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By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 | 2 a.m.
J. Patrick Coolican
Sun archives
Sun Archives
- Students rally against budget cuts, call for business tax hike (3-21-11)
- Students plan budget cut rally after overnight bus trip to Carson City (3-20-11)
- UNLV president presents cuts, says they are “a tragic loss and a giant step backward for Nevada” (3-8-2011)
- UNLV president’s somber warning on budget cuts moves faculty to tears (2-16-2011)
- Regent says it’s time that K-12 shares in budget sacrifice (2-8-2011)
- Higher education officials say Sandoval budget cuts a ‘death sentence’ (2-4-2011)
- Education in forefront of upcoming budget battle (1-30-2011)
- Chancellor: University tuition would have to go up 73 percent to cover Sandoval budget gap (1-27-2011)
- A steep climb for Nevadans (1-26-2011)
- Soft words during State of the State hide Nevada in pain (1-25-2011)
Sun Coverage
Traveling overnight Sunday with hundreds of students on their way to the state capital to protest budget cuts, I would occasionally awaken and see, through the rain, the lights of the caravan of buses.
It was hard not to feel a bit inspired by the students’ passion for their education — a passion that is so lacking in other quarters of the state, where casual contempt for teachers and college professors and students has become like a strange badge of honor.
“Spoiled brats,” was a term thrown around on Twitter Monday by Republican operative Robert Uithoven.
No doubt there are some of those in our higher education system, but I doubt they were among the more than 1,000 students demonstrating against Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed 17 percent cut to higher education.
What seems lost on the haters is, given that just 14 percent of Nevadans possess a bachelor’s degree, it stands to reason that many of our university students are the first in their families to attend college. Spoiled brats? Am I on Mars?
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, a North Las Vegas Democrat, asked students testifying before a joint budget committee meeting Monday how many hold down jobs in addition to attending school. Nearly all of them raised their hands.
America Acevedo — no kidding, her name — is an aspiring doctor studying neuroscience. She recalled her first stirrings of ambition: She was 14 and at a welfare office with her mother, who apologized to her for dragging her there. Acevedo, a UNR student, told legislators on Monday that at that moment she decided she was going to college, and that someday she would support her mother. She works three jobs to pay for school and help out at home, she says. This is the type of person even Republicans once applauded, but now apparently merely attending a state university automatically qualifies you for derision.
UNLV students Tom Stewart, Andrew Spivak and Sterling Kavitky were on my bus, and each worries that a degree from UNLV is not only becoming more expensive — tuition could rise as much as 12 percent per year during each of the next two years — but also sort of worthless.
Spivak says he imagines interviewing for a job and being laughed at “because the university went bankrupt,” referring to the strong possibility of “financial exigency,” which is the university equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
By late Monday afternoon, the students were back on the buses, done chanting and cheering for now.
Will it make any difference?
“Probably not,” a prominent lobbyist said to me.
They created some excitement, but off they went, and once again, lobbyists for the state’s big moneyed interests outnumbered citizens and legislators by an order of magnitude.
(Imagine how different things would be if the state capital weren’t hundreds of miles from where 75 percent of the state resides, and these students could camp out every day at the Legislature.)
Democrats, one operative told me, are committed to doing things differently this time — to mobilizing their grass roots rather than playing the insider ballgame. They plan two more large demonstrations, and a source close to Horsford called Monday “a huge turning point” and said they now felt emboldened to talk about taxes. Excuse me, revenue.
Up until now, Democrats, just like two years ago, have whispered about taxes to pay for services like higher education as if it were a shameful family secret.
Consider the best sign of the day, which may not have been true during our construction and tourism booms, but these days is looking more true all the time:
“Uneducated equals unemployed.”
Coolican’s column appears every Tuesday and Friday.
These ones ARE spoiled brats though!
Great idea, dipstick.
Nice column.
Why on earth do the Democrats let Republicans get away with being so two-faced about taxes? The Republicans tried to kill Obama'a payroll tax cut last March, then sucessfully killed it when he wanted to extend it in December. I own a small business and will end up saving about $1,400 on last years tax cut, and I estimate I would have saved about 1,000 to 1,400 dollars if they had passed it for this year. Even if they doubled the Nevada Business Tax, I would only pay a small amount compared to what I lost when the Republicans stopped Obama from cutting payroll taxes.
Do the Democrats understand that they actually did something real good for business people, and that the Republicans were against it?
"Spoiled Brats"!!!!What else would you expect from "Republican operatives" who favor tax cuts for millionaires and pay cuts for teachers????
"instead of wasting the trip to middle of media no where carson city, they should have planned their protest in front of the bellagio,"
Actually, dipstick, they already did that earlier this month. It got some media, but the problem is that legislators don't really pay attention unless they can see and feel it themselves. That's why what happened yesterday was so critical. If over 1,000 students could brave 8 hours of driving through the rain and snow to make a statement where Nevada's seat of power is, then legislators have to pay attention.
Did any of the students UNDERSTAND / COMPREHEND WHAT THE GOVERNOR TOLD THEM? If there are no jobs, why do you need a college degree (or more correctly, a couple years of college but no degree)?
This is not a political party issue. This is not about war on the middle class. We've had a great society for more than 50 years--of providing hand out after hand out to the DEPENDENT CLASS. The only things that have increased are THE SIZE OF THE DEPENDENT CLASS and the NUMBER OF THINGS THEY DEMAND that others provide for them. Millions upon millions of low-income workers NEVER PAY INCOME TAX. They receive THOUSANDS IN REFUNDS EVERY YEAR for dependent exemptions, child credits, additional child credits, child care credits, earned income credits magnified with dependents...... No problem for someone who just entered the work force but yes problem when they chuck out three, four kids and are UNABLE TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN???? MAKE THE SACRIFICES THE REST OF US HAD TO: work your way through college without a car, without a house. Enter the job force and work your way above minimum wage BEFORE YOU HAVE A CHILD. DO NOT CRITICIZE SOMEONE WHO HAS A "TOY" OR CAR OR HOUSE THAT S/HE WORKED FOR AND PAID FOR and paid income taxes, SUT taxes, property taxes, fuel taxes AND DIDN'T COLLECT handouts.
hey robert uithoven...
aren't you the clown that managed sue lowden's campaign???
didn't suzie q get her @$$ kicked by sharron "psycho" angle???
HEE HEE HEE!!!
HOO HOO HOO!!!
HAA HAA HAA!!!
HEE HEE HEE!!!
HOO HOO HOO!!!
HAA HAA HAA!!!
HEE HEE HEE!!!
HOO HOO HOO!!!
HAA HAA HAA!!!
man o man...
that's still makes me laugh...
stop it...
my belly hurts!!!
No "spoiled brats",eh Coolican? Well, how about "entitlement-dependent users". Is that more descriptive?
Where is it written that a kid has a right to a college education funded by his neighbor? This mob of "takers" think they have that right.
To atdleft: Did the kids pay for the costs of the caravan? If not, who funded it?
The paragraph in parenthesis telling about where these kids live is all we need to know. We may as well cede Clark County to California so Nevada can once again be the strong conservative state it used to be. My beloved Las Vegas used to be, too, before it got Californicated. Thank Goodness Carson City is not anywhere near the liberal stronghold of Clark County!
Where do you get off thinking that taxes fund 100% of a kids college education? That is a ridiculous misrepresentation Mr. Hopkins.
Boys and Girls it is time to grow up. Mommy and Daddy have maxed out their credit cards and have no more money.
Take note of this mornings RJ Front page article 3-22-11. New home builders can't get appraisals high enough to sell their homes. (neither can your parents) Without those transactions your government subsidized education can't be paid for.
Go protest in front of the appraisers office and demand higher appraisals. That will be more productive.
Last night on Twitter Uithoven apologized, calling his comment "over the top." Kudos. What matters though is that in it's in all our best interests -- economically, socially, etc. -- to have a robust higher education system. Does anyone think North Carolina regrets the huge infusion of money they've put into higher education, which has helped create the Research Triangle Park? Or that Virginia regrets its massive investment in higher education? Don't think so.
i sure hope robert uithoven works on a future campaign...
that would be...
FUN!!!
FUN!!!
FUN!!!
The question is, of those 1000 protesters, how many will work in Nevada after graduation? If it is less than 14 percent, does it really matter what planet Cooligan is from? The degrees available at state universities should match the employment possibilities within that state. Unless it can be economically justified to create a more educated workforce for other states, these degree programs should be eliminated.
Rickkorbel, when Mommy and Daddy Mining are actually paying real taxes, then we can talk about whether the credit cards are maxed out. Until then, try checking this out: http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com/las_vegas...
The fact that "conservatives" in this state value a degree at the same rate in which they value their dog's chew toys is disgusting.
You claim these students are "entitlement-dependent users" and spout absurdities about them being brats and milking off their parents when you just read about a young student who works three jobs to pay for her own education and support her family. What would you call that student to her face? Would you have enough testicular fortitude to tell her that you think she's a "user" if she were sitting at the table next to you?
Who can argue to me that Nevada has a balanced tax infrastructure? No one! If businesses used the same methods as they did 50 years ago, they'd probably be in pretty bad shape because the free market that you love so much changes, sometimes drastically, with time. How can you expect a 2011 Nevada to operate off of a 1956 tax structure?
We need Nevada's legislators to look past the ignorant and uneducated rhetoric posted by conservative junkies on websites, and get down to the business of creating new streams of revenue for the resucitation of our state, and fast!
i wonder where robert uithoven went to college???
i wonder how much he paid for his college degree???
hmmm???
The whole argument as to whether students are spoiled or not is just plain dumb. The real argument is about funding our schools by the state budget. Right now the state hasn't got the funds to continue business as usual. The Governor refuses to approve any new taxes or tax increases so unless the legislature can pass any new taxes or increases with a veto proof majority, the subject is really mute. The schools need to build their budgets accordingly.
Maybe you kids better accept the fact that you can't afford college. If there's a subject you're interested in, then read a book or watch lectures on you-tube. BTW thanks for setting us up for the next bubble--there is now $900 billion in student loan debt, half of which is in default or deferment.
The education haters are out in force on "Sun" posts. And they always argue against public education as "entitlement" or call students and their parents who advocate a strong educational system, K-12 and higher education, "spoiled" in some way. They believe in their arguments also based on what has become a mass delusion of "free market" economics.
These arguments are fallacious. Education is an investment. Every student who earns a higher degree and stays in Nevada contributes an additional 1.5 million dollars to the economy above that of a non-degree earner; and by latest survey (2007), 61% of NSHE graduates live and work in our state. (Or at least they intended to stay here until the Great Recession brought on by unregulated bankers and quasi-criminal Wall Street traders busted the world economy).
Let's never forget that it is the unregulated bankers and the selfish greed of Wall Street that got us into this mess in the first place; let's never forget that the "no new taxes" and "cut taxes for the rich" crowd has had its way for the last decade and more; let's never stop raising our voices to protest how the "no new taxes" crowd are now aiming to punish the wrong people for the crimes of others and for their own failed policies.
It is in the best interests of all in our state to invest in education. Especially now, when the education system can go a long way toward keeping unemployed young people (through no fault of their own) busy doing something productive, bettering themselves, and improving all our chances for a prosperous future.
Education supporters from all across Nevada went to Carson City to speak and interact with elected officials and to have those officials pay more attention to Nevada's students. March 21st was about breaking down the barriers that exist and opening lines of communication. However, the students' trip to the Capital was about more than just one sided communication.
Nevadans are hungry for a particular kind of conversation that is serious and authentic, involves diverse views, but is free of manipulation and "spin." Most citizens of Nevadans want discussions that are open-ended in the sense that there is real exploration of all the possible solutions to our problems. There are real solutions to the problems Nevada faces if our politicians have the courage to openly discuss them.
Most state representatives understood our desire for open discussion and stated that they too wanted to have open discussions about how to solve the state's issues. The one glaring exception to this wide spread willingness to openly deliberate all possible solution was Governor Sandoval who once again said that he would not even consider solutions that raised revenue.
Governor Sandoval's unwillingness to explore all solutions to the state's budget will surely come back to haunt him in the coming months.
Patrick
Of course the "Spoiled Brat" Republican operative had to apologize for his twitter comments. You exposed him for what he and the republicans are about.
good article!!!
Well Douglas, the state of Calif. has thousands of recent and indebted grads with degrees in biochemistry, computer science, etc. Yet somehow the state has very high unemployment and the education-industrial complex is more of a burden on taxpayers than an engine of growth. How do you explain that? Last quarter I attended a systems analysis class (couldn't afford the $1000 tuition so I asked the prof if I could drop in and listen to the lectures). After the exam on LaPlace transforms the prof screamed at the class because the scores were so low. Apparently nobody has time to study. lol. Even when students go to college they apparently aren't learning anything, so why should we pay more in taxes to support our colleges?
Big fires come from tiny things. Get an A in your class, no fee. Get a B, ten bucks. Get a C, twenty bucks. Et cetera. It's called individual responsibility, not a bad lesson in these times of diminished revenues due to our insistence on handing out the big bucks to the billionaire group while hosing the throngs of unwashed masses.
Attendance and attention will skyrocket; mom and dad will ask about school at dinner (there will be dinner, right?) The homework and previews of tomorrow's lessons will become the norm; the little urchins will catch fire, make their moments of instruction memorable and find their lives richer because of what THEY did.
Gratitude for our gift of life grows from from ingraining the respect for others too. Encouraging the little ones to help those with less, to 'peer tutor' as the current term describes how one-room schoolhouses passed on the cream, defines the teach/learn process. Sharing what one knows helps the sharer as much as the sharee. Putting it out in one's own words to another fellow urchin makes friends and refinement of understanding simultaneously - a two-fer!!
This recession AND the one before it AND the one before that one were ALL CAUSED BY GREED in the banking and corporate systems.
The WEALTHY have learned that by creating a recession, all the gains of the middle class can be clawed back into their coffers. Recessions allow the 'investors' who got tax breaks to buy up the bankrupt homes and change the American dream into an Investor's dream.
America is rapidly becoming an "Investor's Dream" because investor (i.e. business & corporate) taxes are reduced to nothing with tax loopholes, tax shelters and tax dodges. Only corporations have high paid tax lawyers and access to business deductions so they can be 'ALWAYS BROKE'.
Recessions today are caused ENTIRELY by the wealthy financiers to buy up America when the economy crashes and destroy education to produce INEXPENSIVE SOLDIERS and even cheaper ribbon for their Coffins.
Parents broke? How about the Newmont Carlin mine?
$365 million worth of gold mined, NOT ONE CENT paid in taxes! Deductions...all deductions.
Brian Sandoval states in the "Las Vegas Gleaner" that "They pay their fair share".
Fair Share means ZERO TAXES FOR MINING, ZERO TAXES FOR BUSINESS because "That's the law". None of us get to deduct our expenses driving to work but a mine does. That's RICH MANS LAW, that's what Republicans bring to America to DESTROY the Government.
http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com/las_vegas...
A free ride on the other students dime to push more funding on higher education. $15,000 wasted. The funding only goes to the faculty and the staff - who are paid enough by the way. The grandiose plans that have been proposed are a waste of time and money. The money does not make higher education cheaper and the school will lie about prospects for people in various majors. The colleges will have the kids shoulder enormous debt that they might even pay off. The public school system does not educate students to be ready for college or for much else. Until we turn Public schools around and they actually start educating, funding for colleges should be cut and entrance tests used to measure the likelyhood of success in college. Honesty by the colleges would be a refreshing change.