Oh, so this is what it's like to finally be noticed

Carson City in the national spotlight? Sparsely populated Nevada a player in presidential politics? The Western states drawing the serious attention of a major political party?

Times are certainly changing, and there's no way to interpret it as anything but positive.

For Carson City, it suggests we may be on the cusp of losing our status as a sleepy town that most people from other states would be unable to locate on a map. It won't happen overnight, and the caucus won't do it alone. But this and future political events, combined with our natural assets and history, certainly put the capital city in the game.

People will be surprised to learn that Nevada isn't Las Vegas surrounded by an endless desert. When you consider future local developments like the V&T Railroad, it seems unlikely that Carson City will shrink back into complete obscurity.

The caucus will also put the entire state under the spotlight, which means we can put the candidates under the spotlight. Issues like keeping Yucca Mountain from opening and allowing local input in determining usage of public lands barely register on the radar screen of national politics.

But now there's no candidate who will be able to avoid answering those questions in detail.

It's been too easy for political candidates to take the West for granted while they do battle in the Eastern states rich in electoral votes.

So this is a big day for Carson City, for Nevada and for the Western states.

In fact, the only thing that might be bigger would be if the Republicans brought its candidates to town. Are you listening, Republicans?