Tuesday, April 10, 2012

SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL 04/10/2012

KIDS IN CRAPPY SKOOLS SCORE BIG WIN IN BAYOU STATE

Bear in mind that Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval campaigned in 2010 on the issue of school vouchers (as well as on not raising taxes) as you read the following press release from the Friedman Foundation from last Thursday:

“Louisiana will be home to one of the nation's largest school voucher programs once Gov. Bobby Jindal signs legislation that recently passed his state's legislature. Today, by a vote of 60-42, the Louisiana House of Representatives approved Gov. Jindal's voucher expansion, which passed the Senate last night 24-15.

“The expansion of the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program will allow low- and middle-income students in Louisiana public schools graded "C," "D," or "F" by the state accountability system to receive government-funded vouchers to attend private schools. Currently, that option is available only to children in New Orleans and students with special needs in eligible parishes.

“Last month, a poll commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, an organization supportive of school vouchers, found that 60 percent of Louisiana voters surveyed were in favor of Gov. Jindal's plan to provide vouchers to more families statewide.

“Currently, 18 states, including Louisiana, and Washington, D.C., provide some type of private school choice either through vouchers or the tax code. With more than half of its student population now voucher-eligible, the magnitude of Louisiana's voucher program rivals only Indiana's, which enacted a similar statewide program last year.”

There should be NO additional taxpayer money dumped into Nevada’s failing public education morass until the Legislature first gives the parents of children currently trapped in a public school “failure factory” an opt-out option that includes not just the right to send their kids to a private school, but the means to do so for low- and middle-class families, as well.

CLC 2012

The 5th annual Conservative Leadership Conference will be held June 8-10 at the downtown Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.  CLC will again be co-hosted by Citizen Outreach and Americans for Tax Reform. 

Among confirmed speakers: Herman Cain, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Margaret Hoover of FOX News, Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots, syndicated national conservative talk-show host Roger Hedgecock and David Keene of the National Rifle Association. 

EARLY BIRD ticket pricing available until April 30.  Register today for the best gathering of conservative-libertarians this side of the Rockies!  CLICK HERE

NEW PLEDGE SIGNERS

Rowan Wilson, a candidate for Reno city council, signed and forwarded me a copy of her Taxpayer Protection Pledge on Easter Sunday (no rest for the weary!). 

“The more I dig into public audit information and the budget, it is apparent that Reno has a serious spending problem,” Rowan wrote in an email.  “Assemblyman Randy Kirner mentioned at Tuesday’s Nevada Republican Assembly meeting that it is essentially a race of Reno vs. North Las Vegas to see who will file bankruptcy first.  I encourage him to sign the pledge as well.”

We do too, Rowan…especially since Assemblyman Kirner did not sign the Tax Pledge in 2010...and then went on to vote for that $620 million tax hike the Legislature re-imposed last year.  Can’t help but wonder if he'll vote to stick it to us again next year.

POLITICAL POTPOURRI

* Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Sunday that Republicans would rather defeat President Obama than see the American economy improve.  Not exactly.  Republicans want to defeat President Obama SO THAT the American economy can improve.

* Just as Rick Santorum gave us ObamaCare by giving us Sen. Arlen Specter for another term in 2004, he very well could be responsible for giving us Obama for another term by giving us the “war on women” issue in 2012.  And some already are saying he’s the leading contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination?  Lovely.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“Last Nov. 17, (Sen. Dean) Heller introduced the Responsible Unemployment Extension Act to extend unemployment insurance benefits. The political optics may be good, but it's bad policy. Paying people not to work prolongs unemployment. It's a job-destruction measure. … Paying people not to work for two years isn't compassion. It's cruel. They lose the habits of work and self-respect and become less attractive to employers.

“Unemployment insurance should be an emergency bootstrap for those who've lost their jobs, not a medium or long-term entitlement. It is, however, a rare politician -- Democrat or Republican -- who has the political courage to vote against extending unemployment benefits.” – Eric Grover, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 4/8/12

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