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Gov. Brian Sandoval addresses the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at a luncheon held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas.
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 | 6:10 p.m.
Sun Coverage
Beyond the Sun
After weathering criticism from Democratic leaders about a plan that further cuts the state’s education budget, Gov. Brian Sandoval on Wednesday found a friendlier environment for his economic policies – the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.
“So many of you in the chamber have been telling me it’s time for Nevada to turn the page and fully embrace the new realities of our economy,” Sandoval told more than 400 chamber members who packed a ballroom at the Four Seasons for a chamber lunch. “Like you, I know that Nevada has been trapped too long in a self-defeating cycle of bad news with no plan to get out of that space.”
Sandoval’s message, fresh after Monday’s State of the State address at which he unveiled a budget free of new taxes that creates a new model for economic development and reforms in education, was warmly received by chamber members who interrupted his 24-minute presentation nine times with applause.
Sandoval promised transparency on “the most complex budget in the state’s history,” and said he welcomed debate “now, not at the end of May.”
But in response to questions from reporters after the speech, he added that there would be no debating whether he would accept a proposal that includes tax increases.
“I think, given the situation we’re in, with unemployment, foreclosures and struggling businesses, I think raising taxes would be the worst thing we could do,” he told reporters. “What I’ve said is we need to have this debate.”
He said he was proud of the fact “that we balanced the budget without raising 1 cent of tax to protect the business community.”
But critics already have begun lining up to challenge Sandoval’s plan.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, and educators statewide disagree with Sandoval’s proposed education budget. Horsford promised that the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee would have hearings.
Sandoval is counting on education reforms with recommendations coming from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public school system and the founder and CEO of Students First, a national advocacy organization.
The governor said he believes public school programs can be redirected after touring West Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas earlier Wednesday. Sandoval said within its paperless environment, the school is gearing students for jobs in careers that are expected to be part of the state’s diversified economic landscape with studies in biotechnology, veterinary medical services, sports medicine, civil and environmental engineering, business management and healthcare administration, nursing, information technology management, computer animation and environmental sciences.
Gov. Brian Sandoval addresses the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at a luncheon held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas.
Sandoval also explained some of the details of his proposed restructuring of the state’s economic development strategy, which includes replacing the Nevada Commission on Economic Development with a public-private partnership called Nevada Jobs Unlimited.
The partnership would bring the governor, lieutenant governor, the Senate majority leader, the speaker of the Assembly and representatives of universities and K-12 education together with representatives of the private sector.
The strategy was developed with Steve Hill, the senior vice president of the chamber’s executive committee of the board of trustees, who traveled with Sandoval to find the nation’s best economic development practices and duplicate them in Nevada. The governor also received assistance from Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki’s New Nevada Task Force, which studied economic diversification since last summer.
“(Nevada Jobs Unlimited) is going to pursue several different strategies to grow jobs within existing Nevada businesses,” Sandoval said. “One of the conversations that happens all the time is we’re always looking to bring businesses in from out of state. But 70 percent of the jobs are going to be generated by you, by all of you in this room. It’s important for Nevada Jobs Unlimited to work with each and every individual that is making a payroll and do what we can to help all of you to hire Nevadans.”
Although Sandoval said he’d heard that several people listening to the State of the State address kept a scorecard of how many times he alluded to optimism, he continued to share that outlook.
“If Nevada was a stock, I’d buy now,” he said. “We’re going to improve education, we’re going to improve the delivery of higher ed, we’re going to have a balanced budget without tax increases. We’re not going to overregulate you. There are a lot of positive things to talk about.”
look at greasy brian...
talking to the people that picked him to be governor...
i mean really folks...
have you ever heard of a federal judge becoming governor...
NEVER...
businesses picked greasy brian...
he took their money...
and bought the governor's mansion...
want proof...
greasy brian would rather cut education and harm the children of nevada...
than raise taxes on mining which ships the profits overseas for the benefit of foreign children...
what a pathetic clown greasy brian is...
hey greasy brian...
you seem pretty cocky now buddy...
but guess what...
you better listen to us...
or we will take you down...
slowly but surely...
we will open the public's collective eye...
person by person...
mark my word greasy brian...
you are an easy mark...
one need only follow the money...
follow the money and you know all there is to know about greasy brian...
Why not:
Reduce sales tax to 3 percent
Reduce the gas tax or eliminate it
Reduce the car registration fees
Reduce the property taxes
How you ask?
Tax services at 3 percent
Income tax with no deductions at 3 percent
Tax food at 3 percent
Tax large business profits at 3 percent
Nevada would be competitive and the state would have Billions of dollars to invest in education, health, job development, research centers, etc. This tax system would make EVERYONE share the burden of running the state, not just the public servants.
Just my humble opinion- Tea Baggers won't like it but Nevada needs to become a real state, not a cheapstate.
From the front page of this paper
Drilling further into the data, Nevada ranks dead last in the human capital category given our poor ability to turn out college graduates with advanced degrees, particularly in math and science degrees. We also rank dead last in the technology and science workforce category.
Does Sandoval understand the implications of not investing in education? Deaf dumb and blind at the helm.
Sandoval to businesses: 'Raising taxes the worst thing we could do'. Is that the gov saying this or his people that want to continue the status quo when it comes to helping people?
"If Nevada was a stock, I'd buy now," he said.
I was told essentially the same thing about Enron several years back.
We need to embrace socialism like Chavez!!!
Chunky says:
If the government hijacks money from businesses then businesses can't spend it on new employees or equipment.
If the government hijacks money from the people the people can't spend it and filter it back into the economy.
Balancing the budget is the best thing the government, businesses and citizens can do to make our economy solvent and able to grow again.
As to replacing the Nevada Commission on Economic Development with a public-private partnership; absolutely! Chunky has sat in their offices year after year for seven years asking why the State of Nevada doesn't have tax incentives for new business or why we don't even have a decent website for the State. Major suckage in that department!
That's what Chunky thinks!
I find it ironic that Sando is giving a speech to the same corporations that bought and payed for him during the campain at the Four Seasons. Isn't this one of the most expensive hotels in Las Vegas? Sounds like they were having a heck of a party!- Standing applause 9 times? Wow! This guy was really worth the money, huh? Was Chunky invited?
I wonder if this is what all of the grunting during the State of the State speech was all about.....
I have some ideas to start a new business in Nevada. I don't want to miss the next Four Seasons party you know. How about we legalize prostitution and marijuana in Clark County? If our society is going the direction of Mexico with all of Sando's cuts on education, children, the elderly, the disabled, etc., we may as well go all the way! Since our education system is going from 46th in funding to third- world country funding, the workforce for these industries should be plentiful in years to come. We wouldn't want a 1 or 2 percent state income tax- now that would ruin the bottom line for my new businesses. How do you think I could reduce labor costs in years to come? Maybe Sando could help out with reducing minimum wage. Any idea how much he costs?
No new taxes..How can you raise taxes in a climate where most people aren't paying their mortgage? There is one answer to what 'ails' Nevada, the whole west coast for that matter..Yuan!!! and lots of them..That's what MadMaxie thinks..
"If the government hijacks money from businesses then businesses can't spend it on new employees or equipment.
If the government hijacks money from the people the people can't spend it and filter it back into the economy."
And so it follows that we peons would surely benefit by carrying the tax load to improve/maintain the roads, schools, services, etc so the elitists can continue to profit.
And so it follows that if some is good, then more is better and so we peons would be WAAy better off by handing our meager wallets and light piggy banks right on over to those with heavy wallets and bullion laden lock-boxes so as to help ourselves in the long run.
Thanks chunky, thanks BS, and thanks to all of you peons for your helpful contributions. We can work our way out of this mess if we'll just give all we got to those with way more so they can help us out as they surely want to do, right?
As A local CPA working with out of State businesses I have to agree with the Governor wholeheartedly. A key element with a decision to relocate to Nevada is based upon the local tax environment. If our taxes are high like Calfornia or Utah we will just not attract business. End of story. I have also learned that some Illinois companies and New York companies are seriously looking to set up operations here in Nevada due to the tax climate. Listen to the Governor. He is right on target.
It is time to change the old tax - spend - no results model. It is time to think out side of the box.
Continually spending greater sums of money and expecting different results Is Insane !!