Loading ...Left To Gibbons: RAISE TAXES, ALREADY!
October 22nd, 2007Nevada’s original lefty blogger, Brian Greenspun, started off his column in yesterday’s Sunday Sun by noting state tax revenue is down a little bit below projections, though still much higher than last year, with heartfelt woe:
What to do? Oh, what to do? How about cut the budgets for higher education, health care and other places in our economy that help define who we are? Can’t cut the transportation and roads budget - not enough there to fix a pothole. Can’t cut the money we don’t and won’t spend on our court system - it’s already going broke on its own. And can’t get the money from the federal government - there are enough real disasters across this country to eat up any extra cash lying around and, besides, there isn’t any extra cash lying around.
Oh, barf. I sure hope no Nevadan finds their definition of who they are through our university system, socialized medicine, or other government services. Maybe by comparison, after over-eating Thanksgiving dinner…
Usually, this is followed by a rant on how underfunded Nevada’s governments are. Such an argument is getting harder and harder to make, especially after 2003, the last time such an argument gained any significant traction. The tax hikes that year propelled Nevada’s governments well into the uncomfortably bloated and overfed category compared with the rest of the United States.
Apparently recognizing the futility of pleading emaciated government anymore, Greenspun heads down a slippery slope:
We have created in Nevada a tax structure that invites people from all over the country who are looking to avoid paying their fair share for the government services they and every other citizen get.
Nevada’s left has never used this as the lead line of assault on Nevada taxpayers. It’s been kept in the background, like a droning kettledrum at the symphony. It is a telling measure of desperacy that they’ve now trotted this dog out front, because they know it won’t hunt.
Yes, Nevada is able to offload an immense amount of its tax burden on visitors, and residents do pay less than in other states. What’s wrong with that? And when you add what we residents pay to what our visitors and gamers pay, we have a seriously rotund, overfed government. Top 10% amongst American states.
The only sure thing that comes from over-feeding your government is that you increase it’s appetite for more (Beers, 2003). Instead, I suggest that we continue our overfeeding at its current levels, and shout down folks who think they can somehow score “nice-points” with the masses by suggesting we increase the feeding.
October 27th, 2007 at 6:55 am
Why does state government feel government activities have to take place in Carson City or Las Vegas? The wages and cost of living is higher in these areas than in the smaller communities so labor is higher. Several years ago DETR consolidated their activities in Carson and Vegas shutting down the jobs in most other Nevada communities. The result was a loss of jobs in the other communities, higher costs of doing business, and more internal waste in Carson City. The offices in the other communities remained open so there was no savings and the consolidated manpower in Carson allowed for more socializing. I am sure when the directors made their reports to the governor and senate they failed to mention these but rather sold the concept as modern, efficient and in the best interest of the citizens of Nevada; worst part, no one checked to see if it was good or bad! The state should consider dispersing some of their functions to the smaller communities where labor costs are less and the work is needed. Technology allows employee to do work as if they were setting next to their supervisors!
October 27th, 2007 at 9:31 am
I think that it is time to start thinking about the people that put these politician’s in office. They need to know what is really going on in Carson City. They need to be shown what these politician’s are really like.
Harry Reid now has his son’s in office to lie to the people and get their share of what ever money they can get(steal) from the people. Harry reid was broke when he went into office. Now he is one of the richest people in congress. Does his job really pay that much?
It is time to start cutting spending and leave a little more money in the people’s pockets. If nothing else, it will bring more money into the state coffers from purchases the people will make.
All they want to do is raise taxes and forget to cut spending. WHEN WILL IT STOP?????
I think it would stop if Bob Beers was sitting in the office as Governor. Bob is the only politician that i know of that is worrying about the people of this state.
I have been watching Bob Beers for the 8 years that i have lived in Nevada and he has always been for what is good for the people.
It is time for Bob Beers to run again for Governor. This time he needs to get out much sooner and let the people know who he is and what he stands for.
He needs to make a lot of public appearances, like town hall meetings and shaking hands. He can not expect to have people know what he stands for if he doesn’t get out and speak to them.
If nothing else, have a flatbed truck with speakers on it and let him speak from there like they used to do back in the 60’s and 70’s at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Lowes and any place where there are a lot of people.
Bumber stickers and stickers for the back windows work for the people who know who Bob Beers is and what he stands for. People that know nothing about Bob won’t vote for him. He let’s his opponent smear him with lies and waits to long to address the lies.
Bob is to easy going when it comes to a fight against an opponent running against him. He needs to have someone running his campaign that is aggressive and knows how to make a candidate win.
I am a Beers backer 100%, but i was unimpressed with his campaign for Governor this last election.
HE NEEDS TO DO IT RIGHT NEXT TIME.
Timothy M. andrewnovitz
Pahrump, NV
775-727-3727