Do regulations have the same desired effect on a big business versus a small business?

Here is my point, Government tries to be fair, or at the least that is their claim. They usually seek out help from the larger companies to see what they can do to implement a new regulation. The problem is due to a business’s economies of scale, and a person’s self preservation instinct. These big businesses usually promote regulations, laws or taxes that give them market advantages. a small one person start up with little capitol cannot operate under a regulation that is designed for a multinational corporation, yet far too many times we do not make those concessions for small businesses. Instead of nurturing a business we tend to abuse small operations. Without a checks and balance system to make sure government is not being used by big business or big unions, I fear this jobs crisis that we find ourselves in will only continue. The only solution that I can see is let big business make the bench mark for regulatory compliance levels, but phase back compliance, fee, and tax issues for smaller operations. If we do not start to nurture business we will never regroup and grow this economy to bring back jobs.

The progressive wings of our political leadership in both parties use the key word of funding sources as a key part of raising taxes, to promote pet projects for personal gains. Without consideration for a business’s ability to pay and be compliant we are having a government that is out of control and destructive to job creation from the private sector. When I testified in Carson City against former Governor Guinn’s Gross receipts tax I mentioned that due to buying power and economies of scale a flat gross tax rate would have a negative effect on a small businesses ability to compete. The effective tax rate would not be flat but very regressive in nature due to the cost of goods sold.

 A case in point is a very simple example of a large companies buying power versus a small operations. Let’s say Wal-Mart buys milk for resale, they can buy in large quantities, thus since milk is a perishable item a distributor like Model Dairy wants to sell as much as possible to keep their product from being returned due to a date to remove product from shelves. A small business does not have that buying power and will not sell the volume that Wal-Mart sells. That is why a C store sells milk for let’s say $4.00 versus Wal-Mart being able to sell the same product for $2.89 a gallon. If we have a tax that is at 4% as the Guinn administration proposed the effective tax rate on gross receipts would have a negative and punitive tax rate of 40% on the small operations versus an effective tax rate for Wal-Mart.the Cost of the milk for the C store let’s say is $3.75 a gallon versus Wal-Mart having a cost of milk of $2.19 a gallon. That discount for large operations happens all the time, remember Milk is perishable; it will go bad and must be sold for the Dairy to make a profit. So many of you think the C store is overcharging you, well I am sorry to say you are wrong. In fact the Wal-Mart’s of the world have a greater profit per gallon due to that buying power, and potential to sell greater quantities. So if both stores sold 100 units, Wal-Mart would have gross sales of $289.00for that milk, the small operator would have gross sales of $400.00. The tax at 4% would be $11.56 for Wal-Mart for the small operator it would be $16.00. The profit for Wal-Mart would be $70.00 the small operations would have a profit of $25.00 on that same sale of 100 gallons of milk. Tell me what if far about that?

I had to point out to our legislature that the two states that they wanted to copy was Washington and Michigan, both started out with one rate and it had to grow into multiple rates per industry and the added cost and size of the staff needed to oversee this form of taxation negated any benefit this form of taxation would have brought in. That is why I am against many forms of funding sources that our leaderships are looking at. If we really want jobs to return we have to understand how the market place works and unfortunately we have hired far too many attorneys to act as our political leaders and they just do not understand market forces.

I have heard from some to say that the small operator should not be in business, well are we going to start selecting who should be in business and who should not. For all of those who were against big box stores are you telling me that is all there is. Whatever happened to the ability to grow oneself? At one time Wal-Mart was a small operation. We need small operations to grow new ideas, let’s not destroy that ability. For Big business needs that competition, it is how they change their product and guarantee that it does not become less competitive. We must be aware of the double edge part of any tax idea, and weigh it over the real need for the added revenue. Far too many times we have had public policy hurt the ability for business to grow. If we really want our economy to turn around we need new people in government that understands the economy.

 

How can we lower the cost of living to help allow us all to regain personal capitol, a in-depth look at all the fees, taxes regulatory oversight and looking at the benefit, versus the social economic cost?

All we have to do is look at our monthly phone bill, or power bill. Look at all of the add-on cost that we have had to deal with, which have been put into place over that last decade or so. How about local small business, how many new permits, fees regulatory changes that have added cost to the operation. How about public works projects that close down streets in front of many small businesses, how many have closed down due to the interruption of business and the inability to downsize for 4 to 6 months. We have to ask where our priorities are, the Left will make the argument that these fees are needed to make us safer, or to provide a needed service. I would have to say that I feel that we have overreached. For the dollar for dollar benefit of a dollar in taxes does not bring in a dollar worth of benefit. Think about it, you cannot just build a program and not have cost associated with it. You have employees, they have cost associated with it, payroll, health, sick leave, retirement and so on. That takes some of this tax revenue away from the end benefit. Them where are these people working, they have buildings, which have power bills, upkeep cost repairs and maintenance, and well insurance cost and so on. The employee costs have vehicles, which have cost in fuels and maintenance. Plus we have waist whenever we have a system that can never attempts to save revenue that is a private sector trait. The end result is that the general population is lucky to achieve 10 cents on the dollar benefit from a dollar in tax paid.

 A government program needs to grow, for the net worth of a program is determined by the size of their budget. We have many examples of city, county and state departments that do not combine efforts and in the end work against each other over a battle for budgets. An example here is a parks department and a maintenance department that have different values in terms of their budgets. A city pool needs a pool cover for the winter months, the cost let’s say is around $10,000.00, each department does not want that to come out of their budget, yet the cost is still there. Instead of buying a cover for $10,000.00 that has a life span of 8 years, we have a maintenance department that spends $10,000.00 each year to clean and repair the pool. The losers are our city pools, and you the taxpayer. The fact that these departments work against each other just reaffirms the waist in our present tax and government service system.

The great disconnect is the battle of words coming from our elected officials. They say they want jobs but they are destroying careers. These cost that have been imposed on all of us need to come into question. Many on the left and a few on the right have pet projects and will fight this movement. Yet we are not trying to destroy services, we just want a better outcome, and realize the path we are on is leading us over a cliff. If you want social programs we need to focus on private sector careers, for people that have careers have a long term relationship with their communities. They are vested in a beneficial outcome of the society in general. They also hire individuals and have a shared goal to build and growth local economies. This is the growth that will reduce the need for social programs. This is the effort that we should be focused on, yet it is the discussion that is not being heard.

How do we create jobs, with the lack of capitol, is the answer big business or small business or some combination?

Job Creation, what is the answer? If you listen to the left they would say that we need more spending, more services to soften the effects of this recession. The problem goes back to the lack of capitol, not only for the government but for the everyday citizen. We have to start to look at not only the taxes that we pay but we have to look at the policies and regulations that these taxes and fees pay for. The main question to regain a healthy economy is to allow individuals, whether rich and poor to hold on to more of their money. This is the big capitol question, how do we balance service with a level of commerce that gives most of us the ability to not need the services. The most stable our nation is depends on more of us having the ability to take care of ourselves. This makes the human condition more comfortable and thus creates human activity. This activity creates commerce and creates capitol growth and personal wealth.

It would seem that every time we have a social agenda coming from the Federal government we have an uptick in the unemployed especially in the minority community. an example is during the George bush administration we had a black unemployment rate of 10% during the Carter and the Obama administrations we have a black unemployment rate of 14%-16%.Why then are the policies coming from the folks preaching the most about the poorest of us, deliver the least for us. Simply it is their policies. We have to ask ourselves does a federal policy of increasing taxes in an economic down turn increase human activity. I would say a very load No, it will continue to suppress activity. By having a public policy that says the rich need to pay more it negates that fact that we all hope one day to grow our own wealth and become rich ourselves. What we want is a system that allows us to grow, and far too often we now have a system that protects the rich and inhibits competition especially from the small start ups.

Many of you may not understand but if we need to have job growth and if that needs to come from small business then we need to live in the world of small capitol operations, where time is money. Our present system of governing puts a big priority on building a system that slows down the ability to build and create. We have a system of procedure, and regulation. Far too many times a small operation cannot wait, or will have difficulty passing these costs along. If you cannot start up a new operation in a couple of months, we have overreached and we need to rethink, how we govern at the lower end of this economy. If small business is the answer, we need to realize that there are limitations, and adjust our policies to help create job growth. Big businesses have purchasing power and other factors that mitigate some of these worries, but small operations need to be nurtured, and not penalized. Unfortunately when we have a system that is operated by individuals that do not take into consideration the abilities of an operation and its place in the economy we tend to have a system that rewards the big box stores at the cost of the small operation. In my humble opinion that is the main illness that has taken root in our system of government.

What are the strengths Nevada has in the market place and what are the weaknesses?

The first question answered, Cut the red tape, cut the cost of fees, taxes, regulatory compliance, and speed up our ability to start a business along an economic scale, to allow small business to grow and give larger concerns more accountability. But what does Nevada have going for us and what are our detractions. Being a small business person for all these years I fully realize that there are two sides of the coin in everything. Our housing market is in terrible shape, yet that means we have a large inventory of homes that will be dropping in value. Inexpensive housing cost will give us a selling point in the region. Can we bring manufacturing into the area, Nevada has ore, Nevada has minerals, and we have the vacant land to build a manufacturing operation, we also have federal regulations stopping much of this asset from being used. We have the rail, and road system to deliver product to the coast, we have a large vacancy rate in our warehousing district, giving us a potential sales point to bring in business, but the vacancy rate does not give the area a vibrant appearance. The negatives are that we are losing population, thus we are losing local sales potential. So we have to lower cost to sweeten the pot to have someone take a gamble on this area. Yes this goes back to my first question. Our schools have been a large contention issue, for some stating that we do not have the educated workforce to bring in business. Our rankings and the quality and all are not large issues to me. For much of these arguments I find it is a justification to maintain or increase their budgets. The cost per student is only relative to the cost of living and the potential salaries that an area can expect. Our past dependence on Gaming has put a downward pressure on salaries and helped many college grads leave the area to find other work. The negative is also a positive. Gaming is greatly diminished, for many reasons we have to look outward to diversify and grow our economy in new and different ways. This should have a positive outcome on salaries and keeping more of our educated college students here in the area. Is our education expense too high, I say yes, we have given our universities a rate of growth that has greatly outpaced inflation? Hey I understand self preservation, I get it. But we need to lower rates to increase our volume of business activity; this will not only bring in the needed revenue but give the state a more stable economy that has fewer types of ebb and flows. Regionally we are lower than California, but I believe that we could lower our rates and bring

The argument from the left is that we are taking away needed revenue, I would argue that by building our economic engine and diversifying it we would achieve a more stable and long term revenue stream that would help us provide all these needed services. The problem is that we are out of balance. We have a big need for services yet we have burdened our economic jobs engine so that those of us that are working cannot provide the needed revenue that we need to generate. We need to reduce the need for these services, by reducing the cost of living by lower rates we achieve small business to feel confident enough to grow and expand, this will equate to new jobs, and this will reduce the need for services. It is all interrelated. I know that this means Government job loss, yet if the Goal is to reduce cost and shorten the time it takes to start up a business; this job loss would be minimized by new job growth.

How do we grow the economy?

As I have said, with a federal Government that is hell bent on lowering the value of our Dollar, and developed a policy to put everyone in a home has had a 180 degree effect. Our homes are being devalued, our money is being devalued. Our government is increasing regulatory oversight and regulations from health care to energy cost. And we are supposed to spend money and take a risk in this environment? I feel like Bill Engvall and saying here is your sign. We have had government officials looking for a home run, looking for a big business to come in and save the day, something to place their hats on. Call me a pessimist but those days are gone. I have played a lot of ball, and the ones who win are the ones who get people on base. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series after they got rid of Barry Bonds. Think about it. We need to get people on base to grow this economy.

If that is the case, then how do we get people to take the risks again in this economic climate? We have to lessen the stress of everyday cost. This is where our state and local governments come into play. We need to see a reversal of the fees, taxes, requirements, etc that has been put into place over the last decade. Don’t try to scare me about police, teachers, fire protection etc. I am tired of this scare tactic, and we need to know that ten years ago we had teachers, police and fire. So get off of this. What are in danger are all the increases we have had. In government staff, a salary, pensions, perks.

The first move is to retain our current job levels, to do that we need to get off the chest of every Nevadan and let us breath. Only then can we feel comfortable enough to take the risk that we will jump start this economy. This will mean that many of our attorneys that have spent the last ten Years building legal cases designed to limit competition protecting big business needs to sit down. Our elected officials that take a narrow focus designed to strengthen the bottom lines of their supporters and focus on the people that do not have the time or the money to kiss their asses. These individuals are the small business owners that for all these years you have taken for granted. Again we have a capitol problem, Big Business has moved to a global status, we need to turn our focus on the people living here and stop trying to use the money collected from taxes to provide service and return to a system whereby through hard work people can take care of themselves. The trick is to lower much of what has been raised over the past decade. This is as much a republican problem as much as it is a Democrat problem. Both parties have served their special interest and ignored the vast population; we cannot grow this economy from the extremes if the middle is in decay.

We currently have had to live with the effects of budget cuts, but where is the direction of these cuts. Far too many times we see a Cover your ass mentality come out of these government agencies, hey I don’t blame them, Self preservation has sunk in, and I get it. But we hear a lot about sacrifice coming from our current leadership, but we do not have a game plan. What we need is a game plan with both long and short term goals. Short term goal for me to stabilize capitol at the local level, lower cost to the everyday Nevadan and shorten the time and cost it takes to start a new business. This means red tape, and permits, licenses etc has to have a two week time line. Yes you heard me two weeks. From start to finish we need to get people back into the risk taking business.

How does Nevada go its economy with such a lack of capitol?

I know I sound like a broken record; we need lower taxes and regulatory oversight. I know those who have read my blog it is the same message. The problem is that we are going through a change, and that change is one of a personal matter. I believe that Our Government has not yet caught up with this change; they are too busy trying to place fingers in the leaking dyke.




With the Housing problems Nevada has, Capitol for small start ups will be hard to come by. With our Federal Government borrowing monies at the rate it is, Money is harder to come by to Borrow for all Nevadans. The federal Government printing money at the rate it is, our money in our wallets has decreased 20%, limiting our buying power. Finally with a Government that has seen itself the solution to our problems we have increased the numbers and scope in which our public sector has operated, this has had an effect to increase the cost on everyone. It is not hard to understand why we have a private sector that is paralyzed.



The Questions at hand is how do we grow our economy? What are the strengths Nevada has in the market place and what are the weaknesses? How do we create jobs, with the lack of capitol, is the answer big business or small business or some combination? How can we lower the cost of living to help allow us all to regain personal capitol, a in-depth look at all the fees, taxes regulatory oversight and looking at the benefit, versus the social economic cost? And how to we improve the situation? I will try to answer these. Some of these answers come from the past, and some from the future. I am going to try to answer each of these questions in the next couple of Blogs, each question in each blog, tackling each question and looking for the answers in depth. These are just my answers, I will make an attempt to weigh to lefts arguments versus the rights, and see where we go from here.

Where are the jobs?

Can the State of Nevada create Jobs? That one question will take some real change, and it may include renewable resources but this is not a one trick pony. The answer will require a degree of self reliance to again resurface. With over 66% of the homes underwater available capitol for small business is hard to find. The other aspect of a small business is the big question is your profit margin, how much can you realistically expect. You have to look at the market, the customer pool, you going after. You have to look at the scalability, and what growth potential does it have. An entrepreneur has to look at this entire venture, and weigh the cost involved.




Unfortunately we have a bureaucratic system the ads cost to these concerns of all Nevada Business, as well as a political system that has done nothing but promise items to the populace that the system can no longer afford. President Obama is calling out Small business for not hiring, Well Mr. President How about lowering our cost, and Stop increasing our cost. Unfortunately He complains but his actions are to destroy business activity. He has said it himself he wants to redistribute income. Well he is doing just that, he is out to destroy our economic system and to undermine the constitution in which he pledged to protect and defend.



Mr. Obama’s Cap in trade system as he put it will necessarily increase the cost of energy and gasoline. Mr. Obama’s Health care Plan will drive down supply to health care and increase the cost on every American business. His policy Czar is developing more and more regulatory oversight that is making business unbearable, yet this man blames us. Mr. Reid and the other progressives in our government need to be stopped, and this is coming from a former democratic candidate for Nevada Governor. I left the Democratic Party once I realized that small business issues were not a part of the Democratic platform. There is no understanding of commerce and no respect toward those who make their own way.



Again here in Nevada we have some serious issues, there are solutions, but I do not believe that we have the leadership that understands how to fix the system. It will take a revolutionary at heart, someone who can buck the system and the current power structure. We can survive but we have to reset this system and bring back the checks and balance system that has been so diligent in slowing down change. For without reflection on policy we have had change sped up to a point that many of these changes have brought far too much destruction to our economy.



We have to lower cost, from the cost of living to the cost of doing business, this is where we share sacrifice and share in the benefit. Not in a belief system that wishes to increase the cost of power but lower the cost of power, lower the cost and scope of regulatory oversight, and limit the power of these too big to fail industries. We used to have restrictions to limit monopolies, we have had our government do a complete 180 and build monopolies. We need to regulate on an economic of scale basis that would have higher oversight the bigger the company is, and allow small startups the room to grow. This is not to hurt the big operations, but to prioritize where our regulatory oversight and Government needs to focus. Big Business has the economic advantage to hire lobbyist to give them favorable regulations, small operations do not have the monies to fight back and typically looses that battle. If employment begins at Small business then we need to change our priorities on not only taxation, but more importantly regulatory oversight. Taxes are only a part of a cost structure that has become punitive in the business model of much of Nevada.



The battle over the debt ceiling is a part of the economic mess we are in, for the government is sucking potential investment monies toward paying off our national debt service. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but I do not think anyone 60 or under will ever see our Social security checks, and Right now I am willing to let that go, if and only if the government gets out of the way to allow me with the limited time left to make my own way. The solution will mean that we reduce the size of Government, in the past the leaders tend to want to scare you, but this time we need to look at each of us and say that I will be fine and we can get through this period. Smaller government is not scary, we have had it before, it does mean that we need to work together, and not continue this debate designed to separate us.

With Obama's speach, are we in a position to solve the debt issue

Well our President had his say, on one side he now seems to understand that the private sector economy is the key to recovery. The problem is that He has no basis of understanding of how to fix it. He said he knows what to do, yet his solutions are always the same. Increase cost on individuals and small business, increase cost on small banks, increase the cost of power. Limit our national production of domestic energy while promoting foreign oil, and manufacturing, and expect an outcome that seems to becoming farther and farther out of reach. The more this supposed eloquent President speaks the less I am willing to hear what he has to say. If this is what our colleges are producing the more I believe that we are spending our money unwisely for higher education.




The problems are many, we have a federal government that will not stop spending, and I will say that all the stimulus has done is delay what is coming. Has it helped? Well that answer is twofold. Yes and No. if you consider delaying the inevitable then it is a huge success. Has it stopped the endemic problem of our Tax and Regulatory structure, and then the answer is No. The federal Government is borrowing much of the money needed for small business to expand. With the incoming health care reform the cost on business and future growth will be massive, and for this one reason is holding back investment. The new regulatory environment is stopping investment and economic growth, by placing time constraints, cost or both on new projects that make investment impossible. Mr. Obama hates Business and capitalism. He feels that it destroys an individual’s ability to grow. In My personal experience he is about as wrong as any individual can be. Yet he is in a position to inflict great harm on our national economic outlook, and that is what he has done. His friends do not want to fix the system, they want to change it. And that is the key, for all his rhetoric he is leading the destruction of our nation. This is willful intent on his part and must be stopped. Our only hope is that the states and what is left of our system of government stands up and protects us. If not It will be up to each and every one of us. I know that sounds like a Revolutionary thought. But historically that will be the outcome. State rights must be enforced, that is one of the so called negative liberties that our President is talking about. We have a system to regain the initial intent of our founders, and if our leaders will not make those changes it is up to us to elect individuals that will.

The high cost that our Federal government has placed on our economy along with the Obama Administration monetizing our debt has paved the way for the future economic collapse. The clock is ticking and the only way to soften the blow is to deregulate, allow for our domestic power to begin expansion. Lower cost is the key, and that includes regulatory oversight. States should be able to tell the federal Government and the EPA to stay out if it means reducing a state’s ability to grow its economy. The North Carolinas issue with Brining manufacturing into the state is a point of concern. Under the commerce clause the state has a right to expand its economy, the feds cannot move in on these States’ rights. Here in Nevada should be able to collect property taxes from the 87% of the federal land in the state. This is the main fact why Nevada has such a limited tax base. Even if Nevada had ¼ of the land, our current state tax system would benefit. Each state will become a life raft in these rough economic seas that are approaching. It is the states that need to become the life rafts. We need to prepare Nevada and all of our rouged individuals to store food, energy and prepare. After Presidents Obama’s speech yesterday I feel this time is getting close.

Did the budget deal help or hurt Nevada's business outlook? One sagebrush rebel’s opinion

Well the long and short of it is Yes and No. Yes while not reducing cost on everyone it did give smaller business a needed break with the modified business tax on employees that will help. The Business tax remains the same of $200.00 no change there. The real issues here is that concessions were won on both sides, the cost for every Nevadan is becoming hard to bear. The vast population is holding on to whatever monies they have. Service businesses are finding most customers are either not fixing problems or just waiting to see what happens. The reality the state of Nevada faces is that there is only so much we can do and much of it is a ban aide. The bleeding continues. For our entire legislature accomplished we throwing a life preserver into the water yet the water are still rising. We are still losing population, businesses are not expanding, and our tourist based economy is in dire need to diversify. And our tax base needs to be expanded. The reality is the economy is still contracting, and little was done in Carson City to slow that trend. The acting director of nuclear policy came out with a greatly negative letter to our local paper, did he not learn what compromise is. You can have a stance, yet the act to negotiate is imperative. Nevada will have little options if we have leaders that have no concept of negotiation. Our state needs that skill more than ever.





The main problem is that we have done little to take pressure off of our citizens, on a daily standpoint. National policies have taken much of the lead over state policy. With our state only having 13% of its land to tax we are faced with the only option is to raise taxes on that 13% of the land and its citizens. If we had the federally controlled land now occupied by the BLM, our counties, cities and state could benefit from an expanded tax base. I fully understand that the sagebrush rebellion died some years ago, but what choices do we have, if we do not pursue it once again. Whether it is a part of the negotiation with the federal government in terms of the Yucca debate or we tie it into the Obama care debate, the reality is that the state of Nevada has to gain in its tax base, yet we cannot continue to increase the tax on its citizens. Forget the income tax; we are in a situation where the real tax rate including all the fees, taxes and regulatory oversight on its citizens is maxed out. It leaves us with only a few real choices and this is top of my list. I am not a revolutionary at heart, but what choices do we have, we must push back on this topic, and bring it back to life.

Can nevada continue down this road?

Can we continue down this socialist road we are on? Can we continue to regulate and tax the way that we do? Is this what America, or for that matter the state of Nevada have become? We have been lead by our political leaders to become a divided people. We have been lead away from a system of checks and balance to a system that regulates through a central authority. Recourse for grievances moves further away from the common man and woman. We have leaders on both sides, playing the middle, and playing the common man and woman against each other. Ideas from the big cities have taken precedent over the needs of the rural area. Political policy has been corrupted and no longer is being driven by the needs of the common man, but by the political elite. Critical thinking seems to be downplayed and blind faith has taken root. Intolerance is the rule of the day. This must stop. Or our nation and our state will faultier.



Moody's is downgrading our state and claiming that we are headed for real trouble. People are leaving the state, and instead of using the inventory of homes in Vegas, they continue to build new homes while huge sloths of real estate are being left to decay. We can and we must do better, but better for whom? It would seem that we are not only a divided nation but a divided state as well. We have the political elite of Las Vegas running state policy. Union concerns are taking precedent over small business concerns and the rural areas are being ransacked for water and other needs that Vegas has. Education has seen growth in funding that has outpaced inflation like it was standing still. Yet we still have politicians say that we need to funnel more toward education. I agree we need an educated workforce but at what cost. We seem to have a select few benefiting from this and the fact that we export much of our educated workforce out of state, this simple fact is not lost on me.



So to have a President continue to push the idea of collective sacrifice, and will not justify his spending. I for one say I no longer give you that license over me. You can only convince me of collective sacrifice if there is a collective benefit. President Obama told us that he wishes to increase the cost of energy on all of us. That weakens the lower and middle classes ability to save and prosper. His Federal reserve is increasing our cost of borrowing money and his federal government is reducing the amounts of money we have access to borrow. Everything that comes out of his mouth is directed to weaken our country and the individual not strengthen either of them.



Nationally we have a federal reserve system that is destroying the Dollar, and seems to want the destruction of our currency and monetary system. Nevada had better prepare for some real change, and I do not believe it will be pleasant. I hope I am wrong but from where I am sitting we are being played and we need real leadership to prepare us for this change. We need small business to flourish; we need to have the lowest of us be as strong as possible. This can only be done by helping us find some solid ground. This cannot be done as we have seen government operate of late. We have to have it enable us and not regulate us. We need to regain a higher level of agriculture to feed us. Nevada and the Nation both need to build its manufacturing capabilities but this can only be accomplished if the Federal and State EPA both sit down and rethink its goals. The EPA also needs to allow all of us to go after the ore and natural resources that we have underneath us. Red tap needs to be removed and we need to get back to work. The cost of doing business is going to go through the roof, and the states, counties and the cities cannot continue to regulate and protect the few big industries at the expense of the common Nevadan. This is not only about taxes and regulations but Time is also money, by lengthening the time it take to get a project up and running many business models will fail. All of what our government officials have used to justify their jobs will and must come into question. From changing our Zoning laws to lowering our utility rates. We have to lower the cost of living and increase everyone’s ability to prosper. We can no longer regulate to protect the casino industry, which the unions will be hard pressed to go along with. But for all of us to move into this new era that our federal reserve system and the president of our once great nation seems to be pressing upon us, We need to press upon them the need for them to stop burdening us with their inability to stop spending.



What Socialism and our President can promise is a lack of personal freedom. Our personal abilities will be replaced with someone else’s judgment on our abilities, our abilities to go find work will be replaced with someone else judging our abilities, and requiring us to take classes, get certified and then go on a waiting list. Our capabilities will be reduced to better ourselves and replaced with someone else placing us in categories that will limit what we can and will be allowed to do.





As President Regan once said Government is not the solution, it is the problem. Government can and does great things, but it has its limitations. Many on the left do not understand or see the limitations. They seem to have a love fest with Government. However our Founders knew that the consolidation of power in a central government has only one outcome. That outcome is tyranny, and oppression. Our system is broken, and our elected officials are trying with all of their might to justify their positions. It is the faith in the individual that is missing. Empower us to do what needs to be done. We will fix these problems, just give us the ability and get out of the way.

When the president spoke of change, he was defying his oath to the constitution

Collective salvation, Wow President Obama was a fan of star trek, who would have thought. I guess while I was admiring 7 of 9, Our President was looking at the Borg Queen and her marvelous Borg system of government. I guess one mans villain is one man’s ideal. You cannot say that He lied, President Obama promised higher prices for energy and he delivered. What we did not understand was the loss of jobs that went along with his vision of change that was the hidden surprise. Individuals that promise Collective salvation tell us that we will not be alone anymore, but what it does not tell us is that it also takes away any chance of individual opportunity. It dummies down the society, and takes away our individual liberties. Whether it is a feudal system, a socialist system or a communist system, it all leads to the same outcome, slavery of the population to a few elite individuals that micromanage our lives. Those systems have brought us wars, starvation, genocide, and a host of bad choices.

It is surprising that all the man has to offer is a modern day form of slavery, I for one say no to this form of change. Does the man hate this nation so much? Does he despise the constitution to the point of defying his oath to serve and defend it? At what point do we let this path of change continue? At what point do we demand of our leadership that they act to defend their own oaths to protect and defend the constitution? How many of us need lose their professions, who amongst us have the resolve to speak out at the powers that be. I am one, are their others?

I do not wish civil unrest, but the longer we have leaders that do nothing. The quicker our alternative solutions leave the realm of possibilities. We have to press our opinions to those who will listen and to those who will argue. The debate has to and must be held, I wish that the conflict could be resolved in a peaceful way. I am a father, a husband and active in our local community. I know full well what has and what will be lost. That scares me, but what scares me more is the historical reality of the direction this man and his followers are leading to.

This has happed before in this country, and we have had individuals in the past stand up as I am asking you to do today. I will leave you with the closing argument of Patrick Henry and his speech to the Virginia legislature. His words show the depth and the pain that we have had in the nations past, this nations past. Whether it is a King or a President, anyone who seeks power over others and disallows our system of checks and balance of powers, it makes little difference. This type of pain if it is allowed to continue will lead to a civil unrest. Read Patrick Henry’s last words of his speech and realize that if we continue to sit, and do not stand we will lose our system that had brought us individual salvation and opportunity. We have a legislature in session; we have an unbalanced leadership of public to private representation here in Nevada. We have to have the individuals that are willing to face the objections of others, to make their points heard. Read and reflect, this man was willing to give all, are you?

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Can a house Divided stand?

Anyone who has read my Blog understands that I am a person that wants to revisit the taxation, and regulatory levels of a decade ago. I hear that I am a right wing nut, well I disagree. The last thing I want is to hurt individual families, by having them lose their jobs, or to face a severe reduction in household income. The problem is that we already have families facing that issue, and the only solution that seems to be coming from our leaders is to increase the cost on all of us. These families have been the small independent family business. These have been the true dreamers, the ones who have tried to create. That is what we have lost. I understand the pain that lower taxes will cause on the public sector. But we have to work together to lower cost on everyone. The goal is to get the dreamers back into the game.

We have overreached, and we have political leaders that have been elected by vilifying certain individuals to get elected. As Lincoln once said a house divided cannot stand. Well we seem to have a bunch of elected officials that are selling this idea. Both from the far right and the far left, we have people preaching violence.

I am not one of them, but I also realize that history will repeat itself if we have not learned from it. We have a federal government that is promoting ideas that only a King would implement. I see a revolution coming; a civil war and I wish I did not. The Reality is that we have leaders leading us over a cliff; some of us will choose not to follow. That is where the rub is, and that is where individual states will have to choose between the independence and the federal collectivism.

Yes you hear me right, if we do not have real leaders that can look beyond their own self interest; we will have a group of states choose independence from our federal government. That choice is the only real solution if the federal government continues on its course it has chosen. I do not what it, but I also realize it has consequences, and the possibility for states standing up and reclaiming their sovereign status guaranteed under the constitution will grow.

what is the intent of the Democrats, and where are they leading us?

I have to wonder, what my old party is doing. The Democrat party has sold its existence to the unions, socialist and the communist. The party of my father used to have a seat for small business, well that seems to be all gone. The vast independent voters, those who have given up on both extremes have to stand up no. if not we are looking at a revolution. I am not preaching armed conflict, but if we do nothing that is what America will be facing.




The left has gone to bed with every radical group that has an agenda to destroy the economy and our way of life. These radicals are changing the old meaning of the American dream of self reliance, to a dream of socialism. Boy the 60's radicals have really found a new drug. Well the generation of do not trust anyone over 30 is now telling us a bunch of lies, and I for one am not buying what they are selling. I guess the generation of love is now looking for a new blue pill to give them the power they have lost in bed. The power they now seek is over you and me, in every aspect of our lives they want control. This will not stand, our founders fought for a system to empower the individual, the group now leading our government wants to weaken the individual. The depths of how far we have fallen are alarming as a nation. They have been working long and hard to destroy our checks and balance system of governing, and we have allowed them to do it.



I am calling for all of you that still believe in the individual, and the potential that giving the individual the freedom to grow, to stand up. If the unions march on Carson City we have to also go. We need to show a solid front and stand by our convictions. For those arguments saying that capitalism has failed, is incorrect, what has failed is we have allowed for our system of government to evolve away from its original intent. Our leaders need to again read the declaration of independence and understand why those words were written. They need to first read the federalist papers and understand the debate that our founders had during the constitutional conventions. And finally the constitution itself and understand the 2/3rd value for blacks in the south and why it was placed into the document and realize it was not out of racism, but it was to bring the southern states into the union.

Our nation is not a racist nation and capitalism is not an evil mechanism to destroy individual freedom. Capitalism is the great equalizer to a society. The problem is that we have allowed monopolies to take the free market and capitalism and turn it on its ear. We have allowed our system to get away from us, which are the real battles that we face, socialism will fail, and it always does. Unfortunately it always cost millions of lives before it fails.

the ignorance of the left is killing small business

All good intentions aside, when the leaders on the left can justify added cost and are cavalier of the negative effects on a small businesses bottom line, the results are devastating. When you do not understand the cost of doing business, you are ill prepared to understand the negative effects of fee and tax increases. When you have no idea of purchasing power and the unit cost of goods sold, much of our tax and fee system that we have developed in Nevada has caused the high unemployment, high bankruptcy rate, and the high foreclosure rates that we now see. Small business is at a disadvantage and cannot always increase its prices to compete, when the government adds cost to its operation, many times the owner just makes less. This is the big reason we are in the economic state that we find ourselves, all due to a refusal to change the what and the how our state government spends money. The sad truth is that it is the size of government and the taxes needed to maintain this Government that is the cause of our problems here in Nevada. We have leaders that see a need and figure that the economy can withstand an increase of doing business to pay for these added services. Well we are seeing that those days are over. The services are still needed but we have done damage to the local economy that used to pay for these services. It is now as much about taxation policy as it is about the size and scope of our government. We have added costs to local business by taxes but more so by fees and regulation. How we used to make money in the past can no longer support this size of government.





The only way to get out of this mess is to prioritize and begin to cut. We need to understand that we cannot fix all ills and that the public sector cure can be more damaging than the ill itself. Benjamin Franklin once said we should not make the poor too comfortable in their poverty. Well with the entire social engineering that we have done over the last forty years we have done just that. All of this social engineering at the expense of the economic engine of this state and nation. We have allowed big business to protect itself from local competition through regulations that create a glass ceiling for the local business person. Many business models now do not work and people are finding assets becoming liabilities.



I stated that we need to return to the cost and fee structure of 2000, before 9/11 and the growth of government that we have seen. People think that would be too drastic, I say not. Back in 2000 we had an economy that supported schools, police and fire. We had an economy that was growing, although I will agree that we had problems. The mortgage crisis was growing with the federal government allowing for far too many people to buy a home that could not afford it. Why we went away from 20% down and the ability to pay the mortgage is beyond me. That decision was political as much as it was short term greed from a few on Wall Street.

We can come back, but we need to downsize our government, and allow us to work again.