Mesquite council out-of-touch on sports complex issue

From Mike vs. Mike in the Mesquite Nevada Number One Online News Source Mesquite Citizen Journal:

'via Blog this'

The Mesquite City Council still thinks the proposed indoor complex is a good idea but voted unanimously that it is too expensive for the city to construct at this time. It's not a good idea since it does little to create jobs and increase the flow of money in the community. Those are the two basic elements of any economic redevelopment initiative.

You can't just build anything that comes to mind and think it will stimulate the economy. Both business and government people know that an investment must return a profit that exceeds what would be earned if the money was invested in low risk stocks, bonds or Treasuries.

The idea seems to be that visitors will come to town and spend. The truth is that there is little to spend on except in the casinos. And casinos do not stimulate economic growth for reasons that I have written about Ad nauseam.

For a community, any investment must go beyond business profits. Any investment must stimulate the flow of money in the community. This is done, for example, when a retail business or government purchases wholesale products from another business in the community.

Another example, is the hospital which meets the demands of the retiree community, receives income primarily from Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance premiums and pays high wages for professional personnel who then have disposable income to spend in the community if the community offered high-quality goods or services they desire.

The hospital example highlights a local problem. Simply put, the community lacks anything that people with disposable income wish to purchase. Instead they spend in Las Vegas, St. George, or any number of cities north, south, east and west of the city.

There is one example of a local businessman that deserves mention. He is Matthew John. He, and his wife, are individuals who have taken abandoned restaurants and turned them around. He took over a dead diner and turned it into Peggy Sue's. He took over a closed Mexican restaurant and turned it into Cucina Italiana. John also manages the Redd and Grill rooms at the Oasis golf course. Most restaurants purchase their food supplies locally and, in case of the Cucina Italiana, a lot of money was spent creating a welcoming ambiance.

Don Muse, a local advocate of downtown redevelopment also has the right ideas when it comes to investments. Muse, and others, argue that downtown needs to be redeveloped in a way that advances the cultural heritage of the geographic area. Done correctly this would draw visitors, and small business ventures that increase the flow of money in the community.

The Mayor and City Council should stop spending time, energy and money on pseudo-economics and task the City Manager to develop a marketable master plan for downtown redevelopment based upon advancing the cultural heritage of the community.

Mesquite Nevada Number One Online News Source Mesquite Citizen Journal:

'via Blog this'

http://www.michaelmcgreer.com

(Note: A friend asked why the government failed to take against Nakoula Bessely Nakoula for his hate film “Innocence of Muslims.” We talked about the prevalence of hate speech in the world today and I told her I would give the problem some more thought. Here is the results.

Federal prosecutors should give serious consideration to filing felony hate crime and homicide complaints against Nakoula Bessely Nakoula for his alleged role in the killing of Ambassador Chris Stevens, information manager Sean Smith and former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

Nakoula's amateurish movie “Innocence of Muslims,” slandered the prophet Muhammad and allegedly triggered protests at several U.S. government buildings in the Middle East, including the embassy in Benghazi where the Americans were killed. Additional charges should be filed for every additional Americans killed as a result of the hate-filled movie.

Hate crimes from, lynchings to cross burnings to vandalism of synagogues and mosques, have a long shameful history in the United States, and with advent of social media, hate filled messages can now spread from continent-to-continent at light-speed.

Nakoula did not directly kill the Americans, but the U.S. law of homicide applies when death results from any act by a person who shows a wanton and willful disregard for the risk to humans. Even if the actual killing was done by terrorists, under cover of the demonstrations, the case could be made that the terrorists were the instruments of Nakoula's disregard for the human risk.

If Nakoula's actions were considered a hate-crime felony and the homicides occurred during the commission of that felony, then the crime falls under the felony murder rule. That rule says that anyone committing a felony may be guilty of murder if someone dies as a result of his acts, regardless his intent (or lack thereof) to kill. It would be an interesting point of law if an American (Nakoula in this case) could instigate a criminal act in the United States that kills Americans in a American property (the Embassy) in another country.

I certainly don't know the answer but the law of murder does cover situations where an act is committed in one state but the victim dies in another. Of course, this is all speculation but the United States government needs to act aggressively to stop people from acting in such a reckless manner.

I am obviously a big advocate of freedom of speech in any media format. But, I also recognize that the right is not absolute in any country and it is commonly limited through libel, slander, copyright violations and incitements to commit a crime. The right to transmit information carries with it special duties and responsibilities including respect for a persons reputation, protection of national security and public health.

I realize that hate speech is used against Americans in foreign countries. One can only hope that authorities in those countries would act legally and responsibly and in a manner consistent with both the protection of speech and a recognition of its limitations.

Monthly Jobs Report at Mesquite Citizen Journal

Monthly Jobs Report Posting Date: 09/14/2012

For this week's Mike versus Mike debate, we asked this question:  Discuss the monthly jobs report issued Sept. 7, specifically the 96,000 jobs created versus the 384,000 people that gave up looking for a job. You can also work off the previous M v M column in July - here's the link to that column Mike vs Mike - The Real Unemployment Numbers As always, we welcome your input into the debate. Leave a comment at the end of this article for others to read and ponder. Also, take a few moments and answer the poll question in the left menu column.

Mesquite Nevada Number One Online News Source Mesquite Citizen Journal:

'via Blog this'

Are Political Conventions Still Necessary at Mesquite Citizen Journal

Are Political Conventions Still Necessary Posting Date: 09/06/2012

For this week's Mike versus Mike debate, we asked this question: Do the political party conventions still hold real value to individual voters or should they be eliminated? As always, we welcome your input into the debate. Leave a comment at the end of this article for others to read and ponder. Also, take a few moments and answer the poll question in the left menu column.

Mesquite Nevada Number One Online News Source Mesquite Citizen Journal:

'via Blog this'

Welfare to Work Mesquite Citizen Journal

Welfare to Work Posting Date: 08/30/2012

For this week's Mike versus Mike debate, we asked this question: Discuss the 'welfare to work' program that has been tossed around in this year's presidential campaigns. As always, we welcome your input into the debate. Leave a comment at the end of this article for others to read and ponder. Also, take a few moments and answer the poll question in the left menu column.

Mesquite Nevada Number One Online News Source Mesquite Citizen Journal:

'via Blog this'