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June 15, 2005
Surplus is a fancy word for gouging the taxpayers
With these well orchestrated words, our RINO in chief has set a course that will lead our state into the oblivion of overbearing taxation without any means of recovery should economic conditions change. As usual, he and the Legislature have ignored historical precedents and the law of unintended consequences will result in the continuous need for raising taxes. After overseeing the largest tax increase in our state's history two years ago, the only true legacy of his eight years in office, our RINO was faced with budget surpluses almost equal to the increase. At the time the cry was for "investing in the future of our state," that growth cannot pay for itself and Nevada was in a pending crisis that will sink our standard of living. In reality the tax system in place was more than adequate to the purpose and the surpluses prove it. Unwilling to admit to its error or remedy the situation by repeal of unnecessary increases, the government special interests solidified their hold on the people's property by increasing public employment to one in eight residents, granting pay increases plus a 2 percent cost of living allowance now and another 4 percent July 1, 2006, and giving top state elected officials 20 percent increases in 2007. To ensure they will forever have the funds to pay for this "investment in our future," they enacted the homeowners' tax relief law that both limits and allows a 3 percent annual increase in property taxes. And there is no cap on how high it can go. Of course, they also agreed to return some of the change left over from their spending spree. This will be delivered in the form of a refund on automobile registrations that should benefit most residents of the state to the incredible sum of $75. Is that all, you ask? No, if you own a Porsche, Mercedes or other big-ticket vehicle, you could receive up to $275. And for those who don't drive but have state ID cards, you get $75 as well. Not bad for a $650 million surplus that amounts to almost $1,200 for a family of four. The good news is our RINO in chief is on his last tour of duty and we are one session closer to having term limits remove many others who have lost sight of the dream that was the United States of America. That dream was of government limited by the rule of law to ensure liberty for its citizens. Both our national and state constitutions were written to prevent exactly the kind of kleptocracy on the part of government we suffer today. The framers of both documents knew from history and personal experience that once government got the taste of the people's money easily, they would attack those resources like a shark goes after blood in the water. There is never enough. For those who missed the news, only 40 percent of high school sophomores were able to pass a basic math proficiency test. This test does not cover higher math, just basic concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The results came two years after the education establishment was awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in new money to correct, among other deficiencies, the previous 42 percent pass rate. The reason for the lack of improvement according to Superintendent Carlos Garcia: "The state is not adequately funding the needs of education." And so it goes. From office to office, whether it's the state, county or town you live in, the only solution to any question presented is more money. Our elected officials have relied on this mantra for so long they not only can't think outside the box, they continually find new ways to hide within. Locally we are faced with an exercise in just such in the box thinking with the proposal to amend PTO 3 in order to get more money for the town. The law of unintended consequences will have gained a whole new life if this measure passes, but the real issue is still more money for something or other. It is time for the people of Pahrump, Nye County and the State of Nevada to demand our elected officials stop taking the easy course of continually tax-enslaving measures and open the box to new ideas. As it appears they will never willing do so of their own accord. The time has come for everyone to get involved in renewing the principals of liberty granted us by our constitutions and enacting by ballot a Taxpayers' Bill of Rights. For information on this idea, please visit www.nvtabor.com to see the possibilities for yourself. Little writes from Pahrump. His column, "The Other Side," appears here on Wednesdays. |
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