Editorials

If you’re counting on some level of certainty for your 2014 federal tax bill, it’s not the most wonderful time of year. As in years past, dozens of “temporary” provisions are due to expire Dec. 31.

One blessing of the holiday season is upon us: The prospect that members of Congress will actually stay away from Washington for a few weeks, leaving what’s left of our liberties and livelihoods alone until the new year.

With yet more Affordable Care Act deadlines at hand, it’s time for the increasingly desperate Obama administration to throw some more Hail Mary passes.

With all the negative news surrounding health care — the worsening Obamacare debacle at the forefront — it’s nice to see some positive prospects for the Las Vegas Valley’s medical sector. Two big projects are moving forward: a UNLV medical school and a Roseman University of Health Sciences medical school in Summerlin.

Luring the National Finals Rodeo out of Las Vegas was going to take one sweet deal.

Nevada’s disgraceful mental health system is back in the news for the wrong reasons. The Sacramento Bee, which previously uncovered improper patient discharges and out-of-state transports from the Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas, reported more troubling findings this week: some patients were bused out of town despite facing criminal charges in Southern Nevada.

The country’s latest campus shooting took place Friday at Arapahoe High School in the Denver suburb of Centennial. The shooter, 18-year-old Karl Pierson, was a senior and a member of the school’s debate team. According to reports, he was seeking out the debate coach, who was also the school’s librarian.

The rising cost of higher education is a problem that goes beyond affordability. The value of many degrees is falling while the price to obtain those degrees continues to climb.

Maybe the marriage between Las Vegas and the National Finals Rodeo isn’t as strong as we thought. Maybe, like so many partners who’ve been together nearly three decades, they’ve forgotten how to talk to one another.

It’s always about the next election, and nothing more.