Business stands up for America

When I was young and less wise I frequently lost vacation time because I thought I was too busy to go. No more, SpongeBob. The last two weeks were just the ticket for recharging my batteries.

The middle ages have brought wisdom, as evidenced by the following observations:

Monday night's Chamber of Commerce installation dinner at The Nugget was actually fun (I've attended four thousand of these). Patriots were everywhere and several local businesses accepted deserving awards.

Congressman Jim Gibbons' excellent speech could only be given by someone with his military service. Young Cethe Autumn sang the national anthem and "God Bless America," stealing the whole show.

My personal survival strategy vis a vis Washington, D.C., these days is to simply ignore them. I can hardly stand the hypocritical corporate bashing from politicians.

Those same corporate leaders now described as the devil were once held up as national heroes. Just two short years ago these same people graced the covers of national magazines as geniuses.

I can't argue that some are jail-bound crooks guilty of stealing from investors. However, our country relies on courageous corporate executives to innovate, invest, and take risk. The foundation of much of our economy is the entrepreneurial executive.

Legislation demanding clarity of reporting is fine, but I distrust any legislation causing undue risk-aversion. Politicians who think business leaders are evil should simply refuse to accept business donations while updating their resumes.

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Shhhh E Capital City Entertainment is about to celebrate birthday number 15. The gaming/food/entertainment companies in town support good and important things in our community while employing thousands of our friends and neighbors. I wish Capital City a happy birthday with wishes that the next 15 years bring even more success.

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It sounded as though the opening of the special session of the Nevada Legislature was a zoo, but with results. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary circumstances and I applaud Gov. Guinn and legislative leaders for working to solve this important issue (I don't know enough of the details yet to say that I agree with the result, but the work toward a solution is encouraging).

The brother of a senior advertising executive here at the Nevada Appeal had a tragic accident recently and was sent to the recently reopened trauma center in Las Vegas. They probably saved his life and certainly improved his chances for recovery. If one result of the special session is the retention of our good doctors and stability of our hospitals, we're all for it.

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The governor recently told us about his own health battle and recovery efforts. It's tough for public officials to tell us about issues as personal as health problems, but one of the benefits is that encourages the rest of us to pay better attention to our own health.

Guinn's announcement encouraged me to make an appointment for a long-overdue physical. I hope the rest of you middle-aged guys like me take his cue. Governor, we look forward to the day you announce you've won this health battle.

Peter Starren is publisher of the Nevada Appeal.