Notes From Reno Legislature’s Town Hall Meeting
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
Saturday, January 29, 2011 I had the opportunity to spend 5-1/2 hours of time with about 600 of my fellow Nevada citizens at the Reno Town Hall Meeting orchestrated by the Nevada Legislature’s interim finance committee. A similar venue was provided for the Las Vegas area where we were told about 800 persons came to give their input for Nevada’s future.
The Reno event was moderated by Assemblywoman Debbie Smith of Reno and the chair for the 2011 Assembly Ways and Means Committee. The Las Vegas session was under the direction of Senate Majority Leader and Finance Committee Chairman, Senator Stephen Horsford.
Although not an official count -- my tally of speakers at the Reno meeting, included about 112 speakers. Each were given a 3-minute time allocation, to share their input on the proposed state budget or their other thoughts regarding priorities for implementation of state government programs/services. Of those presenting their thoughts, two speakers stated their support for the budget proposal recommended by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and the foundational core belief that Nevada government should live within its current means of revenue. I think you get the general perspective of how the “Town Hall” was a pep-rally for don’t cut state spending and increase taxes.
The largest segment of speakers were college students, from a variety of colleges and University of Nevada, Reno studies. This group included undergraduate students, graduate students and even a couple of recently graduated persons. Their universal message was that the Nevada Higher Education System should not be cut and there should not be any tuition increases levied against them. One even went so far as to make us aware that education is a “human right” (and I guess one that society as a whole owes to those who are involved in engaged in collegiate studies).
K-12 educational supporters, including a broad spectrum of teachers and other involved advocates, placed a close second in the mix of speakers at the Reno Town Hall meeting. They too were bringing the message that educational costs were completely out of the question and reductions in teacher pay, benefits or other funding simply couldn’t be fathomed as an appropriate approach to take.
State employee’s from all walks, agencies, current and retired, made a strong showing at the Reno session, decrying the inappropriate cuts in salaries or benefits they have been getting or are scheduled to be obtaining for the future. Many of the speakers in this segment of interests told of how state employees they know (or themselves) are so hard-pressed by reductions that they have gotten or will be possibly getting that food stamps, bankruptcy and home foreclosures are pending in their futures.
Advocates for mental health programs or a variety of social programs for needy persons showed up in force to voice their impending dire situations, stemming from the cuts contained in the Sandoval budget proposals.
From a purely personal point of view, I would offer that the most touching of the stories of difficulties came from parents or family members who spoke about the recommended cuts for therapy services being provided for their autistic children.
Supporters of state spending for the arts and cultural programs constituted a solid organized sector who came in force to voice their ideas of necessitated continued spending.
Time and time again the speakers stressed that our situation was not an overspending problem, but instead was a lack of sufficient revenue issue. Tax increases for mining (specifically on gold mining companies) gaming corporations, banks and large “box stores” were the most often sited solutions to fixing what’s wrong with the lack of revenue problem facing the state. There were also a significant number of speakers who offered themselves as personally being willing to pay more in individual taxes (although the details for what that tax form should take). For some the idea seemed to be a change in the current constitutional prohibition for a personal income tax…for some it seemed that the suggestion was an increase in the sales tax system (either including services or in one case a sales tax on food).
We can likely expect the themes of the Saturday Town Halls being repeated whenever possible by those who consider the proper role of government to be ever increasing and the responsibility of taxpayers to finance spending desires to also be continually expanding.
While there were likely a few taxpayers in the crowd who probably didn’t agree with the themes of the day, a broad spectrum of likely tax targets didn’t come out to voice their points of view. It’s not considered politically correct to be of the viewpoint that there ought to be limits to state spending – and many of those who wouldn’t prefer to be forced into contributing to greater spending were out earning livings for themselves and those they support already. Recipients of state spending seem to be more inclined to have Saturdays off as well as having a bigger incentive to show up to complain about not getting as much of other people’s money…
Saturday, January 29, 2011 I had the opportunity to spend 5-1/2 hours of time with about 600 of my fellow Nevada citizens at the Reno Town Hall Meeting orchestrated by the Nevada Legislature’s interim finance committee. A similar venue was provided for the Las Vegas area where we were told about 800 persons came to give their input for Nevada’s future.
The Reno event was moderated by Assemblywoman Debbie Smith of Reno and the chair for the 2011 Assembly Ways and Means Committee. The Las Vegas session was under the direction of Senate Majority Leader and Finance Committee Chairman, Senator Stephen Horsford.
Although not an official count -- my tally of speakers at the Reno meeting, included about 112 speakers. Each were given a 3-minute time allocation, to share their input on the proposed state budget or their other thoughts regarding priorities for implementation of state government programs/services. Of those presenting their thoughts, two speakers stated their support for the budget proposal recommended by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and the foundational core belief that Nevada government should live within its current means of revenue. I think you get the general perspective of how the “Town Hall” was a pep-rally for don’t cut state spending and increase taxes.
The largest segment of speakers were college students, from a variety of colleges and University of Nevada, Reno studies. This group included undergraduate students, graduate students and even a couple of recently graduated persons. Their universal message was that the Nevada Higher Education System should not be cut and there should not be any tuition increases levied against them. One even went so far as to make us aware that education is a “human right” (and I guess one that society as a whole owes to those who are involved in engaged in collegiate studies).
K-12 educational supporters, including a broad spectrum of teachers and other involved advocates, placed a close second in the mix of speakers at the Reno Town Hall meeting. They too were bringing the message that educational costs were completely out of the question and reductions in teacher pay, benefits or other funding simply couldn’t be fathomed as an appropriate approach to take.
State employee’s from all walks, agencies, current and retired, made a strong showing at the Reno session, decrying the inappropriate cuts in salaries or benefits they have been getting or are scheduled to be obtaining for the future. Many of the speakers in this segment of interests told of how state employees they know (or themselves) are so hard-pressed by reductions that they have gotten or will be possibly getting that food stamps, bankruptcy and home foreclosures are pending in their futures.
Advocates for mental health programs or a variety of social programs for needy persons showed up in force to voice their impending dire situations, stemming from the cuts contained in the Sandoval budget proposals.
From a purely personal point of view, I would offer that the most touching of the stories of difficulties came from parents or family members who spoke about the recommended cuts for therapy services being provided for their autistic children.
Supporters of state spending for the arts and cultural programs constituted a solid organized sector who came in force to voice their ideas of necessitated continued spending.
Time and time again the speakers stressed that our situation was not an overspending problem, but instead was a lack of sufficient revenue issue. Tax increases for mining (specifically on gold mining companies) gaming corporations, banks and large “box stores” were the most often sited solutions to fixing what’s wrong with the lack of revenue problem facing the state. There were also a significant number of speakers who offered themselves as personally being willing to pay more in individual taxes (although the details for what that tax form should take). For some the idea seemed to be a change in the current constitutional prohibition for a personal income tax…for some it seemed that the suggestion was an increase in the sales tax system (either including services or in one case a sales tax on food).
We can likely expect the themes of the Saturday Town Halls being repeated whenever possible by those who consider the proper role of government to be ever increasing and the responsibility of taxpayers to finance spending desires to also be continually expanding.
While there were likely a few taxpayers in the crowd who probably didn’t agree with the themes of the day, a broad spectrum of likely tax targets didn’t come out to voice their points of view. It’s not considered politically correct to be of the viewpoint that there ought to be limits to state spending – and many of those who wouldn’t prefer to be forced into contributing to greater spending were out earning livings for themselves and those they support already. Recipients of state spending seem to be more inclined to have Saturdays off as well as having a bigger incentive to show up to complain about not getting as much of other people’s money…
Posted by Doug Busselman at 1/29/2011 6:58 PM 
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Nevada Budget Taxing and Spending Governor Sandoval Nevada Legislature
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Nevada Budget Taxing and Spending Governor Sandoval Nevada Legislature
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