Does anyone out there remember the 2003 session of the Nevada Legislature? You know, the one where the Legislature passed the largest tax increase in the state’s history over the objection of a dozen or so stalwart Republican members of the Assembly. The one where the Supreme Court said it didn’t care that the people had voted twice for a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes. Yeah, that session.
Well let’s hop into the Wayback Machine and recall a little incident which took place as part of that mess. As the Legislature was deadlocked on passing the tax hike, the teachers union cranked up a lobbying campaign trying to intimidate recalcitrant Republicans with threats that they wouldn’t vote for them if they didn’t vote for the tax increase - as if they ever would under ANY circumstance.
As part of that lobbying effort, as reported by Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Lisa Kim Back on June 24th, “April Mastroluca passed out dozens of yellow postcards (at Lamping Elementary School) headed to lawmakers in Carson City. She handed them out singly and in stacks to Southeast Region parents and teachers who rallied Monday for the quick passage of the state’s overdue education budget. The message printed on the card wasted no words: ‘The cost to my legislator who can’t make a decision: MY VOTE!’”
The important thing here is that this woman, April Mastroluca led an effort to raise taxes on Nevadans. Why is that important?
Because the tax-hike happy Ms. Mastroluca announced this week that she is running as a Democrat for the Assembly District 29 seat being vacated by incumbent Democrat Assemblywoman Susan Gerhardt. She’ll be running against the GOP’s top draft pick (though they didn’t really recruit him; he recruited himself), Sean Fellows.
Now…if this fellow Fellows will just sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge promising not to vote for any tax hikes, and you contrast that to the tax-hiking propensity of Miss April, I’m feeling pretty good about the GOP’s chances to pick up this seat in November.
Posted on April 25th, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: Nevada
From the Review Journal the other day;
“Also rolling out her candidacy [for assembly district 29] Wednesday was Mastroluca, 40, a staffer for the National Parent Teacher Association who has already spent time in Carson City, advocating for children in the past four legislative sessions.
Mastroluca said her job, which involves helping communities in 14 states start new PTAs, has given her a firsthand perspective on education problems and solutions around the country.”
Also, another educator is running. From the same article;
“Milessa Woodbury 39, is a schoolteacher and the eldest daughter of longtime County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, also a Republican….is running in Assembly District 23.”
Add to this mix of teachers the Board of Regent member T. Dondero’s daughter, a retired County teacher (and now seller of textbooks), is also running for an assembly seat.
Now, how many educators and retired educators does it take to run a legislature?! I thought we elected school boards to run the schools?