It's the Schools, Stupid!

How many times have I had to say this? The Sun has yet another article pointing this out, and even Ralston is admitting the obvious on Twitter.

IT'S THE SCHOOLS, STUPID!

How many more times must I explain this? With inadequate schools, new companies won't move here. Businesses are now looking for a more educated workforce, and Nevada can't provide that with underfunded, overcrowded, underperforming, overburdened, and all around collapsing K-12 schools and colleges. Without good schools, we'll never have the foundation needed for a more stable economy and lasting jobs.

But do enough legislators understand this? Do they really want to continue being penny wise and pound foolish? Do they want to force Clark County School District to sue them for inadequate funding? Do they really want to "beggar thy neighbor" by forcing unfunded mandates onto local governments? Or are they finally ready to make a change and do the right thing?

Everything we "know" on the budget is wrong. The revenue is there. The mining industry can certainly afford to pay its fair share, and so can other large multinational corporations taking advantage of our consumer dollars while refusing to pay what we pay. Our system is broken, our state is failing, and we can no longer afford to ignore this crisis.



Bills like AB 428 must be passed this session. The mining industry must pay its fair share, and other large corporations must pay their fair share. Small businesses can't be forced to bear the burden of a collapsing state, and working class Nevadans can't afford to be taxed by way of the rising costs of failing schools and crumbling public infrastructure.



IT'S THE SCHOOLS, STUPID!

There's a reason why over 1,500 students from throughout Nevada, from Elko to Reno to Henderson, stormed Carson City last week. There's a reason why more and more business leaders are speaking the truth on the state of Nevada's schools. And there's a reason why mining industry lobbyists are now running scared. They all know the key to a successful Nevada is good education, and they all realize we must raise revenue in a fair and just manner to save our state. They also know we have the power to make it happen. Let's do it.