From Citizen Outreach:

By: Chuck Muth

STOP THE UNION TAX GRAB

Citizen Outreach is launching a 10-day informational television campaign in Reno and rural Nevada urging voters not to sign the teachers union’s petition to raise taxes which will primarily go to paying union members more money for the bang-up job their doing in our public schools today. You know, like how 80-90 percent of Clark County high school students can’t pass a basic math test. You can view the commercials, scheduled to begin airing later today, HERE on Reno Gazette-Journal reporter Anjeanette Damon’s blog.

GIBBONS GOING WOBBLY ON TAX HIKE

Political columnist Jon Ralston just published the following update titled “Governor says he would support room tax deal if put on ballot and approved” in his “Flash” e-newsletter…

“Gov. Jim Gibbons met Thursday with Steve Wynn to discuss negotiations between gamers and teachers to swap bump in room tax for gross gaming tax proposed in initiative. Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio also was on the meeting. Gubernatorial spokesman Ben Kieckhefer said ‘the Governor indicated that if this plan were to receive a vote of the people through an advisory question, he could support it, which is his policy.’”

Make no mistake. If the teachers gather enough signatures to put a tax hike on the ballot this year, the Governor is obligated by the Taxpayer Protection Pledge he signed in 2006 to oppose it.

Likewise, if the Legislature, rather than the people themselves through the signature-gathering process, attempts to put even an advisory question on the ballot in an effort to raise taxes, the Governor is obligated by the Taxpayer Protection Pledge to oppose and veto any such effort should it reach his desk.

That the Governor appears to be going wobbly on this should be of considerable concern to fiscal conservatives and Republicans. A violation of his Tax Pledge would likely doom any and all thoughts of a second Gibbons gubernatorial term and kill the electoral chances of GOP candidates up and down the ballot.

Apparently either the Governor or some people on his staff (where is Diane Cornwall on this?) are having difficulty reading and/or understanding the plain language of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge the governor made to the people of Nevada when he ran for governor in 2006. So please allow me to again reprint it verbatim so that there is no further confusion or misunderstanding on this issue…

“I, Jim Gibbons, pledge to the taxpayers of Nevada, and all the people of this State, that I will oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.”

The deal some in the gaming industry are trying to cut with the teachers union to raise taxes through a legislatively created “advisory question” rather than gathering signatures from citizens to do such a thing is absolutely, positively, without question, no-doubt-about-it an effort to increase taxes. And Gov. Gibbons absolutely, positively, without question, no-doubt-about-it is obligated by the pledge he signed to oppose any such effort and veto any such bill should it come before him. If not, he will have absolutely, positively, without question, no-doubt-about-it broken the Taxpayer Protection Pledge he signed. I can’t make it any clearer than that.

Perhaps it might be helpful for you all to call and/or email the governor with a little friendly reminder of the promise he made to us in 2006, since it seems it might just be slipping his or his staff’s mind these days.

In Carson City call: (775) 684-5670

In Las Vegas call: (702) 486-2500

Or email the governor directly at: jgibbons@gov.nv.gov

SOME SAGE ADVISE

As noted yesterday and commented upon in my weekly Nevada Appeal column today, Gov. Jim Gibbons has signed an executive order creating a Nevada version of Ronald Reagan’s “Grace Commission” to find ways to make state government more efficient and less expensive. He has appointed former Government Printing Officer Bruce James to head that commission and 11 additional members will be selected in the next couple of weeks.

While my recommendations for slots on the panel would naturally include folks generally hostile to big, energetic government, it would give the commission a greater deal of clout and credibility if former Gov. Kenny Guinn was to fill one of those dozen seats. While everyone and his uncle knows Gov. Guinn and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on the proper role of government, NOBODY knows Nevada’s state budget better. And his call in 2005 for the Legislature to address the coming calamity involving the state’s pension and health care systems will absolutely have to be in the mix of ANY effort to streamline and make Nevada’s government more efficient and less expensive.

So two down and ten to go…

FLYING HIGH

You’ll recall that it was recently reported that government employees racked up some $30 million-plus in air travel last year. Well, in response to our public records request in that regard, Greg Smith of the Purchasing Division of Nevada’s Department of Administration has forwarded to me the master summary of Southwest Airlines’ travel reports for each of the state government’s major departments for the month of May 2007. And boy, does this report ever raise some questions…

1.) It has been stated that air travel costs were higher than normal last year because the Legislature was in session in Carson City from roughly January through June. But if that’s true, then why does the vast amount of travel originate in Reno and end in Las Vegas. You’d think people would be flying IN to Reno to get to Carson, not the other way around.

2.) It appears that for most departments, government employees are purchasing full-fare tickets. Why? I can certainly understand some last-minute trips, but you’d think most travel could be anticipated and 7-day advance purchase fares could be had. Why are Nevada taxpayers paying through the nose for full-fare tickets?

3.) In most cases, it appears these airline tickets are being purchased by one master credit card for each department. That would seem to indicate that the department is racking up a lot of frequent flyer passes. If so, who is getting them? Is there a master frequent flyer account for each department, or are employees entering their personal frequent flyer number when making reservations?

4.) I’m told that when the State of Nevada and Southwest Airlines had an agreement for government employees to fly at a discounted rate, part of the agreement was that no frequent flyer awards would be offered. OK, fine. But that agreement ended a few years ago. Now it appears Nevada taxpayers are paying full-price for air travel again. So if we’re NOT getting frequent flyer awards…why the heck not?

5.) And the biggest question of all is still: Why are government employees, in this day of email and teleconferencing, jetting around the state so much?

I feel more public records requests coming on…

FULL OF GAS

As everyone now knows, the governor has been living at his private home in Reno while the first lady is living in the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City. And according to Reno Gazette-Journal reporter Anjeanette Damon, Gov. Jim Gibbons “denied that his commuting back and forth to Reno is a waste of gas.”

For those who aren’t familiar with Carson City, the governor’s office and Governor’s Mansion are pretty much within walking distance in good weather. And a couple years back there was criticism of Gov. Kenny Guinn for not doing exactly that in the face of higher gas prices.

So if the minimal use of gas to get a few blocks from home to office was of concern when gas prices were around two bucks a gallon, why isn’t it a concern today when the commute is some 30 miles and when gas prices are close to four bucks a gallon?

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“Rep. Dean Heller dusted off a hot-button issue Tuesday, introducing a bill that would require voter ballots to be in English only. Heller’s bill would repeal Voting Rights Act provisions that require cities and counties to provide bilingual ballots when 5 percent of voting-age citizens are deemed by the U.S. census to be limited in English.”

- Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/7/08

“The move to implement a federal English-only ballot rule would undermine Americans’ responsibility to encourage all citizens to participate in the democratic process. . . . After all, only citizens can vote.”

- Reno Gazette-Journal editorial, 5/9/08