Well, it’s official. That “rumored” poll I wrote about last Friday which reportedly would show that Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons’ approval number had jumped from the basement to the second floor was confirmed on KVBC-TV in Las Vegas last night by Las Vegas Review Journal columnist John L. Smith.
“A statewide survey conducted by Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of the Nevada Republican Party shows Gibbons is rebounding after successfully navigating his first Legislature as the state’s chief executive,” writes Smith in his column this morning. “Gibbons’ favorable rating has risen to 49 percent,” up from a low of 28 percent early in the legislative session.
Amazing the kind of support politicians get when they promise not to raise your taxes and, for the most part, keep their promise, huh?
Yes, as the smoke clears and the bill-signing deadlines pass, it turns out the governor didn’t 100 percent “oppose and veto any and all efforts to raise taxes,” as you’ll see in the following otherwise congratulatory letter we mailed to Gov. Gibbons yesterday…
Dear Governor,
As one of the individuals who witnessed your signature on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge as a gubernatorial candidate a year ago, I wish to express my appreciation for your steadfast insistence on not raising taxes during the recently concluded 2007 session of the Nevada Legislature.
Without a doubt, your frequent and unambiguous statements in opposition to tax hikes forced the Legislature to find alternative means to fund their budgetary priorities. Nevada taxpayers are grateful and appreciative of your leadership on this issue.
We do note, however, that there were some “fee” increases included in the final budget which do not fall in the acceptable category of “user fees” as defined by Americans for Tax Reform, the official sponsor of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. And while we welcome your veto of an effort to raise taxes in Lyon and Douglas counties (SB 146), we note that you did not veto an effort to raise taxes in Washoe County (SB 154).
Although these are technically violations of the Pledge, we consider them de minimus in the large scheme of things and hope to work with you and your staff between now and the next legislative session to avoid similar occurrences in the future.
We also know that the pressure to raise taxes in 2009 will be even greater than in 2007 and want to assure you of our continued support for holding the line.
Finally, I’d like to encourage you to consider four additional fiscal reforms, each of which I believe could be initiated by way of Executive Order, to help control the growth of Nevada’s budget in the future:
(1) The creation of a Nevada version of Ronald Reagan’s “Grace Commission” to identify significant spending cuts in the current budget.
(2) The creation of a “Tax Me More” fund for voluntary contributions toward highway construction and other government “needs.”
(3) The establishment of a website detailing state government spending which, similar to an ongoing project at the federal level, will allow taxpayers in Nevada to “google” their government and what it’s spending their money on.
(4) Rescinding the executive order mandating Project Labor Agreements on government construction contracts so that non-union companies can freely bid on such contracts and potentially save the taxpayers a considerable amount of money.
Again, congratulations on a very successful first legislative session. Please let me know how we can continue to help.
Sincerely yours,
Chuck Muth
Citizen Outreach PAC
Posted on June 20th, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: National
So much for “Vote Gibbons Out”.