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To: Age of Reason
How conservative--in matters of money, right?

Nevada has always had a libertarian and pragmatic edge to it. It is what allows them to fast-track new powerplant approvals in two months from start to finish, to build powerplants that will sell power to California (with the State taking their cut). The people of Nevada do not try and legislate against reality or economics, which is a fairly unique political viewpoint among most states. Indeed, they take advantage of the stupidity of other states in this regard to their own benefit. Nevada wasn't always like this. If you study their history, they almost went extinct the better part of a century ago and radically reinvented their concept of government to save their state, and it worked in spades. If you don't harm anyone else you can do what you want and the govt takes their "use fee" cut, but if you screw up and hurt someone else punishment is swift and brutal.

Don't worry yourself too much. Homosexual marriage was soundly killed by a two-thirds majority, and it tends to be a very Christian culture. And they penalize you harshly for doing stupid things; even relatively modest property crimes done in daytime is a justifiable homicide, and the gun laws are extremely relaxed.

That is the essential philosophy of Nevada. They tax you for what you use, they don't tell you what to do if you aren't bothering anybody, and they give the citizen free reign to exact brutal and severe punishment against screw ups and losers who cross the few lines the state has. The Constitution puts severe limits on what the political class can do, more so than the Federal Constitution in many ways. And the state government is part-time, meeting a few months every two years which doesn't give them enough time to cause trouble.

I generally consider Nevada to be a model State, and I don't even live there. The people there have a clear understanding of what the government should and should not be involved in, and they have a visceral distrust of government in general. As a consequence, there really aren't that many laws to speak of. Thomas Jefferson would have approved.

61 posted on 08/07/2003 11:16:29 PM PDT by tortoise (All these moments lost in time, like tears in the rain.)
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To: tortoise
That is the essential philosophy of Nevada

What you don't understand is that political philosophies are not invented out of thin air.

They are invented as solutions to problems.

Stick your libertarian neighbors in a lifeboat with little room and even less food and water, and how long before they forget their philosophy?

Increase the population of your state, and that will bring with it changes too.

I am also aware of the history of Nevada.

I am aware that like people in a lifeboat, Nevadans had to ignore deceny by legalizing vices like prostitution, gambling, and divorce to survive.

Which is all part of the philosophy you ascribe to Nevada--that of taking advantage of people.

70 posted on 08/08/2003 10:02:35 AM PDT by Age of Reason
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