By Geoff Schumacher Why, I wonder, are so few of us complaining about the demise of the retirement pension, one of the great innovations of the 20th century? Within the past 20 years or so, the practice of an individual putting in 25 or 30 years for a company and retiring with a comfortable monthly pension check has vanished for a large majority of Americans.

By Geoff Schumacher On Friday afternoon at the Orleans Arena, my daughter graduated from high school. She wore a white cap and gown, signifying that she had earned an honors diploma. She also wore a golden sash, reflecting her status as one of Shadow Ridge High School's three valedictorians.

By Geoff Schumacher My hard-earned reputation as a left-winger may be called into question today as I reveal a distinctly conservative aspect to my world view.

By Geoff Schumacher Last week, I took a morning rush-hour spin along the newly widened stretch of U.S. Highway 95 running west of downtown. I must say it was a pretty smooth ride - at least compared with the near-gridlock congestion that has plagued the 95 for many years.

By Geoff Schumacher Las Vegas in a nutshell: A Hummer sporting a specialty license plate urging us to "Protect Lake Tahoe." When it comes to some of the big political questions - the environment, education, transportation among them - Las Vegas is a seriously confused place.