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Gibbons’ Nevada spurns middle class
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 | 2:03 a.m.
Gov. Jim Gibbons needs to go. His proposal that state employees pay for Nevada’s revenue shortfall by taking a 6 percent pay cut is shameful. He claims he is opposed to any increase in taxation, yet his proposal is in fact nothing less than a tax to be paid by a select few who are undercompensated as it is.
This sort of hypocrisy shows that Gibbons lacks the good judgment necessary to lead this state in these troubled times.
The economic catastrophe we are experiencing is not the doing of state workers. Those whose actions caused the downturn must be the ones to pay for the damage.
In his State of the State speech, Gibbons paid tribute to the brave Nevadans who “gave the ultimate sacrifice” while defending our country from terror. How hollow it sounds when said by someone who refuses to defend the working class, and who would rather protect wealthy Nevadans from their “ultimate sacrifice” of paying their fair share of taxes.
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Gibbons saves jobs both in the private sector and the public sector.
The alternatives are government sector layoffs and tax increases that will produce more private sector layoffs.
The government workers seem to believe that they are an entitlement class that should be protected from the harsh conditions of these economic times.
Lets face it, the Governor had tough choices to make. Nevada could remain true to the spirit of fiscal conservatism or raise taxes and increase the burdens on people and businesses during a major recession, thereby increasing the pain for the entire Nevada economy. The only problem with the Gibbons budget is the reduction in teacher pay. As it is, teachers receive low pay nationwide, and this is one area where society needs to address a very evident inequity.
Teachers pay in Nevada is ranked 25th in the nation.
In Nevada they get on average $45,000 for nine months of work.
If they start working at 25 then they can retire at 55 with nearly 70% of their salary with health insurance subidizies.
They get tons of days off that private employees do not get.
It is extremely hard to fire a teacher.
I think most people would that as generous wages and benefits.
Nance, nance, nance. So smart, yet so clueless.
QUIT WHINING!
Less than $3000 after tax, with no chance to save for new home, set aside funds for children's college, or their own hard owned needs--
They shoulder the tireless responsibilty of teaching our kids, buying their own supplies which public budgets will not support--their job really never ends, they constantly need to acquire additional education to increse their paygrades--we really have more of a duty as society to deal with this than we do.
For all of you that think it is unfair for state employees to take a pay cut, please take a step back...Me in the private sector incur much more risk than a state employee and are incurring much larger pay cuts than 6%. Many people in Nevada have been laid off state employees will not have to fear that...Most people in Nevada have reduced pay...Home Depot has moved full timers back to 36 hours (that is a 10% pay cut)...Most companies have eliminated overtime so that is a huge pay cut, and a bunch of companies have moved full time workers to part time...
Housing prices in Las Vegas have plummeted over the past several years, it is now much cheaper to live hear than most places... If the state employees don't like it they should just quit and find better paying jobs, and let us hire people at lower wages...Oh that is right things are tight everywhere except the state....
THE AVERAGE WAGE IN LAS VEGAS IS QUITE A BIT LESS THAN WHAT TEACHER MAKE....I AM SICK OF THE CRYING!!! IF EVERYONE ELSE IS SUFFERING NOW WHY SHOULDN'T THEY!!! WHY SHOULD THEY BE INSULATED FROM THE PROBLEMS THE REST OF THE WORLD IS GOING THROUGH AT OUR EXPENSE...THEY PROTEST NOT MAKING MUCH MONEY, BUT RIGHT NOW THEY MAKE MORE THAN 60% OF CLARK COUNTY RESIDENTS...GET OVER YOURSELVES PEOPLE....
Once President elect Obama is sworn in today and takes office, Gibbons, will not have his Republican cronies looking out for his corrupt deceptive self. President Obama will not tolerate, this corrupt Governor. Gibbons better lay down now, it is over for Gibbons and his cronies.....
Look rverp,
Home Depot, like most of the private sector, has experienced decreased volume. That means they have less money, because they are doing less business. Ok...
Because of that decreased volume they have to lower the bottom line, which usually and unfortunately means you and your coworkers. I feel for you and others.
Have teachers experienced a decreased volume? No.
As for that whopper going around that teachers make/start at 44k is LUDICROUS. That is an average that takes into account the new, the old, and the others. Most teachers start at about 35k. As for crying about they only work 9 months, bull. During summer is when they take classes to stay a teacher, take classes to move up a paygrade (on their own dime), and they retool lesson plans and gear up for the next school year. Additionally, they (this is for you Nance) DON'T work just 40 hours. They go to school early to prepare, stick around after for various functions, and do they get to go home to relax from a day at the office? NO. Nighttime is for grading, reviewing for tomorrow, making new tests, etc. This isn't just a 9 to 5 job.
For all you bitter detractors, why don't you try to be a teacher? You seem to think it's easy enough with great benefits. Why don't you stop being lazy and get on that "gravy train"? Or are you all just pathetic cowards who don't want to work a tough thankless job with people like you sniping at them telling them how worthless they are. If you feel that way, just pull your kid out of school period. Just let him grow up with no school and see how he does.
Nobody was complaining about the teachers and state workers when the times were good, were they? When real estate agents with GED's were making 6 figures were the teachers sticking with their 45k salaries? Oh yes, they stuck it out during the good times didn't they? Now all of the sudden they have such good benefits and salaries when times are bad. I am 34 years old and during my lifetime I have yet to remember the day when teachers or state workers didn't have good benefits and days off. That was one of the points to taking a job like that. Sure you won't drive a BMW or a Lexus or live in a fancy house, but you can spend time with your family and make a secure living in good times and bad. Now Gibbons and idiot boy Nance want to attack that because it is an easy target. "Teacher pay is 25th in the nation" says Nance. Ok, lets attack that and make it 50th. That sounds like a great idea, moron.
Enough already about comparisons between the private sector and government. Government doesn't run like a business because government isn't a business; it takes on the functions it does because the private sector can't perform them profitably.
When business declines at your local Home Depot the necessity for purchasing inventory declines also. When "business" (i.e. tax collections) are off in government the government not only needs to continue purchasing inventory (i.e. services), the demand for them goes up. There are still just as many kids enrolled in school as there were three years ago, just as many at UNLV and UNR, and more people needing unemployment and other services for the indigent.
Yes, we should have saved that rainy day fund for this rather than give out those car registration rebates, but here we are. When Gibbons and his sycophants say that government needs to tighten its belt during hard times they conveniently forget that it's not some faceless bureaucracy that's tightening its belt. It's medical care for poor kids, including childhood immunizations. It's the education of these same kids that suffers; it's our underfunded, inadequate system of crumbling roads and bridges.
And why? So Wal Mart and mining don't have to pay for the very infrastructure that allows them to cart their profits off to Arkansas and elsewhere.
Ask yourself this: who and what really matters to our Governor? Do you believe him when he tells you he doesn't want to raise taxes for YOUR benefit when, by failing to do so, he will destroy the state's university system? Assuming your kid will still be able to get through high school in the wake of these budget cuts, where are you planning on sending him to college?
And, for the record, my kids are grown and on their own.
Does anyone have the numbers on last years Profits for Newmont, Barrick, and Gaming?
Hey Rverp1 perhaps if you got a better education and learned in school while there, you would have been able to write a proper response and would have learned to correct your grammar and errors. A better education would have helped you get better job security; you are the one who you should be mad at, not the teacher who provided you with a chance.
Get a grip and stop whining about your apparent failures in life.
Those who can, teach.
Those who can't go into business.