Penny PressLas Vegas, NV Volume I Number 20 FEBRUARY 12, 2004

NYC Chases Gun Groups AwaySee Story Page 2

SHOT Show In Vegas This Week

See Editorial Page 6

See Joe Tartaro Column Page 5

Gun Rights Policy Conference Registration Page 11

Maybe They'll Chase Conference To New York New York?

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 2

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Gun Groups React To Bloomberg’s Insult, Cancel Plans For 2005 New York Meeting

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Two leading national gun rights organizations have cancelled plans to hold their 20th annual conference in New York City, blaming Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s reported denunciation of the National Rifle Association as “reprehensible.” The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the Second Amendment Foundation, announced today that they will take their 2005 Gun Rights Policy Conference else-where. The annual three-day confer-ence draws hundreds of participants, and provides over $500,000 in rev-enue to hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

“Mayor Bloomberg’s low opin-ion about the NRA, as reported in the current issue of New York Magazine, is an insult to all firearms civil rights organizations,” said SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb. “If that’s what the mayor thinks, we’ll hold our conference in a city that is safer, and more hospitable to citizens who support all civil rights, including the right to own firearms and to hold opinions that Bloomberg finds so disagreeable.”

Not only has Bloomberg report-edly declared war on the NRA, so has at least one member of the New York City Council. Councilwoman

Gale Brewer plans to introduce a resolution calling on the Republican National Committee to denounce the NRA. Republicans will hold their national convention in New York Aug. 30-Sept. 3.

“It’s a shame,” said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron, “that the RNC couldn’t relocate its convention, too. I’m certain there are many Republican delegates headed to New York who firmly believe in the Second Amendment and in the goals of those organizations that defend firearms owners’ rights on a daily basis.”

“Given the apparent atmosphere of social bigotry that seems to exist in the New York mayor’s office and council chambers,” Gottlieb explained, “we simply have no choice but to find another location for our 2005 conference. The annual GRPC is attended by NRA officials and devoted NRA members, and we consider an insult to them to also be an insult directed at us, as well. We will make every effort to advise the hundreds of thousands of our mem-bers and supporters about this affront to their beliefs, and encourage them to spend their vacation time, and their money, in more friendly sur-roundings.”

The Second Amendment Foundation is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many pro-grams designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

It is easier to rob a bank than it is to legally own a firearm to stop a crime in New York City, proving that thugs thrive where law-abiding gun owners are scarce, said Gottlieb.

“Bank robberies have tripled in the last three years,” Gottlieb said, “and in many cases, the robbers aren’t even using guns. They just stroll into a bank, hand the teller a note, and walk out with the loot.

“You can’t smoke in a bar, cab-bies can’t hold cell phones while they drive, dogs can’t be unleashed, and average law-abiding citizens can hardly own, much less carry, guns for personal protection, but any outlaw looking for an easy score can pick a bank and rob it almost on a whim,” Gottlieb added. “Because it’s unlikely he’ll encounter any

armed resistance, he’s pretty much got long-term job security, at least until he gets caught.”

Gottlieb said the situation in New York City is “a text book example” of what happens in an environment where crooks have greater freedom to commit crime than honest citizens have in defending themselves from it.

“The past year in New York has seen at least two outrageous cases where citizens were hounded for defending their homes and families against criminals,” Gottlieb recalled. “Trouble began for these would-be victims because they used unli-censed handguns. Yet one outlaw, Darryl Alexander, was able to plead guilty to grand larceny after robbing the same bank three times in seven months.

“Police Commissioner Ray Kelly threatened to publicize the names of banks that lack security features recommended by his department,” Gottlieb noted. “In a city where citi-zens are prosecuted for defending themselves with guns, maybe Kelly should be prosecuted as an accessory to a robbery at any of those banks, if they are held up. After all, a system as fouled up as New York’s ought to be fouled up for everybody.”

By PAT CHOATEPenny Press Contributing Editor

Ralph Nader announced several weeks ago that he would not be

seeking the Green Party’s nomina-tion for President in the 2004 elec-tion. The Green’s will not choose their candidate until the summer of 2004, which is far too late to mount an effective campaign.

Consequently, Nader is consid-ering running for President as an independent, much as Ross Perot did in 1992. Over the past month, he has talked privately with old friends and supporters, exploring whether he should run.

He should.While the U.S. media treats

presidential elections as though they were sporting events – that is, who is ahead, behind, winning or losing, (as if they had a clue) – the elec-tion is about much more than the race itself. Presidential elections are one of those rare moments when Americans have an opportunity to discuss the issues that matter to the nation.

Ross Perot in 1992, for instance, educated Americans about the mas-sive budget deficits our political leaders were creating. Once voters understood, they insisted that the deficit be reduced and it was. As difficult as it may be to believe now, by the time George Bush was sworn in as President in January 2001, the U.S. government not only had brought its budget into balance, it was paying off the deficit.

Unfortunately, without a third

voice in a presidential campaign, the two major parties will inevitable try to shift the public’s attention away from the real issues. Already, the Bush Campaign is gearing up to make a constitutional ban on gay marriages its central issue for the fall election. John Kerry, who will be the Democrats nominee, will be campaigning on the irrefutable fact that he is not George Bush.

Once again, moreover, the two established parties will be running candidates with few differences. Consider this. Both pretend to be average guys – Bush wears jeans, boots, a cowboy hat and cuts brush when the cameras are running. Kerry wears jeans, boots, a biker’s jacket and rides a Harley. These are phony acts. Both men have more in com-mon with Jacques Chirac, France’s leader, than average Americans.

Both Bush and Kerry, for exam-ple, come from rich New England

families – Bush from Connecticut and Kerry from Massachusetts. Both went to elite prep schools. Both went to Yale. Both are members of the secretive Skull and Crossbones Club.

Politically, both support NAFTA. Both support the World Trade Organization. Both support the invasion of Iraq. Both support the Patriot Act, the greatest threat to open government since the Sedition Act of 1798. The best that both of them can do on reducing the federal deficit is promise to cut it in half within 4 to 5 years.

Bush versus Kerry is not a choice; it is an echo chamber.

Nader is the real thing. For decades, he has fought corporate cheating and gouging, the govern-ment’s incursion into our privacy, and Presidents from the right and left who want to convert our repub-

Penny PressLAS VEGAS, NEVADA 16 PAGES VOLUME I NUMBER 19 FEBRUARY 12, 2004

Penny Wisdom

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom. —Albert Einstein

Welcome To Las Vegas’ Newest Paper!Inside:Hitler Was Best Advocate For Gun ControlSee Editorial Page 6

WE GET LETTERS PAGE 4JOE TARTARO PAGE 5FRED WEINBERG PAGE 6DOUG FRENCH PAGE 7BILL HERE PAGE 8ALBERT THOMAS PAGE 10FOX CREW SET FOR RACE PAGE 12VISOR PAGE 12BLAZE WINSLOW PAGE 14DOLORES LONERGAN PAGE 14

Run, Ralph, RunWe Need A 3rd Party Candidate!

Continued on page 4

Commentary

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 4

We Get Letters...Editor:

When I opened up my monthly checking account statement I had a surprise waiting for me. Right there on page one was an electronic debit to my account. Which in plain language means that someone decided to take money out of my account without my permission. I knew that I didn’t have anything to do with this debit because I do not use my debit card and I do not buy on line or over the phone. To make a bad matter worse I didn’t recognize the name of the company that had debited my account. There was a phone number beside the name of the company so I called to find out who they were. This company was from another state and another time zone making it past closing time where they were, so I got no answer.

I decided I had better take a trip to my bank and see if they knew anything about it. I got to my bank and talked to the person in charge. They were courte-ous but not totally convinced that I was not in some way at fault for the whole thing. I explained I didn’t have any idea who this company was and I didn’t permit them to take money out of my account. I wanted to know if the bank could do something about it and they told me that I had to file a protest. I filed a protest paper and them I was told that I would know the outcome in 21 days. I asked what would keep this company from cleaning out the whole account. I was told that there was no way to stop this from happening unless I put a hold on all electronic transactions with my account, or closed the account and opened a new one. I decided to go home and think about it over the weekend and come back on Monday with a plan.

I got back home not feeling any better about the whole thing and went over the statement for along time trying to figure out who it was that debited my account. I finely figured it out because the amount was almost the same as a check I had written to a company in the same state at about the same time.

After waiting over the weekend I got up on Monday and called the company that I had written the check to and found out that the company that had debited my account was their parent company. I tried to explain what happened but the person I talked to couldn’t find any record of a debit to my account. They did find that I had written them a check for almost the same amount. I tried to explain to this person what happened but they as much as told me I was lying. They told me that the only way to get the money returned to my account was to prove that they were responsible, by having my bank and fax them proof of the transaction.

I drove back to my bank with this new information and more of less con-vinced them that I was telling the truth. The lady at the bank made a phone call and told me not to worry that the money would be back in my account in 5 days. The catch was that this would only be a temporary transfer and I couldn’t use the money for another 20 days. The reason for this was to give the company that took the money a chance to chal-lenge my story of what happened.

As I write this I still don’t know if I will get my money back. What I would like to know is why do I have to do everyone’s job? Why can’t the bank and the company get together and work it out? I didn’t do anything wrong, the

bank was wrong to allow the debit. The company was wrong to take the debit from my account. Both of them have put the burden of proof on me and I had nothing to do with it. Also neither of them has once said they are sorry it happened.

This whole thing has caused me to wonder what would happen if someone took all the money out of the account. This can happen because all a company has to have to debit your account is have your account number. I ask what I could do to keep this from happening and was told that I could put a hold on electronic debits from my account. If I do this and I need to use my debit card in an emergency I wont be able to.

While all this was going on I lost at least a months interest on my money had to spend a lot of my time running things down. So if this is a example of the new cashless society I think I will stick to cash. With cash I know how much I have, I know how much I am spending and how much I have left. I also know that if someone doesn’t take it away from me I will still have it if the computers crash or malfunction and tell me somehow it isn’t in my account. Thomas KimbleHenderson

Editor. I am slowly catching up on my backlog of e.mail which came as the result of Holiday Season travel and a stay in the hospital on return. I read your editorial in George Harris’ blog re. teaching kids to speak English. It was a good piece.

Having spent by time as an elected school board member and continuing to network and follow educational affairs

for more than two decades, nothing sur-prises me any more in the selection of school superintendents.

On the other hand, the selection of Carlos Garcia came close.

When word came out that he was one of the finalists, I sent all the board members at the time a summary of 3rd and 11th grade test scores in every district where he had worked in an administrative capacity. Never, had he ever been exposed to as high a level of English language performance as he would encounter in the Clark County School District if and when he became superintendent. Every board member was given a back up URL for scores in each district.

Now, we’re declining to his histori-cal level of performance.

On the other hand, if parents could care less whether their kids speak English, the problem becomes worse.

When our local economy would appear to dictate that we import poverty and special needs, our schools will suf-fer.

At this time, Nevadans should be paying real attention to selecting a new State Superintendent now that Jack S. McLaughlin says he plans early retire-ment. How a state like Nevada could choose a state superintendent from Berkeley, blows my mind away. As one conservative said, “Berkeley is too small to be a nation state and too large to be a mental hospital.” The Berkeley Unified School District fits the mold and Jack led the troops. Ken RecordLas Vegas

lic into a Roman-style empire. If Nader is a candidate, even

one who probably cannot win, he will raise the issues Bush and Kerry want to avoid, which in itself is a long list.

For example, should the United States require that food be labeled as to the country of origin?

Should U.S. aid to children pro-grams be cut so Pentagon spending can be increased?

Should the United States extend NAFTA to include all of Central and South America?

Should the U.S. antitrust and tax laws be enforced on foreign corporations operating in the United

States?Should the federal government

be allowed to seek competitive bids on bulk purchases of medicines, something current law prohibits?

Should timber companies be allowed to clear-cut our national forests?

Should U.S. taxpayers provide $200 billion of federal subsidies to corporations that are moving their factories to China and other penny-wage nations?

Can America’s Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines depend on defense con-tractors that buy their key compo-nents from China – a Communist-led nation?

Will the U.S. Social Security System be able to meet its obliga-

tions to the baby-boom generation now that it is beginning to retire? And if not, what should be done to return that system to solvency?

None of these and dozens of other vital issues will be debated seriously without Nader in the cam-paign. And as of today, no one else is standing in the political wings willing to perform this role.

This coming election is almost certain to be as close as the one of 2000. The “anyone-but-Bush” Democrats are as fired up in 2004 as were the “anyone-but-Gore” Republicans in 2000.

Contrary to popular view, more-over, Kerry is not the certain loser if Nader runs. Many old-line, con-servative Republicans are furious at

Bush’s budget deficits and foreign policies. For them, Nader is a far more acceptable protest vote than Kerry could ever be.

Today, both Bush and Kerry know that a few thousand votes in a key state, maybe even a few hundred, can determine which can-didate gets all the electors in the electoral college and thus perhaps even the Presidency. With such political uncertainty, forcing issues into the campaign and making the candidates take a position -- which a Nader candidacy could do -- would shift the choice from it is now: a tall, Yalie from Massachusetts or a short, Yalie from Connecticut.

Run, Ralph, Run.

Nader Needs To Run As IndependentContinued from page 3

By JOSEPH P. TARTARO Executive Editor, Gun WeekSpecial To The Penny Press

The sands keep shifting under the many Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to run against President George W. Bush in November.

Almost all of them have had ups and downs—in fund-raising reports, in the polls and in the organizational structure of their campaign staffs. Of course they all believe they can beat Bush, something many commenta-tors believe is highly unlikely. But who is to say for sure; there are some things which the Administration can-not control, even with his party’s m

The state of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by late Summer and early Autumn may have a signifi-cant impact on the outcome of the

elections. So too will the state of the economy, or at least the public’s per-ception of the economy. And there is a long legislative session ahead in Congress, with thorny issues that can turn supporters into opponents and opponents into supporters. Political careers are built on shifting sands.

The gun issue will be a key factor during the entire 2004 cam-paign, with some pretending to be pro-gun but supporting measures that could be fatal to their chances in November, such as a renewal of the Clinton gun ban which is due to sunset in September. A vote on that issue could come any time between February and November, and there are other related matters. Perceptions and statements are important, but when actual gun votes are counted, or new gun bills signed, voters who place the Second Amendment first

can switch or even stay home.Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) over-

powered Howard Dean to win New Hampshire’s primary on Jan. 27, scoring his second-straight campaign victory to establish the four-term senator as the current Democratic Party’s presidential front-runner.

Kerry shaded Dean by 13%, winning 39% of the vote to Dean’s 26%.

Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark were in a distant race for third, both with 12% of the vote. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut took a dreary fifth place with 9% of the New Hampshire vote.

Lieberman rejected advice from some advisers that he abandons his bid for the presidency as did Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO) after a poor finish in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19. Gephardt conceded the Democratic presidential nomination to one of his rivals, acknowledging after a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Hawkeye State that “this didn’t come out the way we wanted.”

Gephardt, who was alleged to have major union support in Iowa, and who had won the caucuses in earlier campaign years but failed to win his party’s nomination, was expected to do much better in Iowa.

However, Gephardt has not yet announced if he will ask his sup-porters to back one of the other candidates, a campaign year activ-ity that can have dire consequences for high-profile politicians. When the candidate they support does a pratfall, they also suffer. And if the candidate washes out entirely, some of the starch comes out of the big name endorsers. For example, if Dean does go down to defeat, so too, by association, do people like Al Gore and Jimmy Carter, who have endorsed him.

Gephardt and Dean had the strongest organizations to turn out supporters in Iowa—traditionally the key in the complicated caucus system. But Kerry and Edwards had the momentum in the race’s final

week, finishing first and second respectively.

The news media was filled with conjecture and comment about the surprising finish, given that the almost continuous polling of voters before the caucuses had Dean and Gephardt way ahead of Kerry and Edwards, the eventual winners.

The talking heads of TV news quickly began to write off Dean and trumpet Kerry after Iowa. They sug-gested that Dean was finished, in part because of his unusual televi-sion concession speech after the cau-cuses, and expected to count him out in New Hampshire. But while Kerry won again in the Granite State, Dean bounced back much more signifi-cantly than some expected.

Both have vowed to continue their campaign for the nomination and were shifting South and West for a seven state primary contest day on Feb. 3. How the two New Englanders will fair in states such as South Carolina, Missouri and Arizona, among the Feb. 3 prima-ry states, will reveal whether or not they are truly candidates with national potential.

The important finishes of Kerry, Dean and Edwards, the latter largely because of a silver medal in Iowa and decent New Hampshire showing, will boost the prospects for all three to secure more donations of cam-paign funds. Clark if he doesn’t do well in South Carolina and Arkansas particularly, is unlikely to be able to stay in the race since his fund-rais-ing prospects are likely to shrivel.

Most of the so-called scientific polls were way off base in the case of the Iowa caucuses; they were some-what closer in New Hampshire, but well outside the “margin of error.” This led to many “surprise” type headlines. The biggest problem may lie in poll methodology, but it may also be a measure of the public’s early disinterest or permanent fick-leness.

We’ll know a little more as the candidates shift upward and down-ward during presidential primary season.

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 5

Who’s Up, Who’s Down Among Democrat Candidates

The Penny Press Tips Its Cap To:The Indian Springs High School Cheerleading Squad who represented their school, their town and the rest of Clark County at last weekend's Pro-Bowl. When the NFL needs good, clean entertainment, Indian Springs is a great place to turn.

MGM/Mirage for funding a study of the post-merger power rates charged by Nevada Power as they relate to the other Western States. The basic premise of the study is that we are all getting screwed as ratepayers. Nevada appears to be paying a huge premium over every other state in the west except California. The MGM/Mirage Study blamed it on distracted executives who had their minds on the 1999 merger between Sierra Pacific Resources and Nevada Power. The study is truly a community service.

The Penny Press Sends A Bronx Cheer And A Bouquet of Weeds To:FCC Chairman Michael Powell who called for an investigation to see if Janet Jackson's Superbowl stunt violates decency laws. Here's a flash, Mike—if you have to have an investigation to determine indecency, it isn't indecent. There's nothing subtle to indecencyThe Nevada ACLU for it's totally misplaced priorities. Defending prostitutes and prostitution fronts must be more important than real civil rights. www.pennypresslv.com

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 6

OPINIONFrom The Publisher...

Hitler, Mussolini Great Gun Control AdvocatesI’m sure we have readers who ask why we spend so many columns in this newspaper on the Second Amendment and guns.

Since this issue is coming out at the same time the Shooting Hunting and Outdoors trade show is at the convention center, it seems a very appropriate time to answer that question.

Simply put, I believe that the single most effective advo-cates of gun control in history were Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

The very first thing both dictators did upon coming to power was to remove arms from the civilian population. And, until his death a few years ago, I had a cousin who arrived from Auschwitz with a serial number tattooed on his forearm to live out his life in the freedom of a country which makes gun ownership an individual right.

I didn’t know him well, and, I doubt he ever owned a gun, but the point is that if he had felt the need, he could have. A far cry from life in a German extermination camp.

There are people in the world today who believe that if you remove guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens, we will be protected against crime and that Germany in the 1930s and 40s can never happen again.

The truth is very simple.

If you remove guns from the hands of law-abiding citi-zens, then they have no way to defend themselves from criminals with guns. And where do you think Saddam Hussein came from?

It has become a liberal vs. conservative issue in this country. I’m not sure why, but most liberals seem to line up on the side of gun control. One liberal reporter who has given this issue some real thought is ABC’s John Stoessel. In a recent segment of an ABC special explod-ing society’s myths, he decided that removing guns from

society does NOT bring down crime rates. That much we know from undisputed statistics in Chicago, Washington DC and New York.

But what was even more telling, were his interviews with convicts, who all said that the one thing they feared was a victim with a gun.

All in all, it was great testimony for my belief that an armed society is a polite society.

All that said, a gun can be a dangerous piece of machin-ery.

So can a car.

We allow 16-year old kids to drive a car but teaching gun safety to 16-year olds is greeted with great consternation amongst society’s anti-gun members.

If you read the Las Vegas Review Journal, you will see that in the last year, much more damage has been done by kids with cars than kids with guns. There doesn’t seem to be any great cry to remove cars from the hands of kids.

The truth is that we have plenty of laws on the books to cover both problems. The problem is we don’t enforce those laws as well as we cry to the news media.

With all due respect to the representatives of the shoot-ing, hunting and outdoors trades visiting our fair city this week, the fact is that the Second Amendment is really not about duck hunting. It is about protecting you and I from people who would rather we not have all the freedom which the Constitution guarantees us.

That said, welcome to Las Vegas, enjoy yourselves, do a lot of business and never, ever forget what allows you to have this trade show in this country.

FRED WEINBERG

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 7

Commentary: Doug FrenchConfessions Of A Wrong-Day Water Boy

The Water Police came to my door the other day and left behind a door-hanger that announced: “Wasting Water is Prohibited” Yes, I must confess, my fellow citizens, I have sinned—I watered my mon-strous 150 square foot front yard of grass on the wrong day. The Water Cop’s warning indicates that “the Las Vegas Valley Water District has documented a water-waste violation on [my] property. Failure to per-manently correct the situation will result in a water-waste fee on [my] water bill.”

Of course, watering on the wrong day doesn’t mean I’m wast-ing water. No doubt, I’m guilty of watering on the wrong day, and I’m real sorry. But, my most recent water bill was $13.90, the one before that, $11.28. Is that water waste? According to a Review Journal sur-vey, Commissioner Rory Reid’s monthly bill is $51.83, County Manager Thom Reilly’s bill is $30.08, Commissioner Mark James uses $33.13 worth of water a month, and the Queen de la Agua herself, Pat Mulroy, uses $72.42 worth of the precious liquid at her house each month. If I’m wasting water what are these movers and shakers doing?

In fact, if every homeowner in Las Vegas had a water-bill like mine, Las Vegas probably wouldn’t be under “orange” (whoops, wrong emergency) “Alert” water status. I can only hope that one of my neigh-bors was a snitch and called the Water Cop, I’d hate to think that the Water District has employees

randomly driving around wasting gas and polluting the air in search of criminal wrong day watering types like me. On another subject…

The term “good corporate citi-zen” was thrown about frequent-ly during last year’s tax tussle in Nevada.

Those in government -- both politicians and bureaucrats -- as well as union bosses, environmentalists and some working in the non-profit sector used the term to describe businesses that backed the proposed broad-based business tax. The impli-cation being of course, that those business owners who did not come forward willingly to suggest how the state might take more money from their businesses and others were not good corporate citizens.

For example, in a February 5 Las Vegas Review-Journal letter-to-the-editor entitled “New taxes need-ed for our social safety net,” Jean Nickell wrote; “Right now, Nevada is one of only four states with no business tax. Businesses that oper-ate in other states pay almost no taxes here, though they do in 46 other states. This means businesses such as Target, Bank of America, Wal-Mart and Payless are not doing their share here in Nevada. Business should act like good corporate citi-zens.”

Speaking about the tax deduction businesses receive for healthcare pre-miums paid, Christina Dugan, who serves as director of government affairs for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce told the Review-Journal’s Hubble Smith: “We went up there (to Carson City) and advocated for that because good corporate citizens who do offer health benefits should be rewarded with a reduction on taxes.”

So, to be a good corporate citi-

zen, a business must pay a suitable amount of taxes and pay for some or all employee heath-care premiums.

However, the concept of “cor-porate citizenship” is intrinsically false. As Richard Teather, senior lecturer in tax law at Bournemouth University, U.K. wrote in an article for Mises.org published last sum-mer, “A company is a legal entity not a natural person, and cannot have the beliefs or morals to make it a citizen in any meaningful sense.”

Only real people can be citizens -- good or otherwise. This means that a company’s shareholders, employees, and senior management can have the beliefs or morals to be good citizens, but the company itself -- Bank of America or Wal-Mart, say -- lacks this capacity.

Of course, those who bandy about the moniker of “good corpo-rate citizen” are not really talking about ethics or moral behavior any-way. Ethics and morality presuppose voluntary behavior. To take money via taxation or require companies to provide healthcare benefits is, as Teather calls it, “enforced Corporate Social Responsibility.”

Teather points out that one of the problems with this so-called social responsibility agenda is that it is economically inefficient. In an unfettered market, businesses maximize profits by turning basic resources into higher order goods that consumers want. “In contrast,” Teather wrote, “if action has to be forced by regulation then govern-ments mandate that resources be spent on services that the public does not value, or does not value highly enough to voluntarily pay the full cost.” (Emphasis added.)

The ultimate result is that the overall welfare of society is dimin-ished as resources are directed to lower-value outputs. And as Teather

notes, “This is done for the benefit of politicians, bureaucrats or their supporting pressure groups.”

In a free market, on the other hand, consumers are in control. The public decides what it wants and what it will pay. Businesses provid-ing goods and services that consum-ers want stay in business and thrive. Businesses are appropriately deemed good or bad by whether the compa-nies attract capital, make money and stay in business. Bad companies lose money, squander resources and go out of business. Good companies earn a return for shareholders, serve customers and employ people.

In contrast to the free market where consumers rule, government is controlled by a minority of the population -- politicians and bureau-crats. Necessarily, because this group gets what it wants through force, rather than voluntary exchange, governments squander resources: Again and again they come back for more resources to pay for services that consumers are not interested in purchasing.

Thus, if business owners and managers advocate that government be allowed to take more in taxes from their business and other busi-ness, those people are advocates for increased government force, to the detriment of society.

Business owners who advocate for taxes are not “good corporate citizens.” The greatest benefit that businesses can provide society is to serve customers as efficiently as possible. This means maximizing resources to provide customers with the best products and services they can.

Anything that stands in the way of that pursuit diminishes the wealth of civilization. DOUG FRENCH

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THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 8

The Best Vegas Calendar BAR NONE!By Billhere

brought to you by the VIVA LAS VEGAS NEWSLETTER.Subscriptions to the free, e-mailed, and complete index of Las Vegas coupons is available on the internet at:

http://www.billhere.com/free.htmlFEBRUARY, 2004===============+++++Thru Feb.29= Martin Nievera - Golden Nugget.+++++Thru May 2= “A Century of Painting: From Renoir to Rothko” exhibit in the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in the Venetian. Eleven of the 37 paintings have been shown before.+++++Thru Sep.13= Monet Art Exhibit - Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.+++++11-15= “Riverdance” - Aladdin.+++++12= TED, low-fare unit of United Airlines starts flying their new low cost airline. Initial roll-out cities will be Las Vegas, Reno, Phoenix, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa and Ontario, California. Further infor-mation at:http://www.FlyTed.com+++++12= Evanescence - House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.12-14= Olivia Newton-John - Paris Las Vegas.12-14= Jose Feliciano - Stardust.12-15= Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Orleans.13-14= Escape (Journey Tribute) - Silverton.13-22= Elton John - Caesars Palace.14= Valentine’s Day.14= The Decastro Sisters - Boulder Station.14= Erykah Badu - House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.14= Bette Midler - MGM Grand Garden Arena.14= Gary Puckett - Sunset Station.14-15= Charlie Prose - Suncoast.15= Daytona 500 - All sportsbooks.15= Sting - Hard Rock Hotel.15= Deep Purple - House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.16= President’s Day Holiday.17-22= Shelley Berman - Improv Comedy Club in Harrah’s.18= Carmen by Moscow Festival Ballet - UNLV Ham Hall.18= Harlem Globetrotters - Orleans Arena.18-22= Debbie Reynolds - Orleans.19-21= “RENT” - Aladdin.19-22= JAMZ Cheerleading Championship - Aladdin. Info.:http://www.jamzcheer.com/nationals.htm19-22= Boat, RV & Travel Show - Cashman Center.19-22= World Archery Festival - Riviera. Info.:http://www.worldarcheryfestival.com/tournaments/vegas/19-Mar.3= George Carlin - MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre.20= John Mayer - Mandalay Bay Events Center.20= Eddie Money - Silverton.20= Linkin Park Live - Thomas & Mack.20-21= Etta James - Las Vegas Hilton.20-21= Hall & Oates - Paris Las Vegas.20-22= Consumers Golf Show - Orleans Arena.20-22= Gifts & Crafts Show - Plaza.20-22= Kraig Parker (The King Lives - Elvis Tribute) - Suncoast.20-22= Streetcar Named Desire-Nevada Ballet Theatre-UNLV.21= Rickey Van Shelton - Silverton.22= Marvin Hamlisch - UNLV Ham Hall.23-26= MAGIC Clothing Convention-various locales Info.:http://www.magiconline.com/home.htm+++++25= Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company opening a tattoo parlor - Palms. (The first tattoo parlor in any casino. They already have a fortune teller’s booth. Congratulations to the Palms for trying some-thing new but don’t look for me in the line!) Internet site:http://www.hartandhuntingtontattoo.com+++++26-29= Ann-Margret - Orleans.27= Rufus Wainwright - Hard Rock Hotel.27= Boxing - Orleans.27-28= Hotel California (Eagles Tribute) - Silverton.

27-29= Ben Vereen - Suncoast.28= REO Speedwagon - Buffalo Bill’s Star Arena.28= Luciano Pavarotti - The Colosseum in Caesars Palace.28= Enrique Iglesias - Hard Rock.28= Liz Phair - House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.28= Boxing. Chavez vs. Morales-MGM Grand Arena.[HBO-TV]28= Merle Haggard - Texas Station.28-29= Kenny Loggins - Paris Las Vegas.29= Yes, there is a February 29th this year!29= Martin Nievera Show closing - Golden Nugget.+++++Feb.??, 2004= Hawaiian Marketplace opening $140 million, two-story, shopping center with 60 stores and 12 fast food restaurants. Located on The Strip just south of Harmon in place of the Polo Plaza shopping center in front of the Polo Towers. The Polynesian-themed center will recreate the look and feel of the International Marketplace in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Some of the announced stores are: Pearl Factory, Zebra Shoes, Massage Zone, The Stogie Shop, Wild Flower, Creative Edge BodyJewelry, Glamour Women’s Accessories, Suncatchers, Oxygen Bar, and an ER Urgent Care Center. Some of the announced restau-rants are: Ghandi, Pizza Hut, China Chef, Port of Subs, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, KFC, TCBY, Steak Escape, Ray’s Pretzels, Breyer’s Ice Cream, Mrs.Field’s Cookies, Mr.Hot Dog and Hamada of Japan. Info. at:http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jan-12-Mon-2004/business/22940294.html+++++Feb.??, 2004= TAO Restaurant & Nightclub opening, taking the place of WB Stage 16 in the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian.+++++MARCH, 2004============+++++1= New Robert N. Broadbent Las Vegas Monorail grand opening. (Delayed from January 20th, 2004.) Will go from MGM Grand all the way to the Sahara. Monorail trains will have huge advertising on them to help defray costs. Will operate daily from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., take 15-minutes, and cost $3 one way, $5.50 round trip. Information:http://www.lvmonorail.comPicture and story at:http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Apr-08-Tue-2003/news/21058377.htmlNOTE: The old section from MGM Grand to Bally’s is now closed and will NOT re-open until March 1, 2004 as part of the above.+++++1= New nonstop air service from Austin, El Paso and San Antonio, Texas. Also from Cleveland, Ohio. Also from Canada; Edmonton, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia.- America West. America West Airlines (now has 107 daily LV departures from 47 cities) and is the second largest airline operating out of Las Vegas after Southwest (who has 184 LV daily departures from 43 cities).+++++1-3= Three Card Poker Tournament - Golden Nugget.2= Melissa Etheridge - Hard Rock Hotel.3= 311 - House of Blues in Mandalay Bay.4-7= Charlie Daniels Band - Orleans.4-10= Howie Mandel - MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre.5= Chris Rock - MGM Grand Garden Arena.5= Three Dog Night - Silverton.5-6= Scrapbook & Stampers Expo - Stardust.5-7= NASCAR Weekend. L.V. Motor Speedway. Information:http://www.lvms.com/schedules++++++++++

Please e-mail errors, omissions and additions to:billhere@VegasResource.com

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 9

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THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 10

Commentary: Albert ThomasBig Bad Bear

The big bad bear is stirring again. So far he has stretched, yawned and peaked out of his cave. After his almost year-long nap he is hun-gry. A nice big steak would hit the spot.

That steak comes from cattle and not too far from his den there is a fat complacent bull munching in the pasture. He has his tail towards the bear and Mr. Bear remembers that 3 years ago he walked up to another bull and bit him in the backside. It looks like he can do it again.

We know who bull and bear really are. It seems that almost everyone is bullish and thinks we are in another bull market like the one in 1999 where all investors thought they were geniuses. History has taught (for those who wish to listen and learn) that major bull markets are followed by bear markets of equal length. The major bull came to an end after 18 years in 2000. Can we expect an 18-year bear market? If history repeats its cycle the answer is yes.

The recent return of the upward movement of stock prices from last year is very typical of rallies in bear markets. Many have a 50%

retracement of the first down leg (as happened after the big break in 1929) that tops out with the resumption of the downward path.

Today our bull is feeding on the lowest interest rates in 40 years, a tax cut that puts extra money in the hands of consumers (where it belongs) and a strong housing market plus the belief that the market always does well in an election year. Let’s hope all these things will come to pass.

The worst problem for investors is their complacency. They start making money and forget to protect their profits. These slip away when the market starts down and their broker says, “Don’t worry. The market always comes back”. If the investor did not learn to protect his assets from the 2000 debacle he is doomed to lose again. What should he do?

He should protect his investment account with stop-loss orders on all stocks and mental stops for all mutual funds. Brokers hate this and will try to talk their clients out of doing it. Why? Because he makes a commission as long as you are invested and nothing if you have cash in your money market.

It is better to make 1% in a money market than lose 20% or more of the principle as the market heads south. You don’t have to be a

market “expert” to place a stop. Decide how much risk you are willing to take - 5%, 10%, 15%? Place your stops accordingly.

When this bear comes out of his cave don’t let him bite you – you know where. ALBERT THOMASCopyright Albert W. Thomas All rights reserved. Author of “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It!” www.mutualfund-magic.com comments to al@mutualfundmagic.com

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 11

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 12

NASCAR On Fox Crew To Duke It Out At Bullring March 6

Aries Mar. 21- April 20You have a lot going on in your life make sure your home is safe. What one would say is fun another would say is hell. Take a few steps back, a few deep breaths, and a realistic look at your situation. This can be easily fixed. Taurus Apr. 21- may 21Gravity is like a homing instinct, drawing you closer to what you love the most. Flowers, fruit and vegetables are the perfect gifts between earth signs.

Gemini May 22-June 21You have little patience with people that don’t get it the first time. Feathers will be ruffled, and doors may slam in anger. If you alienate those that seem extraneous now, you’ll miss them later.

Cancer June 22-July 22Virtue is fun when you’re among the right influences. Speak out on issues that matter. Human rights advocates strike a blow against oppression. Environmentalists collect data to protect the natural world. Leo July 23-Aug 22Sooner than you like, though, inaction starts making you jumpy. Switch yourself off and get some rest for the real excitement that will be coming in a few more days.

Virgo Aug. 23 -Sept. 23New worlds need to be documented and categorized, and Virgo is just the person to do it. Honor loved ones by naming your discoveries after them.

Libra Sept. 24 -Oct. 23You need to be around others. Even if problems aren’t being dis-cussed, an easy camaraderie will put them in perspective.

Scorpio Oct. 24 - Nov. 22Your group is unstoppable when it’s in the grip of a shared passion. Limit your say. Others need a chance to bounce off your initial idea before you repeat it. Real synergy produces real results.

Sagittarius Nov. 23 -Dec. 21One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Don’t be surprised if your junk turns up in a museum. There’s an art to letting go that you would do well to learn. . Capricorn Dec. 22 - Jan. 20Once everyone agrees on the problem, you can start choosing from a fascinating range of solutions. Keep a record of where you go in case you have to return to that spot.

Aquarius Jan. 21 -Feb. 19It’s hard to come back after leaving in anger or frustration. For better or worse, this is where you belong right now. Make amends and return to the task at hand. In the end, your sense of duty will save you.

Pisces Feb. 20-Mar. 20 Instinct competes against a list of picks and pans. When reading faces, pay attention to the paragraphs of eyes and the punctuation of mouths, there’s more going on here than the words would suggest.

Week of February 13, thru February 19, 2004Happy Chinese New Year! The Year of the Monkey starts on January 22nd, promising a year of nutty Monkey energy, parties, good times and (yes, indeed!) is monkeying around. The whole world will be

curious, funny and ready for love -- so get ready for YOUR Year of the Monkey

Welcome to the Psychic Corner with VISOR

Fox Sports’ NASCAR broadcast team can talk a good race, but on Saturday, March 6, Las Vegas will find out how well they can perform on the other side of the microphone.

Several members of the NASCAR on Fox broadcast team have committed to race in a special celebrity race as part of the Southern Nevada Dodge Dealers Showdown at the LVMS Bullring.

Fox’s lead announcer Mike Joy, infield host Jeff “Hollywood” Hammond and pit reporter Dick Berggren have already committed to the event. Other broadcasters are expected to be added later. The announcers will race in equally-pre-pared Mechanix Wear Speed Trucks in a 20-lap feature event.

“I’ve beat these guys before, and I guess I’ll have to do it again,” Hammond said. “These guys can all talk the talk, but I’m the one who can walk the walk. I feel sorry for the rest of them.”

In addition to the Fox celeb-rity race, the evening will feature a number of races including, a 100-lap Super Late Model race, 30-lap IMCA Modified feature, 25-lap Legends Cars race, 25-lap Thunder Roadster race and 40-lap Mechanix Wear Speed Truck event.

The Celebrity Showdown is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. with the spectator gates set to open at 4:30 p.m. Qualifying will begin at 4:45, and actual racing is set to kick off at 5:45, starting with the IMCA Heat

Races.General admission is $11 for

adults, $9 for seniors and military personnel and $3 for children (6-12). Children five years or under are free. Admission to the stockyards is available for $36 per vehicle, with a maximum of four people.

The Celebrity Showdown will be just one of the many events taking place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on NASCAR Weekend. Other events taking place include the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race March 7, Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race March 6 and the O’Reilly World of Outlaws March 4 and 5.

Hammond (above) and Joy

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 13

A little over two years ago, some Las Vegas businessmen brought Parnelli Jones over to the studios of a radio station I used to own to do some radio commercials for a product they invented called Rollgard...Keep in mind, that having owned the official radio station of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I had a lot of friends in common with Parnelli and we started talking about the product.

He saw my truck outside, a 1999 4 Wheel Drive Ford F-150 (since sent to truck heaven), and arranged for the owners of the company to install Rollgard on the truck, telling me that I really had to have it. Said it would make the truck handle like a Corvette.

That was in August of 2001.

I now have the distinction of having driven almost 150,000 miles in three big trucks that were Rollgard equipped.

I was impressed then and I’m so impressed now that I own stock in the company that makes Rollgard.

Parnelli knows trucks, driving and suspen-sions and he was right.

Simply put, Rollgard makes any big truck with leaf springs han-dle like a high per-formance sports car. For less than $400.

The F-150 has been replaced with a 2002 4-Wheel Drive Ford Excursion. That’s the biggest, heaviest production passenger vehicle sold in the United States. The SUV Nazi’s hate it, but they don’t live on Mt. Charleston and have to deal with 10 feet of snow every year. I love it and Rollgard tamed that beast on the highway as well as the winding mountain roads.

Rollgard looks simple, but is based on solid scientific principles as applied by a race car designer to fix some of the faults inherent in truck based vehicles with high centers of gravity.

They lower the center of gravity of a truck or SUV and restore your ability to steer without making constant corrections.

With Rollgard, the truck or SUV goes where you point it. It keeps your rear wheels flat on the ground and you don’t sway in your track. This means that you can drive at normal speeds safely on the interstate and you are much less likely to roll over in the event of a sudden maneuver. It raises your margin of error.

Rollgard fits on any vehicle which uses leaf springs, take about 30 minutes to install and cost $395.

But, because the company which manufactures Rollgard is here in Las Vegas, you can buy it direct and save. In this ad is a coupon for $100 off the price AND free installation in the Rollgard shop, here in Las Vegas.

If you have any questions about Rollgard, you can call me, Fred Weinberg, at my office, 702-740-5588

If I’ve done a good job selling you, call Rollgard at 312-6124 and tell them you want one installed as soon as they can. You’ve got nothing to lose because there is a 30-day money back guarantee, no questions asked.

NOW! FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!Bring In this ad and get $100 off Rollgard and Free Installation!Offer Good To February 28, 2004

Here’s the F-150. We put about 50,000 miles on it with Rollgard

Yes, the Excursion is big. With Rollgard, it is very well behaved!

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 14

Editor’s Note. Blaze Winslow is a long-time Las Vegas Realtor who has graciously agreed to answer questions phoned, faxed, or emailed to the Penny Press. Since the resi-dential market in Las Vegas is so hot and this is what he specializes in, we thought this would be a chance for our readers to get their questions answered easily. He can be reached at 349-6228 and he loves to talk real estate.

Q. I live in a condo complex which is self-managed. While a contractor was re-roofing our building one of his workers stepped through the ceiling. The board sent over a painting contractor which made the problem worse. Now, they just want us to do our own work and they say they’ll pay a “reasonable amount” for it. How can I make them fix the mess and leave me out of it? Helen L.

A. Sorry to say but you are in a legal battle. First contact your insurance company and see if they can help. Then get at least 3 estimates from contractors and present them to the

Board or the owner. If you can’t come to a reasonable agreement, then your only recourse is to call an attorney. Like it or not, you’re in the mix.

Q. I heard so many horror stories about pool companies that I’m really wary about putting in a pool. Any recommendations? Dick & Diane B.

A. For a long time pool builders attained a bad reputation for unfinished work and unpaid sub-contractors which inevitably caused the homeowner legal headaches galore. First of all, let me remind you that a pool is no different than any other product you buy; you get what you pay for. Years ago there were several discount pool companies that would dig a hole, take your money, and run. Things, however, have changed for the better. There are several reputable pool companies who do a great job and stand behind their work.. Make a list of a reputable pool builder (ask friends & neighbors) and the get estimates from each one. When you finally select one, be sure to do one

thing: GET LABOR RELEASES from every sub-contractor.

Q. Do you think it would be worthwhile to remodel our present home or buy a new one.

A. That question has a lot of variables such as; how attached are you to your present home? Can you afford a new home? How extensive is the remodeling going to be? What will be your return on your investment? I can’t tell you exactly if you are going to get your money out of the remodel when you finally decide to sell but I can give you some national averages on how much you can expect to recoup. Deck addition: 104%, Bathroom addition: 95%, Bathroom remodel: 89%, Kitchen remodel: 75%. Remember, these are national averages. They could be higher or lower in Las Vegas. Hope this helps you make a decision.

Q. Why are there so many mortgage options to choose from? Suzzi Y.

A. The answer is quite simple; supply and demand. Some of us

like taking risks and some of us are adverse to taking risks. Many historical statistics show that the average length of time a person will stay in their home is 7 to 10 years. Some may stay longer, some will stay shorter. If you plan to stay in your home longer that this, than you haven’t planned that far into the future and a long term fixed rate mortgage may be for you. A fixed rate mortgage can provide more stability and piece of mind no matter how long you live in the home. On the other hand, of you plan to move up or would like a change of scenery before that 7 to 10 year period, perhaps an adjustable rate mortgage is for you.

ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) usually start out at a significantly lower interest rate than the long term fixed mortgages and depending on the term you choose, it can remain fixed for the entire stay in your home. Ranging from 1 to 10 years, fixed period ARMs only become adjustable after the fixed period you select is up. I recommend that you call you lender for a more detailed explanation and to see just what programs are available to you.

Real Estate: Blaze Winslow

By DOLORES LONERGANPenny Press Contributing Editor

Strength training is one of the best ways we can give ourselves a total body transformation while simultaneously protecting our health. A ten minute daily routine 4 days per week done at home or work is all it takes to get you looking and feeling younger.

Begin by adding a 3 and 5 lb. weight set (about $50) for the first three months and gradually increasing the weights to 8 and 10 lbs. over the next three months. Always begin with a warm-up and end with stretching to relax the muscle groups and prevent soreness.

Many instructional firming and body sculpting DVD’s and VHS’s are avail-able to make it easier to follow along and

to explain the different muscle groups each exercise is geared for.

Strength training is now being rec-ommended by many doctors to increase bone mass, prevent osteoporosis and reverse muscle atrophy. An added bonus is weight reduction, since muscle pro-vides a higher calorie-burning rate and reduces overall body fat. In addition, many health benefits are derived from strength training.

It prevents diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, back pain, high blood pressure, depression and high choles-terol. Balance is also improved, thereby decreasing a person’s risk of injury. Alternating strength training with an aerobics program three times a week is the most comprehensive way to improve overall fitness.

Strength Training Reverses Aging

THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 15

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THE PENNY PRESS, FEBRUARY 12, 2004 PAGE 16