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Heller spells out 'big' message for U.S. Senate race
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David Becker/Review-Journal
Dean Heller addresses the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce on Friday at the Palms. » Buy this photo
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Republican U.S. Sen. Dean Heller on Friday blamed "big government, big business and big unions" for America's persistent economic problems, delivering a speech to the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce that sets the stage for his election-year message to Nevada voters.
"Those are the obstacles to economic recovery," Heller said, speaking to a crowd of about 125 business leaders and lawmakers at the Palms resort just off the Strip.
The Senate campaign of U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., responded by portraying Heller as pro-Wall Street and anti-small business days after she had a news conference at a Las Vegas cancer clinic to accuse Heller of trying to limit women's access to birth control and health care.
In an interview, Heller said he expects negative attacks to keep coming from Berkley as the two compete in a close 2012 race that could determine whether Democrats maintain control of the Senate or Republicans take over the upper chamber, as they did the House in the 2010 election.
"Their only tool in this campaign is to go very, very negative," Heller said. "And I think the average Nevadan is going to see right through that. In the next eight months, I'll be talking about my record, and she'll be running away from hers. And that will be the difference in this campaign."
In his speech, Heller criticized President Barack Obama for proposing a budget that would increase the nation's debt by $11 trillion over 10 years, expanding government and increasing U.S. borrowing.
He said it's a shame Congress hasn't agreed on a budget plan for more than 1,000 days because of the ugly partisan divide in Washington. Heller has introduced legislation to cut off the salaries of lawmakers if they don't approve a budget this year.
"The best way is to hit members in the pocketbook because they have not done their jobs," he said.
Heller said big business is a problem because the Obama administration has rewarded "bad decisions" by bailing out banks and the auto industry while small businesses and people suffer.
"Small businesses aren't getting bailed out," Heller said.
Big unions, he said, are blocking cost-cutting education reforms because they're more concerned with protecting teachers' jobs than improving schools.
He said the answer is to provide more choice for parents, including giving them vouchers to help pay for sending children to good private schools. That would increase competition and lower overall education spending, he said.
"You can't reform education until you get rid of the teachers union," Heller said, quoting the late Apple computers founder Steve Jobs.
Democrats criticized Heller's address to the Las Vegas chamber, noting he still hasn't addressed the Latin Chamber of Commerce as promised 50 days ago. The party sent a man dressed in a chicken suit to stand outside the Palms, holding a sign that said: Heller 2 chicken 2 meet with Latin Chamber."
Heller's staff said he was hoping to meet with the Hispanic business leaders Monday, but some chamber members weren't available, and they planned to schedule the meeting for another time.
Otto Merida, president of the Latin chamber, said Heller might address the group's full board of about two dozen members in April instead of its smaller group of a half-dozen executive board members.
"We're trying to work it out," Merida said. "As far as I know, they're OK with that."
Last year, Heller canceled a speech to the Latin Chamber at the last minute after he learned a Democratic operative planned to videotape the event, a move that upset Hispanic community leaders. His staff also objected to the presence at the meeting of a Berkley staff member.
Berkley is scheduled to address the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce at an April 11 breakfast as part of the group's Eggs & Issues series of meetings with elected Nevada leaders.
Heller said he thought it was a good idea for the business community to hear from both sides in the debate over the direction of the country.
"I'm all for fair and balanced," he said.
In fact, Heller said, the problem with Washington is that lawmakers "fight tooth and nail" to gain a political advantage instead of focusing on the 80 percent where the parties agree.
"We argue too much over the 20 percent that we don't agree on," Heller said. "We're too worried about who gets the credit."
Ahead of Heller's speech, Berkley's campaign put out a news release listing bills that he had voted against aimed at providing tax break, tax cuts and loans to small businesses.
"Thankfully, Nevadans will have a clear choice between Dean Heller's pro-Wall Street, anti-middle class agenda and Shelley Berkley's commitment to creating good paying middle class jobs in Nevada," Berkley campaign spokesman Eric Koch said in a statement.
Heller's campaign said the bills in question were poorly crafted and would have raised taxes in some cases, and in others involved "stimuluslike" spending targeted mostly at helping state and local government and not small businesses trying to create private-sector jobs.
"Only seven-term Congresswoman Shelley Berkley would believe tax increases, bailouts and doubling down on failed stimulus programs are going to get Nevadans back to work," Heller campaign spokeswoman Chandler Smith said.
Earlier this week, Heller was on the defensive after Berkley accused him of joining Republicans in Congress by trying to roll back decades of progress in women's health care and birth control.
Republicans, including Heller, who oppose abortion on religious or moral grounds have frequently voted against federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides a range of health services for low-income people, including abortions, cancer screenings and other preventative programs.
Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal. com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj.
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$16 mil per job`s big, but so is $60k for a Chev Firebird.aka Volt. Chinese can build one for $10k and how is that for comparson .
All Nevada Politicians in D.C.: Can't you import Japanese jobs in Nevada? You don't have to pay any money. They use their own money. Suppose Matsuda comes to Nevada. It is closer to ship auto from Nevada to Korea than Toyota shipping Camare to Korea from Kentucky. At least we can have more than 35,000 employees. It is cheaper than gypped by Chinese Solar Energy company. It will attract Bridgestone, Yokohama, many electronic companies. They operate in Japan's ubiquitous era business practice. Or is there any reason Chinese Solar Energy company has priority???
Japan exports jobs to USA and USA exports jobs to China and India. Balancing trend?
The Tonopah Solar company in Harry Reid's Nevada is getting a $737 million loan from Obama's DOE.
The project will produce a 110 megawatt power system and employ 45 permanent workers.
That's costing us just $16 million per job.
One of the investment partners in this endeavor is Pacific Corporate Group (PCG). The PCG executive director is Ron Pelosi, who is the brother to Nancy 's husband.
Just move along folks. Nuthin' goin' on here. Yes We Can loot the Treasury
I see where Shelly gets her training now!
The Chinese and Indians are happy for strong unions? What a bunch of BS. When are people going to get it through their heads that unions are used as an excuse to send jobs overseas. Have unions overstepped their power? Yes, but not to the extent that companies use them as an excuse to find sustantially cheaper labor overseas.
The Chinese and Indianx are happy we have a storng unions in the U.S.. all the jobs are exported to them. and it`s the biggest export this country produce. jobs for other countries to capitalize on. all our factories and knowledge currently under our control will b lost once they nationalize all American businesses in China, mean while we have to kiss their butts so Bummer and Greed, Pelosi can borrow more money to line their own pockets. they are now the capitalists and we re the Marxist. Collapse of Socialism comes when they run out of other peoples money to spend lavishly like the Dems been doing. good luck.
JUST IN: 2 more U.S. Servicemen executed in Afghanistan - shot in the back of the head (U.S. Lt Col + Maj). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone know if Obama has again called his Muslim Brothers to apologize, like he did just -2- days ago,as he has done so many times previously ???? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Without a doubt -- "THIS CLOWN IS THE MOST EMBARASSING PRESIDENT THE U.S. HAS EVER HAD -- SHAME ON HIM !!!"
To all Union members, pay close attention, pay really, really, really, really, close attention your leadership is playing you like a 3 dollar ukulele. They take your dues and live like Kings from your labor. They do not care about you. How can I prove that? Simple stop paying dues and see what happens. Drive to work with an Obama sucks sticker and see what happens. If you are afraid to do that proof positive they own you. Unions the new slavery. Teamsters=Mafia ask Jimmy Hoffa if you can find him.
To all Union members, pay close attention, pay really really close attention to this guy, as a member of the Teamsters Union (45) yrs. I know what these people are up to, contact all your Union brothers and sisters and start making a plan as how to keep Heller out, no matter what Union you belong to. These people are a great Danger to the community and to all working people, and now their Agenda is to declare war on all women. Listen up, start calling all your members, start posting meetings and make a solid plan to collectively vote Heller out, for good. And spread the word out, SAY NO TO HELLER.......
Heller blames, Big government, big business AND big unions for the economy. Is there anybody else left to blame? Corporations want to conglomerate and decrease costs and lower the quality of goods and services in order to increase profits (that's called capitalism), Government wants to protect people from being exploited by profit mongers who decrease quality of goods and services (that's called regulation) and Unions want to protect wortrkers from being exploited by profit mongers (that's called potection).
I guess we know which of those that Heller values and protects.