Hickey Says "No New Taxes!" (New User Fees OK)

From LVRJ

[Newly elected Reno GOP Assemblyman] Hickey also has requested a bill that would impose a fee on money wire transfers outside the country ..

Taxes are user fees and user fees are taxes. Somehow that distinction was lost on Fascist Hickey.

Hickey and his fellow Conservatives campaign with slogans like "No new taxes!" and "Less government!" but what they really mean is "Old taxes fine!",  "New user fees OK!", "Conservative BIG Government good!" Small government types like me oppose BIG government and the high taxes and/or user fees necesssary to fund it.

We have one-party rule in this state. The BIG Government liberals and the BIG Government conservatives.

Pat "Sicky" Hickey

From LVRJ

[Pat Hickey] has requested a bill that would require employers to use the federal E-Verify program to determine whether employees are authorized to work in the United States.

Here's a newly elected (but legacy) GOP Assemblymen pushing for ... more unconstitutional federal control over our domestic businesses. Another Fascist, GOP busybody. Sicky can't run a real business but he wants to control how you run yours.

Why do voters call the Republicans "the party of big business"? It's more like the party of your business.

We have one-party rule in this state. The BIG Government Communists and the BIG Government Fascists.

Republicrats Eyeballing Your Wallet Again

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

In 2011 the governor and Legislature are projected to face a budget scenario in which expected revenue is as much as $3 billion less than projected spending.

How much government are the Republicrats planning to shove down our throats in the next biennium?

Current tax revenues are running ~$2.5B/yr, with ~$150M of that set to expire in FY '12. That means if the economy stablizes, in the next biennium old taxes (which "No new taxes!" Fibbons adores) will generate ~$4.7B. A $3B "gap" indicates that Horsefurd, Raggio and the gang are looking to spend ~$7.7B! Up from $6.9B in the current biennium. ~11% more.

Are they serious? Where is all this money going to come from? The crooked politicians are not going to find it in the Dairy Commission or the Taxicab Authority. What do the scheming politicians have up their sleeves?

Political Insiders Picks Candidates

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

The RNC .. picked .. The Sarah

Someday the BIG government cabal will just assign us prefects from out of state. Our only job as voters will be to confirm candidates who don't even *live* here. The DEMs will assign us Northeastern professors and UN bureaucrats. The GOPs members of the military-industrial complex and NY bankers.

The Coalition For BIG Governnment

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

The Republicans represent the right (anti-abortion) wing of the Democrat Party -- which is skewed pretty far to the left to begin with. That is why when the Democrats propose a huge expansion of the federal healthcare program the Republicans can't find the right words with which to oppose them. All we hear from them is slogans like "No federal funding for abortions!" and "No cuts to Medicare!" The Republicans cannot come up with a principled argument in favor of smaller government because they are BIG government all-the-way.

The only thing Republicans stand for (statistically) is NOT-Democrat. Democrat healthcare reform bad. Republican prescription drug benefit good. Democrat war in Afganistan bad. Republican war in Iraq good. Democrat economic stimulus bad. Republican good. COLOSSAL government Democrat incumbent bad. HUGE government Republican challenger good.

Medicare is the *definition* of BIG government. Which party is defending it? I get confused sometimes.

This GOP opposition demagoging is such a crock. After this election season ends and people forget about (or are resigned to) national healthcare the Republicans will be that entitlement's BIGGEST defenders. That's right.

They way they defend the US Dept of Education, Medicare, FICA, and all the other Washington BIG government programs.

Still don't believe me? Ask your favorite Conservative candidate which Washington programs s/he wants to cut. There's ~$4T of existing, on-budget pork to choose from. It shouldn't be that hard for him/her to find a few trillion. See if s/he'll even give you a straight answer.

Republicrat Consensus

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

The rare bipartisan accord between the Republican governor and the Democrat-controlled Nevada Legislature

What the heck are these reporters talking about? Their differences are tiny compared to their BIG government consensus.

The biennial budget is funded through sales taxes, gaming taxes, business taxes and so forth. This represents what the crooked politicians can discretionally spend. A year ago those taxes were generating ~$3.0B/yr. Fibbons proposed a budget with room taxes and higher sales taxes to lift that figure to $3.2B/yr. The DEMs gladly went along.

THIS WAS THE CONSENSUS.

The Republicrat legislature wanted to spend $3.4B/yr. Only $200M/yr (6.2%) more than Fibbons.

Going into the weekend tax revenues had fallen to ~$2.4B/yr. Fibbons wanted an extra $50M-100M/yr. The Democrats all for it.

THIS IS THE $2.5B/yr NEW CONSENSUS.

Seems to me that the DEMs were pushing for only another $50M (2%) above that.

We have two political parties in this state. The Republicrats (the BIG Government Coalition) and the Small Government opposition (libertarians). The former has an ~80% market share. The latter <2%.

The rest are too busy watching TV to notice.

Horsefurd & Raggio: Can Taxpayers Get A Break?

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

The Democrat Party is really just the CPUSA. This guy Horsefürd's contempt for the private sector knows no bounds. He himself earns a nice living by mooching taxpayer dollars to provide job training in how to craft buggywhips. Horsefürd has a personal financial stake in BIG government.

To be fair, he's not the only guy in Carson City like that. Government agencies and rich private sector special interests from across the state generate a LOT of billable hours for Rinoggio's law/lobbying firm.

To name just two examples.

Coalition For BIG Government

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

This article reads like a "Who's Who?" of the Coalition for BIG government.

• Steve Horsefürd is a Socialist.
• Jim Gibbons is a RINO.
• Alan Feldman is a Protectionist flak.
• Jim Wadhams is a Mining industry lobbyist.
• Daniel Burns is a BIG government mouthpiece.
• Heidi Gansert is a RINO.
• Bill Raggio is a RINO's RINO.
• Lynn Warne is President of the Communist Labor Party.
• David Morrow is a bureaucrat environmentalist.

A total scurvy crew. Is there *anyone* involved in these discussion who can defend the free market?

Meet The RINOs

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

The Republicans have plenty of candidates to choose from. It's called the list of registered DEMOCRATS.
Randolt Townspend has been tax-&-spending this state into oblivion since the early 1980's. He, Hardy, Nolan and the other RINOs all voted to override BIG government Gibbons' $3.2B/yr budget and enact a $3.4B whopper of their own.

Hey Conservatives. Your standard-bearer Gibbons and his opponents AGREE on 94.1% of the spending. We have one-party rule in this state. The BIG government liberals and the BIG government conservatives.

Billus Raggiowe

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Billus Raggiowe is a RINO's RINO. He has been tax-&-spending this state into oblivion since the 1970's! Raggiowe is a poster boy for term limits.

Raggiowe's primary beneficiaries have been NSHE/UNR -- they have several buildings and even a roadway named after him -- and his own Law/Lobbying firm. His firm generates a LOT of billable hours from public sector clients in this state. During the '09 regular session Raggiowe was even temporarily barred from voting on the Republicrat record-spending budget because his firm had a lobbyist in the Chamber representing a BIG government special interest. The recusal was very brief. Ethics rules suspend five minutes after they apply.

The SPENDING Gap

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

As a rule, Republicrats spend faster than revenues rise. In this unusual economy, revenues are falling faster than Republicrats have been willing to cut. "Budget gap" is fuzzy. Better to say we have a SPENDING gap.

In the recent (inflated) boom years (2004-2006) Nevada tax revenues were growing at double digit rates. Government spending even MORE. In the '09 session, despite *falling* revenues (which are now back to '05 levels -- then a BLOWOUT year) Republicrats actually boosted spending ($3.2B/yr -> $3.4B). That's right.

It's funny to watch Buckfee, Horsefurd and the gang scrambling to look like TeaBaggers after RINO election victories in VA, NJ, and MA. Horsefurd still couldn't hide his contempt for the private sector, though. He promises revenge as soon as the economy turns. The DEMs really are the CPUSA.

Education LAST

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

For Fibbons, "Education First" means his highest priority is to shovel money to GOP (donor) firms who do business with the school districts. For example, construction contractors, testing services, Big Pharma, municipal bond underwriters, and so forth.

For Buckfee it means shoveling education money to the DEM constituencies. Unions, lawyers, counselors, LGBT, nutrition, etc.

Public education is a *political* institution.

For parents who want their kids to actually *learn* something, "education first" means sacrificing to send their kids to PRIVATE schools.

Legislature Filled With Government Payrollers

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

These part time legislators have full time jobs outside the legislature.

Their outside work says a lot. Many are affiliated with public education. Many are lawyers. Many have spouses who benefit from big government.

Don Gustavson is the only pro-freedom guy in Carson City. He's a retired truck driver. We need more like him!

Less Government Republicans

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

A new state law required home loan modification and foreclosure consultants to obtain licenses from the mortgage division. While 50 applications are being processed, none of the applicants has posted the required $75,000 surety bonds, according to the division.

Here are the details of this new law. Notice how those "less government" Republican legislators *unanimously* voted YEA, and that the bill was signed by a Republican governor.

Deregulate NOW!

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Abolish insurance taxes and regulations. It drives up the cost of insurance. Abolish state insurance departments and bureaucracies. They're sinecures for friends of politicians. They drive up the cost of insurance. Abolish medical licensing laws. They create a guild for medical services, which drives up the cost of health care and the insurance premiums necessary to pay the bills. Abolish drug prohibition, the FDA, etc. Such government policies only drive up the cost of medications and the insurance premiums necessary to pay the bills.

What do the Democrats offer us? MORE regulations. MORE bureaucrats. MORE red tape. The Republicans rightly criticize them for that. They propose to fix things with MORE regulations. MORE bureaucrats, and MORE red tape. Nice to know we can count on them to provide opposition.

CCSD Has Already Cut The 3R's. Time To Cut Football.

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

CCSD parent Joni Trageton said: It's scary what's going on .. They're cutting into the sports program. [Good Heaven's. NO!] I've seen the arts get cut, special needs get cut, even a program like GATE

What's the big deal? CCSD has already eliminated the 3R's. Why should arts, football, and G&T be protected from mere *cuts*?

Can we please stop talking about Republican style, big government ideas like vouchers?! Government solutions DON'T WORK. Government money always comes with strings. When private schools become dependent upon public funding they'll start performing like PUBLIC schools. Besides, government funding (such as vouchers) will just draw shady education operators into the market. Like those huckster trade schools who advertise on TV, and lure you with info that you might qualify for "government loans".

COMPETITION works. Get the government completely OUT of education. Almost overnight new private schools will come into the marketplace to fill the demand for quality education services. For all tastes and price-points. Religious schools, secular schools, arts schools, football schools, etc. $20,000 per year schools, $20 per week schools. And on and on. This is all so obvious. The only reason we haven't gone this route yet is because the Republicrats are beholden to the special interests" Democrats to the education unions, and Republicans to the education contractors.

Last I checked, by law homeschooled kids have the right to play on district sports teams. Though my kids would probably benefit from having access to the facilities and playing at competitive levels, we *still* won't take advantage of it. We don't want ANYTHING to do with CCSD.

Senate RINO's Overriding Executive RINO's Veto

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Meet the Republicrats. Most people won't care about this budget. RINO Governor Guinn screwed us over in '03 with a huge tax-&-spend increase and he was re-elected. Senators Raggio and Townsend voted FOR that tax increase. Only term limits will unseat them. Gibbons' first budget (FY 08/09) called for even higher spending than Guinn's last budget. I guess he felt Guinn didn't go far enough. Gibbons is only trying to keep the budget balanced without monster tax increases (room & sales hikes tax OK). If revenues were stronger Gibbons would be pushing for RECORD spending.

Republicans Support Higher Spending. Where's The Money?

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

In an apparent sign of bipartisanship, the Assembly voted 42-0

Once again, the Republicans expose themselves as big government, right wing Democrats. Remember just the other night some of these same Republicans voted NAY on tax increases. What's the point of voting FOR more government but AGAINST higher taxes? Spending increases have to be funded one way or another. I strongly doubt that the Republicans want to fund public education by imposing a $5,251 per kid user fee.

RINOs At The Gate

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

Sources say leaders of the Republican minorities in both houses will not tolerate tax hikes totaling more than about $800 million

What would we ever do without those "less government" Republicans to protect us? The Republicans stand for NOTHING, except maybe "not Democrat". The Republicans *concede* that government is the answer. That is why when the Democrats push for BIGGER government, the Republicans can never find the right words to oppose them. All they can talk about is "limiting" the tax increases, "sunsetting" them, "No new taxes!" (old ones OK), or making sure that none of the money goes to fund abortions.

Here's a suggestion for those pathetic RINOs to fund the differential: impose "user fees" . You know, parents who send their thuglets to public school should be charged $4,800 per kid, visitors to UMC's ER must show proof-of-insurance or a high-limit credit card.

A Pox On Both Their Houses

Originally posted in a LVRJ Forum

the spending they deemed necessary is substantially more than Gibbons' $6.2 billion in recommended spending. .. Horsford .. estimated it at "just south of $7 billion."

The problem is not Fibbons/Horsefurd's $800M spending disagreement, it's the $6.2B they AGREE about. The parties keep very tight control over the debate: "Should our government be HUGE or GIGANTIC?" Nowhere in this session can you find discussion about "How *small* can we make goverernment?"

I can answer that question. $100M per year. Less than projected room tax revenue. That's right. Of course, we can't get there so long as the Republicrats are controlled by the education unions and all the other leeches who receive direct financial benefit from the system.