Budget
How do you do math?
Still no word – after multiple requests – from the Gibbons administration on how the state is getting the 34 percent budget-cut figure it's been giving the media.
Read moreMedia pundits still confused
In "Ostriches are isolated" Jon Ralston attacked the Nevada Policy Research Institute for its criticism of how the government and the media both have handled the discussions and coverage of the state budget-cutting issue. We had the temerity to ask how the alleged "34 percent cut" was calculated – a critical question to which we never received an answer.
Ralston Math
In the second phase of Ralston's missive, Ostriches are isolated, he criticizes NPRI's math with some pretty bogus reasoning. On at least three occasions Jon Ralston has claimed that Nevada currently faces a $2.5 billion shortfall. Ironically, it's a claim only he has made.
Under-the-radar taxation
While recent attention has focused on the state's revenue shortfall and the related debate over whether to increase taxes, the fact that state lawmakers have already raised taxes has gone relatively unreported in the media.
Real Impact
We have heard the words "economic impact" a lot lately in the news. "Bob's Public Relations Firm" has an $X economic impact in Nevada, says the newspaper. But what does that mean?
Ruling class becoming too big for britches
Critics and big-government advocates have continuously derided Gov. Jim Gibbons' repeated pledge for "no new taxes." These critics are more concerned with the wealth and size of the ruling government class than they are with the welfare of Nevada families. They are calling for large tax increases during a deepening recession.
Spending limits needed
As previously mentioned in this space, had a Tax And Spending Control (TASC) amendment been part of Nevada's constitution – a measure akin to the one State Senator Bob Beers repeatedly proposed – it would have eliminated most of Nevada's current budget shortfall. That's because TASC would have limited government spending increases to the rate of population growth plus inflation.
The spending problem
Each time we hear about budget projections, the news is worse. The state is taking in less revenue, so that means more budget cuts. For the big-spending crowd, the response to this news is to call for tax increases. But the reality is that Nevada's budget revenue problem has little to do with either revenue or the tax structure.
Imaginary budget cuts
The Economic Forum has released its revenue projections, and the worst-case scenario posits an approximately $200 million decrease over the next biennium. Once again, calls for raising taxes have ensued. And once again, NPRI must remind taxpayers that our budgetary shortfall is the direct result of fiscal mismanagement.
Higher (priced) Education
The Greenspun family, which owns and operates the Las Vegas Sun, has donated $37 million to UNLV to put the family's name on a very expensive building.
