Good Assessment Of The Nevada Legislative Situation
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
Later today one of the most powerful legislative committees in the state Legislature will be "hearing" the proposed measure to divert property tax dollars from Clark and Washoe Counties into state coffers. On the surface there seems to be little opposition to this move and impacted counties seem to be resigned to their fates, because fighting back would only make the punishment down the road worse -- paybacks, as they say, are "heck".
The Legislative process is also teetering right now on the ability for the factions to come together to fit the last pieces of the puzzle into place to wind up with the final numbers for how much this is all going to costs. Not only has the economy gone from bad to worse, the "tough choices" that legislators have made so far haven't included much by way of deciding to reduce spending.
In my daily review of Nevada newspaper accounts, today's Las Vegas Review Journal's editorial piece probably grasp the bottom line as well as anything. I suggest you click here and take a read.
Lost in the drama of the moment there seems to be very little consideration for the policy or the process of good legislation. It is all about the politics. When the final decisions are worked out behind the closed doors we'll be given the "transparency" to see what those decisions are.
The final tax proposal (an all-encompassing package) will be presented to the committees of the whole, (full Assembly and full Senate bodies -- as opposed to the policy tax committees) where there is darn little chance to meaningful input.
In spite of the theme for "change" that has been the heralded soundbite we were supposed to have taken as a symbol of the controlling political party's justification for being given the keys to the seats of power -- the end result has not proven to be much except lots more government spending and the increases in taxes to make it possible.
Later today one of the most powerful legislative committees in the state Legislature will be "hearing" the proposed measure to divert property tax dollars from Clark and Washoe Counties into state coffers. On the surface there seems to be little opposition to this move and impacted counties seem to be resigned to their fates, because fighting back would only make the punishment down the road worse -- paybacks, as they say, are "heck".
The Legislative process is also teetering right now on the ability for the factions to come together to fit the last pieces of the puzzle into place to wind up with the final numbers for how much this is all going to costs. Not only has the economy gone from bad to worse, the "tough choices" that legislators have made so far haven't included much by way of deciding to reduce spending.
In my daily review of Nevada newspaper accounts, today's Las Vegas Review Journal's editorial piece probably grasp the bottom line as well as anything. I suggest you click here and take a read.
Lost in the drama of the moment there seems to be very little consideration for the policy or the process of good legislation. It is all about the politics. When the final decisions are worked out behind the closed doors we'll be given the "transparency" to see what those decisions are.
The final tax proposal (an all-encompassing package) will be presented to the committees of the whole, (full Assembly and full Senate bodies -- as opposed to the policy tax committees) where there is darn little chance to meaningful input.
In spite of the theme for "change" that has been the heralded soundbite we were supposed to have taken as a symbol of the controlling political party's justification for being given the keys to the seats of power -- the end result has not proven to be much except lots more government spending and the increases in taxes to make it possible.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 5/12/2009 3:34 AM 
Categories: Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Taxes State Budget
Categories: Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Taxes State Budget
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