Nevada citizens display their schizophrenia-again

Looking at the front page of the RJ this morning almost fooled me.

I saw this picture-

Oh! The hope surged through me! Has Nevada turned the corner? A shred of compassion, a sense of humanity oozing from citizens? A recognition that all are in this together?

Nope. Fooled again!

Further down the page is the usual hate filled vituperative , or "screw you" if laid off, dying of cancer, etc,-ain't my problem" more predictable of Nevada's "mad dogs".

Oh! Those sign carriers must be "them lazy, overpaid, on-the dole, retirement rich state workers and teachers"-now required to sign up for thirty years of indentured servitude, give up most of their social security, and now pay for their health insurance at retirement, compliments of the powerful Teacher's Union-anyone asked to forfeit their firstborn as collateral?

Ah! Foolish me! Foolish but reassured! Consistency is paramount to arguing sanity-or insanity, I suppose.

The recent letter from Donna West, calling it ridiculous for Gov. Jim Gibbons' to try to cap the Nevada Check Up plan for low-income children, gives me pause every time I read this liberal bleeding heart blather. I really wonder how many of these 23,000 to 32,000 children are just in "temporary need"? Doesn't Ms. West realize that these types of plans were designed to merely be a "safety net" for those in sudden need of assistance -- much like welfare and food stamps? All of these programs were designed to be for "temporary assistance," not a way of life.

But because so many people decide to shirk their own responsibility in taking care of their financial problems, children, etc., they expect the government to do it for them -- and have no qualms at all. After all, they can't afford it. Period.

So why is that my responsibility? Does everyone realize that when they make the conscious decision to have children they should be responsible for all of that child's care until his is grown? That includes, but is not limited to food, clothing, shelter and, yes, medical insurance.

Our government's entitlement programs have vastly become a way of support for those who choose not to take care of themselves or their offspring. Compassionate forms of temporary assistance have been so overly abused that it is a sickening decay on this society -- and nobody cares.

I personally know of several families who continue to manipulate the system so their children have this "temporary" health care.

If placing caps on programs such as the Nevada Check Up eventually makes people become more independent, then it needs to be done.

In response to an letter from Harry Reid-honestly! The most powerful man in Congress and Nevadans hate him-is this for real??? 

Cherie S. W  Common Sense wrote on May 30, 2009 06:29 AM:"Hundreds of millions of dollars in recovery funding are flowing to Nevada, creating jobs where they are so desperately needed." Yeah, the "funding" creates make-work jobs for politicians, like the 12-hour-per-week gig that the R-J exposed. 

Senator, your letter is a day late and a trillion dollars short. But, hey, what do you care? You got your visit from the campaign finance fairy this week. It's all good. 

Discouraged Nevadan wrote on May 30, 2009 06:26 AM:There's going to be an opportunity to vote out some of the do-nothing state politicians in 2010. I recently applied for a job in Secretary of State Ross Miller's office and was treated so incredibly disrespectfully, I still can't believe my tax money goes to fund such an operation.

wade wrote on May 30, 2009 06:06 AM:Reid is a lying, corrupt pig, period.

Mike26 wrote on May 30, 2009 06:02 AM:Harry Reid, a good example of what is wrong with Congress

t wrote on May 30, 2009 04:59 AM:Hey Harry Reid, do you "smell" us coming to the polls to vote for you?

ted wrote on May 30, 2009 04:57 AM:HARRY REID.... 

wasn't the solar panels at nellis built in 2007, long before anyone ever heard the name "Barack Obama?" 
Wasn't stumping for you Obama's only reason for coming to vegas, with Nellis an afterthought to take the heat off you and him? 
Will you publish here in the letters what it cost US citizens for Obama to come here and try to help you? 
Your assumption people will come to vegas to look at Nellis solar panels is smoke and mirrors, or another "the war is lost Reid"? 
Is it true Nevada is the lowest state in US for stimulus funding? 
Did you have a hand in ACORN coming to Nevada to implement their fraudulent voting practices? 
Can you name just one job, (with the exception of your buddie weekly to get a "green job he was not qualified for" that Nevada has gotten, just one job Harry? 
Want me to go on Harry? Do you really think you are fooling anyone? 

How we reframe the precipice

We all live on a  precipice. It is just a matter of definition.

Today my mind is hanging out on that rocky cliff, looking down, wondering if the precipice is really up  here, looking down, or  (in here), walking upright, my  brain limited to the input of my five senses, and a tiny little corner, isolated (but at times powerful), whispering, "there is more, Connie, there is more than the daily civilities of life, the repeat patterns, the selfish tailgater, the banalities of daily living."

We re frame so much in our lives to fit the images projected by various mediums of what is normal.

Normal is banalities. Normal is mediocre. Normal is what people do when they follow-normal is comfortable, acceptable, likable and fluffy.

Humans crave likeness. Humans cringe at different. The toothless, homeless man begging on the street. The wheel chaired young woman with twisted, disfigured legs. Those humans creating conflict by asking hard questions about subjects which have no easy answers. We squirm, we apple pie a la mode the issue and burn the conflicted, questioning, human at the emotional stake, using nice methods of course.

Our own precipice hides in our mind as fears. Fear of losing a job, a loved one, status, money, reputation,-we all own something. 

Today, my precipice is in sight. I am hanging on the rock asking myself uncomfortable questions-which have no easy answers-or solutions. I am looking over that rock and wondering if it so easy to re frame one's precipice, or are we, at some point, required to face it?

War and the big "little people" who fight it

Face it, war is fought on the backs of our brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, babysitters, high school sweethearts, moms, dads, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, ...with courage, with conviction, with loyalty and dedication and faith in our country.

I was a US Army soldier during the Vietnam War. A time when the draft compelled men to service in Vietnam for a year based on a magic number. So many men, sent to die, in a country which did not invite us to intervene-my cousin, a boyfriend, classmates, -

On Memorial Day I remember all the men I worked with in Europe,  boy  soldiers, sent to Vietnam, good boys not always believing in the war but believing in our country.

It is what compels young men and women to join today-believing in the United States. Young adults fight our wars for us. Mostly young and poor, or without the means to pay for college or learn a trade-these are the hopeful -signing up to have a shot at something more than a job at Wal-Mart or 7-11.

It is not the rich, educated, politically connected fighting our wars for us. Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bush-never saw a day of service to our country-let alone immersion in a foreign country where the very citizens help plant bombs to kills those who believe they are there to protect them.

From a woman's perspective war seems like such a waste. Killing other humans? I wonder when we might have a world that the very idea is so barbaric, so uncivilized, so repulsive, it is only referred to in historic terms?

I think I can speak for women when I say those who go to war are not anonymous bodies-trained and decked out by a political system who considers "casualties" a term, one not to be shown  as tangible and physically real-on TV or in the media.

These men and women are our babies. They are our first and second graders, missing teeth, learning to ride a bike-

they are our  young adults holding that high school diploma-knowing parents pride float their way to the podium to pick it up.

Those bodies, hidden from the TV cameras, caskets, not acknowledged in the media anymore, as if the killings don't exist, perhaps alluding to the "death toll" as if it were some byproduct of war-

those bodies of dead soldiers-those bodies are still our babies, our family members, those we love so much the hole left in our hearts feels unbearable to carry-

Vietnam was honest.

No the war was a lie-as this war is-predicated on lies from leaders we so badly want to believe have some form of goodness in them for the sake of our children-

but the media was ruthless about ensuring every American knew and could  see the price we were paying for the war, Bombings, napalm, body bags, massacres-the media laid it out-bare naked-and it is what shook us-like rag dolls-from our stupor-to say NO MORE-

Today, as we honor the death of so many of our babies, no media, no tv, no newspaper is the conscience of our nation-

none 

Americans don't see and  feel the pain of war-like a video game-it  all seems   so pretend-so men and women die each day they die, and thousands of Americans go about their business-did you think about the war yesterday?-last week?. A month ago?

This is not a courageous war-from American citizens at home--almost as if it doesn't exist-unless the death call is at your front door-ringing the bell, standing in uniform-for the last and final news of the your baby-and I  am shamed we do not pay attention

to the deaths of our babies-ashamed and anguished.

Gov. Gibbons mowed down by citizens caustic wit

Gibbons Insulted by President Obama's refusal to meet with him. hahaha

I have to hand it to you, Nevadans, when it comes to sarcasm, acerbic wit and go for the throat comments, you are the best! There is something about that libertarian bent from the southern portion of the dry wilderness that cuts anyone's nonsense off at the Hoover Dam Pass-

once again, in response to the not-wit- of the nit-wit  Gov. Gibbons , your comments had me laughing so loud my cats ran for cover.

Here are the best of the best

you're kidding, right? wrote on May 18, 2009 04:03 PM:Gibbons is a bad on Nevada the same way Bush was a bad joke on the country.
He should just lay low until his term ends and then scurry out of town like a lost rat. 

LuvGuv meeting with the most important man on the planet? Yeah, rightdan wrote on May 18, 2009 03:58 PM:Gibbons better stick to married Reno women for his 'meetings'. 

President Obama has more important things to attend to than helping to prop up a failed governor with 15% approval ratings.

GOP wrote on May 18, 2009 03:47 PM:Well even Bush and McCain wouldn't meet with Gibbons last year. The top Republicans in the state and nation want nothing to do with him. Gibbons must be very lonely if he wants to meet President Obama.

Hopefully the GOP can oust the lame duck in the primary.

Waste of... wrote on May 18, 2009 03:43 PM:...time for President Obama to meet with a dog. Didn't he just get one

scary jim wrote on May 18, 2009 03:32 PM:Jim Gibbons is a creep. Why would anyone want to "meet" with him

ames wrote on May 18, 2009 03:14 PM:Of course President Obama won't meet with our embarrassing governor. 
Jimmy a low-life misfit while the president is the most popular person in the worldD

an wrote on May 18, 2009 03:08 PM:If Gibbons wasn't such a complete idiot Obama would meet with him. 

Think of it this way, if you were president would you want to meet with "I'llTextUAtMidnite" Gibbons? 
'Nuf said.

Same Gibbons wrote on May 18, 2009 02:34 PM:"Gibbons said he was disappointed that Obama isn't making an effort to "repair the damage" done by his comment in February that corporations shouldn't use bailout funds for trips to Las Vegas or the Super Bowl or to get corporate jets." 
Is this the same Gibbons that refused the FED money for unemployment benefits? 
So Gibbons is all for spending the money supplied by other tax payers of the USA. 
The real reason Obama will not meet with Gibbons is because he would be unable to control his laughter at the luv guv.hannon wrote on May 18, 2009 02:23 PM:Oh, please. Gibbons knows darn well that Obama has nothing to do with the drop in tourism. He also shouldn't be surprised by the fact that Obama doesn't have time for him, particularly after his "invitation" to come talk to him. 

1. President Obama is coming to Las Vegas later this month for a political fundraiser, but he will not help the struggling families in Las Vegas and Nevada who are out of work because of his reckless comments." ????Wake up ZERO, he does not want to meet with YOU! Very few would waste their time and energy to meet with you. This has nothing to do with his care for those in Las Vegas or Nevada being out of work.

   You played games with the stimulus money - said you did not want it and then took it. You are the one who brought negative change to Nevada, you have lied to us over and over again.Resign please.

2. 1. By VegasbikeCan someone remind who this Jim Gibbons is?I thought sum zero only met with cocktail waitresses, when he was not texting his girlfriends on state time.Have to say he is the most entertaining gov. in the country. Rather listen to him that watch the Grand old Opera.

He really is a country song. And a bad one at that.

1.  Ms Kate5/18/09 at 3:59 p.m.Gibbons has no credibility as a governor or even as a human. He is an embarrassment to the State of Nevada; how he was elected is anyones' guess.

1. If anything, the President shows good taste and common sense in not meeting with Gibbons. Gibbons makes Blago look like a rank amateur

   Thank-you, "Have no mercy, take no prisoners". Las Vegans! 
   

Scarecrow asks, "Which Way?"

Which Way? Good question. I liked life better when I was younger and thought I had most of the answers. As I get older the answers aren't always so clear. The best decision seems to be the best answer. Not believing it is always the right decision, just the best one for the situation.

From Outhouse to Handsanitizer...

What a transformation! With progress and technology contributing to our modern but simple mindsets,  Americans have developed a certain zeal for cleanliness.

Outhouses no longer grace our landscape but we do the modern version, "the portapotty"- commonly used at major civic and regional one time events.

Yesterday as I entered a public restroom in St Augustine, Florida, my brain commented on the fact no toilet seat covers caught my right peripheral vision. I wondered if it was a cost saving decision and I would now enter stalls with seats completely covered in toilet paper(the old method) to protect those zealously guarded and precious portions of our  human anatomy exposed to the elements.

My brain wandered further. How did we get from outhouses to hand sanitizers? From washing hands to antibacterial soaps and face masks?

How did we develop a religious fervor and reverence for antibiotics-to a point where we seek out and learn the symptoms which compel a Physician to write the words for that golden elixir?

Researchers have discovered a great deal about the amazing human body. How it protects against germs, how it develops antibodies once a germ has coursed our system. How it can even alter these antibodies to meet the sneaky germs, masked as old germs.

Our systems are in such sync  -much  like a virus scorching  computer program, it created sleep. Sleeping allows the body to run full scans of our system and also provide healing power for our bodies, made vulnerable after much abuse.

Germs are not new. New strains of  flu virus are not  either. In fact our immune system at one time was much hardier-prior to modern medicine. Everyone knew a fever was one method of fighting germs. An old time Doctor once told me to allow a fever to run its course with my kids. Tamping down the fever with medication often slowed the process of recovery because the immune system could not function properly.

Media sensationalism is the deadliest virus I know. It creates panic, hostility, places the human nervous system on alert, stresses other physical systems and weakens the positive synchronization / harmony of one of the greatest, amazing, perfect systems known to scientists-the human body.

Too bad we humans don't trust it.

OMG!! 80's fashion -save us from the MULLET!!

Oh My Gawd! The valley girl is back! Big Hair!

Leggings! Jelly bracelets!

The mullet!

The MULLET!

Please save us from our past fashion horrors!

Now I know the mullet has never left  the nether regions of the US

Take Florida for example, home of the mega southern baptist church-  with full orchestra, inventors of the large screen for singing christian songs otherwise words unknown.. and -voila-a mens Capella group comprised of , what else-all the southern baptist ministers replete with required mullet hairdos!!

Kinda takes ya back-eh?

-Jimmy Swaggert, et.al

Enjoy! 

Thirty  years later, we get to be, you know, like, um, Madonna--OMG!

Thanks, Social Security--future baglady

Welcome to the new generation of bag ladies-those 25 plus year single working women, victims of the gleeful corporations slashing retirement benefits (because they can-"times are tough"), 401K's placed in the hands of the "investment counselors"(lovingly sponsored by the workplace), now dangerously near poverty in the retirement years.

What are the consequences of Social Security shortfalls?

Interesting question.

I have news for the government-Baby Boomer retirements are just beginning.

Screw Wall Street, banks, auto manufacturers and newspapers.

You better have a little file in your computer with my name on it and  one of those poverty stricken looking checks in there unless you want my new residence to be the White House lawn, shopping cart, pets, Coleman stove , portapotty  clothesline, and the sixteen garbage bags of junk (from my former life) I just couldn't give up.

Do you have Hoarding Syndrome?

We Americans love junk. Admit it. Somewhere in your home, boxes reside, untouched, (but you know what is in them!) waiting for the next move..

My friend, Isabel spent her childhood making excuses as to why friends could not visit. In 10th grade I finally got a peek inside her house-three bedrooms filled to the top with newspapers. The kids in the family slept on the couches. What possessed her mom?

On a smaller scale, we Americans just like junk. No one can accuse us of being "poor savers"-we save all the time-we love to save. We are probably the only country in the world where people rent spaces to put their junk. What is in those boxes in storage and if we aren't using the stuff-why save it?

My all time favorite junk savers are the PODS-

not only can we save junk-we can park it in the front of our house and show the neighbors how prosperous we are-so prosperous we have to store our stuff in a little mini house..

Pondering our propensity for junk I started to ask myself these questions:

1. Do I need more than one of something? Do I need two blenders, or two potato mashers? (What, I am going to have a party and invite everyone to mash..?)2. When was the last time I used it?

3. I am saving this for......

4. What is the worst that can happen if I throw this away? (well, if it is my tax returns..)

5. Why not use the free stuff websites to get rid of it?-one person's junk is another's gold.

6. And last-what is my freaking problem?? Throw it away-donate it-sell it-let it go!! 

Headlines on Huffington Post

FED WANTS BANKS TO STRESS-TEST THEMSELVES

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

When learning history becomes history

In today's New York Times a small article on the front page describes the discovery of what I am sure is one of the few  remaining Nazi criminals .  How many teachers have the time to teach about World War II?  The Kamikaze pilots(very much like the the bombing attempts in the Middle East) or  the new  global image of the United States government via the  response to Hurricane Katrina?

How many students have the opportunity to learn about the development of the US Space program, the famous walk on the moon?

Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Vietnam?

I am not going rant about how testing mentality has robbed our current generation of the rich sources history and social studies generate for the purpose of developing a deeper understanding and philosophy of human culture.

Nope. (Did I just do it?)

I'll just show the pictures

Nevada, neither blue or red-what color speaks?

The blue car HAS to represent teachers in Las Vegas-looks ten years old and the tail lights are illegal now. harhar

 Thars that vacant look 

 Scares me..

: 

CCEA's  idea of showing teacher solidarity -ha

..Right-he really shouldn't be smiling-it may be a 30 sq foot house-but he still pays taxes like it was 2005

Rerrerun-politicians have their very own, bonafide jet stream--whichever way the wind blows..

Every day is Mother's Day-mom knows this

Mom radar begins the day a baby is born. There is no sleeping like a dead person anymore. Something kicks in-some new brain circuit lasting an entire lifetime. Yep, till the dying breath, a mom hears every cough, sees every pain in a son or daughter's eyes, rides the tide of joy and celebrates each accomplishment with a profound sense of love.

Kids don't have a clue, do they? If they only knew how deep the well runs from mother to child, they would be astounded at the power and enormity of mom's love.

I remember the day my son was born-21 seems young today but that was a respectable age at one time. I held him and my brain registered this HUGE responsibility, my internal voice recognizing with awe, DEAR GOD-THIS IS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE..and it is..

Roses-to moms

 Pink Roses for moms who read to their children and read with them as they mature.

 Yellow Roses for moms who, with their absolute faith and confidence in their children, allow them to take risks and learn from natural consequences (within reason, for goodness sakes..)

Double roses for single moms , never sleeping, working at work and working at home, exhausted, yet never losing the commitment and desire to parent.

 Scarlet Roses for moms of children with disabilities-because they know the potential and talents of their children and they fight for them.

 Teacher versions of Roses for moms who make sure their kids do their own science projects, homework and book reports.

Red Roses for every mom for the birth experience -and the willingness to have more after the first!

Rainbow roses for all moms-just remember, moms shape our society, our culture, our mores and our beliefs -men don't ever kid yourselves,

every  nations' leader had a mother, each artist, poet, writer, teacher, monk, priest, athlete, genius, great dad, great boyfriend, loyal friend, musician, and a even a few slackers(ha).

Happy Mother's Day

Outsourcing your financial information to India..

I had a problem with Coldwater Creek, an online women's site. I used the link on the site to converse with a customer service rep. She was handling the call from India.

I started to wonder what other corporations were outsourcing business to India.

I had to call AT&T for a technical problem and the tech rep's accent was too difficult for me to understand so I gave up and told him I would try to figure it out myself. turns out the modem installed was defective-I kept telling the tech it was overheating-the bottom got so hot I had to turn it off.

When I was about to give up completely he agreed to send me a new one and I haven't had a problem since. But not without a good hour of frustration trying to understand one another.

Outsourcing jobs is a real threat to all of us.

If you only knew how many companies outsource your financial information to India, you might think twice about whose hands you are trusting with  credit and banking information 

This is an incomplete list of some of the businesses I am not going to be visiting with my dollars. I have a feeling the damage may already be done-but maybe I will fell a little better knowing I at least voiced my protest.

Here is a link to a list of many businesses who outsource customer service to Indian companies-

http://www.nojobsforindia.com/

Here is a short list :

Home Depot

JCPenny

Albertsons

Avon

Capital One

AOL

Travelocity

Charles Schwab

ATT@T

Delta Airlines

Dupont 

Google

Johnson and Johnson

MBNA

Citibank

Bank of America

Wachovia

Shell Oil Company

H&R Block

Lexmark

Walmart online

Purina

Target

Nike

Bell South

MBNA

Dell

Normally I am not an alarmist. I didn't worry about SARS or stay awake with a gas mask on waiting for my letter with the white powder to come in the mail.

I am not egotistical enough to think every major disastrous possibility is going to happen to "special little ole me"

The outsourcing of my credit, banking, social security number, financial information and personal data to another country because they do it cheaper does not comfort me. Does it comfort you?

Now, if I thought corporations were outsourcing because India provided superior security and service, and I knew for a fact that in the United States we did not, I wouldn't peep.

But this is what freaks me out-they are doing it because it is cheaper!!!!!! arrgghh!

We already know what that means-guys-flammable pj's, leaded paint, tainted fruit and veggies, lead painted Toys r Us-

No, this does not comfort me.

My bank does business with India. I don't like that. I think we need to boycott them. 

Hello?? Americans purchase these products. If a business has such little respect for  our bucks -then our bucks should  stop here-in America.

That's my slogan for them-"The Buck Stops Here-in the US-

My son had a great idea-he believes all corporate executives should have to live in the third world country that business exploits. I agree.

The Job Application on-line-discrimination

The Internet has produced many wonderfully efficient caches of production. For example, paying bills online is probably putting the US Mail out of business. Shopping is another great contribution. I hate Christmas shopping-amongst hordes of runny nosed, flu contaminated fellow citizens who would call in sick but never, even consider not going into public with the same disease..(that's another rant).

Without the stress of the masses, shopping for presents is delightful.

This isn't about the wonderfully creative and positive developments.

Have you noticed most businesses and companies now require you to apply on-line? Many require you take a personality test as well. They ask you for full job histories and pretty much tell you if you don't provide it you are lying and will not be considered. They ask for all the from-to dates for degrees and certificates.

Before you ever get your foot in the door.

They don't have to respond to you after they have taken all your information. They don't even have to e-mail you to tell you they received your application.

They can pretend they never received it if they want to ignore it.

The process allows for major discrimination. Age discrimination is probably the greatest abuse in the professional world at present.

With the thousands of Baby Boomers returning to work or out of work looking for jobs because of the economy, business can just ignore the application and fail to respond.

Two years ago states couldn't get enough teachers. They were publicly wooing older adults to consider a career change to education. The merits of personal satisfaction and altruistic motive were touted and appealed to many professionals.

Teach For America appealed to new graduates with no degree in education, asking them to sacrifice a few years in the nations toughest school districts.

I heard that message. At age 46, with a graduate degree in social work, I returned to graduate school to earn the 36 credits needed to become a highly qualified teacher. My daughter was in second grade. I took out school loans to pay for my degree, with the promise that help was available for tuition because teachers were needed so badly.

After seven years teaching in one school district, with excellent job reviews, a professional five year certificate, a highly qualified rating and experience with at risk students successfully passing standardized testing, when I apply for a job (which are ironically scarce right now-what happened in just two years??) often I don't hear back at all. Not a peep.

Do you think it has to do with the fact I am 56??

I can't even get my foot in the door for a face to face. If one employer in this area would just meet with me, I might, just might, be able to communicate my level of knowledge, my passion and my commitment to children and education.

Or is the competition all about age?

What do you think?

Mission Accomplished? Where was the news???

Please, help me restore faith in democracy-

Was there not ONE news, media, writer, reporter, tv or radio station on this day, so many years ago that recognized what a lot of hooey this photo op was and spoke out about it???

Please, if there was one-someone lead me to that source?

4,284 soldiers have died since Mission Accomplished and over 31,000 have been injured.

I won't believe a word mainstream press touts again. Ever.

This sickens me.

They still aren't writing about the deaths and injuries of this unjust war.

Is there anyone out there in media willing to tell us the truth? (meaning facts-not opinion and hoopla)-and not skewered facts as in "Fox news"..

Las Vegans continue rabid dog attacks on workers

LasVegans proudly continue to exhibit their hatred of all things beneficial to a society. Primarily education, compassion, a sense of community-along with a total lack of self awareness.

OMG these people are scary. Our kids can forgo UNLV and easily go to another university BUT our grade school kids can not do that. Stop sacrificing everyone else just to save UNLV. They cost us too much money and are a luxury not necessity. UNR and other states can do higher we for us until we have extra money in the state
By Teaser
5/2/09 at 11:26 a.m.
Why not close Nevada State College? That was never necessary in the first place. The whole thing started merely as an effort to raise property values.
By Harley
5/2/09 at 11:36 a.m.
Steven Horsford and Barbara Buckley can kiss their political careers goodbye.
By neiman1
5/2/09 at 11:45 a.m.
Suggest removal
Reality is a tough thing to face. Visitors to this state are as broke as anyone else. There are no rich executives in New York to fly out for a weeks convention. Income to this state is still coming down. The completion of new casino hotels only ends construction jobs. It creates no new visitors.
We are America's playground. Problem is no one can afford to play. Now fear of the swine flu is making all air travel scary and this month is set to be a disaster. Increased tax rates will not generate more taxes, just move it around.
By lvsun123
5/2/09 at 11:50 a.m.
Suggest removal
Nevadaapplslices,It is obvious from the the grammar in your last sentence that you do not have a college education. It is obivious from many of your other posts that you do not value education at all. You are an idiot, plain and simple.
I commend Steven Horsford for doing his job and trying to come up with a solution to the state's budget crisis. Hopefully, our leaders will be able to come up with a plan that will not devastate education and turn this state into a cesspool full of simpletons!
By lvsun123
5/2/09 at 11:55 a.m.
Suggest removal
Harley, you wrote:
"Steven Horsford and Barbara Buckley can kiss their political careers goodbye."
Why? Because they are actually doing their jobs, unlike our governor?
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 12:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
They are attempting to maintain a gross increase in spending just a few years ago. In 05-07 the state increased the budget 42 percent.
42 percent. That is simply unsustainable. http://npri.org/publications/legislature...
Lawmakers are clearly out of touch. As resort entrepreneur Steve Wynn recently observed, "Anybody who raises taxes now is purely psychotic. Every time they touch a tax now, you can increase the unemployment line at the Culinary union and every place else in this city."
Unfortunately, policymakers in Carson City hear less from honest taxpayers and more from thethat a entrenched interests lways hunger for more porky government spending.
Nevada's budget problem does not result from insufficient revenue. If Nevada's government had shown restraint and a little responsibility -- spending limits and a rainy day fund -- Nevada would not be in the situation we are in today.
The Silver State does not need billions in new taxes. It needs responsible, accountable and mature governance.
By nevadaappleslices
5/2/09 at 12:25 p.m.
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Lvsun, you do not know what you r talking about. Waive and scream all you want, but there is not enough money to go around. Gibbons is doing a great job.
By LasVegas2009
5/2/09 at 12:35 p.m.
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LvSun: You are one of the dirt bag pay me more teachers in this town that has cost the state way to much money. We dont care about your college education or your qualifications we want you to take a 50% cut in pay. These teachers are making over $50,000 a year. Fire 2000 teachers save the state $100,000,000.00 thats 100 million!!
Shut down 50% of the schools and kick the illegals out! Just like teachers feeding off the tax payers these illegals are feeding off our tax dollars as well. Teachers should make around $18-$24 thousand a year and thats it. We have teachers making $65,000 plus in this town.
Time to cut the state employee and teachers pay down to the amount the job is worth.
Make the government smaller! Cut the welfare roles and if you don't work you can't have any money. Make those on government assistance work for what they get.
By LVPaco
5/2/09 at 12:39 p.m.
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It is high time that mining industry pay there fair share... MINING MINING HELLO MINING MINING TAX THE Gold and Silver Mines of Nevada... And make the pay retroactively...
By DouglasDemocrat
5/2/09 at 12:57 p.m.
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LasVegas2009
Where do you come up with your ridiculous numbers? The average starting salary for a teacher in the State of Nevada is $31,703. And right now, because of the "brain drain" from changing retirement benefits, there are a lot more teachers at the low end of the pay scale.
Fire 2000 teachers? Do you WANT 60 kids in a class run by ONE teacher? Can you handle 60 7-year-olds? No? Then how do you expect someone else to do it?
If we paid teachers what they were worth instead of spending money on things like baseball stadiums and tax breaks for empty subdivisions, we might actually have something approaching a working system.
And how can you work IF THERE ARE NO JOBS! If people are unemployed, they should get nothing? Are you kidding me? That's idiotic and borderline sociopathic.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:05 p.m.
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Doug, I don't know about that number
Most teachers are in CCSD and CCSD starts new inexperienced fresh out of college teachers at $35,000. Brand new teacher with a masters degree gets almost $41,000
http://www.ccsd.net/jobs/LLPsalary.htm
Your number is probably done by county, bringing the average down.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:08 p.m.
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Also Doug, don't be so dramatic. While firing 2000 teachers is a lot, it would only make the teacher to student ratio go up by about 4 students per teacher...and that is just for Clark County
(meaning no other county would be effected). 60 students per classroom would require about 60-70 percent of teachers to be fired.
By bill777
5/2/09 at 1:09 p.m.
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Unemployment high school drop outs = 14%Unemployment high school grads = 9%Unemployment college grads = 4%
67% of all venture capital startups are in California, New York, Texas, and Massachusetts. Three of those are top 10 highest tax states, but they are the four best higher education systems in the USA.
Yes, the university system needs to do a much better job with its resources. So does the state in general. But the future of this state, and this country, depends on education. Las Vegas has a third world college graduation rate, and a 45% high school graduation rate.
We are living with the consequences of having no attention paid to education, which has prevented economic diversification. The answer is not to hammer the future to simplify the present. The answer is to make corrections with both spending and revenue to put us on a course that makes the future better.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:10 p.m.
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Doug,
Assume we did fire 2,000 teachers. They lose their jobs.
But we don't raise taxes. That means other people have more to spend, more profits to use to hire new people or increase wages. That helps the economy recover.
Assuming teachers are as productive in the private sector as any other job then there is no net loss in society.
You see, the money has to come from somewhere. You're logic above assumes that it pays for teacher salaries or vanishes into thin air. That is just silly.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons
5/2/09 at 1:12 p.m.
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Bill,
If you had a state of paupers, would your answer be to raise taxes on all them them? Your assumption is that taxes create wealth. Rather than wealthy people tend to get taxed more. I think you have the cause and effect backwards.
Texas isn't a high tax state either, btw. Nor does increasing taxes diversify the economy.

The ignorance, hatefulness and lack of compassion only reflects, sadly, on the continued demise of the city of Las Vegas.

Keep it up-companies who care about employees won't touch this town.

I can't imagine a town the size of Las Vegas without a University, but many of you sure can. Wow.