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Monday, April 16, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.
Dear reader,
This fall’s ballot will be hefty, topped by the presidential race and the congressional elections. That’s obviously where most of the attention will be. But that’s not where the ballot ends.
In Clark County, a lengthy ballot will have a variety of state and local government races. Those races don’t command the attention they probably should, so let’s steer away from the federal races for a minute — there will be plenty of opportunity for those discussions — and take a moment to look more locally.
Consider that state and local governments provide a variety of services that affect people directly — water, sewer, police, emergency services and building and health standards, among others. The role of the leaders we elect to state and local offices is important. Whether it’s the Legislature limiting the use of handheld cellphones or commissioners setting zoning boundaries or a judge handing out a sentence, there’s an impact on the local community. And we haven’t mentioned the role of the local school board and its role in education.
This year in Clark County, there are 10 state Senate seats on the ballot along with 31 Assembly seats. Voters will fill four positions on both the Clark County Commission and the Clark County School District’s board. There are three seats on both the university system’s board of regents and the state Board of Education that Clark County voters will fill. And there are also a handful of races for District Court and justice of the peace.
As we start to review the candidates for state and local offices this year, we want to know your thoughts about those races and what issues and concerns you might have. Here are some questions to consider:
• Which races matter to you? Or do they? Why?
• How important is education to you? What, if anything, do you think the state and School District should do to improve it?
• What do you think the Legislature, the county commission and any other state or local leader can or should do about the economy? (For example, if you believe taxes and regulations are problems, let us know which ones and how. If you think tax incentives are the way to go, tell us what you would propose.)
• What do local and state officials need to do more of or less of?
• Do you vote on the judicial races? How do you make your choices?
• Are there issues, concerns or questions you’d raise with the candidates in any of the local or state races?
We would love to hear your thoughts. We’ll use them as we prepare to talk to candidates this year, and we’ll ask them to address some of your questions and concerns. We’ll also print some of your answers in the future.
You can send an email to letters@lasvegassun.com and be sure to put elections in the subject line. You can also mail your ideas to Letters to the editor, Las Vegas Sun, 2360 Corporate Circle, Third Floor, Henderson, NV 89074.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Matt
Matt Hufman is the assistant managing editor/opinion.
Education, as it always is, will be a key issue.
One problem in education is that in the 1960's our societal norms changed. Fewer two parent families, more permissiveness, less emhphasis on key subjects and phonics for reading, less parent involvement, etc.
Another problem is the proliferation of 'administration'. Huge amounts of money and resources are sucked away from 'teaching' and 'Teachers' to pay for expensive buildings, high administrative salaries, etc.
As always, tax payers will be asked for more money to 'fix the problems'. That won't fix the problems. Never has, never will.
Our school systems must change and so must our society.
Michael
All state and local issues are preempted by national level issues and debates. The important national and local elections and winners will be those who hitch their stars to the presidential candidates. Guess what? Dems won't align with Obama for fear of losing in Nov 2012, just as they did in 2010. Instead, distancing themselves from the incumbent President and his policies. Conversely, the GOP runners will embrace Romney and enjoy victory on his coat tails.
Carmine A. DiFazio
To fix budgetary problems that have plagued Nevada for nearly a century, the Nevada Constitution must be changed by our LAWMAKERS. Kicking the political can down the road no longer cuts it---Nevada is in a crisis mode financially, with little hope of getting out of that mode unless it is effectively addressed by our LAWMAKERS.
Had Nevada changed the tax structure in the Nevada Constitution years ago, our mineral wealthy state would have had more than enough funds available to care for its infrastructure. But instead, MINING pays a pittance for the wealth of minerals foreign corporations extract from the state. This must change.
In contrast, the gaming/resort industry, has capitalized on low taxes, a huge pool of cheap labor, and has not only highly profitted, but has even extended itself to other USA states, and onto building casino/resorts on foreign soil. They pay MORE taxes elsewhere as well, so go figure. Nevada is used. This must change.
Maybe its me, but somehow requests by the school district for millions of dollars for technology did NOT have the crucial data that would support the need. Where and how has student achievement IMPROVED significantly to justify such huge sums of taxpayer money??? The Las Vegas Sun article recently cited all the uses for such bond money, but failed to provide proof that we are getting any bang for the bucks. You still need teachers to set the foundations for learning, technology provides information, practice, and application opportunities.
Just as one shoe size does not fit all feet, it is faulty thinking to believe any one way of instructional delivery will satisfy the needs of all students/learners. Online education may be a fit for older students who are self-motivated, have home support, and are organized. It takes incredible supervision and monitoring with the younger children.
So what are the hard statistics on student outcomes with all our current technology??? This would be important to know before asking for more money from our struggling taxpayers.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Had Nevada changed the tax structure in the Nevada Constitution years ago, our mineral wealthy state would have had more than enough funds available to care for its infrastructure. But instead, MINING pays a pittance for the wealth of minerals foreign corporations extract from the state. This must change.
--------------------------------------------------
I'd love to see any shred of analysis that backs up this claim.
1. Which races matter to you? Or do they? Why?
a. We vote in all races. What matters to me is that we elect candidates that will support President Obama's agenda. In 2012, the most important races to me will be the US house and senate seats. Why? Because it scares me to death to think that we would have a repeat of the Bush Administration. Or ever worse radical tea party members making decisions that will affect us all in a negative way.
2. How important is education to you? What, if anything, do you think the state and School District should do to improve it?
a. Our children are all grown. So, education is not a priority, but is important. I think states; particularly Nevada should improve the level and quality of education it provides to its children. Education seemingly is not/has not been important to this state, which is why they are ranked at the bottom of the list nationally. I think that instead of building a fancy building on Sahara, they should have provided teachers the tools they need to be successful; hire additional teachers; place more emphasis on hiring qualified teachers (I am not saying they don't), provide incentives to teachers whose student achieve or exceed the established standards, and I believe teachers should be evaluated based on their performance; not tenure.
3. What do you think the Legislature, the county commission and any other state or local leader can or should do about the economy? (For example, if you believe taxes and regulations are problems, let us know which ones and how. If you think tax incentives are the way to go, tell us what you would propose.)
a. I do not pay attention, but I will vote for a Democratic candidate.
4. What do local and state officials need to do more of or less of?
a. No comment;
5. Do you vote on the judicial races? How do you make your choices?
a. Yes
6. Are there issues, concerns or questions you'd raise with the candidates in any of the local or state races?
a. Yes, I think the need to seriously evaluate what seems to be constant rate hikes from all of the utility companies;
b. I think we need to improve our image from Sin City or What Happens in Las Vegas Stays in Las Vegas. Please; who thought of those slogans? Is that really the message we want to send to the world? Why? What do the slogans mean?
c. I think we should consider changing our image and perhaps the slogans in an effort to attract and encourage other lines of business to relocate to Las Vegas. Ask yourself, how would a CEO convince his/her executive team and their family to move to Las Vegas?
d. We need to be nationally ranked the very best at something. Perhaps, we could pick education with the goal of becoming the best in the nation. We could start with K-12.
CarmineD wrote: All state and local issues are preempted by national level issues and debates. The important national and local elections and winners will be those who hitch their stars to the presidential candidates.
---
This is the issue, isn't it? Some of the issues that people should care about -- education, water, police, etc. -- get overlooked because of the focus on the national races. And it's true that presidential race can carry influence down ticket.
Should it? (That's a real question, not a rhetorical one.) If a candidate for county commission, for example, tied his/her campaign to a presidential candidate, would that be helpful to you as a voter?
I see the value in knowing a person's political beliefs, but I'm not sure that would help me when it comes to understanding their ideas about zoning or water or transportation. I think I'd rather that person talk about county issues rather than national ones. What do you think?
Matt
P.S. -- Jon Ralston's Sunday column on political platforms touches on this issue and is worth a read: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/apr...
@happyleper.
This may answer your questions about mining.
In 2009, the mining industry had gross revenue of 5,800,000,000. After deductions, including some that may have not complied with state law, the net profit was 1,800,000,000. The tax paid to the state of Nevada was 48,600,000. For comparison, in 2010 gaming had the same gross revenue and paid over 425,000,000 in taxes to the state.
The state of Alaska collects a royalty of 25% on oil. Alaska currently has a 3 BILLION surplus in the state budget, and Exxon just reported record 1st quarter profits of over 10 BILLION, so the royalty payment doesn't seem to be causing the oil companies financial problems. Using oil profits, Alaska anually pays every resident, including children between 1000 to 1500.
The Barrack annual report has just been published, and shows record profits and dividends above the record levels of 2009. This is a link to the report, you may want to look closely at pages 2, 3, and 4. http://media.lasvegassun.com/media/pdfs/.................. Net earnings and profits have jumped dramatically between 2009 and 2010. Shareholders return on investment jumped from 12% in 2009 to 19% in 2010. To put it in simplier terms, an investor made 12 for every 100 invested in 2009. In 2010, that same investor made 19 per 100 invested. For the two year period, they had a 31% eturn on investment. What other investment had that rate of return from 2009-2010?
In 2010, the Cortez Hill mine in Nevada produced 1.14 MILLION ounces (31.6 TONS) of gold at a cost of $312 per ounce. In the first quarter of 2011, the mine produced 366000 ounces (11.4 TONS) at a cost of $220 per ounce. Nevada is one of the largest producers of gold in the world. Assuming a profit of $1000 per ounce, that amounts to a profit from one mine of $366,000,000 for one quarter. That amounts to a profit of $1,464,000,000 if production for each quarter remains the same. Of that profit, Nevada will see between $10,000,000 and $20,000,000 based on current rates. Remember this is only one of the many mines in Nevada. Several companies are trying to open mines in the old Comstock Lode and the Carlin Trace.
"Should it? (That's a real question, not a rhetorical one.)"
In close, divisive, Presidential elections, like Nov 2012, yes, of course. All politics is local. Just ask Shelly Berkley. She refused to stand up for Cadish's nomination when asked if she supported it, staying neutral instead. Why? Fear of losing votes in the US Senate election.
Carmine A. DiFazio
I believe that local issues do get lost because of the attention placed on both sides of the aisle. Local issues become a sidebar that is only important to the people that are directly affected by that particular local "issue". I don't think people think outside of their own life. For example do people think about healthcare if they have a great healthcare policy; do they think about water when they are taking a shower or watering the lawn, do they think about police or firemen when all they have to do is call 911; I think the answer is no. It is not that they don't care; they are not directly affected so it is a non-issue; it doesn't even enter their mind. I don't think most people know that much about their local government; especially the judicial races.
I suppose that whether a county commissioner is a Republican or a Democrat really shouldn't matter and should not be the deciding factor whether they get your vote or not. I would agree that a person running for a local position like county commissioner should be considered and evaluated for what they can do/have done/will do for their local community; not their political affiliation. However, I'll bet people will vote with their party if they are unsure or unaware of the candidate.