Last Things First
Last summer, in the middle of a hotly contested Republican primary campaign against a conservative challenger, Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio (R-Reno) “guaranteed” voters that he wouldn’t be supporting any tax hikes this session.
Tax-Hiking Republicans Get Screwed by Guv
While running for governor in 2006, Jim Gibbons promised the citizens of Nevada, in writing, that he would “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.” Two years later the teachers union gathered enough signatures to force the Legislature to vote on a proposal to raise the room tax 3 percent. Their initiative […]
Raggio Republicans Pass Huge Tax Hike
Senate Republicans in the Nevada Legislature passed the third largest tax hike in the state’s history today, approving a 3 percent increase in the room tax in Clark and parts of Washoe counties which the Assembly already passed a couple weeks ago. Why is this a Republican tax hike even though Democrats control the Senate […]
Driving Up Health Insurance Cost
One of the reasons the cost of health insurance is so high is that government forces insurance companies to cover a variety of services, the cost of which ultimately gets passed on to consumers in the way of higher monthly premiums. Indeed, in some states men have to pay for maternity benefits whether they want […]
Taxpayer Funded Femi-Nazis?
“AB185 makes an appropriation for the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada and the National Education for Women’s Leadership program,” writes Janine Hansen of Nevada Eagle Forum. “The amount of money to be appropriated is $250,000 for the 2009-2010 school year, and another $250,000 for the 2010-2011 school year.
Why I Pick on Democrats More Than Republicans
I’m often asked why, as a limited-government/pro-business/free-market conservative, I seem to pick on Republicans almost as much as, if not more than, I pick on Democrats. A recently introduced Assembly bill will help explain.
And the GOP Counter-Point Is?
At a joint session of the Nevada Senate and Assembly Higher Taxation Committees on Thursday, business leaders testified on how bad business is and how raising taxes on them in the middle of a recession would only make matters worse. At which point Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto (D-AFL-CIO) whipped out the left’s well-worn talking points.
Shouldn’t We Try the Obvious First?
The problem is unemployment. The objective is to create jobs and get people working again. By definition doesn’t that mean the first thing we should do is repeal the job-killing minimum wage law and allow a willing employee to work for a willing employer for a mutually agreed upon salary without the government interfering in […]
Tax-Hike Floodgates are Now Open
Assemblyliberal Sheila Leslie (D-Reno) introduced a new tax hike on Friday, this one aimed primarily at low-income Nevadans. Leslie proposes hiking the tax on cigarettes by $1 a pack, on top of a recently enacted 60-cents per pack federal hike in the cigarette tax. First the Nevada Legislature went after tourists for a tax hike […]
Divided Business Community About to Fall
The consensus in the Legislature these days is that a huge tax hike absolutely, positively will be passed this year. The only question is whose ox will be gored and whether or not foolish Republicans will go along with it and give Democrats the political cover they’ll need in the 2010 elections.
Let Them Eat Mush!
The good news is the Assembly Republican Caucus finally put out a press release yesterday after a four week drought. The bad news is it was a lot of words which said…well, nothing. Here, take a read of these snippets from Republican Minority Leader Heidi Gansert’s release…
Nevada Guv Speaks with Forked-Tongue on Taxes
“Many legislators have referred to ‘enhancing revenues’, which simply means creating new taxes or raising existing taxes,” according to a statement from Gov. Jim Gibbons released yesterday afternoon. “Whether it’s income taxes, sales tax hikes, property tax hikes, DMV fee hikes, or higher taxes on businesses, legislators should bring their lists out of the shadows […]
Democrats Falling in Love with Reagan
I was informed yesterday morning that Nevada Democrat Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce invoked Ronald Reagan’s name in a “Nevada Newsmakers” interview this week by claiming that Reagan, when governor of California in 1967, broke the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and raised taxes.
Closing the Tax Hike Loophole
Hoping to limit the damage state legislators seem to do every time they meet, Nevada’s voters passed a constitutional amendment a few years ago limiting legislative sessions to 120 days every two years. Alas, it took legislators in the Assembly less than thirty days this year to approve the third largest tax hike in the […]
Have No Fear, Bug Man Is Here!
Mortgage meltdown. Foreclosed homes. Rising unemployment. A $2 billion budget hole. Choked highways. Failing schools. And yet…
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Assembly Republicans have unanimously co-sponsored a bill (AB 221) to increase the amount of money put into the state’s Rainy Day Fund. We’d tell you all about this bill…um, if the Assembly Caucus would issue, you know, like, a press release or a statement or a policy paper or…something on it. I mean, the Democrats […]
A Tale of Two Primary Bills
Sen. Joyce Woodhouse (D-Las Vegas) has introduced a bill (SB 162) to move Nevada’s primary elections from mid-August to mid-June. Such a move benefits under-funded challenger candidates, giving them an additional two months to communicate directly with voters before the general election, as well as replenish drained coffers after contested primary elections.