Budget Watch Nevada

Once tax dollars have been excised from your wallet at the local watering hole or grocery store, or through your phone bill or car registration fee for use by bureaucrats, it is “their” money to spend, not yours. In fact, it never really was your money; you are only allowed to borrow it for awhile until it gets to where it belongs, in the “public” coffers.

This idea was admitted, though perhaps not consciously, by Mike Dayton, Governor Gibbons’ chief of staff in an article in the R-J yesterday.

When asked about Take Back Nevada’s reasonable request to limit state spending to a modest increase based on population growth and inflation, Dayton responded, “The governor’s looking at what’s in the accounts, what revenue is available and how best to spend the dollars Nevadans have.” This quote is quite informative of the attitude in Carson City.

There’s no mention of fiscal responsibility or accountability, or even a simple “thank you” to those of us who foot the bill. No, now that it’s in their hands, they (the Governor and the Legislature) get to slice the pie as they and their special interest allies deem appropriate. After all, it’s their money, silly.