Taxes
Count Taxula
The great thing about government transparency and freedom of information is that the government can't get away with bald-faced lies for very long. So, though the governing class hopes citizens will be left standing ignorantly in the dark while politicians blow billions of dollars on their chums and sponsors, we can still shine light on their nefarious – although, of course, "well intentioned" – activities. The key thing is knowing the right question to ask.
Read moreGibbons caves, accepts federal stimulus funds
The bad news is Gov. Gibbons announced yesterday that he would accept $77 million of federal stimulus money. Nevada must use the money to expand its unemployment program. The good news is that he may change his mind tomorrow.
Sen. Coffin proposes bill to tax prostitution
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Assembly Ways and Means committee wants to enable Nevada's boom-bust cycle
And unfortunately, their vote was unanimous. The Assembly Ways and Means committee unanimously passed AB469, designed to force Gov. Jim Gibbons' hand in accepting all of the stimulus money for unemployment benefits for which Nevada is eligible.
Are privately funded toll roads coming to Nevada?
Not if Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, gets his way.
Clark County irritated by the LVRDA
Questions that should be answered at Saturday's town hall meetings on Nevada's budget
Tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, is a chance for residents in Las Vegas and Reno to tell some of Nevada's legislative leaders what they think about the state's budget and the third largest tax increase in Nevada's history. The best part is that you don't have to go to Carson City. You can participate in a town hall held in Las Vegas or Reno.
Death tax deception
Dick Patten, president of the American Family Business Institute and occasional NPRI writer, has a new piece out for Human Events in which he takes President Obama to task for his skullduggery over the death tax.
Having his cake and eating it too
Governor Gibbons created a budget that included a $292 million tax increase in the form of a room tax hike in Clark and Washoe Counties. The value of that tax has since been downgraded to $233 million. However, the governor, after including the tax hike in his budget will now refuse to sign the bill implementing the tax hike.
Rothbard on Bush, Obama
I've been reading Murray Rothbard's America's Great Depression recently to see what kind of insights into the current recession might be gleaned, given all of the noteworthy similarities. As he lays the theoretical underpinning of his argument, he offers the following passage, which I thought was pretty telling:
