Patrick R. Gibbons
How about them apples?
Nevada's modest 1 percent decline in spending (also known as Nevada's budget "crisis" to those less informed) has resulted in a proposed budget that seeks to cut state worker pay 6 percent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau state worker pay in Nevada ranks 16th highest in the country.
The impending doom that isn’t
Nevada’s political class has many willing flaks within the media
Words have meanings. It's a simple enough concept, but few people seem to really understand it. Words like "crisis," "devastation" and "disaster" conjure up images of impending doom, but they should be used only when truly merited. Yet, in reference to Nevada's budget and revenue situation, these words are seen almost daily in the news.
Someone’s serving up whoppers
Myth-busting the higher education budget cuts
False statistics have been floating around the subject of Nevada higher education ever since Gov. Gibbons announced his proposed budget. The two biggest distortions come from Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers and Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley.
Parlez-Vous Français, Nevada?
Nevada's unemployment rate has now reached 9.1 percent. Nevada's unemployment rate is now higher than that of France, a country known for stupid economic policies like the 35-hour work week and unemployment benefits so generous that it makes almost no sense to ever go find a new job again.
Charter schools in Nevada need more control
Nevada's charter school situation is embarrassingly poor. We have about 420,000 students in the public school system and yet fewer than 30 charter schools. What, exactly, is a charter school? Basically it's a normal public school where tuition is free for all students and virtually whoever applies must be accepted. (Usually, if there are too many applications, a lottery is used.) Unlike traditional public schools, however, charter schools are free from much of the usual bureaucratic red tape.
An answer for the chancellor
Why Nevada’s education system is failing
In his State of Education address Friday, Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers asked, "What then has made the Nevada education system go from good to average to less than average since the 1960s when Nevada's high schools won multiple awards for being among the best in the nation?" The answer is: a massive increase in per-pupil spending over the years, with absolutely no accountability to parents and taxpayers.
Nevada education: Spending more, learning less
Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers gave a speech on Friday night in which he bemoaned Gov. Gibbons’ cuts to higher education spending and sarcastically suggested Nevada should start telling prospective students: "Move to Nevada—Our education system is in such good shape that we will guarantee your child will graduate from eighth grade. We are sorry, but we are unable to guarantee that your child will be able to read or write or add and subtract." Rogers actually has a good point.
