EVERYTHING’S ON THE TABLE? REALLY?
As you probably read, Nevada Assembly Democrats rolled out their latest economic recovery plan last week which was short on…well, everything – including new ideas and specifics. But during the announcement dog-and-pony show, Assembly Speaker-in-Waiting Marcus Conklin had the following to say:
“From a revenue standpoint, everything needs to be on the table.”
This simple statement reveals exactly why getting anything of substance done in Carson City to fix the budget problem is such a problem - at least as long as Democrat leaders like Conklin control the Assembly agenda, and individual Democrat legislators continue to vote in partisan lockstep fashion with those leaders.
Let’s start with the first part: “From a revenue standpoint…”
From a REVENUE standpoint.
You see, that’s all Democrat leaders think about. The revenue side of the equation. They don’t think about the spending side…except to increase it. That’s their frame of reference: Make a Christmas list of all the wonderful programs they want the government to provide, and THEN figure out whose taxes to raise to pay for them.
Republicans, on the other hand, tend to think the best way to budget is to first figure out how much money the government has to spend and THEN figure out what to spend it on and how; setting priorities in the process. You know, the way a family on a fixed budget does it.
As for Conklin’s statement that “everything needs to be on the table,” apparently not.
From the revenue side, is taxing and regulating marijuana on the table? Is legalizing and taxing gay marriage on the table? Is legalizing and taxing prostitution in all 17 counties on the table? Is opening Yucca Mountain – a potential GOLD MINE of revenue for Nevada – on the table?
No. So Assemblyman Conklin’s statement that everything needs to be on the table is false on its face. Pure political pabulum.
On the other hand, ways to save the state a boatload of revenue by eliminating union welfare programs, such as prevailing wage and project labor agreements, aren’t on the table either. Nor is repeal of the law allowing public employee unions, which are bankrupting local municipalities and school districts.
As long as Democrats refuse to actually place everything on the table, Republicans should continue to take “revenue enhancements” of any kind OFF the table – including any further extension of that $620 million worth of “temporary” business tax hikes.
It was true when Reagan was president, and it’s true in Nevada today. Our state (and country) doesn’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem. Unfortunately, addressing that issue doesn’t appear to be on Marcus Conklin’s table.
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
* For better or worse, there’s no Republican in a weaker position to criticize the ObamaCare “tax” decision than the GOP’s presidential nominee. As Sen. Chuck Schumer points out: “(Mitt) Romney is in a total pickle here. He prescribed this. This was his bill...Are they going to say Mitt Romney had the biggest tax increase in Massachusetts? Forget about it."
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“The only solution to taming an out-of-control-spending government is to cut spending.” –Mitt Romney
"Which idiot put the GOP convention the same time as 'Burning Man' in Nevada? Is there time to change this?" - Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform
“Yes, (firefighters) do a very difficult and important job. They are, however, well compensated for the risks they take, and it is a job they chose to do.” – Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak
“Happy Independence Day!” – Chuck Muth, President, Citizen Outreach
THE BOY'S GOT GAME
One of the major benefits of spending a little less time on politics and my e-newsletters is being able to spend a little more time with Gia and the kids.
In addition to catching Murray’s magic show at the Trop last week – where, as many of you know, I obtained some special mind-reading powers – we also caught the debut of “Surf: The Musical” at Planet Hollywood. Never a bad thing to expose young kids to Beach Boys music!
And then there was Saturday afternoon with “The Boy.”
I bought CJ – now five years old – a set of kid’s golf clubs last fall and have been taking him out to the Desert Pines driving range to “grip and rip” for the past several months. Surprisingly, the boy appears to have a little “Happy Gilmore” in him…and he’s been bugging me to take him out to play on a real course - especially after watching Tiger Woods hole that wedge shot on 16 a couple weeks ago.
Naturally, I’ve been a little hesitant about taking a 5-year-old out on a golf course and holding up everyone else. However, triple-digit temperatures pretty much empty most golf courses in Vegas on summer afternoons (also resulting in much cheaper rates!), so I figured we’d give it a shot.
On Saturday, we headed over to the Desert Rose Golf Course - where I used to play some 15-20 years ago. And I’m proud to say that CJ and I both shot identical 139’s.
His, however, was for the full 18 holes. I quit after the front nine! (ba-da-boom)
No comments:
Post a Comment