Working Together For Changes In 2010 Election
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
Based on the way the 2009 Nevada Legislative Session went – increasing state spending and then increasing taxes by about a billion dollars…all done in a terrible economy with spiraling unemployment and every other discernable indicator of economic health, looking very sick – it would seem that significant changes would be warranted for those who vote as our elected representatives.
A number of the persons who have been occupying the chairs of the Nevada Legislature (Senate and Assembly) won’t be back in 2011 anyway. Term-limits will have its first effects in the 76th Nevada Legislative Session with 7 new Senators and 10 new Assemblypersons. In addition to the changes caused by term-limits, we need to seize on the potential that those who voted in support of the tax increases should be un-elected as a consequence for their actions in the 2009 Legislature.
Going into the next session, the $787 million portion of the increased tax load, approved in 2009, will be set to expire. Unless the Obama Administration and the people in Congress, who approve of handing out government stimulus money, decide to deposit some more in Nevada’s checkbook – there’s going to be a hole that we would anticipate being filled with more revenue as opposed to reduced spending.
If Nevada voters can’t – or won’t – make those pay, who supported the increased Billion tax-load…get ready to pay even more after the 2011 session.
Which brings us to the point of how important the 2010 election will be for Nevada and why we need to extend ourselves into getting active in campaigns to send representatives to Carson City (and a new U.S. Senator to Washington, D.C.) who understand that “we”, the taxpayers don’t exist to give over our resources and possibly jobs so they can keep bureaucrats in the manner that they’ve become accustomed.
Beyond our involvement in fighting to elect representatives who won’t sell us out in tax increases, we also need to foster positive concepts for building these campaigns around. Those ideas include:
Since first suggesting these ideas for a statewide campaign, we’ve also received the suggestion to add in a focus on rooting out government waste and extravagance. We welcome that idea being included in the mix and hope others will also join in to share their ideas and thinking.
Based on the way the 2009 Nevada Legislative Session went – increasing state spending and then increasing taxes by about a billion dollars…all done in a terrible economy with spiraling unemployment and every other discernable indicator of economic health, looking very sick – it would seem that significant changes would be warranted for those who vote as our elected representatives.
A number of the persons who have been occupying the chairs of the Nevada Legislature (Senate and Assembly) won’t be back in 2011 anyway. Term-limits will have its first effects in the 76th Nevada Legislative Session with 7 new Senators and 10 new Assemblypersons. In addition to the changes caused by term-limits, we need to seize on the potential that those who voted in support of the tax increases should be un-elected as a consequence for their actions in the 2009 Legislature.
Going into the next session, the $787 million portion of the increased tax load, approved in 2009, will be set to expire. Unless the Obama Administration and the people in Congress, who approve of handing out government stimulus money, decide to deposit some more in Nevada’s checkbook – there’s going to be a hole that we would anticipate being filled with more revenue as opposed to reduced spending.
If Nevada voters can’t – or won’t – make those pay, who supported the increased Billion tax-load…get ready to pay even more after the 2011 session.
Which brings us to the point of how important the 2010 election will be for Nevada and why we need to extend ourselves into getting active in campaigns to send representatives to Carson City (and a new U.S. Senator to Washington, D.C.) who understand that “we”, the taxpayers don’t exist to give over our resources and possibly jobs so they can keep bureaucrats in the manner that they’ve become accustomed.
Beyond our involvement in fighting to elect representatives who won’t sell us out in tax increases, we also need to foster positive concepts for building these campaigns around. Those ideas include:
- Reform of Nevada’s spending process – changing the budget system to a zero based system;
- Defining a responsible budget framework to pay for truly essential services and not increase tax loads on citizens to expand bureaucratic dynasties;
- Tax reforms to keep resources in the pockets of the private sector to build our economy instead of in the coffers of government for the pleasure of bureaucrats and their legions of union cronies; and,
- Institution of governmental accountability, especially in the areas of big-ticket expenses like education, to emphasize delivery of end results as opposed to ‘how much do we spend’ approaches like we have now.
Since first suggesting these ideas for a statewide campaign, we’ve also received the suggestion to add in a focus on rooting out government waste and extravagance. We welcome that idea being included in the mix and hope others will also join in to share their ideas and thinking.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 6/16/2009 10:24 AM 
Categories: 2010 Elections
Tags: Term Limits Nevada Election
Categories: 2010 Elections
Tags: Term Limits Nevada Election
I have to agree with the legislature in raising taxes to make up for the drastic, and probably long-term, shortfall in gaming and tourism tax revenues. Your ire is misplaced. You should direct it to the Reno, Sparks, Elko, and Las Vegas city councils that provided rubber stamp approvals of massive subdivisions, bloating our population and straining available resources, (especially property tax revenues due to plummeting property values), to the very limit. Needless to say, the urban sprawl has destroyed a lot of arable land, and is sucking precious water out of the rural counties needed for agriculture.
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