KDR,

I challenge you to tell us where you've taught school, that you can honestly say teaching is an easy job. You say you've taught every grade and even full time in 9th and 10th grades? Does that mean you were a sub who came in and handed out the papers the teacher had already prepared for you and called the office if you had any discipline problems? The licensing to teach all those grades would require a whole lot of time at those "easy" teachers college programs.

The only "teaching" you could possibly do with the numbers you are suggesting would be handing out worksheets that were easy to grade quickly, requiring no real writing or thinking, failing to truly engage the students. True teaching is an art that requires constant learning and refining. That is why in order to maintain a license, teachers are required to take a minimum of college level courses every 6 years at their own expense.

KDR, go to your local school and volunteer as a teacher aide or mentor and spend some time in some real classrooms, then say the job is easy and class size doesn't matter.

KDR81

So, are you not going to vote or should that only apply to others? Only by voting can anyone have any say in how are government is run. Rarely does an election hold the potential for change that this one does. I think can be the same sea change in direction of the Reagan Revolution or Roosevelt's New Deal. Given the current state of our economy I think it's appropriate. Add the potential of an African American for president and this is truly a historic opportunity. Everyone needs to get out and let their voice be heard regardless of their choice.

Enough already. Can't you read a little history and take pride in how far we've come without goading each other into a political argument? What are you going to do next Wednesday? Maybe get a life?

The right wing rhetoric is so predictable it's pathetic. I don't think some of you even read all the news.

The report calls for cutting 116 front line caseworkers from closing offices and 96 more people from the mental health division. Adding one student per class in 1st and second grades will result in fewer teachers for those grades. In another article in one of our local papers the prison department was looking at closing facilities in Carson City and Tonopah, cutting workers from those facilities. So "government" is losing people.

Our illegal residents pay the same taxes as everyone else, either through sales, gaming, or property taxes that are part of their rent payments, so if they left more revenue would disappear as well as business at local establishments. I agree something needs to be done about illegal immigration, but they are not the burden on the economy some say.

Finally, the spector of the small busnessman going out of business and leaving the state if they have to pay taxes. Most proposals have left the smallest businesses alone and gone after the larger companies like Wal-Mart, but even if all were included, they would survive here just like they do in Utah, Arizona, or California, all of which have much more aggressive tax policies.

The tax structure should have been fixed eight years ago when Guinn presented his study and proposals, but no one in elected government has the stomach to do what is needed, now we have to do something and it will hurt everyone, but the alternative is living in a state with the worst schools, support systems and infra structure in the country and our ability to attract new business will disappear.

To just say "government needs it's money," is a gross over simplification. People need good roads, good schools and a safety net for children, just to name a few functions of government. Those things cost money, even in a bad economy. Unfortunately, our state legislators have spent the past 20 years underfunding compared to growth, stretching services to a breaking point, then with the economic downturn, there is no fat to cut. Increasing state revenue has to happen and that means Nevadans are going to have to pony up if they want any improvement in schools or roads.