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CITIZEN OUTREACH SUES OVER UNION-ONLY CONTRACTS
Steve Green of the Las Vegas Sun reported on Thursday that:
A group representing nonunion contractors is suing Clark County, charging they’ve been unfairly disqualified from bidding on a $30 million project to renovate the county jail in downtown Las Vegas.
Citizen Outreach Inc., dba as Nevada Business Coalition, filed suit April 8 in Clark County District Court charging the county is requiring union participation in the bidding for the job by mandating that the successful bidder agree to be bound by the terms of a project labor agreement.
NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE BILL IS DEAD
From, Janine Hansen, our Carson City lobbyist: “On Thursday in Senate Legislative Operations and Elections, Chairman Parks (who was the sponsor of SB344 National Popular Vote along with the Majority Leader Horsford) announced that there was not enough support for SB344, so they did not take a vote and SB344 is dead for this session.”
Alas, they didn’t drive a stake through its heart, so expect it to rise from the dead next session.
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Want your organization to get the inside scoop on what will happen next in Nevada politics and public policy? Invite Chuck Muth to be your speaker! Send an email to Chuck to get rates and dates.
Upcoming Engagements
May 4: Las Vegas Valley Tea Party (Henderson, NV)
May 24: Southern Hills Republican Women (Henderson, NV)
July 9-10: Conservative Leadership Conference (Las Vegas, NV)
DEPENDS ON YOUR DEFINITION OF “FIRM”
A story in the Elko Daily Free Press on Thursday was headlined “GOP stands firm on no new taxes.” It quoted three rural Republican legislators, all of whom took positions and made statements that are about a firm as a cup of Jello.
“Republicans are firm on no new taxes,” Sen. Dean Rhoads said. “They aren’t blinking at this stage of the game.”
“At this stage of the game.” Lovely.
Of course they’re not blinking “at this stage of the game.” There’s nothing to blink over. The Democrats haven’t revealed their secret plan to raise taxes yet. Blinking time will come later in the legislative session.
Assemblyman John Ellison said he doesn’t think there will be any tax hikes because Gov. Sandoval has promised to veto them. “They still have to get past him,” Ellison told the paper.
They have to get past “him,” as in Gov. Sandoval. Funny how Mr. Ellison didn’t say any tax hikes have to get past “me” or “us”….meaning Assembly Republicans. He’s only saying that Gov. Sandoval is firm on no new taxes, not John Ellison or Assembly Republicans.
Which brings us to Assembly Minority Leader Pete Goicoechea. “Tax My Meat” Pete told the paper that his Assembly Republicans “may be willing to talk about renewing sunset bills.” What he’s talking about is a July 1 tax hike of around $650 million if the Legislature renews tax hikes passed in 2009 that are supposed to sunset on June 30th.
How in the world raising taxes $650 million is standing “firm” on “no new taxes” is a mystery for the ages. With “firm” supporters such as Rhoads, Ellison and Goicoechea, what does Gov. Sandoval need Democrats for?
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS/POLITICAL CONSULTING
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TEACHERS GOING MESHUGGANAH
How desperate are the teachers unions to avoid budget cuts - no matter how small or necessary; no matter how non-essential the program? According to Allysia Finley of Political Diary, the California teachers union this week posted a ten-page list of potential protest activities they’re planning in May, including:
“…(S)talking legislators for a day; boycotting corporations like Microsoft that advocate for education reform; attempting to close down major roads; dying their hair red; holding night-time vigils with coffins and black arm-bands; picketing companies; and withdrawing funds from banks that ‘are not paying their fair share of taxes.’ They also planned to work with Ben & Jerry's to create a ‘labor-union flavored ice cream.’”
Now remember, these childish, juvenile stunts are being planned by supposedly professional adults who are in charge of educating the vast majority of our children. And some still wonder why Johnny can’t read?
By the way, I wonder what “labor-flavored” ice cream would taste like? For some reason, what come out the rear end of a bull comes to mind.
CAMPAIGN & GRASSROOTS TRAINING
Communications, media relations, grassroots organization, blogging, fundraising and more. Contact Chuck Muth directly to inquire about costs for putting on a custom training seminar for your group or organization.
SCHOOL THEATER FUNDING: TO BE, OR NOT TO BE?
Jose Solario Jr. is a sophomore in high school in Las Vegas who is ticked off that taxpayer funding of his theater class might be cut. “The community is about to lose a big asset,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Hang on while I whip out my “World’s Smallest Violin.”
I think theater is great for kids. So much so that I pay out of my own pocket for my two daughters to participate in a private children’s theater program. The real question is why taxpayers should fund children’s theater programs at public schools, especially since those schools can’t seem to even teach reading, writing and ‘rithmetic?
Jose’s pop, Solario Sr., is ticked off that taxpayers might not continue paying for his son’s extra-curricular theater activities, meaning he’d have to take money out of his own pocket instead of ours. “This madness of ‘no new taxes’ is going to decimate everything until there’s nothing left,” he whines to the RJ.
If only.
LIFO LIVES, NEEDS TO DIE
In case you missed it, David Schwartz inked an interesting article on public school budget cuts last Sunday in which it was pointed out that Clark County principals are preparing lists of teachers who would be laid off, and in what order, in case the teachers union refuses to make pay concessions that would avert such layoffs.
One principal, Linnea Westwood of Iverson Elementary up the street from me, laments that among the ten teachers she’d have to lay off if the unions don’t budge are among her “best and brightest.”
Huh? Why would she lay off her “best and brightest” teachers? Why not layoff the mediocre and not-so-bright?
Because “it’s a matter of seniority,” Schwartz explains. Westwood “would prefer being able to keep her top teachers regardless of how long they’ve been with the (school) district, as (Gov. Brian) Sandoval has proposed,” but that’s not how things are done, thanks to…the teachers union.
Last in; first out (LIFO).
Once again: The teachers union doesn’t give a damn about students. The teachers union only cares about its dues-paying members. And if our kids suffer because a long-time mediocre dues-paying teacher is retained over a “best and brightest” teacher…oh, well. The union couldn’t care less.
Which is why the single best thing Nevada’s Legislature could do to immediately improve the miserable state of public education in Nevada would be to ban the teachers union from getting anywhere near our schools, our classrooms, our children and our teachers for at least the next 25 years.
FIRST FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR
May’s First Friday Happy Hour in will feature Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain as our VIP guest. Friday, May 6 at Stoney’s in Las Vegas from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Free parking, no cover charge and 2-1 drinks. First Friday is co-sponsored by conservative talk-show host Alan Stock and and KXNT 100.5 FM/840 AM.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“As long ago predicted here, (Assembly Speaker John) Oceguera and (Senate Majority Leader Steven) Horsford are sniping at each other and Steven Horsford is well on his way to complete meltdown earlier than predicted here too!” – Mike Zahara, WatchdogWag.com, 4/14/11
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