Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleThe speech that Gov. Jim Gibbons ought to be giving
Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010 | 2 a.m.
The speech a leader would give Monday night as the State of the State — here’s Jim Gibbons as he should be:
Good evening, fellow citizens. The State of the State is not good; in fact, it is as bad as anyone here has ever seen it.
This is the most difficult speech of my career — and the most important one.
I need to announce two sets of plans tonight — one about my political future, the other about the state’s future.
Let’s take the easy one first: After much deliberation, I have decided not to seek re-election. I realize I have spent much of my adult life climbing the political ladder, but I have not enjoyed myself or conducted myself well once I reached the top. I have lost my way. But it is never too late to change. So I will let someone else do this job — and this is no favor to the person who will replace me, considering the state will need
$3 billion next session just to return to previous levels.
I make this announcement because I don’t want political considerations to interfere with what we must do for this state. For too long, I have relied on slogans and wedge politics to advance my career. And, frankly, I think I might be able to win by doing it again. But not this time. Some may call this a political deathbed conversion. But even as my political career is expiring, I hope the plan I lay out here tonight will be remembered long after I am gone.
I have said “no new taxes” a lot in my career — as many of you are painfully aware. This crisis has made me realize it is not that simple. Do we need to do something about government spending? Absolutely. Wage and benefit packages need to be re-examined. But we also need to look at the services we provide and how efficiently we are providing them. But there’s a part of the equation that is being missed as we prepare in two weeks to cut another billion dollars out of the budget. And that is the services we don’t provide — and we are about to provide much less of.
I was looking over the blizzard of numbers on spreadsheets of cuts my staff prepared and a couple of impact lines jumped out at me, both from Health and Human Services:
“This will result in an increased number of homeless mentally ill in the community.” And this one: “This reduction will have a direct impact on services to children.”
What are we doing here, ladies and gentlemen?
All of us here — and especially me — will have to live with what we are about to do. And I don’t know how any of us — Democrats and Republicans — can look in the mirror if we execute these cuts.
There has to be another way — and there is.
I don’t know how many of you read last year’s Pew study that pinpointed our state’s problems — we depend too much on one industry, and we put off tough budget decisions. It’s what we always do in this state.
We are just pushing all these problems to the 2011 session, when the stimulus money will be gone and taxes will be sunsetted.
What I am about to say is going to shock you, but no one watching me now can be unaware of what will happen if we continue this way. It will take us decades to recover — and we may never recover. So read my lips: It’s time to consider taxes.
What taxes? The mining industry must give up some of its deductions right away. A quarter-percent on gaming will not kill the golden goose. And, yes, some form of big business tax, one that exempts the smaller enterprises, must be on the table.
They must be on the special session agenda, and I will put them there, too. It is too facile, too inane to keep saying “no new taxes.”
Some legislators — unlike me — have to be on the ballot and may be afraid of retribution from these industries — or the public. But it’s their job to explain why a mix of taxes and cuts is the only way for Nevada not to slip into a quicksand of failed education, social services and infrastructure systems.
It’s time, fellow citizens. I am used to ridicule and I know more will come after tonight. But this is the speech I should have given long ago. And look at it this way: If I can change, anything is possible.
Thank you.
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
- UNLV can move forward without the burden of losing streak to San Diego State
- A wife’s wisdom shows birth control issue needn’t be divisive
- Surprise links, negotiated deals addressed by commissioners
- Motorcycle accident claims life of man in northeast valley
- Hope and change and … what’s missing?
- New York mayor has the right idea
- We don’t need a CEO in charge
- Paying our own way
- Country has ‘given’ citizens a lot
- Jerry Tarkanian: Mike Moser impresses yet again on a day to remember former Rebel greats
Blogs
The Kats Report
Color from scene at Thomas & Mack: We have a wire job! Rebels win, and Louie Armstrong sings!
South Point owner Michael Gaughan's take on 'Vegas Stripped': 'I'll give it an 8' (4 Comments)
Author relishes writing the life story of ‘larger-than-life’ Oscar Goodman (3 Comments)
Elsewhere
Landowner: All roads could lead to Uxbridge casino
Revel reveals smoke-free casino opening
Cirque du Soleil show in Sands China casino to close this month
Meet the woman behind Sheldon Adelson
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Nice delusional column Mr. Raltson (statesmanship above politic gain; commons sense above platitudes; and truth above untruth).
The speech tomorrow will no doubt be far more delusional-politics, platitudes and untruths.
Seriously, your are on target. The governor needs to level with the public and the public needs to level with itself. The problem is that the public prefers the governor's vision-it is quick, painless, uncomplicated and puts off for tomorrow what should be addressed today.
We will only get better government if we demand it.
If only.
We can dream, can't we?
Amen!
Had Gymbo a tenth of this vision and sense of facility and brevity, he'd dance the Ralston.
Hopeless is as hopeless does, though, so we'll likely see none of the above. Same old platitudes, denial, and abstinence from duty will fill the state of Nevada, again...
you forgot to add...
"My salary will be the first to be cut, then my staff's salaries will be returned to their former amount before I fradulently "promoted" them last year; and if jobs must be lost, I will reduce the number of people on my staff first- do I really need so many 'staff'?"
Mr. Ralston,
You do realize that the $3 billion "needed" to return to previous levels is actually to put us back on the unsustainable growth that got us here in the first place?
Basically, you just advocated boom town government in a ghost town state. That just isn't realistic.
PS, is that $3 billion on top of the current $6.9 billion general fund budget or on top of the $5.1 billion (or so) revenue projection. Either way, do you realize what you would have to do in order to raise that amount of cash?
At the very least, you'd have to increase revenues by 58%. That just isn't sane. Is the goal to be just like California?
Great speach, Jon.
We'll never hear it out of the lipless man in the Governors mansion, but what do you expect when you elect a man without lips?
Nicely said and hey, stranger things have happened right? It's not like implementing a tax plan is a radical new idea.
Do the right thing Governor! Go out with a shred of dignity.
Here's a little information to consider;
Effective 7/1/09 Sales tax in Clark County was raised to 8.1%, of that tax the "Local School Support Tax portion was increased from 2.25% to 2.60%. In addition, the General Business Rate for the Modified Business Tax was increased .5% on taxable wages up to $62,500, and an additional 1.17% on any amount over $62,500. They also increased the business license fee to $200.00.
I just reviewed our last quarterly return (prior to the increase) for the Modified Business Tax and recalculated at the new rate - $2,000.00 for one quarter of business wages.
While these examples above are not NEW taxes, in that they didn't exist before, they certainly result in additional funding for the State. While they are looking to all of us to make up the shortfall in funding while we are in a depressed state, what happens to the increases once the economy turns around? They have already shown us they can spend like there is not tomorrow.
Patrick you always have to pervert the numbers. You know that Ralston is talking about revenue not spending. And you know that, despite being viewed as a 'tax haven' by most businesses in all the other states (just check out how many corporations are chartered here but do not business and/or pay not taxes here beyond the $200), our recession is worse than the rest of the Nation, not because of few hundred dollars in additional payroll taxes but because we are a one horse state with no meaningful economic diversity.
Stop pretending that we pay too much in tax. Stop pretending that spending less will make life better in this state. Stop pretending that you care about the people of this state. And admit that you and your 'institute' are paid lobbyists of businesses that want to preserve the tax haven status of Nevada no matter what the impact.
Hss,
Nevada's tax collection per capita ranks 25th in the Nation. We pay plenty of taxes, most in non direct ways. That is not something I'm making up, that comes from the VERY SAME REPORT Speaker Buckley uses to claim we rank 49th.
As far as revenues and spending, you didn't get the point (and it doesn't matter either way). We are going to get between $5.1 and $5.3 billion for this biennium which means to get another $3 billion as Ralson said (a really, really bad idea) we would need to increase revenues by 58%
That would mean massive tax increases on an already strained system.
The other point I made was right on. $3 billion extra would only continue to fund the bloated government we previously had AT the previous rate of unsustainable growth.
Hss,
There is no fuzzy math. Ralston said we need $3 billion to be on target (target with the overspending we previously had).
Furthermore, the corporate income tax is the most volitile tax. So that is a bad idea.
Why are you so disinterested in getting government to be more efficient? Why do you want to pay more for less? It doesn't make any sense to me.
Jon if you are so convinced that you have the solutions to fix all of our state's problems and believe that what you suggested will work, how is it that your name will not be on the ballot for governor?
republicans say " let's start another war...the economy always prospers when we have a major war going on...look at w.w.II..."
that's what bush and the republicans say.