News
Corporatism Seizes the NV Legislature
Over the past dozen years, Nevada lawmakers have increasingly used their power to pick winners and losers in the economy. They have raised taxes on households and businesses and effectively handed over proceeds to favored competitors. That trend is reaching a crescendo in the 2023 legislative session. Back in 2011,… Read More
Recent News
School-to-Work: The Right Model to Use
In an era of ever-changing educational fads and ideologies, school-to-work programs have entered the arena. This widely-debated program is part of Goals 2000, a federal education reform plan, and places more emphasis on vocational training in schools than currently in our curriculum. Pressure is on from the federal government to implement the program by issuing grants for states to develop and integrate vocationally-based coursework. Assembly Bill 191, called the School-to-Careers bill, is Nevada’s attempt to put this program into law. The idea of graduating students with "real-world" knowledge is taken from the German education system – world-renowned for its excellence. But some key differences exist between the German Model and School-to-Careers – differences that might destroy a potentially successful program. Here with a look at how the German education system is structured.
A Needed Addition to Campaign Finance Reform
Campaign finance reform has been needed in Nevada for a long time. Instead of waiting to see if legislators would kill reform measures again this session, voters mandated, for the second time, that current campaign finance laws be changed by passing ballot question Number 10. This amends the Nevada Constitution and requires legislators to change current statutes. The reporting threshold will be lowered. (How low remains to be seen). Party caucuses and political action committees (PACs) will be limited in the amounts they can contribute and also will have to disclose who donated money and how much. Reporting dates will be moved closer to election day and contributions made in the name of another person will be made illegal. Various bills have been introduced, named and renamed, in hopes of putting an end to this longstanding debate. The proposed reform is fairly comprehensive, covering the areas where abuses run rampant. However, some loopholes will still exist, especially in labor union political activity. Some unions spend over 90 percent of total dues on political activities and union members should have the right to know which candidates they are supporting.
An Alternative Solution to Financing Computers in Nevada’s Classrooms
Keeping pace with ever changing technology can be a monetary strain on even the most well run business, and for government it can be an insurmountable burden. Such is the case with the Nevada education system. Controversy is running rampant between the governor’s office and legislative committee hearing rooms about how and why taxpayers should fund computers in the classroom. One side says that without computers, our children will be left in the 20th Century. The other side agrees, but wants to know why $233 million should be spent on computers when other programs are in dire need of overhauls – like standard assessment and school district accountability. But the question is raised, "If other states have found the money to have first rate education systems and several computers in every class, why can’t Nevada do the same?" Here’s a look at Nevada’s national ranking and how our next door neighbor is dealing with this problem.