The REAL Harry Reid

I had the pleasure of meeting Senate Majority Leader – Senator Harry Reid at a meeting in Ely a few days ago. It was in inspiration to witness for myself that there really are members of Congress with a conscience.

I've met a few politicians in my life. Most of them have very similar personality traits. Most of them seem outgoing, a little too friendly, and well... you never know for sure whether to believe them or not. When I met Governor Jim Gibbons a month ago, I wasn't surprised. Call it instinct, but I knew he was a politician.

Not that Senator Harry Reid isn't a politician, just not the kind I expected. He seems a bit shy. He never seemed “used car salesman” friendly. And he didn't mince words when he disagreed with you.

As an example; one of the people at the meeting wasn't happy about Reid's stance on the coal-fired power plants. As the man was elaborating on how much cleaner coal is than back in the days of the Kennecott plant (his numbers were incorrect, by the way), well... Harry interrupted him with the comment; “If they're telling you that, they're lying to you.” I couldn't have been more impressed. That's exactly what I would have told him.

What impressed me most was how Senator Harry Reid explained himself. It truly sounded like this man believed in what he was doing. Plus, he was smart as a tack – smart enough to make the best decisions and have the arguments to back them up.

Before this meeting, I suspected that Mr. Reid might have “conspired” with his sons on the SNWA water grab. I don't think that anymore. Senator Reid is a very busy man. With having to deal with the “war,” our teetering economy, and dirty Republican political tactics every day – Nevada issues likely have often taken a back seat. Consequently, he may have trusted his sons to give him information about the water grab. Of course, one son is on the Board of SNWA, and I believe another son is an attorney for Vidler (Water). It may very well be that they haven't given him the best information. If so, it is up to us to help him understand our side of the story.

Senator Harry Reid will legislate with his conscience. We've seen it happen with the coal-fired carpetbaggers. If he understands that there are better options than turning our homeland into a giant dust-bowl, don't be surprised if he supports a rational solution – and there is a rational solution. A combination of conservation, offshore desalination, and the development and use of crops that use less water (in California) could go a long way before Southern Nevada actually needs Great Basin water.