoff's of the world to be labeled what they are....nothing more than organized crime in a better suit. I want people to say something and when they say something look at me in the eye. And mean what they say. Not say what they think I want to hear. And then do what they want to later politically or any other way. I want to be able to go out and work and make a decent wage and buy a home. Continued on page 5) VOLUME 5, ISSUE 8 NS C FOG H OR N P AGE 5 (Continued from page 4) Half the people that are listening to me right now can't even afford to buy a house unless they're working three jobs. And I want America to be America. All of those opportunities, all of those things that made her great, I want those returned to the forefront. If you want to come to this country we welcome you with open arms. We simply ask that you abide by our laws. I don't want you to snub your nose at our laws, then take advantage of our opportunities, and then cling to the constitution most of which you can't even read because you don't speak the language. I want us to secure our borders because the country is worth securing. The people that live here are worth protecting. I want my country back. I want my children back. I want some semblance of what this country used to be. It's worth protecting. It's worth defending. I don't recognize this country anymore. Not politically, not philosophically, not spiritually. Whether you like it or whether you don't, God was a part of building this great nation. To remove him is to take away the very foundation of what this country was all about. I don't care about your political correctness! I don't want to know your sexual preference! I couldn't care less about all of that. Stop making it the headline of the day! That's not America. I want my country back! And the only way I'm ever going to be able to get this country back is if I reach out to the brothers and the sisters that all feel the same way and we say "Hell No! You can't have our country. "It's not for sale! Take the price tag off this country! Take the price tag off the heads of our children! Stop it already! The politically-correct-psychobabble-hug-a-tree-experts ~~ You are not qualified to release sex offenders back into our neighborhoods. The southern border, more than any other border, needs to be secured tomorrow. For all those that wish to come to this country to take advantage of her opportunity, to live under a constitution~ a living document that breathes in and out just like you do~ this country is not for sale. I should know. I'm one of the owners. You can't sell it without my permission. I want my country back! (Printed with permission) This station can be listened to on the Internet if you have a high-speed connection. PAGE 6 NS C FOG H OR N V OLU ME 5 , I SSUE 8 V OLU ME 5 , I SSUE 8 NS C FOG H OR N PAGE 7 Protecting Woman, Children and Families — Senior Citizen Advocate Paid for by RUSS MICKELSON For U.S. Congress JOIN THE TEAM PO Box 94411 Las Vegas, NV 89193 682-4184 Border and Port Security — Support Active Troops — Constitutional Government NS C FOG H OR N P AGE 8 At the July Meeting VOLUME 5, ISSUE 8 Membership New Members: Nancy A. Becker, Justice Supreme Court of Nevada Welcome New Members Renewing Members: Ron Hilford Ken Mahal Barbara O’Dell Thank You For Your Continued Support Please help increase our membership. Tell your friends about our meetings and bring them with you. NSC President Ken Mahal with featured Speakers (top to bottom) Catherine Cortez Mastro, Tessa Hafen & Dr. Lonnie Hammargren Recruit new members. HELP NSC GROW!!! Early Voting for the Primary Election is July 29th to August 11th ***The PRIMARY ELECTION IS ON AUGUST 15th*** Vote Smart… If You Don’t Vote Don’t Complain You are given 90 days after your membership expires to renew before your name is removed from the membership list. Your membership anniversary date is on the Foghorn mailing label. If the date is in red please renew, either by mail or at the next meeting. Remember the dues are only $8.00 V OLUME 5 , I SSUE 8 NS C FOG H OR N Hear Now Program PAGE 9 From the Editor D o you need a hearing aid but can’t afford it? The Hear Now Program of the Starkey Hearing Foundation may be able to help. This is a national 501-c-3, non-profit program, supported by donations and contributions, committed to assisting children and adults who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Applicants must be permanent residents of the United States, meet financial criteria and pay a non-refundable processing fee of $100 per hearing aid. To determine if you meet eligibility requirements call 1-800648-4327 and follow directions, or download an application at www.sotheworldmayhear.org. Early voting in the primary elections ends August 11th. Early voting for the GENERAL ELECTION begins October 21st and ends on November 3rd. This organization also collects hearing aids for recycling purposes. Any make or model, regardless of age, can be doThe GENERAL ELECTION is nated. All donations are tax deductible and an acknowledgeon Tuesday November 7th. ment will be sent to all identified donors. If you wish to donate a salvaged hearing aid or other assistive device, please securely package the donation and mail to: Hear Now 6700 Washington Avenue South Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Vern Perry Next Meeting Thursday, September 14, 2006 10:00 am at >>>>>>>>>>>> After the meeting why don’t you eat and play, and stay all day? Scheduled Speakers For September: To be determined by the election results. N E VA DA S E N I O R S C OA L I T I O N , I N C . 4754 East Flamingo Road, Suite 416 Las Vegas, NV 89121-4709 Ken Mahal President Phone: 702.737.1377 Fax: 702 .446.5534 e-mail: info@nevadaseniors.com Vernon Perry Vice President Directors: Belle Chohanin Finance Florence Petris Records Knight Allen Legislation Richard Thomas Communications Vernon Perry Issues Ken Mahal Liaison Vernon Perry Membership Revelle Bacon, Ed Moreira The Nevada Seniors Coalition, Inc (NSC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. No person is excluded on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin. The organization’s purpose is to promote the physical and social welfare of senior citizens, their children and grandchildren. Today In History August10, 1945 The organizations’ goals and objectives are: Japan Accepts the Potsdam Declaration: On this day in 1945, just a day after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan submits its acquiescence to the Potsdam Conference terms of unconditional surrender, as President Harry S. Truman orders a halt to atomic bombing. Emperor Hirohito, having remained aloof from the daily decisions of prosecuting the war, rubber-stamping the decisions of his War Council, including the decision to bomb Pearl Harbor, finally felt compelled to do more. At the behest of two Cabinet members, the emperor summoned and presided over a special meeting of the Council and implored them to consider accepting the terms of the Potsdam Conference, which meant unconditional surrender. "It seems obvious that the nation is no longer able to wage war, and its ability to defend its own shores is doubtful." The Council had been split over the surrender terms; half the members wanted assurances that the emperor would maintain his hereditary and traditional role in a postwar Japan before surrender could be considered. But in light of the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, Nagasaki on August 9, and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, as well as the emperor's own request that the Council "bear the unbearable," it was agreed: Japan would surrender. Tokyo released a message to its ambassadors in Switzerland and Sweden, which was then passed on to the Allies. The message formally accepted the Potsdam Declaration but included the proviso that "said Declaration does not comprise any demand which prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as sovereign ruler." When the message reached Washington, President Truman, unwilling to inflict any more suffering on the Japanese people, especially on "all those kids," ordered a halt to atomic bombing, He also wanted to know whether the stipulation regarding "His Majesty" was a deal breaker. Negotiations between Washington and Tokyo ensued. Meanwhile, savage fighting continued between Japan and the Soviet Union in Manchuria. From www.historychannel.com • • • • • • Improvement of political and governmental institutions and processes on local, state and federal levels. Identify legislative trends at all levels and set NSC priorities. Support domestic policies responsive to the needs and will of the Nevada senior population. Work to involve more seniors in government. to assure government is open, responsive and accountable. Keep members and the general public informed on current issues affecting them. Encourage them to make their voices heard at all government levels. Work with other organizations in a common endeavor when their issues and programs coincide with those of NSC. NSC is on the World Wide Web at www.nevadaseniors.com Check it out !!