NV-04: A Surprising Turn

Earlier this year, Jim Rogers surprised many with his endorsement of Danny Tarkanian. Many kept asking why someone who's cared so much and done so much for public education would endorse someone who really doesn't care about our schools. Well, I guess this was a relationship that was doomed to fail. Last week, Rogers wrote this.

With one statement, Danny Tarkanian removed himself from the group of politicians I will support in the upcoming election. Tarkanian, in a debate with Horsford, said he didn’t believe higher education should be a right. He said new provisions to subsidize college education would not be wise because of the economic problems facing the country. This is an outrageously ignorant statement. Only higher education has the ability to prepare our citizens to make the American economy recover. Tarkanian’s views would continue to spiral the downward plunge of the American economy.

Indeed, Baby Tark actually did say that. And he's reiterated his support for the "Balanced Budget Amendment", which is less about actually balancing the federal budget and more about defunding public education while also gutting Medicare & Social Security to death. Perhaps this weighed on Rogers' decision (redo) as well.

Oh, and there was also this.

Jim Rogers, the mercurial television station owner and former head of the Nevada System of Higher Education, has changed horses in the Congressional District 4 race.

Once a blistering critic of Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, he now said in an interview he is supporting him over Republican Danny Tarkanian.

“Of the two, he’s the better candidate,” he said. “I still have problems with Steven. But, you know, those are more irritating than substantive.”

He sent a letter to Horsford on Thursday saying he would not support Tarkanian because “my enthusiasm for his candidacy has waned” as he learned about Tarkanian’s “understanding of the critical issues facing Nevada.”

Rogers also said Horsford committed to bringing a “full service medical school” to Southern Nevada.

“I am also pleased by your written commitment to me to bring expanded health and medical services through a new complex to be built in Southern Nevada which will be anchored by a full-service medical school,” Rogers said.

You know, it helps to work with someone who actually wants a working government. Steven Horsford gets that. And it finally dawned on Rogers earlier this month that Horsford gets that... And Tarkanian does not.

That's really the story of this NV-04 race full of crazy twists and turns. One candidate actually understands the office he's now running for, while the other simply does not.

(The Need for Change Is) Still at the Center of It All

Yesterday, Governor Brian Sandoval razzle-dazzled the far right wing of the gaming-mining-lobbying industrial complex with his moving speech. Really, do you need me to tell you what he said?

Economic development is “a contact sport,” Sandoval said Wednesday during a speech at the Silverton for members of the Keystone Corporation, a conservative anti-tax business group. “If we want to be in the game, we have to have a cutting-edge approach.”

Earlier this year, Sandoval unveiled a new state economic development plan that relies on regional development authorities and “industry specialists” who will work with specific business sectors to increase exports, research and development.

Wow. I wonder what's "cutting-edge" about Sandoval's approach. Could it be? Could it possibly be... Oh, never mind.

Gov. Brian Sandoval today told conservative business group Keystone Corporation that his decision to support a two-year extension of taxes that were scheduled to expire eliminates the need for any new taxes to balance the state budget.

The governor received a standing ovation from the large gathering of business and political leaders at the Silverton in Las Vegas when he said he will block any new business taxes.

Of course, that isn't stopping the G-O-TEA wing of Sandoval's party from screaming "SELLOUT!!!" over his decision to extend the 2009/2011 "sunset tax" deal. And really, that's the point. By basking in the glow of "Bid'ness Establishment" praise while fending off nasty-grams from the likes of Chuck Muth and NPRI, Sandoval looks so "moderate" and "reasonable" by comparison.

But seriously, how "reasonable" is continuing the status quo? Can we really handle any more "moderate" solutions to the serious problems crippling our state's economy?

Brian Sandoval claims he took his new position on the budget because he doesn't want to cut education funding any more. OK, that's a start. But still, that's not enough to fix what's fundamentally wrong with our state. Jim Rogers clearly pointed that out last week.

One must question the timing of Sandoval’s pledge to education, especially during an election year. The governor may simply be posturing when he says, "no more cuts to education.” When push comes to shove, he certainly will follow the Republican party line to destroy public education. Education has little or no blood left. For all practical purposes, public education is dead in Nevada and Sandoval’s promise not to take the last half pint of blood is meaningless.

The governor is delusional if he believes the education community does not know he is anti-public education. Politicians have their own set of rules for truthfulness. That is, there are no rules. A politician will say anything on day one and just the opposite on day two and will actually believe that the day two statement will control and that no one will remember the previous contradictory statement. Sandoval has done everything possible to eliminate Nevada’s public education system. He now seems to believe that with a little play on words the public will forget what he has done.

Nailed it.

No, really. Look at CCSD trustees fighting with teachers over cost-of-living increases and education benefits. Look at WCSD Chief Heath Morrison fleeing to North Carolina taking over Charlotte's schools and leaving Northern Nevada behind. Nevada, we have a problem. And no, "moderate" looking continuation of the status quo won't do anything to solve it.

Brian Sandoval's BFF Monte Miller recently dropped his tax initiatives because he's satisfied that Sandoval and the gaming-mining-lobbying industrial complex want to continue the status quo. And remember, the status quo has only been delivering failure. The status quo is limiting our potential for future growth, development, and improvement.

Seriously, we can't afford any more of the status quo. At least the Nevada AFL-CIO seems to understand that. Maybe it really will take a full throated call to justice for Nevada's 99% to finally get some badly needed change.

The 800 Pound Gorilla in the Classroom

Last week, former Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Chancellor Jim Rogers called out the 800 pound gorilla that always seems to be in the room when critical higher ed budgets are decided. Last Wednesday, Rogers pointed out what should be glaring inequities.

When UNLV was growing from 20,856 students to 28,317 students in about a decade (1998-2008), instead of building UNLV's infrastructure at twice the rate as UNR's to make up for some of this inequity, UNR received roughly 800k gross square feet of new state funded space while UNLV received approximately the same. The other new buildings UNLV acquired during that period were paid for with institution-based funding, some generated by student fees. Even when the state came up with funding, UNLV provided much more in matching funds than UNR did. For example, 40% of the cost of the Greenspun building at UNLV was donated by the Greenspun family to the tune of $37 million. UNR committed nothing like this amount in either private or institutional funds.

Honestly, I've never been a fan of privatizing public education, so I'm not advocating forcing UNR to rely on more private funds. However, I have wondered why "the political and educational powers that be" in this state have forced UNLV to do this. Thankfully, Rogers and I no longer look to be alone. The Sun penned this editorial yesterday that really highlighted what's at stake.

The current funding formula was created by the Legislature under the leadership of the late Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, who was masterful at shuttling resources to Northern Nevada. And, as a result, Southern Nevada schools have been short-changed by a formula weighted to the north.

That can’t continue. UNLV has grown significantly, yet the state funding hasn’t kept pace because of the formula. The state has to address the needs of Southern Nevada’s schools, especially considering their vital role in educating the state’s workforce. The bulk of the students in Nevada’s colleges and universities resides in Clark County, so under-funding the schools here is unfair and makes no sense. That’s especially true considering the role higher education can play in the economy.

A study of the Intermountain West has shown that regions with higher education levels have fared better than others during the nation’s economic doldrums. As we have said before, colleges and universities can help drive an economy, but they have to be given the chance.

The funding formula by itself isn’t the answer. Lawmakers should consider the overall funding of higher education. Klaich has made a point of keeping the discussion about the funding formula separate from that discussion. He told the Sun that he didn’t want it to look like he was using the funding formula to try to get more money out of the state. That’s fair, and lawmakers shouldn’t confuse the two. Nor should they think that by fixing the funding formula, the problem will be solved. No matter how perfect the funding formula is, it won’t matter if the Legislature doesn’t fund it sufficiently.

Of course, this isn’t a matter of simply throwing money at the problem. Any spending has to be strategic and directed toward meeting the state’s goals, and there has to be results. However, at the same point, the state’s spending on education simply hasn’t been adequate.

Certainly, the late Bill Raggio left behind a legacy of reaching across the aisle to find reasonable budget solutions and continuing investment in higher education. However we can't ignore the entirety of his legacy, which also included "finding" additional funding for Northern Nevada colleges no matter the situation. During the "good times", UNR was receiving the same amount of construction funding as UNLV despite UNLV desperately needing more capacity for its expanding student population. And during the hard times, Great Basin College hasn't had to experience the kinds of fears (of losing classes, faculty, and so much more) that Nevada State College and the CSN system have had to face.

Again, I do NOT want to see UNR or Great Basin or any other Northern Nevada college cut down to Southern Nevada colleges' present level. All that would do is ruin what's left of higher education for the entire state. UNR has certainly played a valuable role in diversifying the Reno area economy. We need to see more of that, NOT the emerging threat of essentially selling parts of UNR and/or UNLV to the Koch empire so they can turn our schools into their "tea party" ideological training grounds.

Instead, I would love to see UNLV, Nevada State, and the CSN system brought up to the level of funding, and essentially the level of respect, that Northern Nevada colleges now enjoy. Back in January, Dr. Robert Lang from UNLV Brookings Mountain West took to KNPR's "State of Nevada" to explain how Southern Nevada has suffered due to the lack of proper investment in our public infrastructure. While the likes of UNR and Western Nevada College have played a vital role in diversifying Northern Nevada's economy, Southern Nevada has remained captive to the whims of tourists and real estate speculators because we don't have enough classrooms for Clark County students and enough opportunities for Clark County's diverse communities. As we've discussed many times before, our economy will never really be sustainable if we keep unrealistic expectations of surviving on "exotic" stripping, bar tending, and valet parking alone.

So it's long past due for NSHE to finally do something about the longstanding inequities in the higher education funding formula. Again, hardly anyone wants to see Northern Nevada suffer from cruel cuts. However, we need to stop asking Southern Nevada colleges to suffer the worst of budget cuts while being spared the best of growth opportunities. It's time to start properly investing in Southern Nevada's future for a change. We will soon have over two million people here in Clark County, so it's time for our burgeoning metropolis to finally get the respect we deserve.

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.