Annie Black

(Annie Black) – On March 17, 2020, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak invoked “emergency” powers and unilaterally shut the entire state’s economy down due to the Wuhan coronavirus.

Four days later I wrote in an AnnieGram…

“We’re in an emergency situation.  The governor needs counsel.  And he needs to hear from voices outside his inner circle.  Especially legislators who are closer to their constituents on the ground and better able understand the impact of these decisions.  It’s time for the governor to call a special session.”

No go.

On April 4, 2020 I renewed my call…

“(A)ll 63 elected members of the Legislature should be called into a Special Session, the sooner the better. … We’re allowing too much power to be placed in the hands of one man who clearly has no experience whatsoever dealing with a situation like this.”

Once again, no go.

As the economic devastation from the #SislolakShutdown worsened – and it was clear the governor was not going to consult with nor obtain legislative approval for his “emergency” directives – I released on May 27, 2020 “Black’s Blueprint: 7 Steps for Rebuilding Nevada” which included the following…

1.)  EMERGENCY POWERS LIMITATION ACT

“It’s one thing to give the governor the power to declare a short-term emergency.  It’s another thing to give him an indefinite blank check – like what we’ve experienced during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“The Legislature needs to pass a bill that limits the scope and length of time any governor can wield ‘emergency powers’ – including the suspension of constitutional rights – without seeking the approval of the elected members of the Legislature.”

I also noted that if the governor refused to call a special session, legislators had the power to do so themselves.

The governor has since convened two special sessions and, not surprisingly, refused to include in his agenda any measure that would rein in the authoritarian powers he’s conveyed upon himself for almost FIVE MONTHS now.

So at the conclusion of today’s special session, Senate Minority Leader James Settelmeyer issued a formal “Petition of the Members of the Legislature of the State of Nevada to Convene a Special Session” which reads as follows…

“Now, therefore, the undersigned members of the Legislature, by virtue of the authority vested in them by the Constitution of the State of Nevada and by transmitting to the Secretary of State one of more substantially similar petitions signed, in the aggregate, by the required number of members calling for a special session, do hereby convene the Legislature into a special session to begin on or before Thursday, August 6, 2020.  The following business may be transacted during the special session:

1. 1. A bill to require a state of emergency or a declaration of disaster proclaimed by the Governor or by a resolution of the Legislature to terminate not later than 30 days after the proclamation of the state of emergency or declaration of disaster, unless, if the Legislature is not in session, a special session of the Legislature is convened and a 2/3’s majority of the Legislature approves the extension of the state of emergency or declaration of disaster, or, if the Legislature is in regular session, a 2/3’s majority of the Legislature approves the extension of the state of emergency or declaration of disaster.”

BINGO!

Unfortunately, by law a 2/3’s majority of the Legislature is required to call itself into a special session – and Republicans only make up a third of the Legislature.

Meaning Sen. Settelmeyer’s petition calling for a special session has virtually no chance of being approved by the Democrat majority.

But the mere act of calling for a special session to adopt an Emergency Powers Limitation bill is a HUGE step in the right direction and raises the issue to the voting public.  Just as importantly, it creates an election issue for GOP candidates to run on in November.

Republicans running against incumbent Democrats who refuse to sign Sen. Settelmeyer’s petition can bludgeon their opponents for supporting the governor’s blank check to continue destroying Nevada’s economy and worsening our budget deficit.

Looking forward to seeing the list of legislators who signed and didn’t sign the petition.  Sure hope EVERY Republican signed it.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“If the media seriously wanted to report the news – instead of spinning it – they could stop calling rioters ‘protesters.'” – Thomas Sowell

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s former Chief-of-Staff, once famously advised Democrats to “never let a serious crisis go to waste.”

Which is exactly what legislative Democrats intend to do during Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s “Special Session 2.0” in the next couple of days.

Although Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske has “repeatedly said for months that the 2020 general election would not be an all-mail election like the primary,” Democrats in Carson City, who control both houses of the Legislature, are planning to change Nevada law during Special Session 2.0 to force another all-mail election in November.

Fueling efforts to not let the COVID-19 crisis go to waste are far-left fringe elements backing the Nevada Democrat Party, particularly Annette Magnus of Battle Born Progress – last seen childishly wearing a chicken costume in Carson City during Special Session 1.0.

In a recent op-ed, the Progressive Poultry Princess made her case for obliterating long-standing Nevada election law – all in the name of “safety” and “security” – during the ongoing #SisolakShutdown.

But her arguments are lame, at best; misleading and outright false, at worst.  So let’s burn ‘em to a crisp…

“On Election Day during the primary, the average Nevadan waited over four hours to cast an in-person vote,” the left-wing wing-nut clucked. “This was with in-person and mail-in options available. … The last voter in Clark County waited in line for eight hours and cast a ballot at 3:08 AM the next day. This is unacceptable and must be fixed before November’s election.”

“Voting should not cost anyone their life,” Chicken Liberal continued.  “Voting should not take eight-plus hours.  Voting should not be a significant burden to anyone.  Forcing an all in-person election is the opposite of everything we should strive to achieve.”

The Feathered Fabricator also accused Secretary Cegavske of playing partisan games “to disenfranchise voters by calling for an all in-person November election.”  And, of course, played the race card…

“Cegavske’s refusal to make voting accessible and safe during this pandemic is a clear attempt at voter suppression. It is no secret that people of color are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In addition, they are often the most overlooked voting groups and face the most challenges when it comes to voting.”

Where to begin?

First, the claim that Secretary Cegavske is “forcing an all in-person election” is either an outright lie or woeful ignorance on a metaphysical scale.  As Secretary Cegavske pointed out in her own op-ed this week…

“Another common argument in support of conducting an all-mail election for the November general election is that voters should not have to choose between voting and their health. This is a false choice that reveals an elementary misunderstanding of Nevada’s election laws.

“Nevada has some of the most permissive voting laws in the country, and these laws, which are already in place, offer Nevada voters various options for exercising the franchise. Any registered voter in the state can request and vote with an absentee ballot. A valid excuse or reason is not required.

“The act of casting an absentee ballot is also easy. Witness signatures are not required; notarization is not required. State law even allows voters to request to be placed on the permanent absentee list. Voters on the permanent absentee list are automatically mailed a ballot for each election in which the voter is eligible to participate.”

Secretary Cegavske added…

“My staff is also developing an online absentee ballot request portal that will make it even easier than it currently is to request an absentee ballot. This portal will go live in advance of the general election, and we will also be mailing a postcard to each active registered voter in the state informing them about how to easily request an absentee ballot online using the portal.”

The long and short is this:  ANY registered voter who is afraid to cast an in-person ballot in November can again vote by mail by simply requesting a mail-in absentee ballot – just like in all our previous elections going back decades.

Magnus owes Secretary Cegavske an apology for making such an outrageously and obviously false allegation.

Secondly, yes, many people who waited until Election Day in the primary and tried to cast an in-person vote, rather than mail or simply drop-off their mail-in ballot, had long waits – especially in Clark County.  But that’s because there were only three in-person voting locations open.

Won’t be the case in November.

Now that the COVID “emergency” is behind us, all of the regular voting locations, as in past elections, will be open – as well as multiple voting locations for in-person early voting.

In other words, the long line problem that Magnus complains about has already been fixed by returning our elections to normal where you have the choice to either vote in-person or request an absentee ballot and vote by mail.

Lastly, the cost of conducting an all-mail ballot again in November will cost taxpayers millions of dollars that we simply don’t have, unless Magnus and her flock get the huge tax hikes – sorry, “revenue enhancements” – they’re looking for.

As Secretary Cegavske explained…

“Automatically mailing all registered voters in Nevada a ballot for the general election would be extremely costly. The printing and outbound postage costs alone would be over $2 million. Additional costs for equipment and voter education would push the total bill to between $4 and $5 million.

“Automatically mailing each registered voter a ballot would also represent a waste for the hundreds of thousands of voters who will vote in person and not use the ballot that was mailed to them.”

Secretary Cegavske concluded…

“We do not have to mail all registered voters a ballot to provide voting choices and ensure voters’ safety. We can simply rely on the laws already on the books. For the 2020 general election, I support easy access to absentee voting coupled with robust in-person voting opportunities, both during early voting and on Election Day.”

Magnus can use her chicken fingers to peck out all the op-eds and tweets she wants.  What she can’t do is make a rational argument for forcing all Nevadans into another all-mail election.

Sadly, that doesn’t mean the Democrat-controlled Legislature and Nevada’s Democrat governor won’t do it anyway during Special Session 2.0.  Because this isn’t about “safety” and “security.”  This is pure, raw partisan politics.

And they’re not about to let the current COVID-19 crisis go to waste.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“An all mail-in voting process increases the likelihood of voter fraud. … If people can stand in line at grocery stores and other businesses, we can do the same thing with voting locations.  They can be made safe for all.” – Nevada Republican Club

“The left throws out the specter of voter suppression often, much like the boy who cried wolf, but voter suppression claims ought not to be believed without evidence.” – Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – On Friday, a divided U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, refused to force Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak to treat the state’s churches the same way it treats various non-religious businesses under his authoritarian “emergency” orders.

As has been the case in all too many recent and important decisions, Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush, sided with the Court’s four left-wing justices in sticking it to Nevada’s places of worship.

To be clear, the case against Gov. Sisolak’s clearly discriminatory order remains alive.  What SCOTUS did on Friday was refuse to allow churches to reopen at 50 percent capacity – like various other businesses – until the case is finally resolved.

That said, and while news reports have quoted bits and pieces of the dissenting views of Justices Sam Alito (joined by Justice Clarence Thomas), Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, their opinions are worthy of far greater quotation.

Let’s start with Justice Gorsuch, whose dissent was short, sweet and powerful…

“This is a simple case. Under the Governor’s edict, a 10-screen ‘multiplex’ may host 500 moviegoers at any time. A casino, too, may cater to hundreds at once, with perhaps six people huddled at each craps table here and a similar number gathered around every roulette wheel there. Large numbers and close quarters are fine in such places.

“But churches, synagogues, and mosques are banned from admitting more than 50 worshippers – no matter how large the building, how distant the individuals, how many wear face masks, no matter the precautions at all. In Nevada, it seems, it is better to be in entertainment than religion. 

“Maybe that is nothing new. But the First Amendment prohibits such obvious discrimination against the exercise of religion. The world we inhabit today, with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges. But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel.”

BAM!

Next up: Justice Alito’s extensive dissent shredding Gov. Sisolak’s discriminatory edict, though I’m only reprinting pertinent excerpts here, absent all the legal mumbo-jumbo…

“The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion.  It says nothing about the freedom to play craps or blackjack, to feed tokens into a slot machine, or to engage in any other game of chance. But the Governor of Nevada apparently has different priorities.

“Claiming virtually unbounded power to restrict constitutional rights during the COVID–19 pandemic, he has issued a directive that severely limits attendance at religious services.  A church, synagogue, or mosque, regardless of its size, may not admit more than 50 persons, but casinos and certain other favored facilities may admit 50% of their maximum occupancy – and in the case of gigantic Las Vegas casinos, this means that thousands of patrons are allowed. 

“That Nevada would discriminate in favor of the powerful gaming industry and its employees may not come as a surprise, but this Court’s willingness to allow such discrimination is disappointing. We have a duty to defend the Constitution, and even a public health emergency does not absolve us of that responsibility.

“Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley is a church located in rural Nevada. It wishes to host worship services for about 90 congregants, a figure that amounts to 50% of its fire-code capacity. In conducting these services, Calvary Chapel plans to take many precautions that go beyond anything that the State requires.

“In addition to asking congregants to adhere to proper social distancing protocols, it intends to cut the length of services in half. It also plans to require six feet of separation between families seated in the pews, to prohibit items from being passed among the congregation, to guide congregants to designated doorways along one-way paths, and to leave sufficient time between services so that the church can be sanitized.

“According to an infectious disease expert, these measures are ‘equal to or more extensive than those recommended by the CDC.’

“Yet hosting even this type of service would violate Directive 21, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak’s phase-two reopening plan, which limits indoor worship services to ‘no more than fifty persons.’  Meanwhile, the directive caps a variety of secular gatherings at 50% of their operating capacity, meaning that they are welcome to exceed, and in some cases far exceed, the 50-person limit imposed on places of worship.

“The State has made no effort to show that conducting services in accordance with Calvary Chapel’s plan would pose any greater risk to public health than many other activities that the directive allows, such as going to the gym. The State certainly has not shown that church attendance under Calvary Chapel’s plan is riskier than what goes on in casinos.

“But a public health emergency does not give Governors and other public officials carte blanche to disregard the Constitution for as long as the medical problem persists.

“For Las Vegas casinos, 50% capacity often means thousands of patrons, and the activities that occur in casinos frequently involve far less physical distancing and other safety measures than the worship services that Calvary Chapel proposes to conduct. Patrons at a craps or blackjack table do not customarily stay six feet apart. Casinos are permitted to serve alcohol, which is well known to induce risk taking, and drinking generally requires at least the temporary removal of masks.

“The idea that allowing Calvary Chapel to admit 90 worshippers presents a greater public health risk than allowing casinos to operate at 50% capacity is hard to swallow, and the State’s efforts to justify the discrimination are feeble.

“And while the State suggests that it strictly enforces the rules applicable to casinos, photos and videos taken in casinos after they were allowed to reopen show widespread and blatant safety violations.

“Calvary Chapel has also brought to our attention evidence that the Governor has favored certain speakers over others. When large numbers of protesters openly violated provisions of the Directive, such as the rule against groups of more than 50 people, the Governor not only declined to enforce the directive but publicly supported and participated in a protest.

“Public protests, of course, are themselves protected by the First Amendment, and any efforts to restrict them would be subject to judicial review. But respecting some First Amendment rights is not a shield for violating others. The State defends the Governor on the ground that the protests expressed a viewpoint on important issues, and that is undoubtedly true, but favoring one viewpoint over others is anathema to the First Amendment.

“Having allowed thousands to gather in casinos, the State cannot claim to have a compelling interest in limiting religious gatherings to 50 people – regardless of the size of the facility and the measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus.

“And even if the 50-person limit served a compelling interest, the State has not shown that public safety could not be protected at least as well by measures such as those Calvary Chapel proposes to implement.

“Preventing congregants from worshipping will cause irreparable harm, and the State has made no effort to show that Calvary Chapel’s plans would create a serious public health risk.  I would issue an injunction barring the State, pending appeal, from interfering with worship services conducted at Calvary Chapel in accordance with its stated plan and the general facemask requirement.

This quote from Justice Alito bears repeating: “We have a duty to defend the Constitution, and even a public health emergency does not absolve us of that responsibility.

For his part, Justice Kavanaugh echoed Justice Alito’s opinion and added…

“Under its current reopening plan, Nevada allows restaurants, bars, casinos, and gyms to grant entrance to up to 50% of their total occupancy limit – no matter how many people that may be. For example, a casino with a 500-person occupancy limit may let in up to 250 people.

“By contrast, places of worship may only take in a maximum of 50 people, without exception, regardless of the occupancy cap. So unlike a casino next door, a church with a 500-person occupancy limit may let in only 50 people, not 250 people. Nevada has offered no persuasive justification for that overt discrimination against places of worship.

“In my view, Nevada’s discrimination against religious services violates the Constitution. To be clear, a State’s closing or reopening plan may subject religious organizations to the same limits as secular organizations.

“But a State may not impose strict limits on places of worship and looser limits on restaurants, bars, casinos, and gyms, at least without sufficient justification for the differential treatment of religion.

“Nevada has now had more than four months to respond to the initial COVID–19 crisis and adjust its line-drawing as circumstances change. Yet Nevada is still discriminating against religion. Nevada applies a strict 50-person attendance cap to religious worship services, but applies a looser 50% occupancy cap to secular organizations like restaurants, bars, casinos, and gyms.

“Nevada undoubtedly has a compelling interest in combating the spread of COVID–19 and protecting the health of its citizens. But it does not have a persuasive public health reason for treating churches differently from restaurants, bars, casinos, and gyms.

“Calvary Chapel is happy to abide by the same 50% occupancy cap or some stricter across-the-board standard, as the State sees fit, so long as the same standard applies to those secular businesses. And the Church has committed to social distancing, mask requirements, and certain voluntary safety measures.

“The State has not explained why a 50% occupancy cap is good enough for secular businesses where people congregate in large groups or remain in close proximity for extended periods – such as at restaurants, bars, casinos, and gyms – but is not good enough for places of worship.

“Again, it does not suffice to point out that some secular businesses, such as movie theaters, are subject to the lesser of a 50-person or 50% occupancy cap. The legal question is not whether religious worship services are all alone in a disfavored category, but why they are in the disfavored category to begin with.

“And Nevada has not advanced a sufficient public health rationale for that decision. To reiterate, the State has substantial room to draw lines, especially in an emergency or crisis. But Nevada has not demonstrated that public health justifies taking a looser approach with restaurants, bars, casinos, and gyms and a stricter approach with places of worship.

“It is understandable for the State to balance public health concerns against individual economic hardship. Almost every State and municipality in America is struggling with that balance. After all, if preventing transmission of COVID–19 were the sole concern, a State would presumably order almost all of its businesses to stay closed indefinitely. But the economic devastation and the economic, physical, intellectual, and psychological harm to families and individuals that would ensue (and has already ensued, to some extent) requires States to make tradeoffs that can be unpleasant to openly discuss.

“COVID–19 is not a blank check for a State to discriminate against religious people, religious organizations, and religious services. There are certain constitutional red lines that a State may not cross even in a crisis.

“Nevada’s COVID–19-based health distinction between (i) bars, casinos, and gyms on the one hand, and (ii) religious services on the other hand, defies common sense. As I see it, the State cannot plausibly maintain that those large secular businesses are categorically safer than religious services, or that only religious services – and not bars, casinos, and gyms – entail people congregating in large groups or remaining in close proximity for extended periods of time.

“In any event, the State has not yet supplied a sufficient justification for its counterintuitive distinction.

“Nevada’s 50-person attendance cap on religious worship services puts praying at churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques on worse footing than eating at restaurants, drinking at bars, gambling at casinos, or biking at gyms. In other words, Nevada is discriminating against religion. And because the State has not offered a sufficient justification for doing so, that discrimination violates the First Amendment.

“I would grant the Church’s application for a temporary injunction.”

Courts matter.  Judges matter.  A 5-4 liberal majority on the Supreme Court matters.

If you agree with the opinions of Justices Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh; if you want to protect and preserve the constitutional liberties our Creator endowed us with, you MUST vote to re-elect President Donald Trump in November.

Any vote for anyone other than President Trump is a vote to destroy the United States of America as we know it for future generations.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“If the media seriously wanted to report the news – instead of spinning it – they could stop calling rioters ‘protesters.'” – Thomas Sowell

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – It’s not just the failure of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR) to process the unemployment claims from his shutdown orders that’s causing so much pain and suffering for Nevadans.

His administration’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is adding even more stress and aggravation to the everyday lives of our state’s struggling citizens.

Here are the first-person stories of two women from in front of the Mesquite DMV today.  Beyond frustrating.  Beyond acceptable. The governor needs to fix this.  Just telling people to “be patient” is no solution.

(Annie Black) – The Nevada Legislature continues to fiddle around with finding a way to fill the $1.2 billion budget hole created by the #SisolakShutdown without doing what those of us in the private sector have been doing for four months now…

Cutting non-essential spending and laying off non-essential workers.

To avoid necessary spending cuts, the Legislature is all but begging for a federal bailout.  I’m opposed.  Gov. Sisolak and the Democrats who control the Legislature made this mess; they need to clean it up.

But when I wrote just that in a tweet on July 10^th, former state Sen. Bob Coffin (D-Las Vegas) replied…

“Public Safety is more than half of most Nevada local budgets. The other half is deemed essential by some and never essential by those who don’t think someone else should have services. You need to plainly say what YOU would cut or eliminate to have credibility. Take a chance!”

Fair enough.

To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, we don’t have a $1.2 billion budget hole because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a $1.2 billion budget hole because we’ve spent too much.

As Victor Joeck’s noted in a recent column, over the last three budget cycles “Nevada’s spending jumped 37 percent.”

So first on the chopping block should be any new programs/spending approved by the 2019 Legislature.  That includes Gov. Sisolak’s “Office of New Americans” which provides taxpayer-funded services for illegal immigrants.

Secondly, it was reported last week that a House panel approved a spending bill that includes “no funds for a Yucca Mountain repository.”  Rep. Dina Titus (D-Las Vegas) declared, “We have once again defeated the dangerous attempts to make our state the dumping ground for the nation’s waste.”

The fact is we have six members in our Congressional delegation who are fighting Yucca in DC, complete with staff members funded by the federal, not state, government.  As such, maybe it’s time to look at shuttering Nevada’s “Nuclear Waste Project Office” as a non-essential duplication of effort?

And how about eliminating a couple truckloads of non-essential public school “administrators” and shifting those savings into the classroom?

And how about repealing Nevada’s prevailing wage law that jacks up the cost of public works projects, such as school construction and roads?

And how about funding the Education Savings Account program that would provide vouchers to parents who remove their kids from public schools, thus cutting the education budget while simultaneously creating smaller class sizes for those who remain in the public schools?

Nevada Policy Research Institute has plenty of other cost-cutting ideas.  Why aren’t they seated at the budget-cutting table?

But Mr. Coffin hits the nail on the head when he observes that the definition of “essential” and “non-essential” is like beauty; it’s in the eyes of the beholder.  Someone will ALWAYS argue that THEIR job, program, agency or department is “essential.”

Of course, those who oppose any cuts of any kind for any reason use an old “trick” to mislead the public.  They claim that ANY budget cuts will cut truly essential services such as cops, firefighters and classroom teachers – as if there are no other government employees who don’t fit into those categories.

Which brings me to Nicole Kiley.

According to a recent article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Ms. Kiley is a full-time, taxpayer-funded “dietitian” at UNLV who provides “nuanced detailed guidelines tailored to the needs of the 500-plus student-athletes at the university.”

Among the services she provides is “virtually sifting through their refrigerators as a means to provide the best advice possible.”

Sorry, Charlie.  That’s just not “essential” at any time, let alone in the current budget environment.  Any student-athlete interested in learning more about good nutrition can simply Google it or check with their doctor like the rest of us.

Of course, Ms. Kiley – and maybe even Mr. Coffin – will think her government job is “essential.”  But that’s EXACTLY the discussion we should be having.  Tough times call for tough decisions.  And raising taxes in this environment of private business closings and job losses is insane.

What’s called for here is the immediate creation of an ANTI-Appropriations Committee in the Legislature.  Grab a line-by-line budget report and a couple cases of red pens.  If a government job, service, agency or program is non-essential, draw a line through it.

If there’s a dispute, put it up for a recorded vote in committee.  Then have the entire package of “non-essential” budget cuts voted on by the entire Legislature.

That way the taxpayers of Nevada will be able to see exactly what the governor and legislators consider to be “essential.”  And voters will then be able to register their agreement or disagreement at the ballot box in November.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“The truth is, we’ve held a gun to their (mining industry) head and that we have made them the whipping boy when in fact they’re one of the best industries Nevada has ever had … Mining has been great for Nevada.” – Nevada State Sen. Ira Hansen, 7/15/20

“Those young and healthy people who currently walk around with a mask on their faces would be better off wearing a helmet instead, because the risk of something falling on their head is greater than that of getting a serious case of Covid-19.” – Beda M Stadler, former director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Bern

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – Some folks have expressed concern that I might “go native” and “drink the Kool-Aid” once I get to Carson City.  They worry I might abandon my fighting independence and become a wishy-washy “team player” like so many conservatives before me.

An understandable concern.  So let’s talk about it…

As an incoming freshman legislator, I won’t pretend to know everything that’ll be facing me as your new representative in the State Assembly next year.  Yes, I’ll make “rookie” mistakes.  But I’ll learn from them…and move forward.

Yes, there’s bound to be a learning curve.  But I’m a fast learner!

And I’ve already learned of several ways the “good ol’ boys” who control the political machine at the Legislature try to control “newbies” to the game.

Just so you (and they) know, I won’t be playing.  Consider the following as my own personal “Declaration of Independence” …

1.)  As a freshman, I’ll be what they call a “back-bencher.”  But I won’t be a bench-warmer.

To paraphrase Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, “Nobody puts Annie in a corner.”  LOL

There’s a general belief that freshmen should be seen, not heard.  To that end, pressure will be applied that I not speak with the media and clear all press releases and statements with Republican Assembly Caucus leadership in advance.

That’s not how I roll.  I’m not going to be invisible to you or the public before, during or after the 2021 session.  I won’t be muzzled.  I won’t be “tamed.”  I won’t go-along-just-to-get-along.

If taking a vow of silence is the price to pay for membership in the Republican Assembly Caucus, I won’t be joining.  I’ll just form my own Conservative Assembly Caucus instead – even if I’m the only member.

2.)  Another game they play is to try and persuade you that if you don’t get a bill passed – any bill, no matter how inconsequential – you’re a failure.

I’m not playing that game either.

To the best of my knowledge, freshman legislators are allowed to introduce up to five bills.  That’s not a lot.  So I’m going to be very thoughtful in deciding which bills to propose.  And they’ll be along the lines of the platform I shared with you during the campaign.

I will not be bullied, threatened, coerced or “bribed” into voting for a bad bill – especially any proposed tax hikes! – just to get one of my bills passed.

If that means the Democrat majority kills all of my bills, so be it.

And if some harpies in the media think that means “failure,” consider this quote from the late, great Sen. Barry Goldwater in his book, Conscience of a Conservative…

“I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. … My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones…  And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents’ ‘interests,’ I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.”

What he said.

3.)  And then there are the lobbyists.

Lobbyists play an important role in our governing system.  They possess levels of expertise far deeper and wider than us part-time citizen-legislators on a variety of issues.  And I’ll gladly pull from that wealth of knowledge in assessing bills and legislation.

But I won’t be “schmoozed” into voting for a bad bill with promises of donations to my re-election campaign, or threats to fund a future opponent.  You’re sending me to Carson City to represent YOU, not them.

If that means the special interests come after me in 2022 and make me a one-termer, so be it.

I will not make decisions based my personal political interests.  I will make my decisions based on YOUR interests.  You have the votes.  You have the power.

Unlike all too many politicians, I told you during the campaign exactly where I stand, exactly what I believe and exactly what I’ll do if elected to represent you.  And you delivered a resounding mandate, 61-39%, for that platform.

If that means a lot of 41-Annie votes next session…well, again, so be it.

During the campaign I made promises to you.  And I intend to keep them.  I won’t sell you out no matter how hard someone tries to twist my arm.

Yes, when appropriate I’ll try to be a “team player.”  But when push comes to shove, mine will always be an independent vote on your behalf.

OK, that’s my own personal declaration of independence.  It’s how I believe elected representatives should represent the citizens who elected them.  I hope you agree.

So how can you help?

There’s strength in numbers.  And the more people we can reach in the fastest, most cost-efficient way, the better.  That means emails and social media.

If you know of someone who may be interested in or should be receiving my AnnieGrams, please shoot me their email address or have them sign up directly via our website at ElectAnnieBlack.com.

And follow @RealAnnieBlack on Twitter and facebook.com/annie.black.733.

You’ll receive breaking news, updates, briefings and invitations to attend special events, town halls and issue forums.  I promise not to overwhelm you.  But I won’t disappear on you now that the election is over either.

And as always, you can reach me directly on my cell at (702) 872-2222 or via email at annie@electannieblack.com.

Happy Independence Day!

Annie

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

– Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – As Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has issued one “emergency” shutdown order after another, torching the state’s economy and civil liberties in the process, the Nevada Legislature – 63 individuals elected to represent “the people” in Carson City – has stood on the sidewalk and watched it burn.

And with his unilateral decision this week to extend Phase II of the #SisolakShutdown through the end of July, the governor will have wielded unlimited authoritarian “emergency” powers for four and a half MONTHS.

With no end in sight.

This is downright dangerous.  We elected a governor, not a king.

Way back on March 21, just four days after the #SisolakShutdown was unilaterally ordered, I wrote in an AnnieGram…

“We’re in an emergency situation.  The governor needs counsel.  And he needs to hear from voices outside his inner circle.  Especially legislators who are closer to their constituents on the ground and better able understand the impact of these decisions.  It’s time for the governor to call a special session.”

Of course, he didn’t.  As Mel Brooks put it, “It’s good ta be da king.”

During our campaign for Assembly District 19, I published “Black’s Blueprint: 7 Steps for Rebuilding Nevada.”  It included…

1.)  EMERGENCY POWERS LIMITATION ACT

It’s one thing to give the governor the power to declare a short-term emergency.  It’s another thing to give him an indefinite blank check – like what we’ve experienced during the COVID-19 shutdown.

The Legislature needs to pass a bill that limits the scope and length of time any governor can wield “emergency powers” – including the suspension of constitutional rights – without seeking the approval of the elected members of the Legislature.

A 30-day limit seems reasonable.  We should never again be in a position where one person has unilateral, unrestrained, indefinite authoritarian control over our lives and livelihoods.

Echoing that call, Michael Schaus of Nevada Policy Research Institute wrote yesterday…

“Such a concentration of power in any governor should inspire reform of the state’s approach to emergency powers, regardless of how one might feel about shutting down businesses to fight a pandemic or infringing on civil rights in the name of the ‘common good.’”

Mr. Schaus added…

“As Nevada continued experimenting with government-by-executive-order, businesses were forced into bankruptcy, workers into breadlines, and students into limbo. Like many governors across the nation, Gov. Sisolak took it upon himself to experiment in quarantining an entire state’s population as a way to ‘flatten the curve’ and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus without so much as a single vote from the lawmakers elected to represent the very people having their lives turned upside down.

“Allowing any governor to act unilaterally on issues that so directly impact workers, business owners and students – for months on end without clearly defined objectives – is a scenario that is simply unconscionable in a democratic republic. Responding to emergencies doesn’t require abandoning the principles of democratic self-government.”

It was one thing to grant the governor “emergency” powers for 15 days, or even 30 days, without consultation with, let alone concurrence from, the elected members of the Legislature.

But four and a half MONTHS?

With a special session finally scheduled for next week to address the $1.3 billion budget hole created by the #SisolakShutdown, a discussion of some version of the “Emergency Powers Limitation Act” should be added to the agenda.

As Lord Acton warned: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

It’s time to rein Gov. Sisolak in.

If elected legislators won’t do it, why even have a Legislature?

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Either masks work or they don’t. If you’re going to compel mask use, then open everything up. Otherwise this isn’t public health but tyranny. If the mask is the antidote here, then give us our life back.” – Steve Deace

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – As we await Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s official call for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the estimated $1.3 billion budget hole his #SisolakShutdown has created, now might be a good time to grab your wallet and head for the hills because…

The Tax Man Cometh!

Government employees are already in full-throated revolt over the prospect of cutting government.

Just last week representatives of AFSCME Local 4041, the union representing state government workers, filed an official complaint against the governor for not talking to them to their satisfaction.

“The way the governor is acting is a disgrace to our state and a disservice to all Nevadans,” said union president Harry Schiffman in a statement.  “He needs to come out of hiding and talk to us.”

Actually, that sentiment is shared by a LOT of Nevadans these days, especially the tens of thousands still waiting on their unemployment benefits.

The governor, to the surprise of absolutely no one, buckled.

“The Governor, his staff and the Governor’s Finance Office are working hard to limit the impacts on state employees and to let them know of any proposed impacts in advance,” the governor’s staff wrote in a statement of response.

In fact, while almost a half-million Nevadans lost their jobs thanks to the #SisolakShutdown, almost NO government employees have been laid off.  YOU are continuing to pay them.

And of the more than 17,000 state workers currently on payroll, Gov. Sisolak has thus far only proposed laying off fewer than 50 of them to address the $1.3 billion budget hole.

So if the governor and the Democrat majority that controls both houses of the Legislature won’t cut spending to balance the budget…that means tax hikes!

For the record: I’ve signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, so that’s not an option for me or the taxpayers of District 19 that I will be representing.

As has been the case of multiple emergency orders from the governor related to the #SisolakShutdown, the governor is giving Nevadans conflicting signals on this.

One day he said no tax hikes.  A few days later he put them back on the table.

And the threat is real.

Last weekend, Hugh Jackson – editor for the liberal Nevada Current online newsblog – proposed three special session amendments to Nevada’s Constitution which would pave the way for various tax hikes.

1.)  Remove the cap on mining taxes

2.)  Repeal the Gibbons Tax Restraint requirement that tax hikes be approved by a 2/3 super-majority of the Legislature.

3.)  Repeal the constitutional prohibition on a personal income tax.

And Jackson’s not the only left fielder calling for tax hikes.

In an editorial published on Wednesday, the Las Vegas Sun called for a property tax increase and warned that “gaming will need to step up at some point.”

And the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) released a document on June 16 titled “Nevada: Action Plan for Recovery and Resilience” which calls for “ending property tax caps.”

Make no mistake, while Democrat legislative candidates won’t say so out loud this close to Election Day, they’re all thinking the same thing privately.

Nevada’s economy, Nevada’s businesses and Nevada’s families have been suffering real and severe pain thanks to the #SisolakShutdown.

If we’re all supposed to be “in this together,” it’s time for the government and government workers to share the misery.

After all, the government is supposed to work for YOU; not the other way around.

Annie

P.S.  Some people have been asking me about how I’m going to deal with being in the Nevada Legislature next year.

They want to know if I’m going to remain true to my convictions and serve the way I campaigned…or will “go wobbly” like so many other conservatives before me.

Well, look for a special AnnieGram this Friday morning titled: “Annie Black’s Declaration of Independence.”  That should answer all questions.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“With massive increases in testing, the ‘case’ numbers climbed. This is not rocket science: the more people you test the more ‘cases’ you discover.

“Unfortunately, our mainstream media is only interested in pushing the ‘party line.’ So the good news that millions more have been exposed while the fatality rate continues to decline – meaning the virus is getting weaker – is buried under hysterical false reporting of ‘new cases.’

“Unfortunately, many governors are incapable of resisting the endless lies of the mainstream media. They are putting Americans again through the nightmare of forced business closures, mandated face masks, and restrictions of Constitutional liberties based on false propaganda.”

– Dr. Ron Paul, former Texas congressman

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – Over the past couple of days since winning the Nevada Assembly District 19 election, I’ve been attacked on social media by an arrogant liberal blogger, a liberal Democrat assemblyman and a liberal Democrat activist group.

I must be doing something right!

I guess I’m now supposed to wither under the assault, retreat, hide in my closet, curl up in a ball and beg forgiveness from the politically correct Thought Police.

Fat chance.

A lioness cares not for the opinions of sheep.

• I spoke up and out about how the disastrous #SisolakShutdown was wrecking our lives and economy during my campaign.
• I spoke up and out about Gov. Sisolak’s refusal to layoff “non-critical” government employees – which has made our giant budget hole even bigger.
• I spoke up and out in opposition to the fraud-prone vote-by-mail election.
• I spoke up and out against the violence and destruction caused by domestic terrorists impersonating “peaceful protestors.”

And I’m not about to stop now.

Not only am I not retreating, I’m not holding my position either.  Heck, no.  We’re moving forward.  We’re taking the fight to them.  If we go down, at least we’ll go down swinging.

As Democrat strategist James Carville once put it: “It’s hard for somebody to hit you when you’ve got your fist in their face.”

That said, we did drain our bank account dry in our campaign to unseat big-government Assemblyman Chris “The Invisible Man” Edwards.

Now I need to refill the tank.

The amount I’m able to do on your behalf depends directly on the financial support of generous conservatives who, like you, are tired of the GOP in Nevada acting like a minority party instead of an opposition party.

• Your investment will help continue the fight against liberal snowflakes who are “triggered” into fits of hysteria by the sight of a statue, a bottle of Aunt Jemima syrup or a box of Uncle Ben’s converted rice.
• Your investment will help me fight Democrat legislators who want to raise your taxes instead of cutting spending on non-critical “sacred cow” government programs.
• Your investment will help me stand up against leftwing militants who want to defund, rather than defend, our police.
• Your investment will help elect other conservative Republican candidates and allies in November.

As Morton Blackwell of the conservative Leadership Institute says, “You can’t save the world if you can’t pay the rent.”

So won’t you please chip in a donation to help me keep taking the fight to ‘em?

Whatever the amount you choose to contribute – even if it’s just $5 or $10 – please know every donation is greatly appreciated and WON’T be used to bail out any rioters or looters from jail.

All I ask is that you please do all you can TODAY.

A special session of the Nevada Legislature is now just days away.  Tax hikes are coming.  Time to mount up.  We ride at dawn!

Annie

P.S.  Just before I sent this out, I read that the Sisters of Perpetual Indignation are now demanding the removal of John Wayne’s statue from in front of the Orange County (CA) airport.

No one is safe!

So it’s The Duke, Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben and me vs. Steve Sisolak, Joe Biden, Al Sharpton and Nancy Pelosi.

Whose side are you on?

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“Very few of the so-called liberals are open-minded.  They shout you down and won’t let you speak if you disagree with them.” – John Wayne

“They’re tearing down statues, desecrating monuments, and purging dissenters. It’s not the behavior of a peaceful political movement; it’s the behavior of totalitarians and tyrants and people that don’t love our country.” – President Donald Trump

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – Malcolm X once said, “If you have no critics, you’ll likely have no success.”

Well then, I guess I’m on the right path!  Here’s the latest…

On Tuesday, Kristyn Leonard of the Nevada Independent wrote a story about Nevada’s all-mail primary election.  In it she noted that 32 people in Clark County voted who “never registered to vote.”

This morning I posted a tweet asking: “How did they get a ballot in the first place?”

Seemed like a logical question to ask.  After all, we now have same-day registration.  So how does someone receive a ballot, whether via mail or in person, without being registered to vote?

It certainly raises a legitimate question about the potential for fraud in our elections without some kind of voter ID in place, right?

Enter the critic.

Jon Ralston is a liberal Nevada blogger most of you have probably never heard of.  He’s also employed as the editor of the Nevada Independent who uses his platform to attack anyone who suggests voting fraud exists or that mail-in balloting increases the potential for such fraud.

Especially President Trump.

So my tweet apparently got his hackles up.  Here’s the snarky response he posted on his blog in response…

“Genius tweet from incoming Assemblywoman Annie Black.  Thank goodness she will have zero influence in Carson City. … Black’s twitter feed is a sewer of Trumpism and partisan hooey, including saying the state never should have been shut down.  She appears to be Sharron Angle without the policy grounding.  Think about that.”

First, it’s fake news to claim I said the state never should have been shut down.  However, I HAVE said the conflicting, arbitrary, discriminatory and ham-handed manner in which Gov. Sisolak has imposed the shutdown has been disastrous for Nevada’s families, businesses and economy.

Just ask the thousands who, three months later, STILL haven’t received an unemployment check.

Secondly, the fact that Mr. Ralston is already attacking me five months before I even take office would seem to belie the claim that I will have “zero influence in Carson City.”  If he’s already attacking me, I’ve already made a difference.

After all, dogs don’t bark at parked cars.

Lastly, I’ve never spoken with Mr. Ralston.  Yet somehow, he’s already pre-judged my “policy grounding.”  Not exactly what most would consider professional journalism.  More like what you’d expect from a partisan activist.

So Mr. Ralston – a timid soul who’s never run for office himself, let alone won an election – is a critic.  Whatever.  As Channing Pollock once observed: “A critic is a legless man who teaches other people to run.”

Next year in the Legislature, I’ll have a vote.  He won’t.

Talk about “zero influence.”

Annie

P.S.  Let me ask your advice on an issue that didn’t come up during the campaign…

As you know, Nevada is unique in that voters are able to vote for “None of the Above” (NOTA) in statewide races.  In fact, NOTA came in first place in the 2014 Democrat primary race for governor.

But there’s no teeth in the law.  The candidate who came in second to NOTA automatically went on to the general election.

Would you like to see a change in the law requiring a special run-off election whenever NOTA wins in which none of the candidates who appeared on the ballot are allowed to run again?

Shoot me your thoughts: annie@electannieblack.com

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Annie Black is a Mesquite City Councilwoman and Assemblywoman-elect for Nevada State Assembly District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com