Teachers-gaming deal substituting for policy

Wed, May 21, 2008 (2:01 a.m.)

I’d be more outraged that Steve Wynn is making tax policy if someone who had been elected actually were making tax policy.

I’d be more outraged that a 3 percentage point increase in room taxes is being called tax policy if the state actually had a tax policy.

And I’d be more outraged about a teachers-gaming partnership on tax policy if I hadn’t already seen a movie about a teachers-gaming partnership on tax policy.

Indeed, what has occurred during the past few weeks, culminating Monday with the teachers withdrawing their petition to increase the gross gaming tax, has a disturbing familiarity. It’s familiar because the much-ballyhooed teachers-gaming partnership also resulted in the union pulling an initiative petition to tax business (again based on future promises of revenue) 18 years ago. It’s disturbing because Nevada was close to last in education funding in 1990 and has marinated in that lowly status through 2008 — and surely will through this latest incarnation of this beautiful friendship between specially interested parties.

Such a deal this is, folks. But for whom?

The teachers, who may or may not have collected the requisite signatures, agreed to abandon a petition that could have reaped as much as $400 million in two cycles for a problematic scheme that could net them as much as $150 million — or more in the long run with thousands of rooms theoretically coming online. That may seem as if it is a bird-in-the-hand calculation by the Nevada State Education Association, which makes sense, especially because organizers may not have qualified the petition under a multimedia assault by the gamers in rural and Northern Nevada.

But that bird may fly away if Murphy’s law kicks in — counties don’t put the proposed advisory question on the ballot or the backup statutory initiative in the deal doesn’t qualify. And now the pressure is off the gamers, who may or may not have been able to persuade the Supreme Court to remove the initiative. But they eradicated a potential 44 percent increase in the gaming tax and traded it for a small boost in a tax their customers pay.

This might seem like a sweet deal for Strip lords, but an argument could be made that if they had waited to see whether the teachers qualified the petition or for the Supreme Court to act in July, they might have made an even better deal — and actually looked magnanimous in doing so.

This marriage of convenience has a long way to go before it is consummated.

The industry should probably throw a party for Wynn for derailing the initiative. But with MGM Mirage and Boyd Gaming — two major players — not signing on because they don’t like how the money is slated to be disbursed, and with Gondolier Numero Uno Sheldon Adelson opposed, how does this get approved?

Gov. Jim Gibbons is lukewarm at best. Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio has also been tepid, perhaps influenced by a sudden primary challenge from the feisty ex-Assemblywoman Sharron Angle. That’s two-thirds of the state government’s leadership not embracing the plan.

Did anyone notice that the role traditionally reserved for a governor — bringing captains of industry to the table — was carried out by Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, a nascent candidate for the office, while the incumbent was sniping at the deal from an undisclosed location in Iraq? Not quite as far away, the Just Say No crowd, aka the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce elite, was cavorting in Washington, D.C., having faux policy while the state languishes and they pat each other on the back for dodging any responsibility yet again.

The commonality between 1990 and 2008 is that external forces imposed a solution on the political system because state lawmakers, crippled by too much fear and too little creativity, created a vacuum with their pathetic paralysis. The large difference between then and now is that there was a governor (Bob Miller) who the special interests knew would rubber-stamp their solution because he believed in it, while this time there is a governor (Jim Gibbons) who is likely to oppose it (or not be helpful) because he believes in his political survival at all costs.

So maybe I would be more outraged if I hadn’t seen all of this before, with only the names changed (at least some of them) to protect the craven. Band-Aids where surgery is needed. Unelected hegemony while the politicians stand on the sidelines. The business community just says no and wins.

On second thought, I think I might be outraged. How about you?

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

By kennekra

5/21/08 at 7:12 a.m.

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What saddens me is the lack of leadership coming from both the Legislative and Executive branches of government. What's worse is that this lack of leadership has led to the Special Interests and Citizenry turning to the initiative process simply to address the issues they see, from their point of view.

Time and time again, we see narrow-minded initiatives without consideration for future consequences. The current row of education funding, term limits and the smoking ban are examples of good ideas that were left open to interpretation. Had our Legislative branch shown leadership these ideas could have been vetted and ambiguities cleared up ahead of passage.

It's time for the citizens of Nevada to pay attention to our elected officials and hold them accountable for the state of our State. Alas, that is probably asking too much...
By JohnF

5/21/08 at 8:40 a.m.

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Don't know if outrage is the right word. Disgust says it better, I think.

I'm thinking of moving to Mississippi or Arkansas.
By MysterMr

5/22/08 at 5:41 a.m.

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What is most disgusting is the consistent misrepresentation that education is somehow "underfunded" in Nevada by supposedly educated pundits.

Until the NSEA and CCSD starts being honest with taxpayers about how flush they actually are, allow a full audit performed for the money they do squander, and provide the true ranking of Nevada education spending, they have no right to ask for anything. I'd almost rather see my money wasted in Iraq instead... almost.

I'm so sick of the wah wah wah... We all know the CCSD can absorb ANY increase in funding with no performance increase whatsoever. This is their true talent.

And what the hell does "per student funding" have to do with the price of tea in China? Well... nothing. Is one bank/casino/restaurant better than another based on how much they make "per employee" ? (LOL) Pretty retarded line of thought, but just what I expect from the brain trust that brought us years of Carlos Garcia and his puppet successor. I'm told the G-man is destroying San Fransisco's school district as I write.

In 2003, the casino industry got in bed with the NSEA in 2003 to give Nevadans their biggest screwing ever, so it was a little fun for this short while to see the NSEA showing their true colors with the initiative and the casinos on the defensive. Reminds me of the fable about the duck giving the snake a ride across the river and the snake biting the duck. They also managed in the process to new business growth in Nevada to a halt - something we're all paying for now.

But fear not for the NSEA. I'm sure the personal safes of those at the NSEA in charge of the initiative petition are now flush with unreported and freshly bundled cash stacks from their masters. The NSEA herders have always seemed a squirly bunch above that whole "integrity" thing and willing to say or do anything for the almighty dollar, so I'm sure they were owned cheap.

So... (sigh) now that the casinos are off the hook for what I'm sure was a relatively very small cash expense, I'm sure they will band together against small businesses, homeowners, and everyone else.

I feel deja vu coming on and the sad thing is that I didn't even support the gaming tax increase since the school district simply does not need it. If anything, their funding should be slashed until they start doing their jobs, then we can talk about a raise. The only fun thing about the intiative like I said was seeing the snake turn around and bite them. Of course, snakes are always down for deals.
By Oliver07

5/22/08 at 8:05 a.m.

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And to think, Barbara Buckley is considered a "leader" because she was the 1 politician who talked to 2 casino companies and got the teacher's union to back down. And according to one TV interview with Steve Wynn, he called her. Gee, do we see a political agenda here on her part? What a weird way to run an educational system.

Have to agree with you MysterMr. I think they need a more complete accounting from the education dept as to how the money they do get is spent. I do not think the NSEA serves either the teachers or the students very well.
By teacher

5/23/08 at 6:45 a.m.

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As a teacher who is now planning to find a way out - any way, even if it means selling and moving, or going into huge debt at almost fifty to get more education that will get me out of the hopeless CCSD - I have to respond to these typical slams at schools.

One of my children, educated here totally, just earned good enough SAT scores to get him into any college in the country.

Why are teachers being blamed for "not doing their jobs" because too many students aren't learning? This is very simple to grasp. The students actually have to do some work to learn. Their parents need to care.

Why are teachers not lauded for doing a great job when kids learn a lot?

Teachers do not make district policy, have no voice in it, but have to abide by it. If they are grossly underpaid or treated unfairly, if kids come into their classes way below grade level, if they are constantly subjected to behavior problem kids they can do nothing about - etc. - they do not have the same right to strike as in almost all other states.

I cannot wait. My son will be gone soon, and maybe I can escape from this hellish position in a couple of years. Look at what was done with teacher retirement recently. Look at the average salary vs other college grads here. If I could afford to stay and fight for better ed here, I would. But I can't.

Teachers do not decide how ed money is budgeted. This does need a great amount of scrutiny. I would not have voted for the ballot initiative to raise gaming taxes, for this reason. However, I guarantee you there are states that spend money much more freely than Nevada, and do have much better school systems.

People who complain about raising teacher salaries here don't deserve good teachers for their children. I'm another one who will be gone. When CCSD classrooms are chock full of subs and the lowest teachers out there, I know exactly who you'll blame - them.

By the way, my son will have to work and earn scholarships. I can't even afford to continue living here with these prices, let alone help him.

Good job, Vegas. Keep going, and you'll have the worst teachers in the country working here for the next thirty years, as well as schools full of subs. Some of you will absolutely deserve them.
By Oliver07

5/23/08 at 2:04 p.m.

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Teaher - I don't think anyone is actually blaming the teachers. I taught elementary school for 10 years. A few of those years were in private schools that paid less than public ones. I know what it is like to have large classrooms and disruptive students. Having a larger salary or a smaller classroom didn't make me a better a worse teacher.

I think what most of us get concerned about is that there seems to be no accounting for how the school system spends its money and that the union wants to look good by just throwing money at teachers. I'm sure that you know as well as the rest of us, that bigger salaries don't necessarily make better teachers.
By HelenWeils

5/26/08 at 8:50 a.m.

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It's time to eliminate the public school system which is completely broken with no hope of repair as long as we have the teachers union.
It's a complete failure. Why? Read this!
http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/19053339.htm...