MUTH'S TRUTHS 04/18/2015

Nevada’s Business Lobbyists are Acting like Hannibal Lecter Chuck Muth April 18, 2015 Here’s the problem… Liberal tax-and-spenders in Nevada have been HUGELY successful in persuading various business entities that the government needs more money.  It has been especially successful in perpetuating the lie that we’re underfunding education. No, we’re not.  At almost $9,000 per student, we’re pumping over a quarter-million dollars into the public school system for each 28-student classroom!  And the teacher’s only getting about $50,000 of it.  That’s not “underfunding” education.  That’s over-funding the bureaucracy. Nevertheless, much of the business community has bought into the “we need more money” propaganda.  As such, they’re now cannibalizing each other, supporting some tax increases as long as they don’t hit their own members. “Don’t tax you.  Don’t tax me.  Tax the fellow behind the tree.” Gaming wants to tax non-gaming entities.  Non-gaming entities want to tax gaming.  Big companies want to tax small companies.  Small companies want to tax big companies.  Truckers are OK with raising taxes as long as it’s not fuel taxes.  Everybody but mining wants to tax mining.  Retailers want to tax your online purchases, and are also OK with a variety of other tax hikes. In fact, in their latest newsletter the Retail Association of Nevada (RAN) boasts that it “has agreed with every revenue increase that the Nevada Legislature has implemented since, and including, 2003.” This is something to be proud of? RAN goes on to assure everyone that it will support a tax hike as long as it “doesn’t rely on corporate revenue.” “Don’t tax you.  Don’t tax me.  Tax the fellow behind the tree.” If the business community would stop trying to screw each other (which really means screwing the consumer, since we’re the ones who will ultimately pay in the form of higher prices) and instead unite in opposition to this ridiculous notion that the government needs more money, all this current tax-hike talk would be stopped dead cold in its tracks. United, the government loses.  Divided, the rest of us do. I think it’s time for the business community to hire some new lobbyists.  Lobbyists who are more interested in restraining the ever-growing reach of government into the business of businesses than being a member of the Carson City insiders “club.” Lobbyists who won’t, as Winston Churchill famously put it, “feed the crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.” Lobbyists who aren’t afraid to say “no,” to say “no” forcefully, and say “no” publicly so the public will know why giving the government more money is a bad thing. You see, lobbyists aren’t bad; bad lobbyists are bad. You can read this column online, as well as access archives of past Muth's Truths columns by clicking here... www.MuthsTruths.com Did someone forward you this copy of Muth's Truths? Get your own FREE subscription...