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Cathleen Allison / AP
Gov. Brian Sandoval, shown here Jan. 3 at his inauguration, has unveiled a plan that will call for “shared sacrifice” to balance the state’s budget.
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
, Michael Squires
Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.
Related story
Sun coverage
Sun archives
- Sandoval eyes students’ wallets to help close deficit (1-7-2011)
- Increasingly worried liberals seek pushback on Sandoval budget (1-21-2011)
- Sandoval proposes 5 percent pay cut, no furlough for state workers (1-12-2011)
- Gov. Brian Sandoval’s quest: Blocking a tax hike (1-9-2011)
- Sandoval suggests ‘significantly higher’ fees for higher ed students (1-5-2011)
- Economists say Nevada’s budget problems not going away anytime soon (1-5-2011)
- Brian Sandoval all talk and no facts for now (12-30-2010)
- Sandoval increasingly isolated in his anti-tax stance (12-29-2010)
- State has upper hand in budget turf war (12-27-2010)
- Sandoval to build own budget (12-22-2010)
- Panels propose ideas to squeeze state budget (12-4-2010)
- Sandoval budget assumes 10 percent cut to state, higher ed and furloughs (12-2-2010)
- Polished knife still cuts deep into state’s budget (11-28-2010)
- Expect Sandoval to flex his newfound political capital on his anti-tax pledge (11-10-2010)
- Let Sandoval take heat for budget, Democrats say (11-5-2010)
- University system snubs governor, won’t submit budget with cuts (10-28-2010)
- State’s budget woes could end programs targeting seniors (10-27-2010)
- Home assistance for disabled among services on budget chopping block (10-21-10)
- $2.5 billion state budget deficit: ‘Best-case scenario’ (4-23-2010)
On Monday, Gov. Brian Sandoval will deliver his first State of the State address.
It promises to be equal parts optimistic vision statement — the new governor has promised Nevada will return to its former glory within three years — and tacit telling of hard truths — he will simultaneously present a budget that he intends to balance without new taxes and despite a $2.2 billion deficit to maintain current services. This, he says, will be accomplished through “shared sacrifice.”
Whether Sandoval acknowledges it or not Monday night, the path from the hard present to the hopeful future is unclear. What is evident though is that moving Nevada forward will be more difficult than it would have been even two years ago, when the Legislature last convened in regular session to confront a daunting deficit.
In the two years that have passed, unemployment has risen from 10 percent to 14.5 percent. And growth, a well-worn crutch leaned upon for funding, is gone as our population is shrinking. Add to that other indicators — declining wealth, increasing poverty, fewer teachers per student — and it’s clear that Sandoval has fewer resources to draw upon to fulfill his promise that by 2014 “Nevada will be Nevada again.”
Of course, even during the best of times Nevada struggled with social problems and substandard educational outcomes, partly the result of its image as a destination of last resort and partly a failure of leadership. Growth was so rapid and unrelenting that institutions — government entities and private nonprofit groups alike — struggled to keep pace and develop into mature and effective organizations.
Until as recently as 2007, that didn’t matter, or it didn’t matter as much.
During the boom, Nevadans, from the executive suites of the Strip to the suburbs with their inflated home prices, were building tremendous wealth. There were fights about what to fund and who should pay, but as long as Reno and Las Vegas kept stretching into the desert, there were resources.
Now, the state is left with largely the same problems — in some cases they’re a little worse, in some cases a little better (see accompanying chart). Employment, hours worked, wages and wealth have all plummeted. This has created surging demand for services such as Medicaid and food stamps, as government’s ability to deal with the same old problems, let alone the new ones, is diminished.
•••
Sandoval has declined to preview his plan for solving the deficit. But some of the contours of his budget have emerged in the past few weeks:
• He will not, at any cost, raise taxes or fees.
This is more than a campaign slogan to curry favor with the conservative base but rather, he says, a philosophy for keeping the economy on life support as he works to bring new industry to the state.
• Local governments, state employees and college students will likely bear the brunt of spending cuts.
State worker furloughs implemented last session will be replaced by an across-the-board 5 percent salary cut. And universities and community colleges could be given the power to increase tuition, and keep the additional revenue, to offset cuts in state funding.
• He is expected to shift revenue from city and county coffers to the state general fund to offset potentially painful funding reductions.
His advisers are selling this as a more unified approach to government spending, arguing the divisions between state, county and local government are largely meaningless to the average taxpayer.
• Sandoval also will be picking and choosing from proposed 10 percent cuts submitted by state agencies under the administration of Gov. Jim Gibbons.
Sandoval’s message of “shared sacrifice” can be summed up this way: State agencies, and by extension those who rely on state services, must sacrifice so that businesses don’t endure tax increases. This, he argues, will make the state appealing to businesses looking to move.
But some evidence suggests cutting government spending could be a bigger drag on the economy than raising taxes on business.
Elliott Parker, an economist at UNR, said both spending cuts and tax increases have a negative effect on a state’s gross domestic product during times of recession. But, in particular, a cut in existing government spending is the worse alternative.
“There’s a big difference between doing something in a recession and doing something in a boom,” he said. “When the economy is going great guns, you can cut the government sector and pretty easily make up the difference in the overall sector.”
Not so during a recession, he said.
Again, timing is everything. A misplaced tax increase could chase off private investment needed for recovery. But Nevada’s economy isn’t yet poised for recovery.
“We’re nowhere near recovery,” Parker said. “To the extent we’re stabilizing, we’re losing people as fast as we’re losing jobs. And the overall amount of spending in the economy is not recovering.”
That raises questions about Sandoval’s approach and the likelihood that it will lead the state to recovery as soon as promised.
Other economists, however, argue some government spending can be reduced in areas that don’t have as strong an effect on productivity — a fact Parker also acknowledges. For example, cutting spending on education, infrastructure and other areas in which the government or the economy receives something in return would hurt more than cutting spending on public employee retirement benefits.
“And on the tax side, it makes a big difference what taxes you raise,” said Tom Cargill, an economist at UNR. “So, it really depends on the composition of the expenditures and the composition of the taxes.”
Cutting spending on teacher salaries, for example, takes money out of the economy because teachers are likely to spend their earnings on goods and services here. By contrast, money that businesses save on lower taxes could land in their out-of-state headquarters.
Experts note that in addition to having a narrow economy — tourism and development — Nevada also has one of the narrowest tax structures.
The state has no personal or corporate income tax, no tax on services, and property taxes based on infrastructure replacement costs rather than market value. Nevada reaps no benefit from the value of a company’s intellectual property or the total capital stream of businesses with multiple-state holdings, such as hotels, casino and mining companies. Instead, the state taxes only on the value of buildings and equipment.
That’s problematic in the new world economy, experts warn.
“Even if Nevada is successful in diversifying its economy, under the current tax system, our tax base would remain narrower than our economic base because we would not be able to tax intangible property value, which is the largest component of value for many firms,” a recent study by UNR Center for Regional Studies found. “Our 21st century economy would continue to be assessed by 19th century measures.”
•••
Although there are sharp lines of disagreement over who should pay to fund government and how much, there’s less discord over things the state needs to improve its fortunes.
State leaders have for years agreed it should begin with a better education system.
Robert Lang
They also agree that giving more control to schools, principals and teachers will raise student achievement and create a laboratory for education innovation. Sandoval, teachers union leaders and legislators of both parties have called for such changes to Nevada’s schools, which nationally have student-teacher ratios that rank 48th and among the lowest graduation rates and results on standardized test scores.
But the issue reveals where rhetoric and reality have parted ways in recent years.
The state set aside $100 million — money that flowed into state coffers in 2005 — to create pilot programs driven by front-line educators. Initially, it paid for things such as tutoring, discipline specialists and English-language instructors. If successful, they could be replicated elsewhere.
“I feel like we made steady gains in student achievement” under the program, said Keith Rheault, Nevada superintendent of schools. “Teachers and principals took ownership of the programs. It was some of the best money we ever spent.”
Then came the Great Recession. When Gibbons and lawmakers set about slashing the budget, the money to spur innovation in schools was among the first cuts.
Higher education, which experts say is a key driver to economic diversification here, was also hit, losing 700 employees, a drop of 5.5 percent from 2008. About 35 programs, degrees and academic centers have been eliminated or are likely to be.
Among the programs that have been eliminated: educational leadership.
The experience of the past two years underscores why talk of bright futures must turn to how the state improves fundamental services such as education.
It’s hard to sell CEOs on a state when you can’t assure them that their children and their employees’ children will receive a good education.
“If we do not close educational attainment gaps, nothing else will attract business,” said Robert Lang, director of Brookings Mountain West, a public policy think tank at UNLV.
“At some point we are just going to have to invest in our own future and say it’s in all our best interests to spend the money,” said Jeremy Aguero, principal of the consulting firm Applied Analysis.
Sandoval has said the state can improve its education system without additional money.
In response to Friday’s news that the state’s unemployment rate had inched higher, Sandoval cited it as a reason “why I’ve said we cannot burden struggling businesses with tax increases ... We must allow sunsetting taxes to expire at the end of June and provide businesses the environment in which to begin hiring again.”
Under Sandoval’s budget, Nevada’s largest businesses will see their payroll taxes drop to pre-2009 levels. The sales tax the average Nevadan pays on goods will also go down.
•••
It would be easy to point to the crisis and say the governor and Legislature are finally going to get serious about solving the state’s long-term social and educational problems and address a system of taxation that will lead to structural budget deficits for as far as the eye can see.
Lawmakers in charge of the budget two years ago acknowledge that they relied on short-term fixes, but deny it was political expediency. Rather, a stubborn and disengaged governor and the need to override threatened vetoes derailed their ability to make lasting changes.
“While temporary fixes are difficult, permanent fixes are near impossible without a great deal of work and consensus,” former Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said.
Barbara Buckley
Still, some economists say that in a crisis short-term fixes are about all a state can do, especially in a state such as Nevada that is dependent on consumer spending and the national economy to fund its government.
Some economists, those who adhere to the Keynesian school of thought, think government spending should be maintained as governments are the only entities capable of spending in a recession.
But that line of economic thinking often gets caught up in politics. “Instead of people staying rational, they say ‘that’s government spending and that’s wrong by definition,’ ” says John Restrepo, an economist and principal of Restrepo Consulting Group. “That’s how politicized things are.”
Although the governor and lawmakers may be capable of only short-term fixes in a crisis, they should also be laying the groundwork for a recovery, experts say.
However, seasoned observers, having watched the Nevada Legislature kick the can down the proverbial road session after session, believe the governor and lawmakers will likely take the path of least resistance.
This in turn creates space, however, for elected officials to step up to the lonely, quiet stage, and go big.
Sun reporters David McGrath Schwartz, J. Patrick Coolican and Delen Goldberg contributed to this story.
If Nevada becomes Nevada again...
...doesn't that take us back to the place that led to...
...here?
Just a thought.
John Maynard Keynes was a pseudo-intellectual moron. (MORON is an adult operating with a 11 year-old mind)
My apologies to all 11 year-olds for both the current adult generations (special commendation to the Baby Boomers) and 99.999% of the current economists projecting a future, where there...is no future.
Oh...and for the Greeks, who originally created the term, moron.
"We're nowhere near recovery," Parker said. "To the extent we're stabilizing, we're losing people as fast as we're losing jobs. And the overall amount of spending in the economy is not recovering."
That raises questions about Sandoval's approach and the likelihood that it will lead the state to recovery as soon as promised."
Elliott Parker...an anomaly among economists
...accurate, concise and insightful.
Elliott Parker...filing for unemployment benefits. LOL???
Take away Hoover Dam, flood the valley, let the no tax abvocates postulate how to build it back again. See the metaphor?
I stopped in at Team Ford on Drexel Road in NLV yesterday. There was a bright orange and red Raptor close by with a price tag close to $51,500, not including taxes, & documentation fees etc.
11 mpg City mileage, 16 road. The salesman said those trucks go out as fast as they come in, just can't keep them on the lot. He says Team Ford is the Raptor sales leader in the Western States and that is good.
It was also a relief to discover that the rest rooms were not coin operated, as I had left all of my spare change at home.
On the way out of the Cul de Sac, I stopped in at Terrible's for a Senior coffee at their McDonalds, found a free Review Journal on one of the tables to read and began looking for instructions on the civilized methods of sacrifice in Nevada, since I'm not very good at killing goats.
I thought Obama made those trucks illegal!
"He will not, at any cost, raise taxes or fees.
This is more than a campaign slogan to curry favor with the conservative base but rather"
Shhhhhssss....I tell you a little secret.......the Governor talked about that promise during the general election and often.....and he won a smacked down landslide win over the Democrat.
It is secret....don't tell anybody like you have been doing.
I think I could written this progranda piece much better then the 3 clowns.
Here it goes:
"Democrats get elected by hiding the fact that they want to raise taxes big time. The governor won a landsidle election by promising not to raise taxes. It is a fact according to experts who work for the government that we need to raise taxes big time. Citizens are generally stupid. The governor was suppose to trick you into voting for him and then he was suppose to raise taxes big time and break his promise. Please get smart citizens. The experts have clearly explained that you are stupid and we are smart. We need to raise taxes big time. So what that Democrats never run on raising taxes and therefore do not have the power of the people behind them. You stupid stupid people."
"It would be easy to point to the crisis and say the governor and Legislature are finally going to get serious about solving the state's long-term social and educational problems and address a system of taxation that will lead to structural budget deficits for as far as the eye can see."
Seriously? So if only the structure of our taxes were changed we could avoid deficits? Wow!
If that were actually true then wouldn't it also be true that 'progressive states' with 'better tax structures' like say California or New Jersey would be in great fiscal shape?
Oh wait a minute they are not. Why? Oh that's right because they still overspend. Until we change how we budget and how much we spend we will never be able to tax ourselves enough.
"Shared sacrifice" makes a nice slogan. What about the "shared sacrifice" of the rich? How about having them pay a personal property tax? How about having the big national box stores pay a corporate tax? That's shared sacrifice.
Ultimately, the question is, are their enough people outside the sphere of special interests to do the right thing to move Nevada out of the Dark Ages?
Because if there are not, Las Vegas, the engine that drives the state, will implode like so many old Casino/Hotels.
Our slow, painful death will continue unabated until the last vestiges of civilized humans are driven from here as if to escape the Black Plague.
Everyone understands sacrifices and cuts are part of the solution. But there are associated costs at every increment of cuts. There comes a point where you are cutting off your nose to spite your face.
At a point, the cutting starts costing more than it's realized savings. Cause & effect.
The Anti-Tax Brigade, with their mouthpiece about to deliver their propaganda via the State of the State Address, (PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!) will NOT be proposing anything resembling "shared sacrifice".
What they are proposing is what we ALWAYS hear when the plate is passed around;
"Give till it hurts, and then give some more! Go on, it'll make you feel GOOD!"
It reminds me of a Church, under the auspices of "giving to God", asking you to live frugally as God Himself would want, and "give your worldly possessions unto them", whilst the Church gets a golden gilding and it's keepers live high off the hog...
Like your Jim & Tammy Faye Bakers, THEY ARE ALL FAKERS!!!
So many people wanting other peoples hard work. My problem is that i remember when the high-schools produced people with the skill to make a living, now the kids need 5 more years to get to the level of an 8th grader in 1960. I am not willing to pay more for a failed system until they can prove to me that they teach how to become a usefull citizen.
Fanasty: "Ultimately, the question is, are their enough people outside the sphere of special interests to do the right thing"
Reality: Sandoval won with 53% and his core promise was not to raise taxs. 53% of the people are not "special" interest they are the majority interest. The Democrat candidate also promise not to raise taxes. I am not even sure if there was a candidate that promised to raise taxes.
So there might be special interest who are pushing for a tax increase. The common everyday person in both parties are against raising taxes.
"Our slow, painful death will continue unabated until the last vestiges of civilized humans are driven from here as if to escape the Black Plague."
I think you need mental health attention. Did you blow a head gasket or something recently?
Advice: In 2012, the Democrat party should generate a campaign. Here is the theme: "Raise Taxes Big Time"
If you win then you will have the power of people behind you and then you can raise taxes big time like you guys always want to do (bad time, good time...anytime).
Stop doing this hiding "Raise Taxes Big Time" campaigns. Then you can stop whining about people who run on no taxes promises if they win.
Families cannot decently exist if the parents are not bringing in sufficient income. Neither can a state exist decently. Governor BS is a deadbeat dad.
Our Governor is bought and paid for by big business and the only shared sacrifice will be coming out of the working peoples pockets in one form or the other. If it cost more to license your car, fill up you car, or your license dog it is an increase in money out of your pocket(taxes). The Republicant ploy is to call it anything but a tax. Republicants will tax the the working class until they cannot pay anymore and then tax us again. I say that increases should be shared by all, not excluding anybody, especially big business. Mining and and Gaming are the two major winners in this state and they have been let off the tax hook for too long. They have the money to pay, greed just motivates them not to pay. You have to realize that this administration is bought and paid for by big business. Monday evening will find out what they have been up to.
Oh my goodness, drama queens! Shared sacrifice is obviously necessary. Get over yourselves and realize that we are a community that needs to get spending under control. The economy isn't going to suddenly improve tomorrow, so we need to address the problems.
"He will not, at any cost, raise taxes or fees."
----------------------------
Then Gov. Sandoval and his "shared sacrifice" idea of raising $2.2 billion to save Nevada is complete bulls**t.. Period.
He can t even consider "save our state" taxes on the mining firms and legalizing-taxing Las Vegas prostitution?
I feel ashamed to be a Las Vegas republican, again.
*sighs*
Is Markey full of poo poo?
He claims to be a a Las Vegas Republican but in a post just a few weeks ago he says he lives in Germany.
He is a Republican that hates this gov, the last gov, Palin, Tea Party people, the current Speaker of the House and Ronald Reagen. He praises Democrats a lot and he just loves taxes.
I guess he is one crazy "Republican" who just does not know where he lives.
"Sandoval's message of "shared sacrifice" can be summed up this way: State agencies, and by extension those who rely on state services, must sacrifice so that businesses don't endure tax increases. This, he argues, will make the state appealing to businesses looking to move."
Did the Las Vegas Sun writers miss the part about the 15 percent unemployment, the wholesale destruction of the private sector and how the public sector has come out relatively unscathed so far?
To date, government agencies have dramatically overstated budget cuts by obfuscating the numbers - a lot of the public, and the press, have bought into these bogus numbers.
CCSD's operating fund per pupil, for example, is down 1.1 percent since the 2007-08 school year (about when the recession started)
UNLV is only down 9 percent since the recession started.
That is not end of the world revenue loss - not even close to what the private sector, especially in Las Vegas, has seen.
In other words,the private sector has been sacrificed to keep the public sector party going.
Class size reduction is expensive and ineffective according to a Brookings Institution white paper http://edpro.stanford.edu/hanushek/admin...
...for example Gaming wins for Oct/Nov/Dec of 2010 are down 20 percent (NOT INFLATION ADJUSTED) from 2007 (meaning the inflation adjusted loss is a lot more).
The public sector has not seen losses like the private sector - not in jobs, not in revenue - not by a long shot.
Just what "Shared Sacrifice" will his Gaming bosses be making?
Yes, every time I see the Gov., I think of Alfred E. Newman. "What, me worry?"
No mention of taxes on the mining companies (many of them foreign owned) who take billions out of the state and pay a pittance in taxes. We, in essence, are like Appalachia, a "colonial" region where outside capital extracts the wealth and leaves nothing but misery and poverty.
Casinos? Nevada ranks last in all the states that have casinos when it comes to taxes.
Both parties are at fault for this mess, don't get me wrong.
But instead of attacking state workers, students, the poor, the sick, we need to have a clear-headed, fact-based discussion about "shared sacrifice."
By the way, successful business leaders look at issues like quality of life, education, crime, etc. as much as tax rates when it comes to establishing or moving businesses.
Massive cuts to education, law and fire protection, the environment, etc. are not conducive to attracting business.
One for instance for you. I have a friend who has reversed his decision on moving his company to Arizona. Many of his employees have expressed concerns about moving there, and the recent cuts to Arizona's state budget have convinced him to stay in California. While California has its problems, he believes a much more enlightened leadership is there to deal with them.
How much shared sacrifice from illegal invaders, Governor. Are you an American in spirit or just by birth? Will prosecutors go after (and deport once arrested when coordinated with ICE) illegals STEALING EMERGENCY HEALTH CARE AT UMC AND ELSEWHERE? Per Vegas media it's $3.2 million for dialysis at UMC alone--OFTEN WITHOUT IDENTITY FRAUD SINCE IT'S "EMERGENCY." If we start now, by the middle of the fiscal year, Clark County will show improvement so indigent care can go to AMERICANS. And when we deport the entire family, that means fewer and fewer illegals in K-12--savings/cuts there.
Business is NOT SOLELY INTERESTED IN EDUCATION. Talk to the business people, listen to them. Never heard a one say much about schools--their kids go to private schools. Business people right now are CONCERNED ABOUT UTILITY PRICES. Where the h--- is PUC--we get price cuts cause they FAILED TO REGULATE CUSTOMER BILLS FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS.
Thank you Mr. Gibbons. I know CLASS SIZE REDUCTION IS BANKRUPTING NEVADA. Hundreds of millions each year with negative results. Students NEED LARGER CLASSES TO SHARE WITH THE "SMARTEES." The "educators" will fib and say their class sizes exceed 20 students in many places--oh yaaaa, with "team" teaching--two teachers per classroom often with an additional education aid. And we're not getting what we're paying for. THEY DON'T TEACH THE YOUNG KIDS TO READ--which is essential is there is any point at all in sending them to school for the following 8 grades/years.
Thank you Patrick Gibbons. Upon ARREST FOR GRAND THEFT, ICE WILL DEPORT ILLEGALS. Where are our DISTRICT ATTORNEYS? Illegals keep stealing emergency medical services at UMC. $3.2 million for dialysis alone. And via identity theft, they steal every social welfare benefit they can apply for. Prosecutors, investigators, auditors, come on up. Deport the entire family as needed. If they don't accept non-refundable bus tickets south, deport the rest of the family. Mucho savings to K-12, millennium scholarships, non-profit services and on and on. Recall Reid for supporting the mexican dream act.
"He will not, at any cost, raise taxes or fees."
How is furloughing state employees, rolling back their wages 5% and demolishing their pension plans not TAXING state employees?
"Class size reduction is expensive and ineffective according to a Brookings Institution white paper..."
1998? Seriously, Patrick?
Rebuttal to Patrick's link: http://www.america-tomorrow.com/bracey/E...
Why should we pay for class size reduction? It's expensive and unproved. And why should we pay for small classes for illegal invaders--approaching 40% of students in CCSD.
Patrick, STOP WITH THE PROPAGANDA!!!
Do you fool YOURSELF, Pat???
I thought if you got some fresh air, after they kicked you out of the "stink tank", you might see the light...
But yet, you see only darkness.
Are you blind?
This man is a brainless puppet. Only in Nevada can a man like this get appointed or elected to anything. Shared sacrifice? A SACRIFICE is what my men did to create the USA and fight the english to make America. Wake up sheepvadens. I think this fool must be recalled like California's Grey Davis was recalled.. RECALL SANDOVAL TODAY.
I will just go out there and say that I am a state employee. Let me tell you about some of those lavish benefits that I have. Oh sure, I get 11 holidays per year and 3 weeks vacation. But it is funny that many of my "civilian" counterparts also receive nearly the same amount of time off. Oh wait, you must be talking about my wonderful health, dental and vision insurance. Although the premium has doubled in the past 3 years, the benefits are so great that it doesn't matter. I know that I will lose all but cleanings and xrays on my dental, but that is ok. I know my vision will go from them providing $100 towards my frames and lenses to nothing but that is ok. I know my medical will be gutted to where it doesn't even matter if I have it, but I am a government employee, living high on the hog with my huge salary right? I know I could get a job at station casino's and get my health, dental and vision for 35 dollars per month for my whole family and that those benefits are much better than mine, but I am living the high life. Oh I know, you talking about my wonderful pension. The one that has went from a 15% contribution by me to now being almost a 22% contribution by me. Yep, another 2 percent this year. That is in addition to the 1.5 percent increase two years ago. But I make so much money that this doesn't matter. It's only another 3.5 percent on top of my furlough, no-step increases and decrease in benefits with an increase in the cost of them. Yep, living high on the hog is wonderful. Don't mind that I have lost 15% in lost raises, 4.6% in furloughs, 3.5% percent in pension contributions, 2.5% in medical contributions all with an increase in work for those that have left and they won't fill the open spots. Guess I need to sacrifice a little more than the 25% that I already have. That's what these clowns on here want!
Recall the governor and elect Rory!
Rory? That will be just as bad.
"Is Markey full of poo poo?
He claims to be a a Las Vegas Republican but in a post just a few weeks ago he says he lives in Germany.
He is a Republican that hates this gov, the last gov, Palin, Tea Party people, the current Speaker of the House and Ronald Reagen. He praises Democrats a lot and he just loves taxes."
---------------------------
Actually i m a real life retired Army sergeant, and i was a Reagan republican(who can spell Reagan correctly) who was born and raised in Las Vegas(Bonanza high class of 84) and i currently live outside Darmstadt, Germany.
And for the record? I still think of myself as a "Goldwater-Buckleyish" Las Vegas republican who is rational and sane, not like you ignorant Palin worshipping TeaHeads.
And you will pay taxes for my military retirement and VA benefits, sleep on that one tonight friendo.
:)
Selah....................
Name one.....just one....Republican idea....that you like.
I have yet to see you post a pro-Republican item.
Yet, I have seen you post a ton of pro-Democrat items.
NPR"lie" and their fellow travelers know nothing about budgeting. What business would cut every division, and see who does the best, and give more funding to that entity? It is crazy. Like no one ever heard of forward planning?
Take INTEL. They would cut funding to all chip projects and see which one does the best, then give them more funding? No! They would analyze trends and conclude "it looks like mobile computing and mobile devices (i.e. pads, smart phones) are a growing market, as well as wireless networks, let's put MORE funding there and maybe cut resources to home desktop microprocessor research."
So Sandoval, will say cut schools, prisons, agriculture, infrastructure, and so on, then see who does the best with what they were given, and give them more resources if they "do well?" Voodoo economics and budgeting. Its nuts.
Not to mention, the state will get sued and pay out expensive settlements.
Did you see where the state had to pay $400,000 to the family of a prisoner who died because of poor prison medical care?
...and don't think there won't be other suits, regarding schools, the environment, and so on.
It's not shared sacrifice . . . how stupid does Sandoval think the people of this stare are? The burden is entirely on the children of Nevada while his rich masters get richer. He doesn't care about us and only serves the business owners who paid to get him elected. Sandoval, don't piss on our head and tell us it's raining.
"Name one.....just one....Republican idea....that you like.
I have yet to see you post a pro-Republican item.
Yet, I have seen you post a ton of pro-Democrat items."
---------------------------------
Republican ideas and items that i like? Ok:
Reagan raised taxes.
Reagan pulled US troops out of Lebanon to avoid the USA getting bogged down in a civil war there.
Reagan talked to communists and "terrorist" organizations and even made deals with them.
Goldwater and Cheney called for allowing gays to serve in the military.
George HW Bush pulled out of Iraq in 1991 because he said staying in Iraq would of been a disaster.
so, ignorant rebuttal Rock?
Nevada has to stop acting like a territory and actually become a State; time to grow up Nevada.
"Who is society?
We are.
Man can be permitted to exist only in order to serve others.
He must be nothing but a tool for the satisfaction of other's needs.
Self-sacrifice is the law of our age.
The man who refuses to submit and to serve is a man who must be destroyed." - The Fountainhead
We need jobs -- we need your sacrifice -- we need money -- we need your sacrifice -- we are your leaders, we know what's best for us -- we're not asking, we're demanding your sacrifice and seek legislation to assure it.
: {
Makrey.....you are sooooo full of BS.
Please....still in Germany.
And stop lying about being a Las Vegas Republican.
You are not.
roseanrose: the term is "CRIMINAL INVADER" , please
"LBJ thought he had it figured out with his war on poverty, which created Head Start, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid. the goof escalated the war in vietnam and took the funding away from where it was needed the most"
Thanks for the history lesson but your facts are just a tid bit off.
LBJ just cranked up the printing press and spent tons of cash on everything that created an inflation problem that lasted two decades.
Go back and study more.
You just failed History 101.
Does anybody else here email their senators and representatives regarding CRIMINAL INVADERS stealing our social welfare services and bankrupting our local governments? I can't figure out why Harry and company keep IGNORING THE 80%Plus super majority of Americans that want them out of here. Cost to deport is much less than cost to K-12 all their kids, provide social welfare programs, health care, law enforcement, legal aid, incarceration and on and on plus the cost to our bodies and souls when victimized by the LAWLESS INVADERS.
"Makrey.....you are sooooo full of BS.
Please....still in Germany."
-----------------------
Thank you for reminding me why i resigned from the Nevada state GOP in 2000 Rockster, you betcha..
I really don't think that the Republican party needs somebody who is always praising Democrats and ideas of the Democrats and who is always critical of Republican and Republican ideas.
Thank you so much for resigning and moving to Germany.
Facts are; increased payroll cuts and job layoffs of city, state, county and school district workers only lead to a worsened demise of our states financial gloom. If you don't have the money, you sure can't spend it and won't in worry of the bleak future. As our economy drains the prices go up on gasoline, groceries, utilities, insurance, medical costs and property taxes. When was the last time you saw any politician shopping or filling his gas tank? I could be incorrect, but it seemed that Rory had a plan, while Brian goes for the jugular vein write of the bat with promises of improvement. It doesn't matter what political party, conservative or liberal, the end result is common; we the public worker suffer while they are overpaid for such cause. What am I missing here, after residing in Vegas since 1959?
Stop whining if you don't have a constructive and realistic solution. If you see government waste, report it through the appropriate channels. I think that you are making a lot of this up. If you really see illegals in your child's class, report the parents to ICE because random comments on the web don't change anything. You are probably exaggerating.
"I really don't think that the Republican party needs somebody who is always critical of Republicans and Republican ideas."
-----------------------
Republican party first.. Nation second.. you betcha . . .
Gmag,
Can you at least acquire enough intellectual integrity to debate the issues? Maybe one day you can supply factual counterpoints?
Factual counterpoints, not meaningless hyperbole, would be appreciated from you too mred.
Mr. Lide
Why do you think taxing Casinos more would work? Nevada is the only state in the union with a competitive casino market. The only one. Other states grant monopoly powers to the very, very few casinos that operate within their borders. That monopoly power allows them to make massive amounts of profits that the state can suckle from. You can't do that here because we have over 300 gaming companies.
A higher tax on mining is also pointless. Mining only makes huge amounts of profits when the rest of the economy tanks. Most people who talk about taxing mining also don't understand the operation. They think the final price of gold is controlled by the mining companies or that the mining companies are actually making that much.
Think of it this way, Company X makes shirts for $1 and sells it to Wall Mart for $2. Wall Mart sells the shirt to consumers for $4. People advocating more taxes on mining are essentially saying "its not fair the product is sold for $4 when we're only getting to tax the $1 in profit made by company x" people advocating higher taxes on mining are misleading the public about the issue.
Shannon K,
Gerald Bracey was a union funded public education failure apologist. His job is to attack academic research that doesn't square with the union line. Often, he obfuscates reality or doesn't even take the researcher head on (which is why most ignore him).
The fact is this: class size reduction is an expensive failure. 85 percent of the studies on class size reduction show that either nothing happens or students are harmed by it.
That report I cited by the way, was prepared for the Brookings Institution - a left-of-center think tank which Brian Greenspun is a board member.
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/pepg/PDF/Pape...
2010 paper from Harvard - districts subjected to the state's class size reduction mandate did not perform districts which were allowed to use funds for alternative purposes.
In other words, class size reduction did not make districts better in Florida.
Patrick:
I really don't think you are in a position to attack Gmag's intellectual integrity.
Really, Patrick, your stuff is not research since the only answers your group comes up with happens to be your party's line. Anything that does not comport with your party's line never finds its way into your reports. Mostly, the stuff I have seen relies on someone else's work massaged to deliver the NPRI. The Goldwater thing you cite elsewhere today points to all kind of growth in the student/nonstudent ratios, however, never explains why or what. You simply conclude waste and inefficiency.
The same is true for the Clark County school analogy. Comparing student/nonstudent ratios from 50 years ago to today is certainly a piece of information, but in no way shape or form explains the phenomenon. You just simply conclude waste and inefficiency.
I conclude non-rigorous and superficial research.
"Republican party first.. Nation second.. you betcha"
You don't even live in the USA....you betcha.....nation 1st.....right.....
@Patrick: I did have to laugh at your description of Gerald Bracey and comparing it to your job. Funny how you sent me a personal e-mail many months back trying to prove a point, then never bothered to actually provide the proof that I requested.
@Turrialba: Well said.
Shannon K,
Bracey's argument is essentially this:
A: Hanushek compares teacher-pupil ratios to student achievement.
B: Teacher-pupil ratios are not class-size
C: Teacher-pupil ratios have fallen, but class size has not (no real evidence to back this up though)
D: Therefore class size reduction cannot be blamed for the failure to increase student achievement.
Here is how Bracey is wrong and has tricked you.
1) Hanushek acknowledges the difference between ratio and actual class size but notes that there is very little good long-term class size data. Think about it - all the different classes, at different schools, in different districts, in different states. Gym glass vs English class - it would be very difficult to put this data together. Furthermore, no one uses class size data - everyone, from teacher union apologists to right wing nuts look at teacher-pupil ratios. That data is used to applaud or attack a school, district or state.
In other words, everyone accepts the validity of teacher-pupil ratios for this purpose (Except Bracey and is ilk in this instance because the data is used to bash something he liked).
2) If dramatically increasing the number of teachers (thus reducing teacher-pupil ratio) does not reduce class size WHY ARE WE HIRING ALL THESE TEACHERS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
In other words, Bracey is admitting (and hoping he's got you fooled) that we've got all these teachers but we're paying them to do less work - ie the teachers get free time instead of a small class of students.
Turialba,
1. Gmag hasn't bothered to provide a factual counterpoint. So yes, I can question him all I want.
2. I have never belonged to a political party. Ever.
3. Education isn't about party - it is about helping children have a chance at a better life. Some people, perhaps like yourself, would rather party cheerlead than work with and talk about the facts and the science.
4. About the Goldwater study your point makes no sense. It shows that both instructors and administrators per pupil have increased as have the funding per pupil and tuition yet no one seems to think quality has increased. Are you struggling to draw a conclusion from this?
I'm not sure you're in a position to conclude anything on research. What are your qualifications again?
Under this "shared sacrifice" rhetoric what are the wealthy being asked to sacrifice?
WalMart pays a corporate income tax to every single state that borders Nevada; however they pay NO corporate tax in Nevada. Where is the shared sacrifice in that, Sandogibbons?
The mining industry has been enjoying RECORD profits for the least few YEARS because the price of gold (pieces of our state that are permanently pulled out of the ground and sold by FOREIGN COMPANIES) has skyrocketed. Yet they pay next to nothing in taxes. Where is the shared sacrifice in that, Sandogibbons?
According to you and the other rich people you pal around with from the Jones Vargas law firm, its the working people, children, and elderly of this state that must sacrifice EVEN MORE than they have in the last few years so that you and your rich friends and foreign countries can reap more profit and pay nothing in return.
Are you the governor of the people or of out of state and foreign corporations? Tomorrow we shall see.
No new taxes or increased taxes=no income to replace that lost in the recession=no money to pay the bills. It's impossible to balance the budget by cuts alone.
Beware if it's too good to be true it isn't! Fellow citizens a fast shuffle or funny arithmetic schemes won't work. The state needs INCOME not budget games.
By the way the comment by johnmanrules below is on the mark except for the number of state employees that have already or are going to lose their jobs!
I will just go out there and say that I am a state employee. Let me tell you about some of those lavish benefits that I have. Oh sure, I get 11 holidays per year and 3 weeks vacation. But it is funny that many of my "civilian" counterparts also receive nearly the same amount of time off. Oh wait, you must be talking about my wonderful health, dental and vision insurance. Although the premium has doubled in the past 3 years, the benefits are so great that it doesn't matter. I know that I will lose all but cleanings and xrays on my dental, but that is ok. I know my vision will go from them providing $100 towards my frames and lenses to nothing but that is ok. I know my medical will be gutted to where it doesn't even matter if I have it, but I am a government employee, living high on the hog with my huge salary right? I know I could get a job at station casino's and get my health, dental and vision for 35 dollars per month for my whole family and that those benefits are much better than mine, but I am living the high life. Oh I know, you talking about my wonderful pension. The one that has went from a 15% contribution by me to now being almost a 22% contribution by me. Yep, another 2 percent this year. That is in addition to the 1.5 percent increase two years ago. But I make so much money that this doesn't matter. It's only another 3.5 percent on top of my furlough, no-step increases and decrease in benefits with an increase in the cost of them. Yep, living high on the hog is wonderful. Don't mind that I have lost 15% in lost raises, 4.6% in furloughs, 3.5% percent in pension contributions, 2.5% in medical contributions all with an increase in work for those that have left and they won't fill the open spots. Guess I need to sacrifice a little more than the 25% that I already have. That's what these clowns on here want!
WilliamHill. Do you think before you speak. Walmart has a profit margin of about 3.4% and Nevada would only get a portion of that if we had a corporate tax, yet states like Alaska, Oregon .... Have no sales tax. So. If Nevada had a big fat 35% profit tax, you would get about 1% of walmarts money in tax, and right now you get 8.1% in sales tax to feed your peasant mentality. You tax and spenders want all the taxes we have in Nevada AND all the ones in every other state too to feed your lack of personal accountability. Get it through your head, we are not paying any more, you are not in entitled to what I have earned, and if you tax me more I will fire more and spend less.
"WalMart pays a corporate income tax to every single state that borders Nevada; however they pay NO corporate tax in Nevada. Where is the shared sacrifice in that, Sandogibbons?
The mining industry has been enjoying RECORD profits for the least few YEARS because the price of gold (pieces of our state that are permanently pulled out of the ground and sold by FOREIGN COMPANIES) has skyrocketed. Yet they pay next to nothing in taxes. Where is the shared sacrifice in that, Sandogibbons?"
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Stop making sense! Try to think like a tea party republican dammit!
:-)
Nevada just elected a Republican. California just elected a Democrat (Brown). Now that they're in office, both are saying pretty much the same thing.
Since both states are broke and in serious debt, There are 2 choices. Cuts or taxes (or both). Brown has called for a special election to raise taxes and fees (likely to go down in defeat...then what?). This way Brown is able to pass the "blame" onto voters and noy himself if it somehow passes and taxes are raised.
In the end cuts will have to be made, and taxes and fees are likely to raise. In CA, vehicle license fees have doubled, and other new "pollution district fees" have been added as well. I just sold my newest car (and didn't replace it), so they will get less from me! The older car will serve me just fine for a few more years.
I have made many serious cuts in my own spending due to substantially reduced income due to the job situation, so I have no problem at all with cuts of 10-20 percent for ALL government workers (teachers are included in that). They'll still be doing a lot better than most of us out here. Also eliminate a lot of the "executives" making hundreds of thousands at government agencies. The CEO of the County health systems here (oversees the state run medicad called Medi-CAL here) just got a raise from $283k to $325k. That's obscene and inexcusable. People are up in arms about it, It's the subject of most local talk radio lately. And that's for one county. There are 58 Counties here, many probably have similar positions.
Hunker down folks, it's going to get ugly out there, I'd hold off on buying the Raptor for awhile. (but that IS a very cool truck). My 6 year old Malibu will get me there just as well (and with a lot less gas!).
Turrialba,
Thanks for the support.
You and I can disagree, and DO, but we can do so civilly, and even though we have diametrically opposite politics, we are friendly.
You can't argue, or have an "intellectual" discussion with Pat.
I have provided realistic and verifiable arguments to Pat's nonsense time after time after TIME, but refuse to participate any further.
Why?
Because it won't make ONE IOTA OF DIFFERENCE in Pat's rhetoric. NONE. He is as narrow-minded an individual as I've come across. He posts lies, damn lies, and skewed statistics ad-nauseum, over and over and OVER. Perhaps he thinks if he repeats the lies often enough, folks will believe them. Sound familiar???
The same monkeyshine & mistruths, like a broken record. Maybe he actually believes his own claptrap... is it possible? Or is it for the benefit of his evil employer? (is it FORMER employer now?)
He wants to CHANGE YOUR MIND, and if you DON'T, you are "not participating in an intellectual discussion" in the method & manner deemed acceptable by the woebegon ThinkTanker.
I feel sorry for Pat.
He thinks he's SO SMART! But all the intellegent, intellectual thinkers I know do one thing really well...
THEY LISTEN!
And, they RARELY dismiss you "out of hand" as Pat does.
Patrick R. Gibbons has wooden ears.
I have never seen gmag listen to anybody but himself.
I have never seen him cite anything of substance to back up his arguments.
I can see why he does not have the ability to stand toe-to-toe with Patrick.
Hey James F. Nance Junior,
You are another great thinker, eh?
Ha ha ha!!!
How's your brother Greg doing?
ha ha ha!!!
You are beloved here at The Sun, James Nance.
ha ha ha!!!
""Republican party first.. Nation second.. you betcha"
You don't even live in the USA....you betcha.....nation 1st.....right....."
--------------------------
I m retired United States Army living in a country i was stationed in during the Cold War, and i always vote in Nevada elections via absentee balloting.
My Veterans group says that this is just a little Nation 1st active stuff i m doing after 2 decades of actively serving the Nation don t ya know, you betcha..
Thank you so much for proving my point.
Yeah.....retiring to Germany would be high on anybody's nation 1st list......lol
Keep up the good work...USA....No. 1.
What point Rocko? That you are not a real Sgt? Duh..
*smirks*
Gmag,
"You and I can disagree, and DO, but we can do so civilly, and even though we have diametrically opposite politics, we are friendly.
You can't argue, or have an "intellectual" discussion with Pat."
I have never seen you in an intellectual discussion, nor have I seen you behave civilly. All you've shown is a penchant for name calling and flippant remarks when someone brings in facts (with sources) that disagree with your unflappable, unwavering, dogmatic position.
Try again.
Who are you anyway?
"In the end cuts will have to be made, and taxes and fees are likely to raise.
-----------------------
Reality bites.....
I got under the skin of Pat & Rock.
I must be doin' something right.
LOL!!!
Have a WONDERFUL WEEK!!!
Here is one Turrialba questioned my math and Gmag made a personal attack on claiming I lied and cheated the statistics (IE pulling a President Longhorn by quoting Mark Twain when he doesn't have a counterpoint).
The nominal operating budget per pupil comes from CCSD budget publications (you can find it online). The Index is the CPI inflation index and that was used to calculate the inflation adjusted per pupil spending from CCSD's operating budget (which is only a portion of the total budget).
As you can see CCSD's operating budget per pupil has declined 0.96 percent since the high-watermark of 2007-08 which also happened to be the school year in which the recession officially began.
year nominal index inflation adjusted
1991-92 $3,968 136.2 $6,351
1992-93 4,066 140.5 $6,309
1993-94 3,987 144.4 $6,019
1994-95 4,017 148.4 $5,901
1995-96 4,229 152.5 $6,046
1996-97 4,321 157 $6,000
1997-98 4,450 160.5 $6,045
1998-99 4,570 163.2 $6,105
1999-00 4,742 166.7 $6,202
2000-01 4,641 172.8 $5,855
2001-02 4,755 177.5 $5,840
2002-03 4,894 180.1 $5,924
2003-04 5,033 183.9 $5,967
2004-05 5,264 189.4 $6,059
2005-06 5,711 195.4 $6,372
2006-07 5,987 203.5 $6,414
2007-08 6,429 208.299 $6,729
2008-09 6,534 219.964 $6,476
2009-10 6,604 215.351 $6,686
2010-11 6,664 218.011 $6,664
Inflation adjusted decrease will not change much at all no matter what CPI index numbers you use. The fact is, CCSD's budget has been relatively well insulated from the major shock and awe of the bubble burst that struck Nevada's economy.
-0.96 percent decline NOT the end of the world
-0.96 percent decline NOT cutting to the bone
-0.96 percent decline NOT devastating budget cuts
gmag rebuttal: "Blah, blah, blah....no facts or citations."
sandoval was elected to CUT SPENDING and not RAISE TAXES.
whoever he cuts from the govt to get the budget in balance is just fine.
Instead of complaining about your salary and benefits, find a new job. If you are really worth what you think you are worth, you could get a new job making bank. Oh wait, it's better to sit around and complain.
Those of you that choose to attend Governor BS' speech in person are advised to at least wear knee high boots. However, be advised that there is at least a 50% chance that hip waders may be necessary.
Reply to Patrick Gibbons: Republicans on Capitol Hill are wanting to shift or delay spending, "shift" meaning to states, who are then going to dump the expense on local taxing entities. This will result in higher fees, property taxes and the like. Meanwhile, the "shift" ALSO IS AN EXPENSE. IF, by chance Republican Governors and legislatures decide at the state level to, for example, cut Medicaid, this will result in a reduction of providers who accept Medicaid, shifting (that word again) those expenses to emergency rooms (like UMC), where again local entities will have to pick up the tab. IF, by chance, Republican Governors and legislatures decide to cut on mental health services, the costs will shift to local police and incarceration. So, we might conclude (1) the shifting of cost creates more expensive, and (2) Republicans are SHIFTY at what they say and do. As for your statement that the private sector is bearing all the burden of the recession, this is horse hockey. The middle and lower class Americans are bearing the burden. Corporate profits for at quarterly records, almost 1.7 trillion in 4th quarter 2010, and a third of the profit increase went to Wall Street and hedge funds. Tax cuts were extended for dividends, capital gains and high income earners. Corporate bonuses are back. The stock market has increased more under Obama in 2 years than all but two US Presidents prior. And you are stating the private sector is hurting? You are talking about Mom and Pop on Main Street, not Corporate America! What you are missing is RECORD PROFITS DO NOT EQUAL NEW JOBS, because fewer people are working harder and longer and smarter to make those profits. It's called MAXIMIZING PRODUCTIVITY. It has nothing to do with the public sector. The public sector of the US economy was 40 percent before Reagan, it's 30 percent today. But, go ahead and blame the govt beast, when it's gone you'll be blaming some other concocted Republican myth. Perhaps Iran?
Correction to type-o in above post: Corporate profits were at record highs in fourth quarter 2010. The Republicans will tell you that the corporate employers aren't hiring (yet) because it's too early in the recovery. That's mostly spin and hustle. If companies can achieve record profits without additional hiring, as in fourth quarter 2010, the CEO and CFO objective is to get stock share up on those profits, to help with restructuring debt and also meeting those share value targets so executives can cash in on stock options and be rewarded. What does new jobs have to do with any of that (?), if existing staff levels and productivity are already getting the job done.
So in conclusion Patrick Gibbons, SEE YOU IN THE HAMPTONS!
And by the way Patrick, that CC school district food service employee you might know will probably inevitably be terminated and then hired by a brand new company that the school district will have to do business with on an contract outsourcing basis, The employee will be rehired for less money and benefits into a job where the incentive is to work harder while looking for another job (higher turnover, more transience), while some local stakeholder friend of a friend makes nice profits from ownership of the new contract company. More of the SHIFT, if you know what I mean, which all adds up to EVEN FEWER people in Clark County with ownership and economic leverage, and MORE local employees with less purchasing power (not to mention personal savings), more private sector control of the school district. It's kind of the like the health insurance model in most states in the private sector, i.e. contract out the services to a budding or existing monopolist provider. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WOULD LIKE TO CONTRACT OUT LARGE PORTIONS OF THE THE PUBLIC SECTOR ECONOMY, TO ENRICH THEIR FRIENDS WHO SUPPORT THEM! And make no mistake, the SHIFT costs money in and of itself.
Does Pat and gmag have a job, or a life? Why don't you call each other and hook up....blah blah blah.
Sell all of the casinos to one corporation like they do in Pennsylvania.
Tax this new entity at 55% like Pennsylvania.
Billions of new revenue for Nevada and only one large corporation for the gaming board to handle.
Win, Win, Win!!!
From Pennsylvania's gaming control website.
For every dollar produced as revenue from slot machine play, 55 is returned to Pennsylvanians. Imagine this return in Nevada. Wowsers!