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Betty Pone helps client Jan Moore work on decorations for New Year’s Eve at Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Center, one of three in the valley.
Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Related content
- Seniors worry about Medicare Advantage cuts (12-28-2009)
- If an industry is immune to recession, it’s health care (2-24-2009)
- Nevada's aging population not as old as other states (2-23-2009)
- Older workers ‘bumping’ young down jobs ladder (1-6-2009)
- Retire? Not me (3-15-2008)
- Seniors find additional school support taxing (9-24-2006)
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the fastest-growing segment of Nevada’s population over the next 10 years will be senior citizens, and the prospect has policymakers on edge.
They fear Nevada’s aging population will put an unbearable strain on the state’s overburdened health care system and social services and create greater urgency to build affordable housing. And given the state’s current fiscal crisis that has forced agencies to cut programs and freeze vacant positions, the concerns about the graying of the Silver State are valid.
The Las Vegas Valley, for example, has a shortage of services such as those at three Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Centers.
For the past three years, Josephine Leu, 59, has been among the many people who have spent most weekdays at the centers. Leu hopes to be able to do that through this decade. A stroke left her unable to work. She has to use a wheelchair.
“If I didn’t come here,” she says, “I’d be staying at home, and my daughter would be taking care of me all day. She already has her own children to take care of.”
At the center she is able to socialize, get a little exercise using a walker and eat under the supervision of a nutritionist.
Taxpayers foot the costs for 80 percent of the center’s clientele.
‘Demographic tsunami’
From 2010 to 2020, Nevada is expected to see a 61 percent increase in residents 65 or older, trailing only Alaska and Arizona. If that Census projection holds true, Nevada will have 531,120 people past the traditional retirement age in 2020. That’s more than four times the 127,631 such Nevadans in 1990.
The iceberg’s tip poked through in a snapshot of 2008. Although Nevada’s population grew 1.4 percent that year, the number of residents 65 and older increased 3.9 percent, the Census Bureau estimated.
Vincent Cravero, a client at the center for adults, shows a photo of himself when he was in the Army during World War II.
But red flags were raised at least one year earlier. UNR’s Sanford Center for Aging reported in 2007: “Nevada’s infrastructure of services for older adults is unprepared for the demographic tsunami which will occur as the Baby Boomer population ages.”
And that warning was sounded before the state’s economy cratered, before Nevada was saddled with one of the worst state economies in the nation — one expected to be among the last to fully recover.
Because they were based on rates of growth before the recession, the census projections may be off, but even if they are, Nevada can still expect to have a far greater number of seniors 10 years from now than today.
State Demographer Jeff Hardcastle says the main reason is middle-aged workers flocked in droves to the state in the 1990s. Many, if not most, put down roots, so they are expected to spend their final decades here.
Another factor, at least until the state’s economy is thriving again, will be younger people leaving the state to find work.
The lack of jobs is not a deterrent to Baby Boomers looking for a place to retire, however. Nevada can expect an influx of those folks because they’re attracted by the tax structure and lack of a state income tax, says Dennis Smith, president of Home Builders Research.
On average they are also better positioned to take advantage of the valley’s “deeply discounted” home prices than other age groups, says Brian Gordon, principal with Applied Analysis, a Las Vegas financial advisory firm.
“They seem more capable of paying cash or making a significant down payment on a home,” Gordon says.
So many of those retirees might just provide the state with an economic shot in the arm.
Gray issues
Thanks to strength in numbers, seniors can look forward to wielding considerably more political clout because they historically vote in higher percentages than other adults.
“I say watch out,” says Pamela Powell, an educator with University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. “Because they’re more educated than seniors in the past they know how to get things done. I expect them to be front and center on the issues.”
That could bode ill for school funding. As the Sun reported in 2006, many seniors who moved to Nevada because of its low taxes have tended to vote against measures that would raise their taxes, including school bond issues that are paid for by property taxes.
This is particularly true of seniors on fixed incomes.
The conventional wisdom is that the anti-tax seniors think they have paid their fair share. If that holds true over the next decade, it could make it that much more difficult for schools or governments to get tax measures passed at the ballot box.
There will be no shortage of other issues regarding seniors. Chief among them is Nevada’s health care system.
Because seniors rely more on health care, it is crucial they have sufficient access to physicians. But University of Nevada School of Medicine researchers reported in November that Nevada ranked 48th in the nation in 2007 in the number of physicians per 100,000 residents. The nation averaged 312 doctors per 100,000 residents, but Nevada had only 218 per capita.
Dr. Annette Teijeiro, a Las Vegas anesthesiologist and president of the Clark County Medical Society, says the doctor shortage hits Southern Nevada seniors particularly hard because some of the largest deficiencies are in the ranks of specialists used largely by the elderly: geriatric medicine specialists, urologists, cardiologists, etc.
Southern Nevada also suffers from a shortage of nurses, Teijeiro adds.
When it comes to health care, “the facts are pretty dismal in terms of how ready Southern Nevada really is” for a rapidly growing senior population, says Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association.
A case in point is state-funded Medicaid, which is geared toward lower-income people.
“Nevada doesn’t put enough money into Medicaid and the eligibility standards are very high,” Matheis says. “We put so little money into it that people wind up on Medicaid only when they’re very sick. The problem is that many of these seniors don’t get any early intervention or preventive care.”
The frugal Medicaid spending is a major reason Southern Nevada doesn’t have more adult day-care centers, says Christopher Vito, president and CEO of the for-profit Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Centers.
Vincent Cravero, above, uses an exercise machine at the facility last week.
There are 13 state-licensed adult day-care centers in Clark County, but Vito pointed to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of Princeton, N.J., showing the need for 33 such facilities in the county — and that study was done seven years ago.
Nevada Medicaid, he says, reimburses adult day-care operators only $54.50 per client per day for at least six hours of service, whereas California Medicaid pays about $80 a day.
“Most adult day-care facilities in Nevada have a life span of only two or three years,” Vito says. “They end up filing for bankruptcy because they’re not funded well.
“There are a lot of things that trigger service gaps for seniors, including the reimbursement rates from Medicaid.”
It worries those who note that Nevada has had the nation’s highest suicide rate among seniors for more than 20 years and those who know the state is projected to have the fifth highest increase in Alzheimer’s disease cases this decade, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. State health officials also have issued warnings about increases in diabetes and high blood pressure among Nevada seniors.
The Cooperative Extension in 2007 summarized the health issues facing Nevada seniors: Baby Boomers will live longer than prior generations, but they will also experience higher rates of chronic illness and functional disability.
“Although many of Nevada’s older adults are healthy, a large number are or will become at risk, resulting in a significant number of older adults who will become fragile and dependent, straining resources that are required to meet their need for health care and assisted living,” the report concluded.
A room of their own
Ask just about any senior and he’ll tell you he doesn’t want to wind up in a nursing home. Nevada, in fact, has had relatively flat demand for such placements in recent years. But if demand spikes over the next decade, the state could be in trouble.
The Nevada Division of Health Care Policy, the agency charged with overseeing Medicaid, disclosed in March that Nevada in 2007 had barely more than two nursing home beds per 1,000 residents, less than half the national average. The Kaiser Family Foundation of Menlo Park, Calif., also reported that Nevada in 2008 had the sixth lowest number of such beds in the nation.
Instead of relying on nursing homes, the state is attempting to keep seniors in their residences through home-based and community services. That strategy can help older Nevadans remain healthier and more productive while saving taxpayers money because intensive nursing supervision is far more expensive.
The problem, though, is that Nevada has been tightfisted when it comes to funding social services, and the recession has only made that situation worse.
To help trim state spending, Gov. Jim Gibbons’ administration last year recommended cutting more than 450 people out of state-funded senior programs. The Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division, which runs the programs, convinced the Nevada Legislature in 2009 to provide enough funding to maintain existing caseloads. But the programs did not go unscathed.
Nearly $600,000 was taken away from a tax rebate program that had provided relief for seniors with high property taxes.
Wages were cut for people who provide seniors with cleaning, bathing and other home-care services. That has senior advocates fearing those workers will seek higher paying jobs in other professions, leaving older Nevadans without enough workers to provide those services.
“It’s rewarding work but it’s also demanding and the compensation isn’t what it should be,” says Barry Gold, director of government relations for AARP Nevada. “We’re being outspent for these workers by places like McDonald’s and retail stores.”
Retired state Medicaid supervisor Lucy Peres, president of the Nevada Silver Haired Legislative Forum and a member of the National Silver Haired Congress, says she understands the need to cut the state budget, but it seems “services to seniors are the first to go.”
“When they have cut funds they have taken it away from home care, which means fewer people can stay at home,” Peres says. She blamed part of that on lobbying activity in Carson City, where she says, “there are a lot of people advocating for children, who represent our future, but not a lot of people advocating for seniors.”
Peres is particularly disturbed at how the cuts affect today’s seniors, who “didn’t eat off the system when they were younger” but need state services now because they are strapped for cash.
At Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Center, seniors have access to recreation, exercise and healthy meals.
The recession has also taken a toll on nonprofit agencies that provide assistance to seniors. Many of the agencies have seen revenue decrease by as much as 25 percent over the past year, says Dan Goulet, president and CEO of United Way of Southern Nevada.
“There are seniors who were eligible for services a year or two ago who won’t be eligible a year or two from now,” he says. “The state is shifting its focus on how it allocates dollars for seniors to those who are most at risk. Many seniors will no longer qualify for services because the income guidelines will become more strict.”
Seniors with at least some financial means to pay for services will be expected to take on more of that burden. Tina Gerber-Winn, deputy administrator of the state aging services division, confirmed that her agency must make those hard choices because of the state’s economy.
“Over the next 10 years, accessibility to services will be based on a person’s ability to pay,” Gerber-Winn says. “We will have to target the people who are at the highest risk, those who are isolated in rural areas and those people who don’t have caregivers.”
Overwhelmed, unprepared
In July 2008, the Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division painted a bleak picture of programs for seniors over the next decade because of budget crisis, skyrocketing medical costs and the possibility that state services will be “overwhelmed.”
But in many ways they already were.
The agency informed Gibbons that some Nevada seniors are waiting a year for services related to geriatric health and wellness, personal emergency response, caregiver support, home care and mental health. Some are waiting six months for employment or Alzheimer’s diagnostic services, five months for medical equipment and health care products, and four months for nutrition services, respite and support services, and legal assistance.
Demand is substantial for more affordable housing for seniors. This is a tall order in Nevada, because it is one of only seven states with fewer than 28 low-income housing units for every 100 “extremely low-income” families, the Nevada Division of Health Care Policy reported.
Nonprofit Nevada HAND, which builds and manages affordable housing for seniors in Southern Nevada, says the only turnover it sees in its units occurs when a tenant dies. The minimum waiting time is a three months, and it sometimes takes a year.
Michael Mullin, HAND’s founder and president, says there aren’t more affordable units for seniors because they are expensive to build and to subsidize.
“This is a segment of the population that is exploding and we need to figure out how to house them,” Mullin says.
But even if Nevada figures that and other problems out, it would still have to follow through with the necessary action.
“There is a lack of political will to invest in these kind of services, even when they can save money in the long run,” says Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno. “Nevada has had a libertarian philosophy of ‘take care of yourself,’ but we are woefully ill-prepared for the future.”
Well Nevada just better get on board with serving the needs of the retirement community because they are going to be the most stable source of residential development in the coming post recession years. Nevada needs to learn how to plan for the future NOW, and stop waddling in the puddle of shock of the downturn...
nevada always will be behind. state do not look into the future. they only look past there nose. as u can see look what happen last 8 they did not diversify and look at our economy now. lets make prositution legal and tax it. let make marajuana and tax it. marajuana no different then alcohol. make marajuana same law as alcohol. if u smoke and drive u will suffer the same way
If they don't provide, they will stop coming in masses. There should be different benefits for Nevadans that have contributed to our community (i.e., lived and worked here) for many years, but less benefits for those that move here with no plans to ever work, and so on. Just reality if there isn't enough money, tell them to stay in their own states.
Seems like we have more than enough housing, lease Binions or the Sahara and turn it into "affordable senior housing."
Why don't the Libs require all Americans to purchase long-term care insurance just like they are going to require people to purchase healthcare insurance? Obviously the answer is more government regulation. Problem solved, right?
"So many of those retirees might just provide the state with an economic shot in the arm."
Yeah, Vegas con artists will have more victims...
Maybe these seniors can live in foreclosed homes.
I do prefer them as neighbors. Less noise and drama than Meth heads.
The Feds tell us that adding 30 million to the government role will save money so why would that not work for Nevada? The more money you spend the better off you are and that's the only way to cut the deficit.
Add a .50 tax to every fast food order which exceeds 500 total calories. With the millions of those sold every day in America, that would help illuminate the issue, discourage the consumption a little, and toss billions of dollars into the kitty to finance health reform -- saw a cool site; Balkingpoints ; incredible satellite view of earth
Nevada could improve its economy by attracting large numbers of senior residents. Most seniors bring with them sources of income that will be spent in Nevada year round and are not dependent on Nevada's failing economy. Nevada should modify its infrastructure to attract and care for seniors. It would be imprudent for Nevada to rely on tourism and gambling to support its infrastructure. Gambling now proliferates 40 states and there is nothing special about it in Nevada.
I love Vegas as a tourist but I would never live there unless I was rich. It's pretty obvious the state doesn't give a flyin' f*k about it's citizens!
Get real - IMO, most seniors that move to las vegas are cheap people that were not successful in their careers and don't have much money. if you had money and were successful, you wouldn't move to a city with a high crime rate, overcrowded hospitals, etc.
The older you are the more taxes you have paid and now you need some of the benefits you have paid for they tell you that are costing to much.
"The older you are the more taxes you have paid and now you need some of the benefits you have paid for they tell you that are costing to much."
That is a load of crap. Seniors did not pay nearly as much into social security as they are receiving and that is why the burden is now on the younger generations to pay even more taxes for them. Same goes for what they paid into Medicare/Medicaid.
So what makes people think that the current programs Nevada has for seniors should be expanded for new arrivals rather than terminated as another example of ineffective government waste that makes our financial problems worse?
Yep, cancel them. Stop making it attractive for the ghetto old people to come to Nevada and instead let them stay where they are. We shouldn't foot the bill for tens of thousands of people that never worked a day in their life in Nevada.
Nevadaappleslices is a true "New Republican."
Full of love and compassion for fellow humans.
Sounds like a death panel judge-in-training.
Also, what kind of logic is it that tells you that spending a nickel now to make a dime later is bad governance?
give it up gmag - spending hundreds of millions of nickels to attract retirees that have little money and want to live in an area with high crime, overcrowded hospitals, and high unemployment is just irresponsible. Please enlighten us all on how this is going to make money in the long term. Oh wait, you are full of crap!
Nevadaappleslices must use an apple core instead of common sense...
Most retirees relocating to Nevada, Arizona, Florida and other locations relocate for a better quality of life.
Retirees who relocate usually:
Have a good source of income to live comfortably.
Do not be go on public assistance nor are they a burden on public services.
Do not have children to put into the school system.
Have either medical insurance or Medicare.
Do not engage in illegal activities that require extra law enforcement.
AND THEY VOICE THEIR OPINION AND VOTE...
I'm not sure what to think. I've always been extremely partial to Nevada's libertarian policies. If I wanted full social welfare and services, I could always move to California and pay crazy taxes.
Nevada has no income tax and very low tax rates- I do not expect social welfare and services in return, and am willing to go rough it out, not expecting something I didn't pay for.
I like it that way.
There are three bottom lines to this story:
(1) Under the U.S. Supreme Court's case dating back to the Depression, any legislative attempt to stop the migration of senior citizens into Nevada will be overturned in Federal Court under the Okie Law cases, where California attempted to keep "indigents" from moving into the state.
(2) It will still be cheaper for Nevada taxpayers to have in migration of one senior citizen adult as opposed to one working age adult with an average of two kids. Older newcomers do not create the need for more school seats or more teachers.
(3) Realistically, the older Americans who move to Nevada will be those who can afford to move, i.e. middle to upper class retirees. They will contribute to state, city and county revenues by paying taxes due upon recording of deeds for real estate purchases, and by their continual payment of sales tax on their spending.
Frankly, I'd rather see an incoming resident stream made up of educated middle class retirees instead of a constant stream of immigrants and under-educated people hoping to land jobs in the casino industry, which is what we have seen over the last 10 years.
now that the boom is over, unless you are really wealthy and can live in a guard gated community, or high rise condo, you should stay away from las vegas.
liberals are taking all the money away from hard working people to give to child molesters and murderers so they can have a nice place to sleep and night and a warm meal so they have energy to break into your house.
So I just spent 50 years of my life paying taxes for SS and other services using 40% of my income, for the day I retire or can no longer work. Now I am told, no one can afford to take care of me? Isn't that a class action suit? They collect a fee for services promised and then tell us they spent the money or can not provide the service - that we pre-paid ? Prepaid for a service that we cant get. That is illegal, if you went to a store or other service company. Am I wrong here??
retiredyoungster, the majority of seniors cost tax payers way more than they every paid into the system. So you are wrong if you think that every senior deserves MORE than what they paid in like the current system gives. I agree with someone above - people live in Nevada for the low taxes; move to California if you want to be taxed to death and reap the social services.
Yo Yo stevem!
As a ghetto thug, I want to thank you personally for all the money
you gave me. I spent it all on crack, bling and guns.
Now me and the homies are parked outside your house waiting for
you to leave so we can clean you out once and for all.
We gang bangers line up at the polls every year to vote for our liberal bros.
But you already figured it all out, maybe we need a new plan...
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!
Sometimes we just gotta educate the ignorant, hunh MJB?
I like gluing glitter on stuff.
Seniors are not likely to forget that Harry Gried raided Medicare and Medicaid for his back room deals to the tune of about $750 BILLION. Not to mentions the hundreds of millions in bribes to his Dummocrat buddies trying for another term.
Despite rumors to the contrary - Seniors do NOT forget. They just get even....
nevadaappleslices, if your point is to defy logic, congratulations, you've accomplished your goal!
gmag, yes, yes, you've posted enough times that you are a school teacher and don't make enough money. everyone owes you everything - let me guess, teachers should earn more, people that make more money to pay taxes for things that benefit you, and on a school teacher's salary, the rest of us should pay for your retirement. to each their own.
Now we're talkin!
However, I'm not a teacher. But absolutely, teachers SHOULD earn more. And if they have bargained in good faith for a nice retirement with the state, I say BULLY for them! No, life owes no one, but when one applies themselves and EARNS something they've contracted for, heck yes, they should get it, how foolish to think otherwise!
p.s.
I've read your posts too, and they are almost exclusively anti-education, anti-government worker, anti-everything to do with EDUCATION. You have an axe to grind, somewhere along the line.
I'm not anti-education, I just think that it is ridiculous when teachers complain about their salaries. You should obviously look into the salary of your potential career before choosing a major. Education majors have always made crap because it is an easy major and there is a large supply of people that graduate with the same degree. So either deal with it, or choose a different major if you are going to complain about the salary. But don't complain that they SHOULD earn more, because they never have, never will, and never SHOULD.
And I disagree with the large social security pay outs and pensions. People my age pay social security and our annual statements say that we should not expect the full benefit when we retire. Why should we continue to be forced into paying into a system that will never pay us back? So that people in retirement now can keep getting increases social security payments each year and we pick up the tab? The increases need to stop if those paying the bill aren't going to receive their share when they go to retire. They should get what they paid into it and not a penny more.
Nevada,
I usually disagree with you but this,
"You should obviously look into the salary of your potential career before choosing a major"""""". that is absolutely true.
I became a teacher and I knew I wasn't going to own a sports car and a second house. The only thing I will challenge is the ease with which you claim majors in education are. If you go to a good school, it may not be as difficult as a physics degree, but I wouldn't call it easy. Plus you actually have to get into college first.
What is easy, is some of the "alternative" licensing programs that they have now. And I don't know the %, but a decent number of the teachers in out district (and other large school districts) come from programs like this.
The nevadaapplecore rants that the majority of seniors cost tax payers way more than they ever paid into the system.
I suppose you think that our retired WWII and later Veterans did not donate enough into the "system?" Visit Arlington Cemetery or any Veterans Cemetery and you will see how much the last couple of generations have paid into the "system."
Appears to me that the AppleHead is nothing more than a pathetic whiner only caring about himself...
I dont think that teachers complain about their wages..I beleive that most of them are not satisfied by what the system keeps cutting from programs that they put their own money into..The school system should have enough funds to operate without a teacher having to sacrifice their wages so they can teach...
Love that Kangoo hat on Betty Pone and Vincent is looking buff for being 287 years old.
Wooooo back up here !!!..."tightfisted with social services"...well I can resolve that.CUT those monsterous salaries the state is paying their employees...Put somethng BACK into the state services and give some services for a change.The county has billions to cut from their employees too...Seems the entire budget is going to state/county workers... where are the "services" for the residents...old and young ? Give me a break.
LarryVegas, you know that murder is murder and God will judge you for that. you think that you are hot stuff for being in a war and being willing to kill people? I'm not impressed and I don't owe you anything.
"Get real - IMO, most seniors that move to las vegas are cheap people that were not successful in their careers and don't have much money. if you had money and were successful, you wouldn't move to a city with a high crime rate, overcrowded hospitals, etc."
Yeah, they would, moron. YOU get real. You're obviously some young know it all that knows nothing of the senior population in this country. Has NOTHING to do with having money or not being successful. Living in Vegas sure beats dealing with sub-zero temperatures in most cities back east. THe only thing NV doesn't have is good programs for the seniors as other States have. NV sucks in that respect.
My guess is most seniors moving to Vegas DO HAVE MONEY and will spend it!! Take a look around some of those over 55 communities. It ain't cheap to live in those places. MOST have purchased their homes outright so the foreclosure rates are very low if there are any at all. You think seniors are going to move to Vegas and go live in a community that DOES NOT take care of lawn and property maintenance, pool maintenance, a fitness center, etc? They will pay the exhorbitant association dues so they don't have to worry about any of that. They will not be buying a home in North Las Vegas, that's for sure - even though there are some very nice neighborhoods there.
PS The hospitals are not overcrowded and the doctor choices are better than in some states back east.
"Seniors did not pay nearly as much into social security as they are receiving and that..."
ANOTHER know it all youngster. You are wrong about that. Seniors have paid into the system more than 40 years on average - from the day they started working on their first jo, ie being 16 years old. They will not live long enough to get back what they put into it; hence, the financial experts are telling the "seniors" to retire at 62 to make sure they get ALL back what they have put into the system since they started working 45+ years ago.
Jeez - do your homework or go ask your mommie and daddy about this stuff.
PS MOST 'baby boomer seniors" I know and have talked to don't give a damn that we're going to suck the system dry!! We've been getting screwed for years now and we're taking back what is ours! So start saving your money!!!
"the senior men are at the Sport's Books having cocktails and flirting with the ladies!"
LOLOL Rejco - you are sooooo right!!! That even is the norm here in the Illinois/Indiana casinos. And, as is in Vegas, there are bus trips to the casinos all the time!! Just don't get in the way of these seniors when it's announced the bus is loading for the trip! They'll knock you over!!!
The nevadaapplecore rants that"...most seniors that move to las vegas are cheap people that were not successful in their careers and don't have much money. if you had money and were successful, you wouldn't move to a city with a high crime rate, overcrowded hospitals, etc."
Applecore, who do you think the people are who have been moving to Las Vegas the past year and buying homes. Let me say that again "Buying homes." One more time "BUYING HOMES."
I never said you owed anyone anything but respect for those buried in Veteran's cemeteries. And if can't understand that then you are a petty little person.
The freedom that you enjoy today came at a very high price.
As someone who moved into the LV area in preparation for possible retirement in the area its a bit disappointing to see that there are some here with a disregard for seniors.
As det__munch pointed out the area has a wonderful magnet in regards to climate. It was the #1 reason why I took the plunge.
The population shift to the SW of the US has been going on for a good period now and the states in the area (AZ,NM,NV,CA) should be prepared and make this one of the economic growth areas.
Seniors are attracted to warmer weather and if they were fortunate enough not to be ravaged by the current economic climate you will see baby boomers arrive when they are ready to be pensioned.
One thing that is overlooked...
If you were told that a new industry or industries were coming to Las Vegas and that these industries would, on average, bring 10,000 jobs this year at an average salary of $40,000 to $50,000. That many of the newcomers would have substantial assets that they would invest in community banks, the local government would go nuts trying to accommodate them. Further, these new people would not have children, so they would not require new schools to be built and on top of that, they were all, for the most part, law abiding citizens who would not be involved in crime requiring additional police.
Change the scenario from jobs to retirees and some people freak out, but the money is the same. Contrary to some of the comments are read here, seniors are the least demanding demographic group.
Sure, there are some additional demands. Senior Centers or whatever... but no schools.
Most of your retirement and nursing home facilities are private so no expense to the tax payer there.
Sure there are health care costs, but thats true with other parts of population as well...
I think Las Vegas ought to be out recruiting retirement people to bring their money and live here. They buy groceries, food etc.
No, they won't support the Pures and Rehabs of the area but so what? Seriously, I don't think they are really invited... They will spend some money on the slots and some money on the horses and get a buffet or two, play some golf, buy some appliances etc... We can certainly use some more investment in the housing market and whatever income they bring.
Think about it.
I think that you are all getting on NevadaApple because his opinion is pretty much true. Bottom line, Nevada- no state tax, no toll tax, guess that equals= crummy education and bottom of the barrel Healthcare. One person made the comment saying Las Vegas has hospitals better than some back East. Your freaking Kidding Right??? Thats the most absurd comment ever. I'm sorry, but people open your eyes, if Uncle Sam can't take care of you here, why come here? I would rather have old creaky knees and brave a couple months of cold than to move here and fear getting robbed or shot 12 months out of the year. The only people that move here are the ones that have no good education or are running away from your problems because "The Strip" may be know as prestige around the world, but not the rest of the city. Sorry, I would take Naperville, Il , Alexandria, Va over Summerlin pseudo rubbish anyday. Its ok, move here, I understand, you could not afford to live where you were at before, SUCKERS!
vegassucs thinks he is a real visionary... Mr. Sucs rants that "The only people that move here are the ones that have no good education or are running away from your problems..." Sounds like Mr. Sucs also has no good education and is running away from reality...
Haven't we learned our lesson yet? Affordable housing programs make housing less affordable in the long run.
"November that Nevada ranked 48th in the nation in 2007 in the number of physicians per 100,000 residents."
Big deal, Soviet Russia had more doctors than us, look where that got them. We might not need more doctors. What we might need is less intrusive government to let doctors attend to patients rather than paperwork.
There is a lack of political will to invest in these kind of services, even when they can save money in the long run," says Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno.
Please show me a government welfare program that costs less in the long run.
These programs don't save money in the long run, they almost always end up costing more. Government has a tendency to constantly expand benefits and increase its spending...
You people that want hand-outs can rationalize them until the cows come home. It's too bad that bums finally outnumber those of us that work for a living and can vote for Obama and anyone else that wants to take more from the hard workers to give to the bums.
And the claim that retirees pay more into social security than what they receive is completely wrong and without basis. If every senior paid enough into the system, it wouldn't be predicted to go broke in the next few years and young people wouldn't be told to only expect a fraction of their social security since the current population of retirees is taking too much.
And finally, I owe nothing to the military hire-for-murder "veterans". God will judge you for your lack of morality. The commandments do not say that murder is a sin, "except if it is the murder of someone in another country". IMO, you are scum.
Oh, and I am not surprised by attitude on here that other people "owe you things". That's the typical attitude of unsuccessful people that don't believe in working hard for themselves.
The Rotten Apple in the Barrel has been taking hand outs all of his pitiful life. Everything is about himself. Give nothing. Take everything. The only thing this guy would defend is his own money. This pathetic individual does not recognize those who has sacrificed so much for his freedom...
Id rather have the Influx of seniors, than gangs,and meth heads from California!!
peace out
LarryVegas, You don't make sense. I have never taken hand outs. I have a sense of personal responsibility, unlike you. Go ahead and rant that because you are a "veteran" (also known as someone that is willing to murder people in other countries) that you deserve hand-outs. Like I said, God will deal with you for that one.
You Rotten Apple are on the take every day. You take the freedom that others bought for you with their blood and don't even bother to say thank you. Also, I never mentioned to you whether I was a veteran or not. I had referred to the veterans of my father's generation who sacrificed so much so we could be free today.
I have never asked you for anything nor will I. Your only sense of personal responsibility is to count your money and let others do the heavy lifting for you.
You my friend are that worthless rotten apple in the barrel that has little or no value compared to the rest...
Pick a story and stick with it LarryVegas. And, IMO, burn in hell with your father.
I will see you there my little rotten apple...
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Nevadaappleslices,
War veterans are imperfect as are you. I never want to fight in a war but I know that men and women have fought and died to protect your right to worship God, own a home, and make individual choices. You may not like the killing that takes place in war but sometimes it is better that one bad group perish than the freedom and liberty of that nation be taken away.
If you believe in the God of the bible, you know that lives are sometimes shed to protect nations. Their is a difference between murder and a casualty of war. I wonder if David was punished by the Lord when he killed Goliath.
Bottom line, veterans are a little different than plain beggars that have sacrificed nothing and still get government hand outs. Veterans go out and do what most of can not or would not.
If you are still out there applehead, how about going back and reread my posts as you have clearly misread them. I never mentioned anything about my father.
If you still don't get it, you should take a reading comprehension course or keep your mouth shut...
When people that retire here do so because of the low tax rate, they should not complain about the lack of services at a later date.
If you want services, you have to pay for them.
If you want what you had, where you came from, go back.
I'm not saying that we all couldn't pay a little more for education and services, but it burns me when people move here for the lower taxes and then complain about what they think they are entitled to.
with the horrible winters back east, many many seniors have been and will continue to move west. Phoenix and Tucson can only hold so many seniors. Vegas is definitely a draw for seniors/retirees, not all will be in Summerlin (i.e. the rich senior citizen stereotype), but most will be able to afford an reasonable priced home or condo, so I would strongly advise NV to get with it and provide services to these hard working Americans who will be pumping money into your beleaguered economy!