Muth’s Truths: April 15, 2017

Let’s talk a little bit about campaign contributions today. Two points…

1.)  Liberal do-gooders insist on over-turning the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision that corporations can contribute money to political campaigns, claiming corporations aren’t people and, therefore, shouldn’t be allowed to make donations.

No, corporations aren’t people. But corporations are made up of people – such as business owners, executives, employees and shareholders – all of whom are directly affected by government decisions that impact their corporations.  So they absolutely have a skin in the game.

But try this on for size: If you want to say that corporations aren’t people and, therefore, corporations can’t make campaign contributions…fine. Hand-in-hand with that, however, is that corporations aren’t people and, therefore, the government can’t tax them.

Any takers on the left?

2.)  Liberal do-gooders also whine about “dark money” – contributions made to non-profit organizations in which the donors’ identities aren’t disclosed publicly.

But there is a very real reason to protect the identities of donors in this manner.  Because there is a real clear and present danger if someone contributes to a cause or organization that powerful politicians and government bureaucrats don’t like.

There are often consequences.  There is retribution.  For example…

In Nevada last year, State Controller Ron Knecht led an effort to repeal Gov. Brian Sandoval’s new business income tax, with some high-profile help of an assistant in his office, Geoff Lawrence, who formerly was an economist for the conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute.  Now get this…

When Sandoval introduced his budget this year, out of all the state government positions in his executive budget, only one was eliminated. Guess which one?  Yep.  Bye-bye, Geoff.

If you don’t think petty politicians like Sandoval are willing and able to go after donors to organizations and causes he doesn’t like – suddenly a health inspector or building inspector or the fire marshal shows up at your business out of the blue! – I’ve got oceanfront property in Terra Haute, Indiana for sale.

And if you support disclosure of who people give money to in an election, in order to be intellectually honest and consistent then you should also support disclosing exactly who people vote for instead of casting secret ballots.

Any takers on the left?

I didn’t think so.  Happy Easter!

Cheers.

Dr. Chuck Muth, PsD
Professor of Psephology (homeschooled)
Nevada’s #1 Irritator of Liberals and RINOs

P.S.  Initial speaker invitations for the 2017 Conservative Leadership Conference at the Tropicana Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas this September 15-16 went out last week.

Two speakers have already confirmed: “Mr. 9-9-9” himself, conservative talk-show host and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, and conservative talk-show host and former vice presidential candidate Wayne Allyn Root.

Details to follow in the coming weeks, but this is gonna be our biggest and best CLC ever!  Save the dates.

HEADLINES

• Pence Praises US Troops in South Korea Easter Visit
• Trump Weekly Address: ‘America Is a Nation of Believers’
• NY Post Op-ed: President Trump Still Needs Bannon
• Pence Adviser: US Anticipated NKorea Missile Test That Failed
• Melania, Barron Trump Moving to DC This Summer
• Huckabee: N Korea Leader ‘Seriously Crazy’
• Trump Nominates Ex-Im Critic to Head Agency
• Trump Will Be Speaking at NRA Leadership Forum
• Military Seeks Civilians with High-Tech Skills to Counter ISIS
• Samuel L. Jackson: ‘Vote for Democratic Party’ in Georgia Special Election
• Judge’s Anti-death Penalty Protest Riles Conservatives
• Rep. Ron DeSantis: End ‘Illegal’ Healthcare Subsidies for Congress

NEVADA NEWS & VIEWS

* Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske came under fire a couple months ago after noting that her office had no *evidence* of voter fraud in the 2016 elections after President Trump raised the issue.  But that didn’t mean it didn’t happen or that she wasn’t investigating the possibility; only that she couldn’t prove it.  At the time.

On Friday, Cegavske announced that her office now has evidence that people voted illegally in Nevada in 2016.  And she’s on it like white on rice.  Go Barbara, go!

* So, perennial gadfly candidate Sharron Angle says she wants to help further President Donald Trump’s agenda.  To do so, she’s announced yet another campaign for Congress – this time against Rep. Mark Amodei, who happened to be Trump’s Nevada campaign chairman in 2016!

Makes perfect sense in a perfectly typical nonsensical Angle campaign. Please go away.

* The deadline to move bills forward in the Nevada Legislature was yesterday.

Alas, the incompetent Democrat leaders of both houses had to give special “exemptions” to a long list of bills because they failed to give those bills a hearing earlier in the session – you know, like on Friday afternoons when everybody went home early instead of sticking around and doing the people’s business.

As the saying goes, Senate Majority Leader A-aron Ford and Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson could screw up a two-car funeral.  This is going to be an ugly end-of-session in June.

• Root: Donald Trump should launch an investigation into Barack Obama’s abuse of the IRS
• Joecks: Nevada public pensioner votes to keep his pension secret

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“There never was a good reason for there to be a corporate tax at all.  Corporations are owned by individuals and groups of individuals.” – Ben Stein on FOX News, 4/14/17