Wednesday, December 17, 2014

SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL 12/17/2014

PUBLIC EDUCATION’S MINDLESS CHANT

On the Brady Bunch, it was, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.”

When it comes to public education it’s, “Money, Money, Money.”

Don’t you love how the left constantly criticizes fiscal conservatives who sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge for going into the legislative session without an open mind, but somehow it’s OK for those on the left to go into the session with their own minds made up that we just HAVE to dump more money into education?

Double standard.  As usual.


The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce – which is decidedly NOT a conservative organization - hosted a televised forum on education Tuesday and – guess what?  Not a single conservative education reform advocate was included in the discussion.

Instead, laughably, the Las Vegas Review-Journal referred to Democrat Sen. Joyce Woodhouse of Henderson as a “reform-minded state lawmaker.”  And here’s what the “reform-minded” Ms. Woodhouse said…

“We need to look at our state budget and find some more dollars.”

That’s “reform-minded”?  On what planet?

Until true conservatives are brought into such discussions on such issues, such discussions are completely useless.

CONSERVATIVES TAKE ONE IN THE SHORTS

The seven Democrats on the Clark County Commission dealt a blow to the conservative cause yesterday by appointing a lifetime government employee to fill the vacancy of former Assemblyman Wes Duncan, who had one of the more conservative voting records among Republicans in the 2013 legislative session.

Glen Trowbridge, who described himself in an Associated Press article today as a “pragmatic political moderate,” ran the Clark County Parks & Recreation department from 1984 until 2001. 

He’s also president of the Retired Public Employees union – certainly not someone who will be an advocate of desperately-needed reform to Nevada’s PERS system, a top issue on the conservative legislative agenda for 2015.

Trowbridge ran for the Las Vegas City Council in 2009 against Republican Councilman Stavros Anthony, and even though he’s a registered Republican (in name only?), he chalked up considerable financial support from organized labor, including the carpenters union, the plumbers & pipefitters union, sheet metal workers union, painters union and the firefighters union.

Good luck getting his support for desperately-needed collective bargaining reform legislation.

Trowbridge also said he’ll refuse to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, telling the AP, “Nobody, including me, wants to pay more taxes, but anyone who thinks you can get things for free is naïve." 

Except, of course, we’re NOT getting “things for free.” 

The Economic Forum just estimated that taxpayers will cough up some $6.3 BILLION for the next biennium – and that doesn’t even include the billion dollars worth of tax hikes Gov. Brian Sandoval is expected to propose – a proposal that Assemblyman Trowbridge can surely be counted on supporting.

One would also have to guess that the Collaborator Caucus just picked up a new member.

Now here’s an interesting question…

You cannot commence a recall election for an elected state legislator until 10 days after the start of the legislative session.

But I believe a referendum to undo an action by the county commission, including appointments, can be commenced immediately.

Hmm…

COLLABORATOR CAUCUS UPDATE

I hear thin-skinned Assemblyman Randy “Kirner Tax” Kirner (RINO-Kirner Tax) is telling people that there’s no “nuclear option” being proposed right now, while conveniently neglecting to mention that we’re not talking about “right now,” but on February 2nd, when the Nevada Legislature reconvenes

A polished fork-tongued politician.

And yes, the “nuclear option” – whereby at least five Republicans in the Assembly would vote with the 17 Democrats to elect a Speaker other than the Speaker-designate chosen by the Assembly Republican Caucus – is absolutely an open possibility?

But why would Democrats go along with such a scheme if it wouldn’t put them back in charge?

Because, word on the street has it that if the Democrats back former Minority Leader Pat “The Appeaser” Hickey and elect him Speaker after all (Hickey was ousted as GOP caucus leader by a majority vote of the caucus right after the November election), Hickey & The Collaborators will support former Democrat Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick’s tax hike proposal from the last session.

That would be the “Fun Tax” proposal that would tax your movie tickets, bowling, etc.

Doesn’t sound like much fun to me.

Hickey, I’m told, is telling people who ask him whether or not he’d be involved with the “nuclear option” that he would never support electing a Democrat as Speaker.  But, um, that’s not the question. 

The question is whether or not he’d join the Democrats in voting for a Republican other than Speaker-designate John Hambrick, who has been chosen by the GOP caucus.

And bet your bottom dollar that Hickey would side with the Democrats and vote for himself as Speaker in a New York minute!

The running list of “Collaborator Caucus” suspects…

Derek Armstrong - derekarmstrong@arlintlaw.com
Randy Kirner - randy.kirner@gmail.com
Lynn Stewart - lynnstewart@cox.net
Melissa Woodbury - woodmlw@yahoo.com
Stephen Silberkraus - stephen@silberkraus.com
Erv Nelson - enelson@djplaw.com
Glen Trowbridge – N/A

DRIVE-BY MUTHINGS

OK, so a public school in Virginia hired a first grade teacher one week after the teacher was arrested and indicted on “two felony charges of distribution of heroin.” 

And some still wonder why Gia and I homeschool our kids?

*   *   *   *   *

“14 states cut taxes in 2014,” advises ALEC in a tweet today. “Is your state one of them?” 

Um, not with Brian Sandoval as our governor.

*   *   *   *   *

If there’s supposedly this big hole in the budget and if “everything is on the table” – including a billion dollars worth of tax hikes – isn’t it time for Nevada to start looking seriously at the potential for Yucca Mountain?  And recreational marijuana?  Or both?

*   *   *   *   *

I attended an off-the-record reception with some freshmen Republican members of the Assembly last evening.  Since the meeting’s conversations were deemed confidential all I can say is there are some truly amazing personal stories that I hope get told in the weeks ahead.  These are not a bunch of crazy, wild-eyed right-wing extremists – despite what Nevada’s #2 liberal blogger-without-a-TV-show would have you believe.

*   *   *   *   *

Longtime conservative Republican Carson City Treasurer Al Kramer has resigned to take a position working for newly-elected Republican State Treasurer Dan Schwartz.  If it’s true that “personnel is policy” – and it is - this is exceptionally good news for Nevada taxpayers!

*   *   *   *   *

The LVRJ reports that “Clark County commissioners on Tuesday approved an $80,636 settlement with the county’s diversity director after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal wage discrimination lawsuit on her behalf.”  Which leads to the obvious question…

Why in the heck are taxpayers paying for a “diversity director” in the first place?

HELP WANTED

The National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee is looking for a County Coordinator for Clark County, Nevada.  Anyone interested or seeking additional information should contact…

Bill Johnston
Director - RunBenRun
State of Nevada
http://www.runbenrun.org

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

"First and foremost, let me say this right up front: I am 100 percent in compliance with the IRS, period.” – Nevada Assembly Taxation Committee Chairman Michele Fiore in an interview with KDWN 720 AM’s Alan Stock about tax liens filed against two of her businesses

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