Todd Zuccato Takes the Reigns

You may have heard by now that Eric Odom has stepped down as a director of NICPAC. Eric is an extraordinary individual and will be greatly missed. In Eric's absence, I have stepped into the Executive Director roll at NICPAC. It is a very exciting opportunity for me, as I have stepped in at an excellent time. Eric, Mathew Comprix, and I have been able to generate a lot of momentum in NICPAC over the last few months, and Matt and I are going to take that momentum and run with it.

NICPAC has been under assault from several directions in the blogosphere lately, and that is wonderful news. Before you think I have lost my mind, let me explain. People don't waste time attacking people who are insignificant. The fact that the attacks and accusations are coming means we are making people uncomfortable.

There is a second piece of good news that comes from these attacks. They are attacking us personally and fabricating conspiracy theories of scandals. Why is that positive? It means they can't touch us on policy.

I am honored that my associates nominated me to take the Executive Director position and I hope you will all stick around to see what happens. We have an opportunity to make a serious impact on Nevada politics and I could not be more excited.

I love Nevada

There are about a million reasons why, but I want to share one with you. I came here from the socialist state to the left of us almost three years ago now. I just bought a motorcycle from there, and I had some challenges getting it registered here in Nevada. Now, in California, even getting to speak to someone about your DMV problems requires an act of God or an assault riffle. I e-mailed a complaint to the Nevada DMV and the very next morning I had a response. Not only that, but a very nice lady spent all day working on my problem. She even got the paperwork I need faxed over from California for me. I still had to go to the Truckee DMV to straighten things out, but it was a breeze when I got there because I already had all the paperwork I needed and I knew it was filled out properly. I love Nevada.

I'll Take It

I don't for one minute think the President's plan that he outlined last night was a good one. It reaks of amnesty, no matter how he spins it, but I will take an added five thousand bodies at the border. Even if they are just for show, the more the merrier. No matter what comes of the illegals that are in this country now, no plan can be considered a victory unless it has a severe impact on the number of new illegals pouring across the border on a daily basis. It is my sincere hope that the National Guard can do that. Now that the Senate seems to be on board with the amnesty plan, I really hope the House has the guts to stand up and stop it.

Don't Be a Terrorist

I think that's the moral of the NSA phone records story. I am all for my rights. I would be the first person to stand up if they wanted to start listening to my phone calls and taping my conversations with my family; but that's not what's going on here. The NSA is simply tracking patterns in calls made to determine suspicious activity. If this seriously concerns you, you may want to reconsider to whom your phone calls are being made. Our world changed on September 11 (though many on the left seem to have forgotten) and the measures we must take to protect ourselves changed as well. If the NSA wants to know how many times I called Aunt Betsy, so be it. If that's what it takes to find out how many times a jihadist has called his support network for wire transfers to buy fire arms, I am all for it. Once again, if this really bothers you, you may want to seriously reconsider to whom you are making your phone calls.

This Scares Me

I was collecting signatures for the Angle property tax initiative, and a gentlemen was asking me some questions about it. Then he said to me, "I don't think the union supports this." He was probably right. What scares me is what he said next. He said "Well, I can't sign it then." I asked why and he said "The union sends me a newsletter that tells me how to vote, and I just take that to the voting booth with me."
Wow. How many Americans just go to the polls and vote exactly how the unions tell them, with no regard to how it may affect their lives and their rights?
That is not the only experience I had while collecting signatures that disturbed me. I was talking to two little old ladies about the Angle initiative. They were very supportive of it and also signed TASC. They were pretty much as conservative as they come. Then they asked me if I voted for President Bush. I responded, "Yes. Both times." That started it a fire. I got an earfull from those two ladies about what a terrible president he has been. On many accounts, I would agree. Where we had a disconnect, was both ladies would have preferred the democrat candidates, having no understanding that they disagreed with those candidates on nearly every issue.
The democrat party and the main stream media have scared the general public about "evil Republicans" so badly, many people vote against them purely out of fear. Many people in the general public just vote for the democrat with no understanding of their far left policies. I hope that in the next six months before the election we can work to correct this. So if you are taking the time to read this, please spread the word. If it is not about this blog, tell your friends about another conservative blog. There are some good ones linked on this site, and they are easy to find through almost any search engine. If we do not work quickly, we may be in for a rough two years.

Election Year Etiquette

It was mentioned to me the other day by a Republican I respect, that myself and other conservatives need to lay off of the establishment GOP until after the election. My response? No way, no how, not a chance. While I understand where he is coming from, we conservatives can no longer sit back and stay quiet while a whole new batch of RINOs glide into office. People like Eric Odom and Chuck Muth are going to be essential to the upcoming election. There are some true conservatives in Nevada, and it's up the non-establishment conservatives to stand up and point them out.

The GOP wants us to believe that if we don't show a unified front, the Republican voters will stay home. That's 180 degrees wrong. The Republicans voters are going to stay home if they think this is just another election where your choice is between a liberal Democrat and a liberal Republican. The Republican voters will turn out if they feel like this year will be different. They will turn out if they feel like they can actually make a difference this year. People will turn out if they feel like there may actually be some real conservatives in this race.

Mark DeStefano

Mark DeStefano is the clear choice for state treasurer. As a director of NICPAC, I have already endorsed Mark for state treasurer. Until Tuesday, I only supported Mark's politics. I had the honor of having Mark at my house Tuesday evening for a meet and greet. Now I not only like his policy, but I really like Mark as a person. He took the time to meet my friends and talk to us on a personal level. He has a great background in business and finance. He is an unquestionable conservative and a very intelligent individual. In my opinion, Mark DeStefano would most definitely be an asset to the Great State of Nevada.