December 2008 Message from the Chair
My Fellow Clark County Republicans;
Allow me to begin my monthly message
today by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I know
that the über-PC crowd has warned us about the
"sense of exclusion" that will ensue with
this greeting, but I believe that by wishing you a "Merry
Christmas," which is from my heart to yours, you
may know that I wish to INCLUDE you in the joy, love,
and happiness that Shannan, William, Maddie and I feel
as we eagerly anticipate the celebration of the birth
of The Christ. For those of you of the Jewish Faith,
Happy Chanukah.
Now, on with a few very important issues of the Clark
County G.O.P.
There has been a lot of talk of late regarding
Yucca Mountain. Recognizing that there are many opinions
about the intelligence of bringing nuclear waste to
Nevada, our great Chairman Sue Lowden has smartly called
for a debate on the subject. For those of you who could
not attend the Republican State Central Committee Meeting
a few weeks ago, Chairman Lowden called for, and the
Central Committee voted in the affirmative, to open
up a dialogue so that we, as Nevadans, can know all
of the issues that may affect us if/when it goes "on
line." Understand that Chairman Lowden has not
publically called for immediate shipments of radioactive
waste to begin, as some have suggested. She has merely,
and rightly, asked for a dialogue to be opened up so
that we may understand any and all potential benefits,
as well as detriments. Doesn't it make sense for those
who may be affected by Yucca Mountain to have all or
as many answers as can be scrutinized? I think this
is smart policy.
For example, I have heard it said that
the State of Nevada could financially benefit from the
safe storage of nuclear waste at Yucca. Many questions,
political as well as scientific, immediately come to
mind, such as: What is "safe?" What standard
is used to determine what is safe? What, if any, benefit
actually exists? What benefit(s) could be extracted
from the federal government, assuming that the safety
questions are answered in the positive? Whose definition
of "safe" do we use, the politicians or the
scientists? Can we even trust that Nevada's Senior Senator,
Harry Reid, has Nevada's best interest at heart by prematurely
declaring the project dead? What if it isn't dead, and
we get caught blindsided without these important questions
being answered? As Chairman Sue Lowden aptly pointed
out in her letter to the Review Journal Editor and in
her blog, The Lowden Line (http://suelowden.blogivists.com/):
. . . if Harry Reid's political rhetoric gets trumped
by Congress' political reality - Nevada's citizens could
find themselves not only getting the repository, but
getting it without the safety controls and financial
benefits we might be able to negotiate for if we would
only come to the table.
A project with such magnitude as this
surely needs to have these, and many, many other questions
answered by the right people before the gavel is swung.
I must tell you that I, personally, have had serious
reservations about nuclear waste storage 90 miles from
my home, but I don't have all the answers. Furthermore,
I have read conflicting answers depending upon with
what it was that I was then reading, and therefore I
welcome the dialogue that Chairman Sue Lowden has called
to be opened up. Indeed, we should all insist that our
leaders give us these answers lest we be forced to deal
with bigger problems. Thus, we should all support the
challenge that Chairman Lowden has issued to Harry Reid:
"I challenge Sen. Reid to stop horsing around
and playing political games with this important issue
and immediately propose repealing the Nuclear Waste
Policy Act. As Senate Majority Leader he clearly has
the power to place such a vote at the head of the calendar
when Congress reconvenes after President Obama is inaugurated
. . . [or perhaps it is time for] Jim Gibbons to use
the power vested in him by the NWPA to open up negotiations
before the "Screw Nevada" bill screws us royally...again."
Heavy stuff to deal with while we pray
and celebrate during these sacred times. But let's all
be thankful that we live in the greatest nation on the
planet, and that we have the freedom to openly talk
about and debate them. Once again, know that my family's
thoughts and prayers are with you at this very special
time. As an expression of those thoughts, I wish you
all a Merry Christmas/Happy Chanukah/Happy Holidays!
Yours in Republican Service,
Bernie Zadrowski,
Clark County GOP Chairman
chairman@clarkgop.org
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