Nevada Liberals Still Serving Crap Sandwiches

Bob Fulkerson of PLAN (Progressive Liberal Alliance of Nevada) tells Ed Vogel of the LVRJ in a story published today that if some non-essential state workers were laid off, “Restaurants would shut down. Auto mechanics would be laid off.”

What a load of crap.

As the Nevada Policy Research Institute’s (NPRI) fiscal expert, Geoff Lawrence, notes in the story, “Inevitably, there will be a fight in the Legislature anytime spending is cut below current funding and agencies have requested more funds. You are cutting back programs for which there are vested interests and constituents who benefit from those programs. They will fight to preserve their fiefdoms.”

Yep. Vested interests such as PLAN.

The Vogel story also reminds us that during the last legislative session NPRI proposed a $5.1 billion budget that preserved the government’s essential services. That’s $200 million LESS than expected revenues for the next budget cycle. So instead of talking about tax HIKES, we ought to be adopting the NPRI “Freedom” budget and arguing over tax CUTS.

Yet all Fulkerson can talk about is jacking up taxes…again. But as Glenn Cook notes in a separate LVRJ column today, Nevada ranks right “smack in the middle” in state and local tax revenue, so “the argument that Nevadans don’t pay enough taxes is hollow.”

And finally, Lawrence also notes that had Nevada’s politicians limited the growth of the state’s budget “to the combined rate of inflation and population growth” since the Mother of All Tax Hike in 2003, the upcoming budget level would be $5.4 billion….almost exactly where projected revenues are.

If only they had listened to former Sen. Bob Beers when they had the chance!