Programming Note: Road Trip!

Starting tomorrow night, Nevada Progressive will be taking a road trip up north. Saturday and Sunday, I'll be reporting from Reno. And Monday and Tuesday, I'll be giving first hand reports from Equality Days lobbying in Carson City.

Yes, you heard me right. I'll be right there in The Capitol. Watch out, lobbyists! ;-)

So stay tuned through the weekend and next week for some exciting news and views from Northern Nevada.

From the Mouths of Babes

More of the voices of the revolution hitting my doorstep on Monday. These kids are so smart, and it's a shame that we've been short-changing them for far too long. Perhaps we'll change this? For the better?

Maybe these kids are more than smart enough to outsmart the closed minds?

The Revolution at Our Doorstep... Will Be Televised

Just today, another local business leader admitted the obvious.

What we do see more and more is that it’s not low taxes that bring companies to Nevada necessarily. I think that’s something everybody’s really agreeing on now, which is why the whole package is important of what makes this a good place for people to come and do business, and live and bring their families. [...]

One of the things it gets back to is what makes Las Vegas an attractive place to do business. Why do they want to come to Southern Nevada versus going to Arizona or another region? We have to give people a good reason to want to come.

That was Sallie Doebler, President of the group formerly known as the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. Her industry has been particularly hard hit. Even Doebler herself was affected, as her former Reno based company shut its Las Vegas office as construction demand dried up. She now runs her own consulting firm, and apparently now she's ready to say what so many of us had to learn the hard way.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as fortunate as Sallie Doebler. I saw that for myself last night, as The Nevada Legislature held a town hall on education and the state budget at Green Valley High School. There, a number of students, teachers, and concerned citizens begged legislators to realize what Sallie Doebler and others already have.





Are we really that much smarter than much of the bunch presently occupying Carson City? Do they not recognize reality? Are they totally tone deaf?

Funny enough, two freshman Republican legislators, State Senator Elizabeth Halseth (R-Las Vegas) and Assembly Member Scott Hammond (R-Las Vegas) seemed to prove just that.

Despite who was behind the tweet, Halseth or AFP Nevada, you have to wonder why they were so upset by the testimony they heard that they feel government must step in and prevent voters from speaking and having access to their elected officials.

Was it the 3rd grader with type 1 diabetes who didn't want his school nurse to be fired because he'd have no one to give him his insulin shot? The bus driver who faithfully performed her duties for Clark County School District for 30 years? [...] Or the mother of three who wanted her kids education to mean something when they graduate and go out into the world?

Funny enough, neither one was present, yet both Republican legislators took to Twitter to spread lies about unions "shutting out citizens". I also have to ask why they and their "Tea Party, Inc." patrons were so afraid of seeing so many Nevadans, including parents, local teachers, and students, speak the truth.

Are they now becoming afraid as more and more business folk and economists state the obvious fact that we'll never have a first rate economy with third world schools? Are they now afraid that more and more Nevadans are waking up and tasting the anthrax that's our failed state of "no taxes"? Whatever the case, perhaps the teabaggers are sensing the revolution at our doorstep... And they are scared.

Honestly, I'm still wondering if enough legislators really get it. However, I'm suddenly feeling something I haven't genuinely felt in some time.I think I have hope again.

If so many people can take the time to send this powerful message, can Carson City keep ignoring us? It's finally starting to look like the revolution will be televised, after all. Can they really tune all of us out?

Pomp & Circumstance... & Moving Beyond All That Jazz

Brian Greenspun was right on the money when he said this in his Sun Op-Ed today:

Whether it was our lack of commitment to education, our inability to address an inequitable and unsustainable tax structure, our failure to pay for the kind of city infrastructure that turns a good place to live into a great one, or our singular lack of leadership at the highest levels of state government, it is easy to understand why sophisticated industries choose other states over Nevada to relocate or build.

Too bad most are still obsessing over this.

Harry came back to Nevada, the state that gave him birth amid the rough and tumble of a mining town replete with the vices commonly available in such places, to lay out a vision of a Nevada that no longer condones or approves of the practice of legal prostitution. It caused quite a stir.

The story, of course, went worldwide. It didn’t drown out the voices of freedom and whatever else the protesters are clamoring for in the streets of the Middle East, or the devastation in Christchurch, New Zealand. But it did provide some relief for people worried beyond measure that the world is about to blow up in our faces while we can’t seem to do much to stop it.

Oh, jeez. "Brothel-gate". This is just stupid. OK, so Harry Reid doesn't approve of the brothels. WHO FUCKING CARES??!!

(I usually reserve the cursing and caps lock for real fits of anger, and right now I'm getting angry.)

The brothels aren't going away. Rural legislators won't allow for that, and frankly I hope Clark and Washoe legislators will be too busy tackling real issues to spend time on the stupid bullshit.

While I wish Senator Reid hadn't gone there, the fact of the matter is that he wanted to and he just did it. And come on, we should all know by now that this is how Harry rolls.

In my humble opinion, what's really pathetic is that the entire rest of Senator Reid's speech to The Legislature was almost entirely ignored, and talk of governing as grown-ups was shelved as certain politicians and pundits engaged in boyhood fantasies as they blathered on and on and on about sex with prostitutes.

Never mind that certain Taliban-esque Washington politicians are out to waste time attacking women's right to access the health care they need. Never mind that budgets still need to be passed at the state and national levels. Never mind that there now looks to be a real grassroots uprising happening throughout the country demanding an end to the attack on workers that people finally started to realize when Wisconsin started making the headlines. And never mind that people here in Nevada might be doing the same tomorrow.

Nope, never mind all that. What matters is what Harry Reid thinks of prostitution. And Sharron Angle taking her journey of self-delusion to New Hampshire. And a whole bunch of meaningless pomp and circumstance. And all that jazz.



It's so easy for the media to obsess over the latest salacious scandal full of sex, money, passion, intrigue, and/or whatever else can sell ads. And it's so easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking any of that crap really matters.

So what really matters? Look around you. Notice the kids wondering how they can afford college? Notice the neighbors wondering how much longer they can pay the mortgage with no jobs available? And we're still fixated on the sideshow?

Jim Rogers on Twitter? Fasten Your Seatbelts, #NVLeg Tweeps!

I think I found my new favorite #nvpolitics #NVLeg tweeter... Other than my matron saint of Twitter, @LauraKMM, of course. ;-)

Guess who made the cut...

He’s a successful businessman. He owns Sunbelt Communications, which operates 16 television affiliates in five states, including KSNV Channel 3 in Las Vegas and KRNV Channel 4 in Reno. (The Las Vegas Sun is a media partner with the stations.)

He knows state government. He served as boss of Nevada universities and colleges from 2004 to 2009.

He is politically connected. He is a prodigious political fundraiser and donor, which helps him get meetings with just about anyone he wants.

To a certain extent, his tweets are condensed versions of the weekly memos he sent out as chancellor. As a vocal defender of colleges and universities, he delivered withering — and highly entertaining — attacks on Gov. Jim Gibbons over his proposed cuts to the system.

And look at what he's saying!

"Doesn't it makes sense that a business that produces a $500k profit should be able to take part of that profit and invest it in education?"

"All of NV businesses are not broke - many are thriving and could easily afford to support education which is the key to everyone’s future"

"Sandoval is right – less government is better – but less government should mean less Sandoval and less legislature."

"If Brian Sandoval had been the captain of the Titanic it would have gone down with him smiling, his hair perfectly combed...."

"Legislators with a 'one rule fits all' tax analysis ought to know that one rule never works"

"Think about the fact that Idaho taxes my Nevada income but Nevada doesn’t tax my Nevada income"

"If Nevada’s citizens wanted an excellent education system, Nevada would have one."

Wow. Just wow! Jim Rogers is speaking the truth and saying it like he means it!

For quite some time, I've wondered if I was just one of very few voices in the wilderness. But all of a sudden, it seems Nevadans are starting to wake up and smell the napalm. And perhaps if the most iconic and passionate advocate for Nevada students can light up Twitter, Carson City can wake up and notice reality calling.

And the Chorus... Is Us?

Surprise, surprise! Perhaps we the people can handle "the t word" after all?

By a stunning margin of 52 percent to 37 percent, Nevadans think the governor and the Gang of 63 should raise taxes to avoid cuts in government services, according to a poll just completed for the Retailers Association of Nevada. [...]

The survey was conducted for the Retailers Association of Nevada by nationally respected Republican pollster Glen Bolger, who also found that the public would prefer the tax increases remain temporary (well, no kidding.) But the significance here is that despite the relentless no-new-taxes mantra repeated by Gov. Brian Sandoval and his echo chamber across the courtyard, and fueled by the likes of Chuck Muth, the conservative firebrand, that’s not where the public is.Or at least not always. That is, voters tend to be more thoughtful than the vocal minority. What a shocker.

Indeed, as Bolger points out, “Support for raising taxes to address the budget shortfall is at an all time high.”

Another significant number: 74 percent of voters think teacher salaries should not be reduced.

Also: 55 percent say a corporate income tax, with 41 percent against.

Voters are split almost evenly on whether to change the tax system – 46 percent say it works well, 48 percent say it’s time for a change.

So Nevada voters get it? They/We really get it? Not so fast.

As usual, voters are a bit inconsistent. On a later question, when asked if the reduced spending in Sandoval’s budget is needed, 52 percent said yes and 44 percent said no. That’s still close but hardly jibes with the tax/cuts question.

Ralston is correct. This IS usual. Come on, don't we all dream about having our cake and eating it, too? Of course, the problem here is that it's simply unrealistic. Trust me, especially with the second lowest state tax rate in the country and #1 cheapest state government in the country, there's essentially no such thing as "waste" in Nevada's government... Unless we're talking about our future wasting away because we don't invest enough in our needed infrastructure, such as our schools.

Still, I must admit I'm feeling more confident about the near future. Despite all the lies being propagated by "Tea Party, Inc.", a strong majority of Nevada voters at least understand that we need revenue to fund the kind of infrastructure we need to build to get us out of the mess we're in AND prevent falling into the same old mess again. Let's hope the powers that be in Carson City are paying attention.

And the Chorus Grows...

Are we listening?

Kevin Whitney of TechAmerica, an advocacy group that represents 1,200 high-tech companies across the country, said an hour-long discussion with state Legislative leaders and the governor’s office focused on issues the state faces in luring such companies to move to the state or expand existing businesses.

“Many of those issues centered around a lack of workforce development and skills acquisitions that our companies require to relocate or expand our operations, here in the state of Nevada,” Whitney said. “Oftentimes what you see is these companies come here to do a project and unfortunately have to import their workforce from other states.”

Capgemeni, a tech firm working on the Nevada Business Portal and with the state department of employment and training, found those challenges firsthand, said company executive Kevin Doyle.

“Frankly, in order to start our business here, we needed to bring folks in (from out of state),” he said. “We know that’s not sustainable long-term, but having technology skills is absolutely paramount to our success.”

So tech companies are now begging the powers that be in Carson City for a more educated workforce? But guess what? Brian Sandoval wants to slash programs at Nevada colleges that are doing this! I know, I know, it's the definition of insanity.

How often have you heard me rant about our overdependence on gaming, even as it's becoming increasingly clear that gaming isn't building here any more? But as long as we refuse to provide needed infrastructure, like good PreK-16 schools, new companies and industries will continue bypassing us for greener pastures.

"Jobs, jobs, jobs" has been the mantra of the 2011 Legislative session that began Feb. 7. And while Democratic leaders have their differences with the new Republican governor over the budget, both sides of the aisle have stayed on message that working together and creating jobs is priority No. 1 this session.

Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, said the discussion with executives of TechAmerica focused on "what would it take for them to come to Nevada."

In answer to that question, Paul Miner, government affairs manager for General Electric Co., said "first and foremost what you're seeing around this table." He called the bipartisan front "unprecedented."

But Miner also said, "you need a well-educated work force to get to work."

Kevin Doyle, with Paris-based Capgemini, agreed, especially when it comes to specific skills required in the technology fields.

His consulting and technology firm recently located in Nevada, he said, and had to import staff because it could not find trained workers.

Sandoval said he was encouraged by the executives' comments.

"This is one of the reasons I am optimistic of the future of Nevada," he told reporters, who were briefly invited to ask questions after the closed discussions concluded.

Sandoval has proposed deep cuts to both K-12 and Nevada's colleges and universities. Democrats counter the cuts would counterproductive to a state trying to claw its way out of the Great Recession.

The writing is on the wall. Who is reading it? Who is heeding the warning? Who is ready to call out the "no tax" insanity for what it is and call on Nevada to start anew?

We have companies coming into our state, taking our natural resources for their profit, and paying next to nothing in taxes. What is wrong with this picture?

We have the cheapest state government in the country and one of the lowest tax rates anywhere, yet businesses are NOT flocking here in droves. What is wrong with this picture?

Business leaders are now saying they want and need a more highly educated workforce to succeed, but Governor Sandoval stands by his budget to cut to death the very economic lifeline we need now more than ever before. What is wrong with this picture?

And what will we do to make it right?

Pomp & Circumstance... & Any Possibility of Real Solutions?

On the opening day of the 76th Legislature, lawmakers skipped the issues that will likely define the next 119 days in favor of friendly speeches about working together, commemorative photos with proud family members and symbolic gestures.

In their only significant legislative act, lawmakers voted to voluntarily cut their salaries for the session by 4.6 percent — the amount of pay state workers have done without this biennium because of furloughs.

Awww. So everyone's getting along? Yeah, right.

Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, called for civility to rule the day, adding that he and other Democrats agree with much of what Sandoval proposed in his $5.8 billion budget.

But then this: “Now it is the job of the Legislature to determine if the sacrifices placed in the scales to balance the budget can be sustained. Or, if they are too much to ask of Nevada’s citizens who have already lost so much in the recession.”

The message between the lines: Mr. Governor, we aren’t going to simply roll over and hand you the no-new-taxes budget you want, not when it cuts this deeply into education. [...]

Assembly Minority Leader Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, also paid homage to the goal of working together. He noted that term limits had emptied the Legislature not only of important institutional knowledge, but also long-standing grudges that often impeded compromise.

But he had his own signals to send.

“Our constituents’ demands are very different than what the other side of the aisle is looking for,” he said shortly after delivering unscripted opening remarks on the Assembly floor, in which he said the state’s future prosperity depends on enacting meaningful reforms now.

What are he and his Republican colleagues looking for? Significant changes to the retirement benefits of public employees and a softening of the collective bargaining rights enjoyed by local government workers.

Already, it's looking like we have a hostage situation on our hands. State workers are public servants that, at times, are treated as indentured servants. They've been enduring pay cuts, furlough days, benefit cuts, and more... And now Goicoechea wants even more "punishment" cast on them?

And what is he willing to give in return?

While Republicans in both houses put out a statement last week supporting Sandoval’s cuts-only budget, Goicoechea implied his position is negotiable depending on the reforms Democrats agree to on those public employee issues.

“At this point, we support the governor’s budget and there are no tax increases in it,” he said.

He waited a beat and repeated: “At this point.” [Emphasis mine.]

Ah, so there it is. Goicoechea and a few other Republicans may allow our state to survive, after all... But only if we allow them to use state workers, the mentally ill, and perhaps a few more sick and starving kids as "collateral damage". Precious.

When did legislating become a political monster truck derby? This is just getting ridiculous.

Why can't more legislators just serve the constituents who voted them into office thinking they had our best interest at heart? You know, they're also supposed to be public servants.

Yet Again, I Told You So.

Remember when I said this last Monday?

The real estate speculation and debt fueled "boom times" of the last decade are long gone, so we need to stop acting like we can return to those "good old days".

Numerous ordinary Nevadans have already seen the writing on the wall. "Easy" construction jobs are no longer all that easy to get, and "plentiful" casino jobs are no longer all that plentiful, especially now that the casinos are increasingly investing in foreign markets and less so in new Nevada properties. That's why more and more of them are doing what Tera and John are doing. They're going back to school, working on advanced degrees, and doing what they need to do to access the jobs of the future.

So why can't Brian Sandoval see this? I'm sure he didn't hear any stories like this one at either of his inaugural balls last weekend, so why couldn't he take the time to stop at the town hall at Grant Sawyer on Saturday to listen?

More and more Nevadans realize that the only real way to "let Nevada be Nevada again" is for Nevada not to repeat the mistakes made in the past. The days of "easy money" in gaming and "growth" are behind us. We now have to adapt our economy for the new reality. What are we doing to adapt?

In the last two days, I caught two very troubling Sun articles that we should take as warning signs. The first is from yesterday and notes the "brain drain" that's only worsened since the start of "The Great Recession".

Nevada, like many states and countries, has always suffered from a flight of human capital, or “brain drain,” as it’s often called. Many of our best and brightest take a pass on UNR and UNLV, and once they matriculate at elite universities elsewhere, they wind up in regions that are financial and technological centers and offer more varied cultural and recreational lives.

This brain drain problem was mitigated during the boom, as tens of thousands of college-degreed Americans came to Nevada for opportunity. The valley was flush with architects, construction management experts, marketers, attorneys, accountants and other professionals. In fact, today there are roughly 191,000 working-age adults in the valley with bachelor’s degrees who weren’t born in Nevada, according to an analysis of census data by Alan Berube of the Brookings Institution.

Although we enjoyed a migration surge of the educated, we also had a massive influx of less educated service and construction workers, and we were left with a workforce that was less educated than most large urban areas — 21 percent of Clark County residents had bachelor’s degrees as of 2009, compared with the national average of 27 percent, according to census data compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education. By contrast, 28 percent of residents of Maricopa County, where Phoenix sits, have degrees; in Salt Lake County, it’s 29 percent.

This matters because economic development experts agree that Nevada faces a difficult path to recovery. We have limited natural resources, a struggling construction economy that won’t recover anytime soon and over-reliance on a tourism industry that is itself dependent on free-spending outsiders in an age of parsimony.

In short, we need our tourism industry to expand and innovate, or we need new industry. Both options would seem to require college-educated workers whom we don’t currently possess in enough numbers.

As we've talked about before, those areas that have more highly educated workforces are the places that recover more quickly. That's why places like Greater Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay Area are recovering more quickly than our humble burg that hasn't valued education.

Nope, instead we keep hearing more stories like Bud Meyers'. He and other Las Vegas area "99ers" have exhausted their unemployment benefits, but don't know what to do next because all they know is casino and/or construction, and neither industry is apt to hire them back.

Meyers’ story isn’t just about one man’s disheartening job search. It’s also about a class of workers approaching obsolescence in a town much changed from the days when they first came seeking opportunity.

Older casino workers such as Meyers feel passed over in a job market that favors applicants’ appearance and personality over work history or local connections, say job placement and training experts. Las Vegas always has been driven by eye candy. That was a commonly heard complaint even before the recession. Yet age discrimination actions rarely advance far. Employees are mainly concerned about keeping their jobs rather than causing a stir.

In two years of unemployment, Meyers drained his life savings of $40,000. But the experience has taken more than a financial toll on Meyers, who picks at his once-manicured nails and chain smokes while he speaks.

His graying hair and pale skin reveal a different man from the bartender who appears in personal photos with a tanned, chiseled face and gleaming black hair. The employed Meyers had coifed hair and a wide, mischievous grin. The jobless Meyers has ragged locks he cuts himself and insomnia, reflected in the bags under his eyes and an expression of defeat.

Though he subsists on just one meal a day to save money, the once-trim body that rushed about behind a bar, slinging drinks for tourists, has grown thick.

Many of the long-term unemployed like Meyers are showing up at agencies like the state-run JobConnect.

Ben Daseler, who supervises the state’s largest JobConnect office in central Las Vegas, said older hospitality workers are having an especially tough time finding work. Like other job seekers, he said, they are told to “be flexible and learn new skills.” [...]

“I couldn’t believe that someone with my experience couldn’t even get a job as a busboy,” Meyers said.

Still, he spent months applying online for similar job openings. But many casino companies prevent job seekers from applying for more than one job at once, requiring applicants to wait several weeks before they can reapply for something else. He also walked into bars and casinos, talking with bartenders, managers and human resources representatives to get a foot in the door. You have to apply like everyone else, they said.

What happened over three years ago wasn't just a typical "cyclical downturn" that one studies in macroeconomics. No, this was more. Our entire US economy was revealed to be frighteningly unstable, and it came perilously close to total collapse.

And more so than perhaps anywhere else in the nation, Nevada's economy was "built" around the very worst aspects of the postmodern American economy. How often did we hear that "growth begets growth"? How often were new home developments hastily approved just because "if we build them, they will come"? How often were we told not to worry about Americans mortgaging pretty much everything in sight to pay for "the high life", just because "real estate is a valuable commodity, it always goes up"?

As I've been saying on this blog for well over a year, Nevada's economy was built on financial quicksand. It was only a matter of time for many "homeowners'" over-leveraged "assets" to catch up with them, and for companies accustomed to "easy money" to see it dry up as fast as it appeared, and for our entire way of existence to be revealed as nothing more than a glamorized ponzi scheme.

We're only deluding ourselves if we really think all the "easy money" in casinos and construction will suddenly reappear as fast as it disappeared. It's just not realistic.

But you know what is? Making sure we don't repeat the same mistakes of the past. Why don't we get more of these 99ers back to school so they can learn new skills and be able to obtain jobs that can survive the new economy? Why don't we encourage more of our high schoolers to stay in school, go to college, and make something out of their lives? And why don't we build the kind of lasting infrastructure that will make more educated workers (and the companies looking to hire them) want to move here?

Again, we need to adapt. We need to change. We can't afford to follow the same path to failure (yet again). Nevada doesn't have to be a failed state. What will we do to change it?

Breakthrough?

Is this what we've been waiting for?

Dean Rhoads, the state’s senior senator, became the first Republican lawmaker to publicly break with Gov. Brian Sandoval, saying he thinks the state will need to raise taxes to balance the budget.

Rhoads, who is serving his final year in the Legislature because of term limits, told the Sun that cuts in education and social services in Sandoval’s budget are too deep.

“There will have to be deep cuts like Sandoval proposed, and tax and fee increases,” Rhoads said Tuesday. “We’re going to have to do a combination.” [...]

After a long meeting Tuesday where advocates for the mentally ill warned of service cuts under Sandoval’s budget such as specialty courts for the mentally ill, Rhoads said: “We’re basically taking wheelchairs from senior citizens.”

A 28-year veteran of the state Senate and rancher from Tuscarora, north of Elko, Rhoads said he didn’t mind being the first Republican to break ranks with Sandoval. [...]

Pro-tax forces, which include many of Nevada’s largest businesses, have expressed concern about Sandoval’s budget, but have struggled to find a strategy to override the popular governor’s promise to veto any budget that contains a tax increase.

I know, I know. It's just one, and we need at least two more in The Senate and at least two more in The Assembly to get a sensible budget passed. But hey, at least it's a start.

Hopefully, more Republicans in Carson City will listen to what we the people say and realize that Sandoval's proposed draconian cuts are simply unacceptable. These cuts hurt, and the people of this state don't need any more pain. We need a chance to heal.

On "Nevada Being Nevada Again": Last Word on Saturday's Town Halls

Over the weekend, Governor Brian Sandoval enjoyed himself at inaugural balls in Las Vegas and Reno. He and his guests had a great time at both parties, as the champagne was flowing freely and spirits were quite high.

Perhaps Sandoval should have stayed here in Las Vegas Saturday morning to hear some of these people testify at The Legislature's town hall on his proposed budget.



My friend and neighbor, Tera, was there, alongside her husband John. They both lost their jobs in the construction industry, and both are now back in school. John is in CSN and studying to become a nurse, while Tera is now at UNLV and studying to become an accountant.

Both spoke so eloquently on the challenges they face daily. They're not "spoiled". They're not "lazy". In fact, against incredible odds of tight family budgets and three kids to raise, they're working to improve their lives and set a great example for their kids.

Tera spoke of adapting to the new economy. This is something I've been begging The Governor and The Legislature to do for our state for quite some time. The real estate speculation and debt fueled "boom times" of the last decade are long gone, so we need to stop acting like we can return to those "good old days".

Numerous ordinary Nevadans have already seen the writing on the wall. "Easy" construction jobs are no longer all that easy to get, and "plentiful" casino jobs are no longer all that plentiful, especially now that the casinos are increasingly investing in foreign markets and less so in new Nevada properties. That's why more and more of them are doing what Tera and John are doing. They're going back to school, working on advanced degrees, and doing what they need to do to access the jobs of the future.

So why can't Brian Sandoval see this? I'm sure he didn't hear any stories like this one at either of his inaugural balls last weekend, so why couldn't he take the time to stop at the town hall at Grant Sawyer on Saturday to listen?

More and more Nevadans realize that the only real way to "let Nevada be Nevada again" is for Nevada not to repeat the mistakes made in the past. The days of "easy money" in gaming and "growth" are behind us. We now have to adapt our economy for the new reality. What are we doing to adapt?

Despite (or maybe because of?) having the second lowest tax rate in the country and the cheapest state government in the country, we also have the fourth WORST business climate in the country. Why is that? Maybe we should listen to the ever increasing chorus of local economists and respected think thanks, like The Brookings Institution and The London School of Economics, telling us that we need to invest in much needed public infrastructure like higher education in order to diversify our economy and break this painful cycle of extreme booms and busts. (And by the way, in case you were wondering, this paragraph is what I brought up when I testified on Saturday.)

Brian Sandoval can talk all he wants about "Nevada being Nevada again" as he smiles and exudes optimism and speaks wistfully of Ronald Reagan, but none of that will put our broken, failed state back together. We need to stop being afraid of having an honest discussion on taxes, and start showing some of the courage of everyday citizens like my neighbor Tera in adapting to the new economy and investing in the infrastructure we need to succeed in it.

More Voices from the Town Halls

These were a few more of the many who testified at yesterday's budget town hall at Grant Sawyer...

Brandi Stengeland and her husband, Eric, told how they had gotten autism treatment for their son Zander, who turns 4 in two weeks, with the help of $1,500 a month from the state's self-directed autism funding.

That money would be cut under Sandoval's budget, Brandi Stengeland said, leaving the total $3,000-a-month treatment to the family. She described how her son had gone from developing normally to becoming non-verbal, refusing to make eye contact.

With the help of the state funding, Zander was now speaking and labeling things.

"After four months of treatment, he put his hands on my face and looked me in the eye and said, 'Mom,'" she told the Legislature. "He told me he was in there. My little boy. What kind of a state would we be if we didn't help people like that?"

"We're in the unenviable situation of having to tell the sickest of the sick that we cannot give them rent assistance," said Barbara Aranosian, a Clark County social worker, at the budget hearing in Las Vegas. "My fellow social workers and I find this abhorrent."

Heather Richardson, who works with foster children, said her caseload is now up to 40 children, or double what's recommended by experts.

Curtis Heald, a former construction worker now at the College of Southern Nevada, said he's on a Ramen diet and a Ramen budget, referring to the inexpensive noodle dish. "Until I asked for financial aid, I never asked for anything in life but opportunity." He said he fears further budget cuts at CSN would hurt his chance at an education and a new job.

I was there. I could feel the pain of the families there. They've learned the hard way that cuts really do hurt, and that continued cutting won't allow our state to heal and grow again.

This was also largely the sentiment of the crowd at the Washoe County Commission chambers in Reno yesterday.

The [Reno] meeting lasted 5.5 hours and attracted at least 600 citizens. A similar meeting in Las Vegas attracted about 800 people, said Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, and chairwoman of the Ways and Means Committee.

"There is a tremendous amount of interest both north and south," Smith said. "The attendance was probably double from the last town hall we had. People are very concerned about the budget, and there are a lot of different opinions."

Many of the speakers were students, concerned about Sandoval's proposed cuts to the higher education budget. Others were concerned about K-12 education and health issues, such as the elimination of mental health triage centers in Reno and Las Vegas. Some expressed dismay over the cutting of funds for children with autism.

"It is always a good reality check when people speak," said state Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, and chairwomen of the state Senate Revenue Committee. "What I am taking away from this is generally people are not in favor of the governor's budget. They are very concerned about education and the cuts to mental health and they think we can do better." [...]

Many college students are concerned that tuition will be raised and they will be driven out of college before they earn their degrees, said Charlie Jose, the president of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada.

"We have students who have incurred years worth of loans to pay for school but may not finish their programs and not have a means to pay back those funds," Jose said. "We have first-generation students who may not finish their degrees and become the symbol of hope and prosperity for their families."

Paulette Batayola, the student body president of Great Basin College in Elko, recalled one of Sandoval's lines in a speech.

"I keep hearing, 'Let's make Nevada Nevada again' but I can't help but ask myself and ask you how is Nevada going to be Nevada again when I can feel we are headed to a Nevada of no return?"

Ain't that the truth.

Our state is hurting, and the last thing we need right now is even more cuts to the very lifelines we are depending upon for a better future. The people of Nevada made that known yesterday, and it seemed some of the legislators in Vegas and Reno were listening. Will they remember when the legislative session begins soon in Carson City?

They have to. We can't let them forget. We won't let them forget. Our state's survival is at stake. Our kids' future is at stake.

Can Nevada ever be Nevada again if our people are cut to death? That's what these budget cuts mean. That's what happens when schools don't function, when people can't access the health care they need, when infrastructure continues to be neglected. How about letting our state and our people heal for a change?

First Thoughts on Today's Town Hall

Yes, I was there today. And yes, I even testified... But I will get to that later.

Right now, I want to share the stories I heard at today's budget hearings. While there were rallies and TV cameras all over the place early on outside, there was compelling testimony happening throughout the day inside.

Jim Morrow, a professor at UNLV whose parents also served Nevada as teachers, reminded us all that "we fund what we value, we cut what we don't". He shared with us what he's seen on campus in terms of students not knowing if they can continue to afford school, and whether he can continue to access the resources he needs to teach. And he reminded us that we students are the future of this state. With no higher education, Nevada is screwed. For good.

Brandon Fraleigh, of Nevada Youth Coalition, wanted to let us all know that "there are kids who care about our education". He told the legislators his heart-wrenching story of his mother being disabled, his sisters dropping out of school after giving up hope, having to skip meals often due to inadequate food stamp aid, the bus he uses being constantly congested and slow, and the teachers at school constantly feeling frustrated due to their own workplace woes. All of this would be more than enough for others to just give up, but Brandon decided his education was far too important to give up because of his own personal difficulties. But yet again, his future is now being threatened... But this time, it may be The State of Nevada threatening his future if The Legislature agrees to Brian Sandoval's budget.

Brian Boothe is a middle school teacher and family man doing his part to educate our kids... Even as he's underpaid and underwater on his Northwest house. He's determined to keep teaching despite his family's hardships, but he warned the legislators that he won't be able to do this forever... And that Nevada only stands to lose even more educated professionals, and our hope for a better economy along with them, if we keep neglecting our schools. "We must stop cutting our future." He reminded us that even Brian Sandoval's #1 hero, Ronald Reagan, recognized he could not slash the schools to death as Governor of California, so he pushed for a, GASP!!!, TAX INCREASE!!!! in order to keep California's world class institutes of higher learning easily accessible and affordable to all residents. So why can't Sandoval follow Reagan's example?

Believe it or not, these were just a few of many compelling real life stories told today at The Grant Sawyer Building. Tomorrow, I will be sharing even more stories... Including my own. Stay tuned.

Shorter State of the State: Deja Vu. "We're Not California". We're Just Repeating All Their Mistakes.

Yep. That's what he said.

“It’s as if the collective Nevada family has gathered around the table — each member leaning forward in his or her chair, eager to hear the news,” he said during Monday’s hourlong speech.

In it, he worked to build on his image as a thoughtful leader who will take care of the state.

Yet while he asked Nevadans to trust his lead, he also asked them not to look to government, particularly the state budget, to see them through the recession.

“Some believe government is the only solution to our current plight,” he said. “I disagree. Unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcy — the cure is not more government spending, but helping businesses create jobs.”

OK, that sounds all happy and sunny and Reagan-y... But how about some reality? Hey, I told you so. All the flowery language in the world can't hide a turd... And Sandoval's proposed budget is one real turd.

What was surprising was that his budget, unveiled Monday, looks much like the one proposed by his predecessor, Jim Gibbons, in 2009 that was rejected by the Legislature: short on bold initiatives, long on kicking the proverbial can down the road by dodging permanent solutions.

Sandoval — who arrived at the state Capitol with a stellar reputation, an experienced staff and the endorsement of more voters than any other politician in November — not only kept his promise not to raise taxes but actually lowered them for Nevada’s largest employers.

He failed to keep his promise of limiting general fund spending to under $5.3 billion — the amount of tax revenue projected by the state’s official forecasters. (Total general fund spending would be $5.8 billion under his spending plan.)

How did he accomplish his task? With cuts to K-12 schools, higher education, state worker pay, combined with the sleights of hand that have become familiar in recent years. The Sandoval administration called them $1 billion in “revenue reallocations.”

In other words, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

And for me, it also feels like deja vu.

I've seen this train leave the station so many times before in California. I've seen the devastating cuts that do nothing to help, and actually hurt economic recovery. I've seen the teabaggers (and their ideological predecessors) hold the budget hostage as they propose no realistic solutions. What I saw from Brian Sandoval in Carson City last night didn't seem all that different from what I experienced when Arnold Schwarzenegger ruled Sacramento. And I've seen far too many instances of legislators taking the easy road of toying with ridiculous budgetary gimmicks (moving money from this fund to that fund, calling taxes something else, playing games with bonds, stealing local funds to pay state bills, etc.) instead of solving the actual problems at hand. And funny enough, it's often the teabaggers here whining about "Nevada becoming California".

Already, Sandoval has released an "education plan" that's legally redundant and nonsensical. He talked plenty about "diversifying our economy", but he proposed a budget that would dismantle the very colleges that are crucial to educating the workforce we need for a healthy, sustainable, and diversified economy. Sandoval even bragged about "restoring cuts" to critical health care services ordered by Jim Gibbons just before leaving office last month, but he was just playing numerical chicanery by "robbing Peter to pay Paul" (that is, stealing money from certain programs to fund other programs). Oh, and what Sandoval wants still isn't keeping up with population growth that occurred in the last decade and certainly isn't keeping up with increased demand caused by "The Great Recession".

Dreams of Californication, right?



Can we just make Jerry Brown our Governor, move all our legislators to Sacramento, and call it a day?

Or can we leave behind the mistakes made in California and Arizona and elsewhere, avoid all our own past mistakes, and move forward with new ideas that might actually make our economy healthier and make our state more sustainable? And perhaps take those ideas from elsewhere that work and make them work here?





Perhaps instead of listening to Brian Sandoval make taxes and revenue some sort of "scary bogeymen", we need to get real about the solutions we need to our problems and ensure we preserve and protect the public infrastructure, like schools and roads, that we need for a healthy economy and a climate that will bring more jobs to Nevada. Perhaps we need to leave behind our antiquated 19th century tax structure once and for all, and work on the kind of solutions necessary to make Nevada work in the 21st century.

“We believe the size and scope of Nevada’s financial difficulties are greater than the governor indicated and demand still more thought if the job is to be done right,” [Assembly Speaker-elect John] Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, said from Carson City.

“Let’s level with Nevadans,” Oceguera said. “Reducing the cost and size of government, promoting business growth, rebuilding our infrastructure and improving our schools will not be enough to balance our budget.

“The situation is more severe, and (the) facts and figures unveiled through open, public legislative hearings and a rigorous examination will make that clear,” he said.
Oceguera said that because “Nevada could not find the will to repair” its weak financial structure when it was able during good economic times, “we find ourselves obligated to fix it now during hard times when we must.”

“Rebuilding and investing in Nevada will cost us,” he said. “But putting off solutions, which are right in front of us, will cost us dearly. We get what we pay for.”

I hope Oceguera and the rest of our lawmakers are up to the task. They have to be. We can't afford to fall back into the same trap.

"State of the State" Coverage Tonight & Tomorrow

Tonight's the night we've been waiting for... Or is it? It's not as if Governor Sandoval will be giving us reality tonight. Instead, it will probably be some sort of self-congratulatory BS. Whatever.

Anyway, I'll be watching the whole thing tonight with our friends at SEIU and PLAN, and I will be live tweeting @atdleft, and tomorrow morning I'll have deeper analysis up over here. Just be ready not to hear any real answers. We may need to supply some for Carson City ourselves.

Hey, Brian. Where's the "Shared Sacrifice"?

There's a heartbreaking story in today's Sun about real people whose lives will become real hell. Highly recommended reading...

But unlike other sad stories that seem unsolvable, we can solve this one. It just involves giving Brian Sandoval a much needed reality check.

During the boom, Nevadans, from the executive suites of the Strip to the suburbs with their inflated home prices, were building tremendous wealth. There were fights about what to fund and who should pay, but as long as Reno and Las Vegas kept stretching into the desert, there were resources.

Now, the state is left with largely the same problems — in some cases they’re a little worse, in some cases a little better (see accompanying chart). Employment, hours worked, wages and wealth have all plummeted. This has created surging demand for services such as Medicaid and food stamps, as government’s ability to deal with the same old problems, let alone the new ones, is diminished.

Brian Sandoval's proposed solution to this is "shared sacrifice"... That is, we plebes do all the sacrificing while his ultra rich BFFs continue raping and pillaging Nevada taking advantage of Nevada's lack of taxes. Even though many have thought Sandoval would soon wake up and smell the coffee, it seems now he's going completely in the other direction and embracing the delusional insanity of "no new taxes" BS.

Elliott Parker, an economist at UNR, said both spending cuts and tax increases have a negative effect on a state’s gross domestic product during times of recession. But, in particular, a cut in existing government spending is the worse alternative.

“There’s a big difference between doing something in a recession and doing something in a boom,” he said. “When the economy is going great guns, you can cut the government sector and pretty easily make up the difference in the overall sector.” [...]

The experience of the past two years underscores why talk of bright futures must turn to how the state improves fundamental services such as education.

It’s hard to sell CEOs on a state when you can’t assure them that their children and their employees’ children will receive a good education.

“If we do not close educational attainment gaps, nothing else will attract business,” said Robert Lang, director of Brookings Mountain West, a public policy think tank at UNLV.

“At some point we are just going to have to invest in our own future and say it’s in all our best interests to spend the money,” said Jeremy Aguero, principal of the consulting firm Applied Analysis.

Will someone in Carson City please start believing them? They don't have to believe me. Just believe the experts who are now begging us to get real.

If Brian Sandoval is so serious about "shared sacrifice", why won't he ask his fully loaded multinational corporate buddies to pay their fair share so that people don't get kicked out of their homes, thrown out of school, and left all alone to suffer in "Third World Nevada"? I know we can do better. We have to do better. We don't have any other choice, so go tell Brian that.

The Real State of Our State

(H/T Gleaner)



If you actually want to do something about it, check out Nevada Values Coalition. Nevada's future is in our hands. Let's save our state!

Tuesday Reads

Before I leave the door this morning, I just wanted to share some stories I'm keeping my eye on:

- Rep. Joe Heck (R-WAY uphill from my house) gets another mention in today's Sun. Basically, he's basking in the glow of all the media attention and love from GOP leadership. Sounds nice, I guess, but will he remember that District 3 needs a representative in Congress (not just another politician looking to use this seat to jump to higher office)?

- Justin McAfee, of The Nevada View, wonders if the "tea party" can really last much longer. It seems whenever times are turbulent, American politics gets shaken up by extremists and/or opportunists hoping to benefit from populist rage. Will the teabaggers eventually join the likes of The Know-nothings, The Populists, and Ross Perot's Reform Party in the dustbin of history?

- Today's Reno Gazette Journal has an interesting article on Bill Raggio, "The Lion of the Legislature", who was forced by a foot injury to retire from The State Senate. Wow. He's been winning and losing elections almost as long as my dad has been alive!

- And finally, it sounds like Maven was feeling as frustrated as I was yesterday. Really, what have we done with Dr. King's dream?

In the next week, I'll continue to track the aftermath of the Arizona Tragedy, what's coming up in the 2011 session of The Nevada Legislature, and take a look at what Nevada's members of Congress are up to. Stay tuned!

Our Schools, Our Future

You've heard me talk about it for ages. So this morning, I'll let you read about our legislators actually seeing it for themselves.

The lawmakers got an ear and an eye full as they were quick-marched, among other classes, through a risk-management class, an advanced-placement government class, and an elementary school mathematics class where second-graders sang about “My Hero, the Zero.”

It was also an opportunity for School District officials to lobby a captive audience of legislators. Lauren Kohut-Rost, deputy superintendent of instruction, asked the assemblymen on the bus, “What is $189 million?”

When no one knew, she answered her own question: “That’s the dollar amount the Class of 2010 at Clark High School won in scholarships last year.”

There are some amazing kids doing amazing things at our schools... But that may change, and not for the better, if school budgets are further slashed to death.

Hey, don't just take my word for it... Desert Beacon has the facts and figures to back it up.

We get what we pay for. Do we want a smarter workforce or fuller prisons? We need to rethink our priorities.

If politics were principle based, we could get a lot more done. Since we all agree that our efforts would be better spent teaching a man to fish than just handing him one, perhaps we should agree to keep our education system accessible and affordable so all people can learn to fish. [...]

While our tax environment in Nevada is one of the best in the nation for businesses, our overall business environment is horrible because of our poorly funded education system. Ikea and other businesses will continue to pass up coming here if we refuse to change.

The very conservative neighbor state of Arizona has more taxes and spends more on education than we do because they see business opportunity over ideological stubbornness. If we truly want to be business friendly, we need to provide services in this state that attract business. Education is number one on that list. To do this, conservatives need to write their legislators and tell them that education is too important to cut.

Will we?

Terror in Arizona: Can It Happen Here? Is Nevada Next?

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You know, Rachel Maddow has a point. This wasn't really "unimaginable". It's been happening all over the country...

So might the next horrifying American massacre happen here in Nevada? At UNR? Near an Elko mine? At a casino on Las Vegas Boulevard? At a brothel in Pahrump? Perhaps so.

Here's the law as it stands...

Nevada Gun Laws

Concealed Carry Weapons

On July 7, 1995, Senate Bill 299 was signed into law, and soon afterward, thousands of Nevada residents took advantage of the law that allowed them to carry a handgun concealed upon them. A steady stream of Nevadans have been obtaining carry of concealed weapon permits ever since. In 1999, Assembly Bill 166 made legal concealed carry possible in more public places.



Registration

Clark County requires registration of handguns only. All other counties have no registration of any guns.



Background Check

All Nevada counties implement the national background check through the Nevada Highway Patrol. By state law, any private party may access Nevada's background check system for the purpose of checking the background of a potential gun purchaser. Currently, the check costs $25.



Open Carry

In Nevada, you may carry a loaded or unloaded firearm on your person without a permit so long as the firearm is fully exposed (known as "open carry"). An example of open carry is when a handgun is carried in an "outside the pants" hip holster. Full or partial concealment (such as a purse, jacket, etc.) is considered concealed carry.

And here's what's been happening.

With more guns sold and registered per capita than anywhere in the U.S., Nevada is a gun state - always has been.

It also is the gun-death state. According to the Center for Disease Control, since 2000, Nevada has led the nation with an average of 26 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people.

War-torn Iraq averaged 32 gun deaths per 100,000 people last year, according to the same study.

At least once a year, an accidental gun death here makes national headlines.

And here's the frightening reality of how incredibly easy it is for some mentally disturbed person or deranged sociopath to obtain lethal firearms in Nevada.

According to the latest scorecard by the National Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Nevada fails miserably when it comes to curbing illegal firearm trafficking, conducting background checks, promoting child safety, banning assault weapons, and keeping guns out of public places.

Nevada received only 11 points out of a possible 100. [...]

While there is no state law requiring a waiting period for first-time handgun buyers, [Gun store owner Bob] Irwin says Clark County has a 3-day restriction.

Yet anyone can buy a handgun or assault weapon on the spot at a Nevada gun show — no questions asked.

“I can’t believe that’s allowed. It’s putting people at risk,” said Maria Outcalt with Domestic Violence Prevention.

It’s that easy access that has Outcalt convinced that stronger gun control laws would help curb violence.

While our gun laws are not nearly as lax as Arizona's, they're certainly "forgiving" enough for someone who otherwise shouldn't be carrying guns to access them.

This is a problem. Seriously.

While some may not agree with the gun safety proposals discussed by Lawrence O'Donnell and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-New York) last night, at least they were willing to have an honest discussion on the alarming trend of allowing more dangerous weapons to fall into the hands of those likely not able to handle them.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Yes, yes, I've heard that famous clause: "Guns don't kill. People do." But you know what? When mentally disturbed people can access extremely lethal "weapons of mass distruction" so easily at the neighborhood gun store or local gun show, that's a serious problem.

And you know what else is a problem? This.

Nevada's mental health director says this state ranks near the bottom of per person spending on services. And it's just about to get worse with deep budget cuts.

Jared Loughner's mindset and motives before the Tucson shooting are now under scrutiny. Those who know him these past years paint a picture of a mentally disturbed young man, describing his as ranting, destructive and threatening. Fellow students feared he might bring a gun to the school. [...]

[Las Vegas/Clark County] Metro police say there are around 6,000 cases of mental health detainments every year. Those detainments last up to 72 hours and then the state may get involved if there's and issue.

State mental health services face a 14 percent cut and program eliminations this year which is in addition to cuts they have suffered in previous years. UMC's Emergency Chief Dale Carrison spoke to the I-Team last fall about the backlog.

"We've medically cleared them. Now, there's a big line, and if southern Nevada adult mental health for some reason can't turn the patients over, than it builds up."

Nevada's budget cuts this year are likely to include mental health court. It's a program designed to get convicted mental ill people into treatment programs so jail is not their only option.

Back in December, then Governor-elect Brian Sandoval didn't wince as news was leaking of severe budget cuts in the pipeline. And if that wasn't bad enough, The Nevada View reported just last week my new State Senator, Michael Roberson (R-Henderson), hinted at the renewed "tea party" effort to push a "cuts only" budget agenda that would gut the very mental health resources that can possibly prevent another mentally unstable person from taking to violence here in Clark County, as Jared Lee Loughner did in Tucson last week.

The LA Times' Steve Lopez zeroed in on this crisis in the making in his column today.

Sure, Loughner's homicidal outburst might have been affected by anti-government rhetoric and political diatribes on the Internet or on the airwaves. But we're missing the point if that's all we focus on.

Arizona has implemented dramatic cuts in mental health services in the last few years, as have states across the nation. And if the national healthcare reform bill is repealed, as government-shrinking crusaders are promising, more mental health services will be lost.

Loughner was able to buy a gun — the gun authorities said he used to shoot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others at a supermarket — despite numerous interactions with authorities suggesting he was unstable. If you're surprised, you shouldn't be. Many in this country have worked hard to make it easier to get guns than mental health services, even after the Virginia Tech massacre of 2006, in which 32 people were killed by a young man who was mentally ill.

Now let me pause here to clarify something, because the last thing I want to do is make the stigma surrounding mental illness worse than it is, or to suggest that you ought to pick up the phone and call authorities every time you see someone who acts a little peculiar.

The vast majority of people with mental illness aren't dangerous. But a small minority will become violent, especially those with severe symptoms that go untreated. Ironically, one reason so many don't seek help is because of the stigma, along with the fact that this country has never given mental health treatment the priority it deserves. If you doubt that, just take a look at recent reports on the military's disinclination to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injury in soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

What the Arizona tragedy ought to spark is not a hysterical conversation about politics, but an honest conversation on the need for earlier diagnosis and better education about mental illness. Since the first signs of delusional behavior often emerge in the late teens and early 20s, teachers and staff at high schools and colleges should be trained to recognize the signs of mental disorders and intervene effectively.

I know from experience that it isn't always easy to convince someone to seek help or to predict the behavior of someone who has severe mental disorders. But although mental illness can't be cured, it can often be treated and managed in a way that relieves suffering for those afflicted, as well as for their families, and helps prevent tragedy.

While California's own mental health resources have been strained due to budget cuts there, they at least have something. Both Arizona and Nevada have next to nothing. Strangely enough, it's far easier here to buy a gun than to get help. This is nothing short of frightening.

As usual, Desert Beacon sheds more light on this pressing issue.

The consequences may be not always be nationally tragic, but for families and individuals trapped by the debilitation of mental diseases the results are always tragic. And not always addressed -- as demonstrated by this commentary from a nurse: "Having spent many years of my life working in a locked psychiatric unit as a nurse, I can attest that the majority of our schizophrenic clients, though sometimes frightening, especially to those not familiar with the illness, were not dangerous. However, clients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia will sometimes act on their paranoid delusions. I have personally seen how difficult our mental health system can be to navigate. Family members would call me and beg for help, but help is available only under a very special set of circumstances. Sometimes people will seek treatment voluntarily, however, in order to commit a person involuntarily they have to meet certain criteria, either DTS (danger to self), DTO (danger to others) or GD(gravely disabled). The greater problem is that now it is very difficult to obtain any type of outpatient treatment, as insurance generally will not pay for it, or pay only a very small amount. Most people simply cannot afford any more to pay for mental health treatment." 

We know that Loughner appears to have some traits associated with mental illness, including confused and distorted thought patterns, implying his receptivity to conspiracy theories, both internally and externally derived. We may infer that he acted on these, which adds another layer to the overall diagnosis. Those who had contact with him at Pima Community College report that he was removed from a math class by a counselor and a police officer, was suspended, and later agreed to withdraw from school in October. [WaPo]

What help he might have sought, or what assistance might have been sought for him, have yet to be revealed publicly.  However, it's clear that obtaining mental health services is at least as difficult as the nurse-commenter referenced above. Google "state mental health budget cuts" and you'll get at least 22,200,000 results.  Mental health advocates in Texas are worried about the impact of decreased funding, [KHOU]  advocates in Mississippi are worried as well, they may be facing cuts of 15%.  [LaurelLdr] Mental health budgets have been slashed in Oklahoma. [KRMG]   At the top of the list of NAMI's Ten States Hurt by the Mental Health Budget cuts, is Arizona.  Nevada stands 7th on that listing. [...]


Before anyone in Nevada is tempted to pass judgment on Arizona's situation in terms of mental and behavioral health services, we should note that in 2006 Nevada received a "D" grade from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the same "D" grade three years later in 2009.  In health promotion and measurement terms (evidence based practices, emergency room waiting time, quantity of psychiatric beds) Nevada got an "F." Nevada got a 45% "D" for financing, Medicaid reimbursements to providers to evidence based providers, and more; another "D" for measures such as consumer and family access to essential information from the state, promotion of consumer run programs, and family/peer education and support. There was another "F" for state support of activities requiring collaboration among state mental health agencies and other state agencies and systems. Among the "urgent needs" suggested by the NAMI: (1) restore inpatient staffing levels; (2) increased support for case management, medications, and therapy; and (3) increased resources for supportive housing options. 

Interestingly enough, this week's news was supposed to be dominated by upcoming Congressional debate over repealing health care reform... The very same health care reform legislation that included efforts to improve mental health care.

The law signed by President Obama last week expands parity to a much wider pool, making it possible for millions more people to get the same coverage for substance abuse and illnesses like bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia as they would for, say, diabetes or cancer. There are no exact figures, but the mentally ill are more likely to be uninsured than the general population, advocates and researchers say.

“A lot of this still has to play out in terms of how parity works,” said Michael J. Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, an advocacy group. But the new law “can change the mental health system in America and really give families and individuals an opportunity to get a level of access to care we could only fantasize about before this became law,” he said.

Parity means that deductibles, co-payments and limits on the number of visits or days of coverage must be no more restrictive for coverage of mental illnesses and substance abuse than for coverage of medical and surgical treatments. If a plan provides for out-of-network medical benefits, it must provide out-of-network mental health benefits.

Under the new health law, employees of companies with 50 or fewer workers, whose employers were not required to comply with the existing parity law, would receive equal mental health benefits if their employers opt for the state-run exchange plans, available in 2014.

Health care reform also means expanded coverage for mental health care in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Considering what just happened last weekend, perhaps House Republican leaders need to do more than just postpone their planned vote on repealing health care reform. Since repeal is unlikely and the reform legislation now looks more necessary than ever before, perhaps repeal needs to be permanently shelved. Instead, wouldn't it be refreshing to see Congress actually address the pressing issues of today by examining why it's easier to obtain a gun than to access mental health care? And wouldn't it be encouraging to see Governor Sandoval and The Nevada Legislature also address these pressing issues by looking at our own budget and our own problems in taking care of our fellow Nevadans?

Haven't we had more than enough tragedy already?