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Back-room dealings: State law passed in 2007 Legislature’s closing days undermines oversight of health plans; Toward the end of the Nevada Legislature’s 2007 session, when everyone was caught up in the rush to pass legislation, an amendment was slipped into a workers’ compensation bill that was sold as a way to close a loophole. But it did much more than that.

‘Chaotic last hours’: Lehman Bros. executives’ self-serving attitudes revealed during House hearing; The first congressional hearing into the origins of the financial crisis on Wall Street brought into full view one of the reasons why so many people on Main Street USA furiously opposed the $700 billion federal bailout.

A growing challenge: Social service agencies should be equipped to meet the need in a falling economy; Nevada and 48 other states had adopted “safe-haven” laws when Nebraska finally followed suit in July. The laws permit a parent, usually a desperate single mother, to leave an infant at medical or public safety facilities without fear of being arrested.

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Where I Stand »

Hate what they got us into, but we need politicians now

The United States lives at the intersection of Main and Wall.
Taxpayers deserve right deal right now
Voters must not forgive leaders who let crisis play out

Jon Ralston »

Why no principled conservative would seriously contend that Palin belongs on the ticket

After all the post-debate chatter about Sarah Palin’s resurrection (I bet a lot of folks were saying “Jesus” during her performance) and about her potential 2012 presidential candidacy (paging Mitt Romney & Co.), the real story of last week’s encounter was that the true elitists were revealed.
Junk mail — from candidates
Speaker Buckley’s earnestness

The rules of presidential races are the same as the rules of most parlay cards: A tie goes to the House. And more and more, as 269-269 scenarios are written, Nevada figures prominently. CQ Politics is the latest to raise the possibility in a piece headlined “In the Event of a Tie.” It posits that if Barack Obama could turn Colorado, Iowa and New Mexico or Nevada blue and John McCain could turn New Hampshire red, the tie is born. And then, CQ points out, we’d have to wait to see whether the electors don’t switch sides when they actually cast their votes and then wait for the House to decide the race for the highest office in the land. It’s happened only once — in 1800, when the House gave it to Thomas Jefferson over Aaron Burr. Could it happen 208 years later?

Flashpoint archive »

Smith’s World

Today's editorial cartoon by Mike Smith, plus archives since 1998 »

Letters to the Editor

E-mail your submission to letters@lasvegassun.com. Letters to the editor should be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

Why the GOP is responsible for state we’re in
: When one ponders the current status and actions of our government over the past few years, it is natural to ask who is responsible for it all. Inevitably one must conclude it is the Republican Party.; Continues…; Neil Mizen, Las Vegas
Price of oil is down; why not price of gas?
: Once again the American people, represented by idiots in Washington, are paying for the mistakes of the greedy. On Monday the Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 369 points at its close. Who is going to rescue the rescuers?; Continues…; John J. Huelbig Jr., Las Vegas
If bar low enough, Palin won debate
: Debate (noun): A formal contest of argumentation in which two opposing teams defend and attack a given proposition. Debate (verb): To engage in argument by discussing opposing points.; Continues…; Joel Rector, North Las Vegas
President an example of irresponsibility
: We, the people, are responsible for our own mess. We are in a mess financially and morally because we elected a man and his vice president who showed us the way to financial and moral ruin.; Continues…; Elizabeth Powell, Boulder City
Lottery wouldn’t be a threat to casinos
: Heads up, Nevada politicians! I just returned from a business trip to South Carolina. I was impressed with its “state education lottery.”; Continues…; Peggy Bacon, Las Vegas