Nevada’s so-called “prevailing wage” laws cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year – many of these dollars go into union coffers instead of to workers. Once you know the facts about it, you’ll be as outraged as I am that this politically motivated system has been allowed to continue. Prevailing wage laws require contractors who bid on public works projects to pay all … [Read more...] about Prevailing Wage Laws: Time to End This Corrupt System
Commentary
Harry Reid and the DOE: Sending Nevada Dollars Overseas
Harry Reid likes to brag about all the money and jobs he’s bringing to Nevada by “earmarking” alternative energy projects. However, a little research shows that many of the companies receiving government loan guarantees and grants aren’t even based in the United States. One recent example involves the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project being constructed near Tonopah. In … [Read more...] about Harry Reid and the DOE: Sending Nevada Dollars Overseas
Shame on the Teachers Union: In the end it’s the teachers and students that lose.
While classroom teachers have been eating Ramen noodles so they can afford to buy school supplies, teachers union bosses are living high on the hog. Considering that teachers often have to purchase classroom supplies and teaching materials with their own money, and that they’re also expected to pay for continuing education classes, their salaries don’t stretch very far. But … [Read more...] about Shame on the Teachers Union: In the end it’s the teachers and students that lose.
Stop the Union Bullying: Culinary Tactics Hurt Us All
Leaders of the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas must be frustrated that they can’t convince Station Casinos workers to unionize. Think of all the dues they could be collecting right now, if only they could get their hands into the pockets of another 13,000-plus workers. They’ve been trying for more than 10 years to unionize Station employees, without success. Maybe Station … [Read more...] about Stop the Union Bullying: Culinary Tactics Hurt Us All
Series LLCs: Protect Your Investment
With home prices at historic lows, and mortgage interest rates around 4%, real estate investment is on the rise. If you own (or are considering owning) multiple rental properties, consider starting a series LLC (“Series LLC”) to maximize liability protection and save costs. Since the creation of limited liability companies (“LLCs”), an owner of multiple real estate … [Read more...] about Series LLCs: Protect Your Investment
Obama Tries to Grab Control of Another Vital Private Industry: The Internet
We have already seen the Obama administration attempt to take over the healthcare industry with its Obama care program, and we watched it meddle in the alternative energy market by propping up Solyndra and other companies that should have been allowed to fail. Recently, Obama appears to have sold out America again. This time it was jobs-for-politics by denying a permit for … [Read more...] about Obama Tries to Grab Control of Another Vital Private Industry: The Internet
Texas Margin Tax: Always a Bad Idea: Margin Tax is More Destructive than Alternatives
Leaders in the Democratic majority during the 2011 state legislative session proposed a dramatic change to Nevada’s tax system: Phase out the Modified Business Tax — a tax on private-sector payroll — and replace it with a new, larger levy modeled after Texas’ business margin tax. The effort gained so little traction in Carson City that the Democratic leadership, embarrassed, … [Read more...] about Texas Margin Tax: Always a Bad Idea: Margin Tax is More Destructive than Alternatives
If You Can Read This, Thank a Teacher
Would you take a job that pays less than comparable positions, requires you to supervise unruly individuals without the authority to discipline them and results in your being blamed when other people don’t take care of their responsibilities? And yet, that’s what teachers do, because they want to make sure that our children get the education they need to succeed in life. I’d … [Read more...] about If You Can Read This, Thank a Teacher
‘Tis the Season to Give: Businesses Help Nevada Communities
During the holiday season it’s natural to think about helping the less fortunate, but it’s also a good time to point out that Nevada businesses donate all year long to make our communities better. Despite what the progressives and the liberal media would have you believe, business owners and corporations are not the Ebenezer Scrooges of today. Businesses both large and small … [Read more...] about ‘Tis the Season to Give: Businesses Help Nevada Communities
Entitlements & Handouts: The Big Lie
In case you’re wondering why the U.S. economy is in such a mess, consider this sobering statistic: for the first time since the Great Depression, U.S. households received more in cash handouts from the government in 2010 ($2.3 trillion) than they paid in taxes ($2.2 trillion). Census Bureau numbers from 2009 show that 59 percent of Americans get at least one federal benefit … [Read more...] about Entitlements & Handouts: The Big Lie
The Tea Party Movement: Terrorists or Patriots?
The Tea Party movement has been the target of vicious verbal attacks recently, and they seem to be escalating. Indiana Congressman Andre Carson, a member of the Black Congressional Caucus, said, “Some of them in Congress right now with this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me… hanging on a tree,” and Carson’s spokesman wrote, “The Tea Party is protecting its … [Read more...] about The Tea Party Movement: Terrorists or Patriots?
How much is too much?: Government wages are extravagant and arbitrary
It’s one of the most challenging questions facing labor economists today: At what level should most public employees be paid? In public sector employment, the typical price signals that help determine wage rates in competitive labor markets are absent. After all, most government agencies do not compete in an open labor market wherein they must also provide quality goods to … [Read more...] about How much is too much?: Government wages are extravagant and arbitrary
Integrity in Government: An Endangered Species
Merriam-Webster’s defines integrity as “a firm adherence to a code of moral values (incorruptibility).” Words related to integrity are: character, decency, goodness, honesty, morality, righteousness, uprightness, and virtue. Opposites include evildoing, immorality, sin, villainy, and wickedness. Whether you are Liberal or Conservative, I would like to ask you if you feel our … [Read more...] about Integrity in Government: An Endangered Species
The Dreaded “R” Word —- Revenues
There is no doubt that Nevada has been one of the hardest hit economies not only in the United States, but even the world. Our double-digit unemployment rate is the highest in the nation month after month – exceeding even Greece’s unemployment. Our housing market is second only to Detroit’s, with more than 70 percent of Las Vegas area mortgages under water and no signs of … [Read more...] about The Dreaded “R” Word —- Revenues
Public Employees as Legislators: Foxes Guarding the Henhouse?
The principle of separation of powers is an important part of the Nevada Constitution, which states that no one “charged with the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of these departments [Executive, Legislative and Judicial] shall exercise any functions, appertaining to either of the others, except in the cases expressly directed or permitted in this … [Read more...] about Public Employees as Legislators: Foxes Guarding the Henhouse?