Annie Black

(Annie Black) – Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has described Nevada’s 2020 elections as “fair, secure.”  And if you buy that, I have a Nigerian diamond mine you might be interested in.

While Mr. Ford has been dismissive of GOP claims of election irregularities, especially in Clark County, an absolutely undeniable example of just how messed up the whole process was can be found in the Clark County Commission District C race.

The morning after Election Day, Republican Stavros Anthony led Democrat Ross Miller by over 2,000 votes.  But by the time the smoke cleared and the official results were announced over a week later, Miller was up…by just 10 votes.

A few days later, Clark County Registrar of Voters Joe Gloria testified before the Clark County Commission that his office had identified 139 “discrepancies” that he could neither account for nor explain nor resolve.

Fair and secure, Mr. Attorney General?

Since 139 voting discrepancies was way more than enough to affect the outcome of this race, Commissioners instructed Mr. Gloria to prepare recommendations for holding a new election.

Then Mr. Miller sued to block the new election.  And a few days later the Commission inexplicably reversed itself and “certified” Miller’s alleged election victory.  In response, Mr. Anthony had no choice but to cough up some $80,000 to pay for a recount.

Why a candidate who was the victim of self-admitted election “discrepancies” had to pay for a recount also defies explanation.

After completing the recount, the Election Department announced last week that Mr. Miller’s lead had increased to 30…but that they also “found” an additional 74 votes that hadn’t been originally counted.  They also couldn’t explain where those 74 votes came from or how.

Fair and secure, Mr. Attorney General?

A couple days later, the Election Department revised and extended their pronouncement; reporting that Mr. Miller’s new “victory” was by 15 votes and that only 7 new ballots were “found,” not 74.  Those new ballots broke 6-1 in Mr. Miller’s favor.

Fair and secure, Mr. Attorney General?

These aren’t baseless, unsubstantiated allegations of fraud by political partisans.  These “discrepancies” were reported by the Election Department itself.  The matter will now go to court where a judge should do what the county commission should have done…order a new election.

And this is only the tip of the iceberg….

The Nevada Republican Party and the Trump campaign claim to have “overwhelming” evidence that thousands upon thousands of votes were cast illegally – including votes cast by dead people, people who don’t live in Nevada (without a military or student exemption) and, yes, illegal immigrants.

On December 12^th, the Nevada GOP reported…

“Under subpoena, the DMV provided a list of non-citizens who had obtained driver’s licenses. When we compared this detailed information against the county voter records, we discovered that 6,260 non-citizens were registered and 3,987 non-citizens HAD VOTED.”

Fair and secure, Mr. Attorney General?

Alas, this evidence of potentially illegal ballots was ignored by the courts on various technicalities, including…

The claim was brought too soon.  The claim was brought too late.  The claim was brought by the wrong person.  The claim was brought in the wrong jurisdiction.  The expert witnesses weren’t “expert” enough.  The sworn affidavits were “hearsay.”

Losing on technicalities is not the same as losing on the merits.

That the courts refused to examine evidence doesn’t mean the evidence doesn’t exist, no matter how many times the fake news media calls such allegations “baseless.”

And claims by election officials that they haven’t found any evidence of “widespread” voting fraud isn’t surprising when, well, they haven’t even looked.

So what do we do?  I have some ideas.  Which I’ll share in the next AnnieGram.

 

 

 

Assemblywoman Annie Black
Nevada Assembly District 19

P.S.  If you know of anyone who wants to receive my AnnieGrams, please have them sign up at www.AnnieBlack.net or shoot their email address to me at annie@electannieblack.com.  But make sure you have their permission first.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“Besides the video footage, voice recordings, data analysis, statistical impossibilities, sworn affidavits and eyewitness testimony there is absolutely no evidence of voter fraud.” – Congresswoman-Elect Lauren Boebert (R-CO)

Annie Black is the Nevada State Assemblywoman representing District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com

(Annie Black) – Nevada is a “blue” state (for now).  Democrats control the governor’s office, as well as both houses of the state Legislature.

And Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak reaffirmed yesterday that he’s counting on a “blue state bailout” to plug the budget hole his own ill-considered policies and mis-management of the COVID crisis have caused rather than make the necessary budget cuts of non-essential government spending the situation calls for.

Well, Florida Sen. Rick Scott published a column over the weekend explaining exactly why Congress should not fall for it and bail out fiscally mismanaged states such as Nevada.  In case you missed it…

(Sen. Rick Scott) – Congress shouldn’t reward Democrats’ fiscal mismanagement with more taxpayer money.

Democrats have spent the last few months demanding bailouts for states and local governments. They claim that if you oppose spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out states such as New York, Illinois, and California, then you support laying off teachers, health-care workers, and first responders.

Guess what? They’re lying. And unfortunately, too many of my Republican colleagues have bought their lie and are getting ready to cave.

What Democrats really want is for Congress to just send money to liberal politicians who have already shown they can’t be trusted with it. If these politicians have budget shortfalls, it’s because they did not prioritize their struggling constituents in the first place, and instead wasted money on other things. New York and California are of course free to burn tax dollars for fun. But they shouldn’t expect Florida and the rest of the country to pay when the bill comes due.

I’ve argued all along that states have the ability to moderate the economic harm caused by the COVID pandemic through reasoned, balanced measures that protect citizens without destroying their economies. States also have taxing authority and the ability to borrow money if their fiscal situations get too dire.

The federal government can play a significant role in boosting the unemployment-insurance program, propping up small businesses to avoid layoffs, and investing in vaccine research, development, and distribution. But it shouldn’t write blank checks to poorly managed states.

Why? Well, first of all, we don’t even know how much of the $1 trillion allocated to states and local governments by the CARES Act has already been spent, and they won’t tell us. I and Senator Ron Johnson (R., Wis.), have written multiple letters to every governor in America asking for a breakdown of how they’ve spent their states’ CARES Act money. Just ten of them have responded. Only in Washington does it make sense to consider sending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to states and local governments that refuse to tell us how, or even if, they’ve used the $1 trillion we sent them nine months ago.

Second of all, unemployment data show that states that have taken steps to responsibly and safely open up their economies are doing better than states that refuse to accept reality and science and stick with unnecessarily strict, destructive lockdowns. Thirty states have halved their unemployment rate since May while real GDP grew 33 percent in the third quarter, erasing losses from the previous quarter.

Of the ten states with the lowest unemployment rates, nine are led by Republicans, and none currently have strict COVID lockdowns. Of the ten states with the highest unemployment rates, eight are run by Democrats, and many have stuck with economically ruinous lockdown measures. States have the option to get their economies open and improve their fiscal situations without relying on the federal government for a bailout. Some are just choosing not to. …

All this is to say that states do not need bailouts; they want bailouts so they can use the money – intended to address the fallout from COVID – to plug the long-standing holes in their budgets and pension systems. It’s as simple as that.

Some of my Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill have bought the Democratic lie that preventing bailouts for liberal states would lead to disastrous consequences. They’re getting ready to capitulate and give hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money to Governors Cuomo and Newsom and Pritzker, all of whom are refusing to open their states, get kids back in classrooms, and get their economies on the road to recovery.

Bailing out those who have done so much damage to their states and our country already would be a boondoggle of epic proportions. We must not let it happen.

What he said.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“If lockdowns worked, there’d be no reason to lock down again.  If they didn’t work, there is no reason to lock down again.” – Former Rep. Ron Paul

Annie Black is the Nevada State Assemblywoman representing District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – As a freshman member of the Nevada State Assembly I’m only allowed to introduce five “bill draft requests” (BDR) before the start of the 2021 legislative session, and one additional bill after the session starts.

With so many problems plaguing our state, the hard part was narrowing down the list of potential bills to five that would do the most amount of good for the largest number of people for the longest period of time.

So without further ado, here are the five BDR’s I plan to submit for consideration…

1.)  Spending Restraint Act

Existing law prohibits the governor from submitting a proposed budget that increases spending above the combined rate of population growth plus inflation.  Unfortunately, that limitation does not apply to the Legislature.

This BDR would prohibit the Legislature from passing a budget that exceeds the combined rate of population growth plus inflation unless approved by a 2/3 super-majority vote, similar to Nevada’s tax restraint law.

If you don’t restrain spending, it’s harder to restrain taxes.

2.)  CONES Act

Whenever a fiscal conservative announces their opposition to any tax hike, the tax-and-spend crowd demands to know “What would you cut?”

Fair enough.  But in Nevada, our elected members of the state senate and assembly are part-time citizen legislators who have no staff or team of budget analysts.

This BDR would establish a permanent joint legislative “Cut Out Non-Essential Spending” (CONES) committee with the sole purpose of identifying non-essential state expenditures – as well as waste, fraud and abuse – and recommending their elimination or reduction.

This “anti-appropriations” committee would have paid staff and budget analysts, as well as the power to call government officials to testify and open up their books.  The money saved by eliminating or reducing non-essential spending will more than pay for the cost of the committee…without raising taxes.

3.)  Emergency Small Business Relief Act

Small businesses and “mom-and-pop” operations have been hit hardest by Gov. Sisolak’s arbitrary and discriminatory shutdown orders.  For example, small neighborhood liquor stores were initially deemed “non-essential” and shut down while big box and grocery stores were allowed to remain open and sell liquor.

For Nevada’s economy to recover, we need to help entrepreneurs, independent contractors and home-based businesses get off the ground and hopefully grow into bigger businesses that will hire and employ more Nevadans.

This BDR would exempt any small business with annual gross revenue of $100,000 or less from the $200 per year state business license fee.  It may not sound like much…but it’ll make a difference if you’re a small operation.  Gotta start somewhere.

4.)  Slam-and-Jam Prevention Act

It happens every legislative session.  In the final hours and minutes before the deadline to adjourn, bills and amendments are rushed through – the ol’ slam-and-jam – without legislators, let alone the public, having time to read and fully understand exactly what is being voted on.

The most recent example was AB4 – a bill to dramatically change Nevada’s election laws which was introduced with just one hour’s notice during the special session in August and passed in the dead of night.

That’s no way to do the people’s business.

This BDR would amend the Nevada Constitution to require that all bills be posted on a public website in their entirety, without amendment, for at least 48 hours before being voted on.  No longer should voters and taxpayers be forced to wait until after a bill is passed to find out what’s in it.

5.)  NOTC Enhancement Act

Nevada is unique in that voters have the option of choosing “None of These Candidates” (NOTC) in statewide races.  And over the years there have been five instances where NOTC actually received more votes than the candidates on the ballot.  The most recent was in the 2014 Democrat gubernatorial primary.

Unfortunately, when NOTC comes out on top, the candidate who comes in second is declared the winner.  So voting NOTC is a “protest” vote with no real effect.  I think if we’re going to have NOTC, it should mean something with real consequences.

This BDR would put teeth in the law by requiring a special election when NOTC wins and prohibiting any of the losing candidates from participating in the special election.  It would also extend the NOTC option to every race on the ballot, not just statewide and federal races.

* * *

There are other good bills I considered introducing – such as limiting a governor’s emergency powers, voter ID, occupational licensing reform, additional protections for law enforcement officers, etc.  However, some of my colleagues have already submitted BDR’s on those issues, so I’ll just consider signing onto their bills as a co-sponsor.

These five BDR’s are pro-voter and/or pro-taxpayer good government bills that I hope my colleagues will give serious consideration.

But I’ve already been warned that since Republicans like me are in the minority of a Democrat-controlled Legislature, they’ll be killed without even a hearing.  I hope that’s not the case.

If it is, and the committee chairmen refuse to hold official hearings, that won’t stop me.  I’ll just use my position as an elected member of the Legislature to hold my own “unofficial” hearings with witnesses and testimony that’ll be open to you, as well as the media.

My bills might not see the light of day in the Legislature, but the public will.  I know I’m going to be a freshman in Carson City, but I won’t be a potted plant.  Buckle up!

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“Nevada’s private sector workers and companies have borne the brunt of this pandemic. There’s no reason state agencies should be immune from budget realities. … And any state lawmaker who advocates for tax hikes during these trying times will be on a suicide mission.” – Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial, 12/7/20

“The ‘rona’ didn’t take down Nevada.  The government took down Nevada.” – Daniel Burns

“Citizens upset w/ how voting occurred this cycle should work to demand their state legislatures pass serious reform in early 2021: end indiscriminate mail-out votes, vote harvesting practices; make in-person early voting accessible with ID; impose signature verification measures.” – Hugh Hewitt

“1984 isn’t just a fiction novel.  It’s the Democrats’ playbook.” – Courtney Holland

“We will not bend. We will not break. We will not yield. We will never give in.  We will never give up.  We will never back down.  We will NEVER, ever surrender!  Because we are Americans and our hearts bleed red, white & blue!” – PRESIDENT Donald Trump at Georgia rally Saturday night

Annie Black is the Nevada State Assemblywoman representing District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – The Economic Forum – a group of appointed financial analysts who decide how much money the governor and the Nevada Legislature can spend each year – met this week and set the next budget at around $8.5 billion.

That’s a drop of around $400 million from the current budget, but around $1.2 billion from what various state government agencies initially asked for.

Apparently, these government agencies missed the memo about the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic damage Gov. Steve Sisolak’s shutdown orders have caused, as noted by the Associated Press today…

“With the number of visitors down to levels not seen since 1993, concerts and conventions cancelled and hotel rooms sitting empty, Nevada has been among the hardest hit economically by the virus and restrictions put in place to contain it.”

In any event, we’re looking at a $400 million budget hole – and I suspect it’s only going to grow larger as the state continues in semi-shutdown mode at least through Christmas.  Which means one of two things: Serious spending cuts or serious tax hikes.

Liberals in the state have already made their choice known…

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported this morning that “a coalition of 60 organizations called on the governor to find ways to increase revenue for the state.”

“Increasing revenue rather than cutting programs and services will not only help Nevadans today,” the coalition of various unions and liberal groups wrote, “it will also help ensure our economy recovers as soon as possible and will set a stronger foundation to help guard us against future economic downturns.”

In addition, the Clark County teachers’ union has submitted to the Legislature a pair of tax hikes totaling around $1.3 billion dollars even as the union continues to oppose reopening our school classrooms.

Talk about adding insult to injury.

It would take 15 legislators in the Assembly to vote “no” to block the union’s proposals, thanks to the 2/3 super-majority needed to approve tax hikes.

So far, only Assemblyman Jim Wheeler and I have publicly announced our opposition.  However, there are six other members of the Assembly who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge promising to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.”

They are:  Assembly members Richard McArthur, Jill Dickman, Andy Matthews, Lisa Krasner, Heidi Kasama and Robin Titus.

That would give us 8 of the 15 votes needed to make the teachers’ union’s tax hikes DOA (dead on arrival).  I’ll let you know and keep you posted if/when other legislators make their position known.

Here’s the bottom line…

Nevada continues to lead the nation in unemployment – with the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) still unable to process thousands of unemployment claims dating back to last MARCH.

Many businesses have already gone out of business, with thousands teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.  And tens of thousands of so-called “non-essential” jobs have been permanently lost.

Yet we’re supposed to raise taxes to protect non-essential government workers and programs from suffering the same pain as private sector workers and businesses?

I don’t think so.  Do you?

COMING UP: On Monday I’ll be announcing the five “Bill Draft Requests” (BDR) that I’ll be submitting to the Legislature for consideration in the 2021 session.  Have a great weekend!

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“If Democrats win in Georgia… in charge will be Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Speaker Pelosi, and AOC. And their ideas, in my opinion, are three gallons of crazy.” – Sen. John Kennedy

“Here is Sisolak’s problem. For months, he implied that the pandemic could be stopped if Nevadans gave up unprecedented amounts of freedom. He’s wielded that power over the objections of many, but the virus is spiraling out of control anyway.” – Columnist Victor Joecks

“When government becomes the parent, the people become the child.” – Author unknown

Annie Black is the Nevada State Assemblywoman representing District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – Writing in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, reporter David Harrison noted that “the pandemic-induced economic downturn hit the nation’s state and local governments harder and faster than any other in almost 70 years.”

“As hard as this year has been, next year could be worse,” Mr. Harrison continued.  “Governments went into the downturn with fat reserve funds and have benefited from federal aid. Barring a quick economic recovery or another round of stimulus, state and local officials could have to make more cuts.”

But the impending problem is even worse in Nevada for two reasons…

1.)  Because of Nevada’s heavy reliance on tourism, the economic devastation is hitting us harder than every state but Hawaii.

2.)  Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has refused to take the serious budget-cutting steps needed to confront this economic reality.

Back in March, the governor ordered all “non-essential” businesses to close, resulting in hundreds of thousands of layoffs in the private sector.

But despite claiming we were “all in this together,” he refused to order the closure of non-essential government programs or layoff non-essential government employees.

After dithering for over three months, Gov. Sisolak finally called for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the obvious budget ramifications of his shutdown orders.

However, the governor and the Democrat majority in the Legislature simply drained our state’s “rainy day” fund and implemented some other budget gimmicks to address the immediate shortfall without adopting more serious cuts for the long term.

In fact, a proposed 12 days-a-year “furlough” program for government workers – a pittance, especially compared to the permanent layoffs of private sector workers – was pared back to just 6 days-a-year.  And don’t even take effect until January 1, 2021.

And while the governor has recently instructed his department heads to prepare budget cuts of 12 percent across the board – which doesn’t make sense since it doesn’t differentiate between essential and non-essential spending – such cuts wouldn’t take effect until next July.

In the meantime, the giant budget hole his shutdown orders have created continues to get wider and deeper by the day.

The longer the governor waits to make the same painful cuts to government as Nevada families and businesses have been making for over eight months now, the worse it’s going to be when it finally comes time to pay the piper.

Yet Gov. Sisolak refuses to act.  So it’s time for the Legislature to step in.

Last week I sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson urging him to use the legal authority for the Legislature to call itself into a special session (requires a petition signed by 2/3 of the members) to deal with two major issues…

1.)  Limiting the governor’s authoritarian “emergency” powers without the consent of the Legislature, and

2.)  Taking immediate action to address the growing budget crisis we face.

You can read the full letter by clicking here.

It’s disappointing that the Speaker has chosen not to even respond to my request.  But ignoring this problem won’t make it go away.  Instead of waiting until next July to implement the governor’s 12% budget cuts, we should be doing so immediately.

Otherwise, they’re going to be looking at raising our taxes.  Indeed, the teachers’ union is already pushing for a pair to tax hikes totaling more than $1.3 billion!

These extraordinary times demand extraordinary leadership.  But we, the people, aren’t getting it.  We will, however, be paying the price.

Yet another reminder that elections have consequences.

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“Strong ‘no’ vote.” – Assemblyman Jim Wheeler joining me yesterday in publicly announcing his opposition to a pair of proposed tax hikes by the teachers’ union

Annie Black is the Nevada State Assemblywoman representing District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – Since announcing my decision last week that I’ve chosen not to join the Republican Assembly Caucus, a number of people have written expressing concern that I’ll be all alone without colleagues reviewing legislation with me.

Others have suggested I start a separate caucus for conservatives – much like the Freedom Caucus in Congress.  One supporter joked that we should call it the “Black Conservative Caucus” (Annie Black, get it?).

But somehow, I’m guessing that wouldn’t go over too well in today’s racially-charged PC culture.  So here’s what we’re doing instead…

Welcome to the Legislative Study Committee!

Actually, this isn’t a new idea.  The LSC was originally established over ten years ago by former conservative Assemblyman Ed Goedhart.  But after his retirement from politics, it kinda fell by the wayside.

Well, I’m resurrecting it.  And Mr. Goedhart has agreed to serve as a Senior Adviser.

The difference and beauty of the LSC, as opposed to a separate Assembly caucus, is that it can include conservative members of both the Assembly AND the Senate, as well as conservative leaders representing a wide variety of interests and issues.

It’s a way to more actively involve CITIZENS in the legislative process rather than just legislators.

The LSC will meet as a group in Carson City weekly and focus on developing and evaluating legislation and policy positions on key issues including the budget, appropriations, taxes, education, health care, public safety, transportation and general government reform.

The overall mission of the Legislative Study Committee will be…

• To advance the principles of free markets, limited government, federalism and individual liberty in the Nevada Legislature.
• To promote these principles by developing legislation in cooperation with state legislators from all political parties.
• To review and evaluate legislation proposed by others as it relates to these principles.
• To bring together members of the public and private sectors to formulate public policies and legislation which are consistent with these principles.

In drafting, reviewing and evaluating legislation, the LSC will bear in mind the following guiding principles:

• Does the bill reduce government regulations, reduce the size of government, eliminate entitlements, or eliminate unnecessary programs?
• Does the bill reduce taxes or fees?
• Does the bill encourage responsible behavior by individuals and families and encourage them to provide for their own health, safety, education or general welfare?
• Does the bill increase opportunities for individuals or families to decide, without hindrance or coercion from government, how to conduct their own lives and make personal choices?
• Does the bill enhance the power of parents and guardians to rear their own children without excessive interference from the government?

Which brings me to another announcement.  In addition to resurrecting the LSC, I want to introduce you to two individuals who will be joining me in Carson City…

Dan Burdish – an experienced, highly-regarded veteran of the legislative process who served as the LSC’s Executive Director in the past – has agreed to serve as my Policy Analyst for the 2021 session, and Tanner Durfee has agreed to serve as my Attaché.

So fear not, my friends.  I won’t be alone in Carson City even though I’ve not joined the Republican Assembly Caucus.  Not by a long shot.  And certainly not as long as I have you by my side.

Happy Thanksgiving!

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“As Southern Nevadan governments announced adjustments Monday to adhere to stricter statewide rules amid a surging spread of the coronavirus, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called Gov. Steve Sisolak ‘a dictator.’  Goodman has been perhaps the state’s most visible critic of sharp restrictions meant to slow the outbreak.” – Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/24/20

“I mean this with all sincerity, @GovSisolak: Up. Yours. I will do what I want and invite who I want within my own HOME on Thanksgiving or on any other day of the year for that matter.” – Courtney Holland

“If you see me talking to myself, do not disturb.  I’m having a staff meeting.” – Meme sent by a supporter of my decision not to join the Republican Assembly Caucus

Annie Black is the Nevada State Assemblywoman representing District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com 

(Annie Black) – OK, that headline about my decision not to join the Republican Assembly Caucus this week isn’t quite accurate.  I did NOT defect to the other team.

I’m still a conservative Republican and have simply decided to represent my constituents as an independent member of the Nevada Legislature rather than have my hands tied as a caucus member.

But the article itself accurately reported on my decision…

“Both parties will return to the Nevada Legislature with unchanged leadership in 2021, after Republicans and Democrats reelected lawmakers to top positions in the state Senate and Assembly. …

“After the caucuses announced the leadership decision, incoming Assemblywoman Annie Black, a Republican from Mesquite, said she would not join the Republican caucus in the upcoming legislative session.

“Black, who unseated Republican Assemblyman Chris Edwards in the June primary, said she planned to vote according to her conservative principles, but will navigate Carson City as an independent member.

“Black also took issue with caucus rules she was asked to agree to, which include guidelines for speaking to the press. The guidelines, Black said, demanded caucus members not criticize each other or talk to media about caucus discussions.

“I can’t agree to that. If a fellow GOP caucus member, say, votes to raise your taxes, they’ll need to be called out for it. By name,” Black said in a press release on Wednesday.

“With Black’s defection, the Assembly will be made up of 26 Democrats, 15 Republicans and one caucus-less lawmaker. Democrats will enjoy a 12-9 majority in the state Senate. To approve tax increase proposals, two-thirds of both chambers must vote in favor of them.”

To read the full article, click here

BTW: I’m not “caucus-less.”  I’m just, at least for now, a caucus of one.  As such, we won’t need a very big room for caucus meetings!  And while we won’t have a bunch of rules, we will have a secret handshake and password to get in the door.

Seriously though, rest assured I will proudly continue to be the same independent, conservative Republican I ran as.

And while I appreciate the outpouring of support I’ve received since making my decision, one person was decidedly not a happy camper.  I received the following email from someone named Anna Delgado on Thursday…

“Annie, you probably feel like a real (expletive deleted)hole now.  But, it gets worse, most everybody in the next assembly has been told about you – thanks to Chris (Edwards) – and they are going to make sure everything you do turns to (expletive deleted).  So be prepared, it’s going to be a miserable session for you and your reputation.”

But Ms. Delgado’s less-than-warm email was the lone exception to the otherwise supportive messages I received.  Here’s a sampling…

• “It’s refreshing to see a politician who stands up for her principles, respects our Constitution, has a solid knowledge of history, and is a true patriot who is loyal to her constituents. Go, Annie, Go!” – Francine Huffman
• “We support you now and have ever since we first met you. Because you are a woman of your word, you will always have our support. We appreciate your tenacity, honesty, and your ‘watch me do the right thing attitude’.” – Janice Cook Browne
• “Annie, congratulations on your decision regarding the Republican caucus; it remains a tool to reduce personal responsibility, quiet needed conversation and promote the party rather than take action. Now more than ever we need facts, not spin.” – Steven Reynolds
• “Admittedly, I don’t understand all the politics behind the politics (and I’m continually baffled when I catch a glimpse), but it sounds like you made a decision you’re proud of and are walking to the beat of your own drum. I appreciate your honesty and tenacity. Glad to have you in our legislature.” – Brittany Sheehan
• “You’re doing the right thing. Any chance you could start a Conservative Caucus, similar to what Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows helped create in Congress, with the newly-elected conservatives and other conservative incumbent GOP Assembly members? Who knows might be worth a try. #StayStrong.” – Eric Collngs

THANK YOU!

As long as I know you all have my back, I’m not worried about having a “miserable session” that’s going to ruin my “reputation.”  I am who I am.  And that’s who I’m going to be.

If it costs me re-election, so be it.  At least I’ll be able to sleep at night knowing the promises I made are the promises I kept.  The rest will be up to you.  And THAT I can live with.

One final note: Brian McDaniels wrote…

“I applaud your principals, but have a practical question. How seriously will they take any proposed legislation you might put forward?”

That is an EXCELLENT question.

Threatening to “kill your bills” is a tool the Carson City establishment uses to twist arms and force compliance.  And I already declared my independence from such bullying tactics last July.

For those who may have missed it, click here.

And stay tuned.  Next week I plan to announce the five “Bill Draft Requests” (BDR) I hope to introduce.  Could be some surprises!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you’ve obviously never been in bed with a mosquito.” – Michelle Walker

Annie Black is the Nevada State Assemblywoman representing District 19.  You can get more information by visiting www.electannieblack.com