Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010 | 2:04 a.m.
State agencies recently submitted their responses to Gov. Jim Gibbons’ request for 10 percent budget cuts for the next two fiscal years. Gibbons’ office asked for the ideas as it prepares a draft budget to hand over to the next governor.
As David McGrath Schwartz reported in Thursday’s Las Vegas Sun, the 455 pages of recommendations include some sobering suggestions. If they are adopted, a prison would close, as would four of the state’s seven museums. The elderly would lose hearing aids and dentures, and 17,000 seniors would lose assistance to pay property taxes or rent.
Despite rhetoric from the far right about government being “bloated,” this is the reality of what Nevada faces. The next governor and the new Legislature in 2011 will have to make decisions that will seriously affect people’s lives.
For example, the Health and Human Services Department, which is one of the state’s largest agencies, was asked to recommend $200 million in cuts, and as part of that, it suggested eliminating a program that helps 6,500 disabled Nevadans. The program pays for a personal-care aide for disabled people for a few hours a day, allowing them to stay in their homes. But since the program isn’t mandated under Medicaid, it was ripe for cutting, and doing so would save $55 million over two years.
“We needed to cut spending. The only way to do that is reducing programs,” said Ben Kieckhefer, Health and Human Services spokesman. “If it was not this one, it would be something else.”
However, cutting the program would take a serious toll, both in terms of human and financial cost.
For Michael Hawley, who has been a quadriplegic since a motorcycle accident in 2008, the aide helps him brush his teeth, change his diaper and clean up. The aide is crucial in helping him live on his own. Without the help, he said he would be in a nursing home, and that would cost at least twice as much as it costs for his personal care, food stamps and Social Security, combined.
That doesn’t make fiscal sense, but that’s what the Legislature may opt to do to balance the budget in the short term. As ridiculous as that sounds, there is a long history in this state of governors and lawmakers balancing the budget by focusing solely on the short term. Thus the state limps from one legislative session to the next.
The special session of the Legislature called this year to make budget cuts is a prime example. Lawmakers were presented with recommendations that included cutting hearing aids for seniors and adult diapers. Those programs were saved, but the number of adult diapers a person could receive was cut.
When the Legislature is dealing with trying to balance the budget by cutting adult diapers, voters should take that as a sign of a much bigger problem, not just the state budget but the state’s priorities.
Unfortunately, this election cycle has been steeped in the Tea Party’s rhetoric, and as a result, there are too many candidates who proudly think they have the “solution” to the state’s problems — slash the “bloated” budget and curb “big” government. Those candidates who make such claims fail to see through their narrow ideology to understand the facts: Nevada has a paucity of services and one of the smallest governments per capita in the nation.
The truth is that making more sweeping budget cuts will further erode the quality of life here, and axing preventive services will cost the taxpayers more money in the long run. That’s foolish.
Nevadans want leaders who understand that simplistic across-the-board cuts do nothing to help restore the state’s fortunes. The state needs leaders who can articulate a positive vision and who can chart a course to make Nevada great — for everyone.
The Neo-Nut faction of the Right-Wing has USED THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE brought on by GW, Wall St, Bankers, and Health Care CEO's to DISEMBOWEL our social safety net in America, at a time when we need it most...
Why, you ask?
Because IT WILL MAKE THEM RICHER!
Sharron Angle is being used as a TOOL to this end.
Don't be bought by the hateful Karl Rove & the Krazy Koch Bros...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gDsBPOkP...
http://www.americancrossroadswatch.org/i...
Now, more than ever, Nevada;
WE NEED HARRY REID!!!
Here's a suggestion, use the Las Vegas SUN as a diaper since that would truly be its correct value.
We can thank the state Democrats for placing us in this mess with too many "give-me's." During the go-go 90's Bob Miller and a Dem legislature thought they could give out the goodies because the state was flushed with money. Now that a double recession has hit and the house bubble burst, the chickens have come home to roost. I agree that some pain should be suffered by everyone and not a few poor souls. Its time we, as the people of the state, be ready give up the expensive cradle-to-grave benefits (and that includes the unionize government employees). We may have to give up a few things for awhile, but better to suffer a short time then to endure lifelong agony to prop up an expensive and failing welfare state with high taxes and high unemployment.
Mr. Greenspun and editors,
You need to look at the budgets.
Even though our general fund budget is officially $6.4 billion we probably spend $7 billion or so. State agencies are requesting $8.3 billion which would require a 59 percent hike in tax revenue.
Governor Gibbons "cutting to the bone" is a 10 percent cut off of a 30 percent increase.
If that is cutting to the bone, then I guess Nevada is really big boned.
Give me a break.
And why is the state cutting services all the time?
Imagine if Steve Wynn turned away gamblers because his revenue was done? This is exactly what the state does. Our government is not customer service oriented - it is not fitted to serve the people, but serve itself.
We have to reshape and rethink government.
Dear Stupid Sheep of Nevada,
Vote for Bryan Sandieval if you want to have more cuts to everything, including social services, education, state worker pay etc.. Vote for Rory Reid if you want a mismanaged Nevada like you have in Clark County. Use your brains and stop being bombared by all the garbage being produced Jon Ralston and all the other media parasites that are brainwashing to one party or another. Heed my warning about partisan politics with 9 days to go.
Time to pull the plug on Gibbons free government medical care, let him pay his own bills, or get his own insurance. I guess he can thank God for Medicare, since he has a major "pre-existing condition."
I keep hearing about how this is a "Christian Nation". So What does that mean?
I've asked one of my devout friends what a Christian is an he can't tell me, although his faith is very strong.
So I have four simple questions:
1. What is a Christian?
2. What is a Christian Nation and how does it behave?
3. Is Sharron Angle a Christian?
4. What do we do with the disabled and the infirmed?
1. a Christian is a person who believes in his/her salvation only through the grace of God, believes in forgiveness through the blood of Christ and lives according to his teachings.
2. Christian Nation is an Oxymoron.
3. No,she only spouts those beliefs when convenient
4. Not what Christ would want us to do.
NewBee -
What would Christ want us to do with the disabled and the infirmed, and where do you read or hear about this?
SunJon:
Answers as readers digest as it has to be in the 2 dimensional internet world.
1. NewBee's answer is close enough:
"A Christian is a person who believes in his/her salvation only through the grace of God, believes in forgiveness through the blood of Christ and lives according to his teachings".
2. There are no "Christian Nations" Maybe the Vatican would count as one, but there are enough other "Christians" out there that will tell you all catholics are going to hell to make it debatable.
3. Yes, but she appears to be very misguided and simplistic in her utterings and she has definitely played fast and loose with the truth many times. I am a born again Christian also, and I am saddened by her making the good among us look like fools as seems the norm with the public "leaders" of Christianity.
4. Pick up where the church leaves off.
Here is what Jesus taught:
"Invitation to a Changed Life
One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, "If you want to, you can cleanse me."
Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean." Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone.
Jesus instructed him, "Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done." But the man couldn't keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments. As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer.
One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.
Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."
That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins."
Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say 'I forgive your sins,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment's hesitation, he did it--got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous--and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!"
Jesus was clearly showing us to help people and expect nothing for it. The Tea Partier's overall values are not Christ like at all. They are in favor of "If you've got a problem, it ain't mine, I'm busy, and don't bother me with your sad little stories".