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Published Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 | 11:03 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 | 6:23 p.m.
"Some things are worth fighting for," state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford sent this out a short time ago:
When Nevada's legislature returns to session on February 7, we will face an unprecedented budget crisis and incredibly hard choices. As State Senate Majority Leader, I will be keeping you informed about the decisions being made and how they impact you and your family.
Sadly, extreme right-wing interests are lining up to use the budget crisis to dismantle our state.
To me, some things are worth fighting for - like our kids' education, keeping promises to retirees and preserving an already fragile safety net for struggling working families.
I did not enter public service to slash funding for our schools or leave our most vulnerable citizens without care. That's why I will fight every day to protect Nevada families from the extreme agenda that threatens our future.
With so much at stake, I hope you will help me keep Nevadans informed by referring your friends, family and co-workers. We have to work together to ensure we all have a bright future in Nevada. I'll be reaching out to you frequently with updates about the decisions being made. Please help me expand our list so more Nevadans are kept informed.
Thank you for your help at this critical time.
UPDATE: The Senate GOP responded late Thursday:
enate Republicans Respond to Horsford’s Irresponsible Name Calling
(LAS VEGAS, NV ) Senate Republicans today responded to Senate Leader Steven Horsford’s irresponsible and inaccurate remarks suggesting that “extreme right-wing interests are lining up to use the budget crisis to dismantle our state”.
“On the heels of Governor Sandoval’s inclusive Inaugural remarks and in the midst of legislative Republicans signaling a willingness to work with Democrats to deal with some incredibly difficult issues, Senator Horsford’s comments are both strange and troubling”, said Senate Republican Leader Mike McGinness. “Just two months ago voters from coast to coast sent a clear message that they wanted to put the partisan bickering behind and get all elected leaders working toward a smaller, more efficient government. This kind of statement flies in the face of everything that should have been learned from Nevada voters”.
Horsford’s email, which was circulated widely and attracted media attention, failed to list a single “extreme right wing interest” or a single example of efforts to “use the budget crisis to dismantle the state”. In fact, the email included plenty of political spin but not a single legislative solution.
Last August, Horsford was chastised for engaging in a “pay to play” fundraising scheme that offered to sell private access to key Committee Chairmen in exchange for big bucks. A columnist for the Las Vegas Review Journal called Horsford’s pay to play scheme “a new low in Nevada”. Horsford eventually returned the tainted money.
“Senate Republicans have been working hard to look for solutions to a budget crisis caused by over-spending State revenues. We are working with interested leaders from all parties and ideologies, seeking better ways to improve government and save taxpayer money”, added Assistant Senate Republican Leader Barbara Cegavske. “This is no time for name calling and no time to reject any idea simply because of who it came from. This is a time for Nevada to come together, put aside petty partisan bickering and start working together to put people back to work and our economy back on track”.
Voters in November sent a clear message that they want to put an end to job-killing taxes and bloated government and it is clear that voters want elected leaders more worried about fixing problems than gaining partisan advantages. Republicans in the Nevada Senate got the message and are committed to working with Governor Sandoval, Lt. Governor Krolicki and Democrat legislators willing to put Nevada ahead of name calling.
Mr. Horseford-you must remove "L-1 Identity Solutions" from the DMV. It is imperitive to our survival.Follow the networked computers.
Please save school funding! The future of our children and our state depend on it. Result oriented reform is completely acceptable, but DO NOT CUT EDUCATION FUNDING!
Left wing thinking already has. Too late!
Right wing thinking is the states only hope.
yeah right Horsford,
just like you fought for the $20-30 million dollar taxpayer funded D-street underpass so that "your people wouldn't be cut off from the downtown" (meaning they wouldn't have to go an extra 4 blocks to get there).
Horsford is the champion of wasteful government entitlement programs.
I keep forgetting the "right wing" can easily balance the budget and eliminate the deficit without money. They will do it with Magic Cuts to the already greatly cut budget and simply eliminate more little things like education, services etc. In fact they should eliminate all taxes entirely. NO PROBLEM!
I say that if the Governor and legislature slashes the guts out of K-12 education this year then the Teacher's Associations and Parent Groups across Nevada should take the State to court. States across the country have been sued and have lost this fight. We need to stand up for our children's futures. Sandoval denied, denied, denied, that his budget would cause teacher layoffs, but now I think they are probably going to be widespread. We need a stable source of income to fund education in this state. No business is going to relocate to Nevada if its employees don't have access to basic services like a decent educational system for their children. Opportunity in this country should not just be for those people who are already wealthy. This country was built on the backs of hardworking people who pulled themselves up from their bootstraps and lived the American dream. Its going to be much harder to do this in a competitive global economy, especially without adequate educational services.
Senate Republican Leader Mike McGinness may have the position but he holds little clout compared to a tried and true public servant like Horsford. Time will tell if he truly won the position because folks were voting for him - or voting against Raggio.
Horseford does not know what he is talking about. No one is trying to dismantle the state. We are talking about fiscal responsibility. If he is unhappy let him go to California or Illinois and see what a real financial crisis is. Being careful about the state finances does not make someone right wing idiot. Horseford should take a college course in economics.
Horsford is the REAL obstructionist. We, the People of Nevada, don't buy the phoney malarkey of the liberals anymore. We are interested in the long-term health of our state for our children and grandchildren. So, we realize that the largess of recent years cannot go on. We need to get mean and lean about our budgeting and Horsford wants more of the same old unsustainable tax-and-spend irresponsibility of the past.
It's pathetic how many people in our society want a college education paid-for by someone else!
Every time the budget cuts come up the big senders resort to the Washington Monument ploy. Really? How pathetic. There are lots of places in the budget to cut and not affect essential services. The unions will make lots of noise and they will symbolically fire teachers who are not union sympathetic. Since the Teachers Union is not interested in teaching our children anything there will be a further decrease in the learning in school. Indoctrination will continue as usual.
Raising taxes will cause a raise in Nevada's unemployment numbers and yes the recession is not over.
The only way out of this is to let the People do it. If you went to a mechanic to get your car fixed and he made it worse, would you go back to him to get it fixed again only to be charged a second time? Why would you do that with government?
What's pathetic is how poorly educated the kids of Nevada are due to the constant cuts in our educational system. We are at the bottom in educational funding and per student funding and it shows.
And as for the pathetic people wanting an education, I dare you to go to CSN or UNLV and start calling the students deadbeats for wanting the state to pay their way. They would be more than happy to tell you what the truth is and provide you with a new collection of colorful names.
It's all 'phoney malarkey' according to a bunch of massacred Red Skins. It's all about the wampum and the gold, silver and luxurious life sans contact with her majesty, understanding.
but whatever you do Horsford, DON'T cut spending for the D street underpass!!!!
without it the hard working people of the local neighborhood will be cut off from the downtown and will not be able to work to end the recession!!!
it's ONLY 20 or 30 MILLION dollars of taxpayer money!!! and it will benefit DOZENS of your favorite constituents!!!!
(actually it will probably cost closer to $50 million dollars after the inevitable government program cost overruns - but hey, it's other people's money, so who cares!)
Job killing taxes? Do Republicans know that taxes finance not only bloated government, but all of the private-interest economic development jobs they intend to buy?
Here is the right wing thinking horsford fears.
He fears vouchers that would pummel the unions ability to get him re-elected.
Well said.
NPRI has a lie campaign to distort data about taxes. The taxfoundation ranks Nevada as number 4 in low business taxes, behind Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota. On "internal tax rates" those that don't look at taxes designed to tax people from out of state (e.g. room taxes, gaming taxes, entertainment taxes, etc) Nevada is in the ten states with the lowest taxes. When it comes to "external taxes" ..taxes passed on to people from other states, Nevada is about mid-rung.
I just got off the phone with the taxfoundation and they are aware of NPRI's distortions about their statistics.
Whoresord and his cohorts have been doing what he claims since they have been in office. Why dont they pack up and leave and go to Alaska and do everyone a world of good. They are nothing more than rich lobbyist has beens dressed up as civil servants and they dont even fit the bill.. Wake up sheeple.
Horsford, in typical liberal fashion, attacks conservatism without substance to back-up his claims. He would fit-in better in Communist California. Since the Las Vegas Valley has been Californicated, his idiotic rantings are well received here. But not in the rest of the state.