Dr. Eugene T. Paslov: The duo of Reid and Reid is smartest choice for Nevada

We must be thoughtful and smart about who we put into our key elected offices.

For governor, we don't know very much about Brian Sandoval. He spent his time during the primary making the case he was more conservative than his fellow Republicans. Gov. Gibbons is a conservative with a "no new taxes" mantra, and he put the state's education, economy and job creation in the tank. Although a non-signer of a no new taxes pledge, Sandoval appears to be following Gibbons' failed economic policies.

Rory Reid, on the other hand, is an experienced political leader in Clark County. He has produced position papers on education and economic development, and he has a vision for the future of our state. Let's give serious thought to supporting a visionary and a politically competent Rory Reid and move Nevada toward educational excellence and economic vitality.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should be returned to the U.S. Senate. Reid has made billions of federal dollars available to the economic health and welfare of our state. More needs to be done. His opponent, Sharron Angle, represents radical views - eliminate Social Security, the U.S. Departments of Education and Energy and she'd repeal health care reform providing care for thousands. Hers are not the views of a smart politician, even though her new handlers are now "sanitizing" her political ideas to make them more palatable.

It's also instructive that the Congressional "Party of No" has taken morbid fascination in Angle, promising untold millions for her campaign coffers. I assure you they are not doing this to help Nevada, nor do they even support Angle's radical views (untenable among America's ideologically centrist population). They want to eliminate President Obama's powerful ally, Reid, the man who helped orchestrate health care reform, save the nation and state from economic devastation, and reform disastrous Wall Street banking policies. He is a power in the U.S. Senate and a smart activist voice for the political needs of Nevada.

And he is also a thorn in the side of the national Republicans. They want him out. And in ousting him they may also get the opportunity to flood Nevada with the nation's toxic nuclear waste, which the "party of no" considers a plus. Angle apparently supports storing waste near Las Vegas.

We want government to be smart. We need to elect intelligent politicians. We also must be thoughtful and not mindlessly follow anti-government, right wing ideological sentiments which cripple our state and nation. Re-electing Harry Reid to the U.S. Senate and electing Rory Reid as Nevada's governor will be smart for Nevadans and for all Americans.

• Eugene Paslov is a board member of the Davidson Academy at the University of Nevada, Reno and the former Nevada state superintendent of schools.