Education, Government Spending, Taxes

In case you missed it…

John Tsarpalas

Nevada Policy Anniversary Dinner

Reserved your tickets for Nevada Policy’s Anniversary Dinner yet? Get your tickets for this incredible event today, because available spots will disappear fast once we reveal this year’s keynote speaker! Register now

 

Nevada Constitution

Senator James Settelmeyer’s commitment to defending taxpayers and the Nevada constitution is clear — it’s proven by his willingness to bear, if necessary, the ultimate financial costs of suing the government. “It is not cheap to sue the government, especially because they have their own lawyers,” Settelmeyer noted. He and other Senate GOP leaders filed the lawsuit against Senate Democrats for attempting to levy additional taxes via a tax-extension bill without the two-thirds supermajority that Nevada’s constitution requires for such actions. The lawsuit is ultimately expected to reach the Nevada Supreme Court and incur steep costs. Settelmeyer says the Ds should it brought the legislation properly, consistent with the state’s fundamental law. Rather than that, he said, “They chose to thwart the will of the people, to say the Constitution was written in pencil.” Read More

CCSD

Once more, the personnel budgeting and funding situation in Clark County School District (CCSD) is in disarray. CCSD superintendent Jesus Jara recently eliminated all dean positions at middle schools in an effort to fund teacher raises. In a fierce reaction, the administrator’s union sued Jara — and also held a no-confidence vote that led him to backtrack. Governor Steve Sisolak and other politicians, in their election campaigns, had promised higher salaries to teachers, but even a CCSD budget larger by $154 million won’t meet all the promises mad. It’s not a surprise to those familiar with Nevada politics, where, year in and year out CCSD has proven unable to control its expenses. In 2015, the largest tax increase in Nevada history was passed in order to fund education. Yet each year, the education establishment demands more money despite stagnant enrollment and low student achievement scores. “Until there are incentives for the education establishment to improve, the dismal status quo will prevail.” Said the Las Vegas Review-Journal in an editorial. Its headline gets to the heart of the issue: “Allow families to escape the CCSD chaos!” Read More

 

Economics

Is the American middle class truly stagnant? A new study from the American Institute of Economic Research (AIER) suggests not. Experts agree that a good way to measure real wages is to measure the number of hours the average worker would need to work to afford necessary goods and services. Researcher Donald Boudreaux sampled over 400 goods sold in 1975 to determine the number of hours the average worker would need to work to purchase those goods or services. He compared those hours with the same calculation for today’s average worker. He found that in 1975 a pair of all-cotton jeans cost 1.5 hours of work time; today they would only cost 20 minutes. In 1975, an automatic dishwasher cost 50 hours, but today would cost 12 hours. An ordinary coffee maker cost eight hours in 1975; today it costs 45 minutes. Seems like the myth of American middle-class stagnation is just that: a myth. Read More

 

Taxes

Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax on the “ultra-millionaires” sounds appealing to some middle-class Americans trying to stay afloat. Warren claims her wealth tax will raise $2.75 trillion over the next 10 years. But so-called “wealth” taxes don’t have successful records. Twelve countries in Europe in 1990 had a wealth tax similar to Warren’s. Now only four countries do — as it’s dawned on people that attacking wealth per se just destroys the investment that economies need. Basically, politicians who propose these wealth taxes are just pandering to human envy. “Warren has described her tax as a tool for addressing inequality,” says the latest video from Reason foundation, “but it’s really just a presidential candidate’s way of saying, ‘I oppose the existence of very rich people.’ She could have just said that.” Watch the full video here.

John Tsarpalas

John Tsarpalas

President

John Tsarpalas is the President of the Nevada Policy, and is deeply committed to spreading limited government ideas and policy to create a better, more prosperous Nevada for all.

For over three decades, John has educated others in the ideals and benefits of limited government. In the 1980s, John joined the Illinois Libertarian Party and served on its State Central Committee. Later in the 90s, he transitioned to the Republican Party, and became active in the Steve Forbes for President Campaign and flat taxes.

In 2005, he was recruited to become the Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party where he graduated from the Republican National Committee’s Campaign College, the RNC’s Field Management School, and the Leadership Institute’s activist training.

Additionally, John has served as President of the Sam Adams Alliance and Team Sam where he did issue education and advocacy work in over 10 states, with a focus on the web.

John also founded or helped start the following educational not-for-profits: Think Freely Media, the Haym Salomon Center – where he served as Chairman, the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity and Midwest Speaking Professionals.

A native of Chicago, John now lives in Las Vegas with his wife of more than 40 years.