A few Drive-By Muthings on the budget “crisis.”
* Last January, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons proposed a budget with an 18 percent increase in spending. The Legislature approved a budget with a 20 percent increase in spending. The combined rate of population growth plus inflation was around 14 percent. Had the governor and the Legislature simply kept the budget increase this year to 14 percent, we wouldn’t be talking about any “cuts” today.
* And speaking of “cuts,” the governor’s proposed “cuts” of 4.5 percent aren’t really “cuts” at all. In reality - as my good friend, the lovely and talented Randi Thompson points out - it’s really just a decrease in the increase. After the “cuts” are implemented, spending this biennium will still increase some 15 percent over the last biennium. It just won’t increase by 20 percent. You have to be using Eugene Paslov’s public school fuzzy math to call a 15 percent increase a “cut.”
* After initially being exempted from a little belt-tightening, K-12 will now be getting a 4.5 percent decrease in its increase, leading Linda Brown, a music teacher in Washoe County, to whine to the Reno Gazette-Journal this morning, “What are we going to do, cut an eraser? There’s not 4.5 percent to cut.”
Really? Considering how poorly Nevada’s K-12 education monopoly teaches reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, I’d have to wonder just how crucial music teachers are, Ms. Brown. I mean, when was the last time the ability to play chopsticks on a piano came in handy at anyone’s job? Other than your own, of course. Perhaps music lessons are something we should turn back over to the private sector?
* Nevada PTA prez Mo Denis whines that the 4.5 percent decrease in the K-12 increase means “We’re going to lose ground on the things we have been succeeding at.”
Um, Mo. Considering our kids’ test scores, especially when compared to students in other countries, would you please ‘splain exactly what those things are the public schools are supposedly “succeeding at.” Obviously it’s not in teaching kids how to not end a sentence with a preposition.
* On Tuesday, every “Gimme-Gimme” liberal drawing a breath within a hundred miles of Carson City seemed to show up at Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie’s (D-Reno) legislative committee hearing/dog-and-pony-show to lament the proposed 4.5 percent decrease Health & Human Services’ increase. Oh, the humanity! In the immortal words of Robin Williams, Joan of Arc did less whining at the stake.
Jan Gilbert of the Liberal Leadership Alliance of Nevada kicked of the moan-and-groan session by stating flatly, “We’re opposed to all cuts.” Which is fine. Because there aren’t any cuts, Jan! We’re only decreasing the increase. Didn’t you get the memo?
Geoff Dornan of the Nevada Appeal reported that Sean Griffin, representing Community Chest of Southern Nevada, said it’s not fair that “the people most vulnerable will suffer the brunt of these cuts.” First, Sean, there are no cuts. Just a decrease in the increase. Secondly…waaahhhhhhh! Life ISN’T fair. Get used to it.
* “The lone voice on the other side was Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks,” Dornan reported. Washington said there was a “silent majority” of taxpayers out there “who want government to tighten its belt and run more efficiently.”
Um, why was Sen. Washington “the lone voice on the other side” at this hearing? Aren’t there any other fiscally conservative Republicans in the Legislature? Even if they don’t serve on this committee, couldn’t they have shown up and testified in support of the governor’s decision to decrease the increase in this year’s budget by 4.5 percent? And why weren’t any Republican Party officials at the hearing? Or at least a press release or a statement or SOMETHING? Do Nevada Republicans need a written invitation to engage on this issue? I mean, come on. Now’s no time to go AWOL.
OK, it’s snowing here in Carson City this morning and the governor is convening a special meeting with the 17 school superintendents at 9 am to discuss the proposed 4.5 percent decrease in their increase. I suspect by the time the meeting is over, the supers will all be on board and supporting the governor’s fiscally responsible belt tightening.
Not!
Hey, I said it was snowing in Carson, not hell.
Posted on December 20th, 2007 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada
quite a bit if fibbing going on by these overpaid superindants! If they were the business leaders that they should be, they’ll adapt. I know Walt Ruffles in Clark County is fibbing with the numbers. It seems Lincoln County is too.
I recommend that citizens of Nevada take a look at the budgets of all 17 school districts. See how much State money is coming in. Read the school board minutes and see where their spending the money. These budgets are available on-line.
These people need to get off the Gov’s butt and lead. BTW, they are screaming like a stuck pig because the Gov wants to pare back 4.5%…..well, truth be told, this isn’t the only reduction in income the schools are seeing; there are dips in property tax, transfer tax, local tax et cetera……