First, let’s make one thing, “perfectly clear” – Chuck’s Picks are CHUCK’S picks, not Citizen Outreach. And they should not be considered “endorsements,” or even recommendations. I’m simply going to tell you who/what I like/support…and you can make up your own minds.
Secondly, I’m a conservative, not a Republican. And one of the mistakes conservatives have developed over the years has been to concede the Democrat Party to the far left…while the far left regularly and successfully picks off moderate Republicans.
Just look at how many Republicans vote for tax hikes.
The reality is that conservatives need to find reasonable Democrats they can work with on certain issues to advance conservative legislation, especially when Democrats control the majority.
So don’t be shocked when you find that I’ve picked a couple of Democrats this election cycle. Not because I’m under the mistaken impression that they’re conservative like us, but because they’ve exhibited willingness to at least sit down and talk with conservatives.
With Democrats, that usually the best you can hope for.
But before we get to candidates – and yes, I’ll have some judicial recommendations for Clark County later this week – let’s knock out the ballot questions:
State Question 1: Allowing legislators to call themselves into special sessions
No good can possibly come from allowing these people to call themselves back into session. Just look at the damage they already do meeting for just 120 days every other year!
Chuck’s Pick: Not just no, but h-e-double-hockey-sticks NO!
Clark County Question 2: Property tax hike for public schools
First, I won’t even consider ANY tax or spending increases for public schools for any purpose until there are universal school vouchers that will allow all parents, not just wealthy ones, to “opt out” send their children to the school of THEIR choice, not the government’s.
Secondly, this tax hike was put on the ballot, not by popular citizen support in the way of signature gathering on petitions, but by the professional government education establishment.
It should be a prerequisite that there be at least some indication of tacit support among the electorate for a tax hike before it’s put on the ballot. Gathering just 10 percent of the electorate in signatures is NOT an onerous requirement for the school district to comply with.
If citizens are forced to gather signatures to place an item on the ballot, so should government entities like the school district.
Chuck’s Pick: No
Henderson Question 1: Property tax hike for government libraries
Two words: Internet and Google.
Come on, folks. The vast majority of people don’t need or use government libraries the way they used to.
And what is being asked for here is a tax hike on a huge number of home owners who are already deeply buried underwater. Why rub salt into this open wound?
And I’ll repeat the same argument against this government libraries tax hike initiative as against the Clark County government schools tax hike initiative…
If they want to put a tax hike on the ballot, the government entity or agency should be required to fulfill the same requirement required of citizens; it should go out and collect signatures to demonstrate that there is some actual bare minimum of desire by the public for this.
Chuck’s Pick: No
