Those who don’t like Nevada are full of No. 2

“Many of you are well enough off that … the tax cuts may have helped you. We’re [Democrats] saying that for America to get back on track, we’re probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.”

—Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate.

This Place frequently points out the absurdities of the loony political left as your host views them. As I see it, most are basically nice people—but with all the intellectual ability of a soap dish.

That brings me to this recent report in our great metropolis’ local daily: “Nevada’s overall suicide rate is 19.2 per 100,000 people as compared to the national rate of 10.9 per 100,000, making the state second in the nation after Alaska.”

Now if you’re like me, your head starts to throb at the mention of yet another list that purports to put the Silver State among the myriad of issues in which it comes up short relative to the rest of the country.

The above figures may sound dire until you consider that Nevada and Alaska are, shall we say, populace-challenged? Placing actual numbers into these statistics loosely translates into about 600 people statewide and 30,000 nationwide offing themselves.

Sad? Yes. But not exactly a pandemic, either. Particularly when you consider these statistics, which should help put things into perspective:

You have about a 1 in 6 chance of having a stroke;

A 1 in 3 chance of dying from heart disease;

A 1 in 7 chance of getting arthritis;

A 1 in 6 chance of suffering from asthma or allergy diseases;

A 1 in 10 chance of getting the flu this year;

A 1 in 2 chance of developing some form of cancer (if you’re male);

A 1 in 3 chance of developing some form of cancer (if you’re female);

A 1 in 16,421 chance of dying from an assault;

A 1 in 18,585 chance of dying from a car accident;

And finally, you have a 1 in 79,065 chance of dying from an accidental drowning.

As the saying goes, however, “You are free to move about the country.” If you believe that this place actually does suck as bad as some would have you believe, then please do yourself and the rest of us a favor and find another place to call home.

Otherwise consider these salient facts:

Forbes magazine ranks Reno 22nd out of 200 cities for overall job growth. And Nevada is ranked sixth in the nation for its economic climate. (www.forbes.com)

The Forbes/Milken Institute ranks Reno 21st out of 200 cities in their 2005 study “Best Performing Cities: Where America’s Jobs Are Being Created.” (www.milkeninstitute.org)

Cities Ranked and Rated magazine named Reno 64th out of 400 cities among the best places to live. (www.bestplaces.net)

Nevada was also voted the best small-business state in the country by the Washington-based Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, which ranked Nevada second overall to do business in its Business Survival Index. (www.sbsc.org)

The Center for Women’s Business Research ranks Las Vegas first in growth in the number of privately-held, majority women-owned firms, first in sales growth among the top 50 metro areas, and 11th for overall growth of majority, women-owned firms. (www.nfwbo.org)

Men’s Journal Magazine has also ranked Reno eigth among America’s “50 Best Places to Live.” (www.mensjournal.com)

Perhaps something to consider the next time our left-leaning friends start talking about “the common good” of the Silver State.

And that, perhaps, brings us back to Sen. Clinton.