Commentary

When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed in February 2009, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress promised that it would help the economy recover and keep more people employed.  Taxpayers were put on the hook for $787 billion worth of pork projects in Congressional districts all across the country, and what results have we seen?  The unemployment rate … [Read more...] about Stimulus Projects Give Taxpayers the Blues

We have all watched the situation in Greece, where failed socialist policies caused a fiscal crisis that almost brought down the entire European economy.  We’ve also seen California brought to the verge of fiscal collapse by an ever-growing burden of debt and unfunded liabilities.  It should be obvious by now that the Democrat party’s vision of cradle-to-grave government … [Read more...] about Funding the Socialist Vision: Will Nevada Become Another Greece?

Did you know that Nevada firms are not given any preference over out-of-state companies on bids to provide goods and services to local government?  Existing law does provide a 5 percent preference in bidding on public works and highway construction projects, but that doesn’t help local companies that might want to supply products or provide professional services.  Nearly 40 … [Read more...] about Put Local Businesses First: Bidding Preferences Make Sense for Nevada

When the Nevada Legislature met in special session in February to plug the $800 million hole in the state’s budget, lawmakers were desperate to “find” enough money to fund state programs.  Unfortunately, the Legislature’s creative accounting solutions included a blatant misappropriation of $62 million that wasn’t theirs.  This was money that had been collected by the Clean … [Read more...] about Clean Water, Dirty Politics: Another Legislative Money Grab

“The powers of the Government of the State of Nevada shall be divided into three separate departments,—the Legislative,—the Executive and the Judicial; and no persons charged with the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of these departments shall exercise any functions, appertaining to either of the others, except in the cases expressly directed or permitted in this … [Read more...] about Why is the Tail Wagging the Dog? Public Employees as Lawmakers

Faced with poll numbers that show him falling behind in the 2010 Senate election, Senator Harry Reid has already begun claiming that Nevada cannot risk losing him because of the political influence he wields in Washington.  As Senate Majority Leader, his powerful position supposedly gives him the clout to bring more jobs and more federal grants to Nevada -- but has Harry been … [Read more...] about Anyone BUT Harry: What has he really done for Nevada?

“A politician thinks of the next election - a statesman, of the next generation.” James Freeman Clarke, author When was the last time you heard about a politician keeping a campaign promise? Obama, who pledged to bring transparency to Congress and to broadcast lawmakers’ negotiations on C-SPAN, did nothing when Congress held closed-door hearings on the healthcare bill.  … [Read more...] about Governor Gibbons: Promises Kept

Stakeholder: a person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something, as a business or industry. (Dictionary.com) The Nevada Legislature will not convene again until February 2011, but the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee is already preparing the arguments it will use to raise taxes as soon as the next session begins.  They have created what’s called … [Read more...] about We are All Stakeholders, Aren’t We? Tax Decisions Affect Us All – The Farce

The Obama administration is engaged in a pitched battle with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the stakes couldn’t be higher: the hearts and minds of the American people, and the future of our country. The Chamber supported the bank bailout and the stimulus package, and went along with the nominees proposed by the new administration.  However, the Democrats then proposed … [Read more...] about Washington vs. The Chamber: The battle for free enterprise continues

We’ve all seen photos of people in third-world countries pushing wheelbarrows full of money to the market because their currency was worthless.  Think it couldn’t happen here? Americans like to believe their country is “too big to fail”, just like the financial institutions that were seemingly fail-proof.  However, statistics present another, more disturbing reality.  Make sure … [Read more...] about The Shrinking Dollar: Silently Stealing Your Assets

Socialism: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state. Capitalism: An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are owned and controlled by private individuals and businesses for profit. According to the above definitions, the United States was clearly a capitalist county 50 years ago, … [Read more...] about Can Capitalism Be Saved? Let’s Take Back America

President Obama’s “Healthcare Reform” proposals are enough to make any right-thinking person feel sick, for three main reasons.  First and foremost, this system substitutes coercion for choice.  It will take away peoples’ ability to work with healthcare providers to make their own medical decisions.   Secondly, it will drive up healthcare costs and taxes for everyone.  Third, … [Read more...] about Healthcare Reform Proposals Endanger Your Health

It sounds like just another piece of “feel-good” legislation, but don’t let the name fool you. The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (Senate Bill 909) is not as innocent as the name suggests. If passed, it would present a very real constitutional problem, as well as allowing even more federal intrusion into our lives. Another name for this legislation is The … [Read more...] about Hate Crime Prevention Act: Preventing Equal Justice

June 1, 2009 brought good news and bad news.  The bad news was that business was taxed once again to pay for the shortfall in the state budget.  The good news was that there wasn’t much more bad news. Before the session started, legislators knew they would have to come up with around $3 billion to balance expenditures and projected revenues over the next biennium.  After … [Read more...] about Legislature Taxes Business To Make Ends Meet: Tax package to affect thousands of jobs