Keep it Klassy, Camden.

1:00 PM UPDATE: Camden replied to us a little earlier. Here's what they tweeted:

@atdleft We apologize for the inappropriate emails & be assured that we're taking corrective actions to prevent this from happening again.

In addition, we've heard from our source that a Summerlin area Camden property is claiming it had nothing to do with the email. So far, they're claiming the national corporate office in Texas ordered this. We'll have to wait and see who's telling the truth on this.

But hey, at least they're now apologizing.


What else can we say about this? Keep it klassy, Camden.

(A great friend of Nevada Progressive tipped us off to this Thursday night. The next morning, someone else tipped off Ralston. Apparently, Camden is sending these letters all over Southern Nevada.)

October 23, 2014 5:03 PM
Subject: Vote NO on Question 3

To Our Valued Residents:

As you are probably aware, the November 4, 2014 ballot contains a question asking Nevada voters to approve a 2% margin tax on the gross revenues of businesses. This is not a proposed tax on profits; it is a tax on the total amount of revenue a business receives before paying all of its expenses – and businesses would be required to pay this tax even if they are not profitable or are struggling to keep the business running.

While this apartment community is home to you and your family, please remember that it is also a business. If the 2% margin tax passes on November 4, 2014, the owners of this apartment community will be significantly affected by this tax. If the 2% margin tax passes on November 4, 2014, the owners of this apartment community will be forced to find ways to pay this tax -- which may potentially result in the eventual raising of your rent. Please remember that the impact of this 2% margin tax will not be felt by Nevada businesses alone, it will ultimately be passed onto you as the consumer for a lot more than just rent. Accordingly, this proposed tax will affect you.

While we all care about education (and want the best for our children) this Margin Tax Initiative DOES NOT give education the true shot in the arm it needs, as only a small portion of the tax would actually benefit education. However, imposing this tax on Nevada businesses -- those that are employing our families and driving our economy – is not the answer. We strongly urge you to support this apartment community you call home and to vote NO on Question 3 when you go to the polls on November 4, 2014.

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Is this even legal? It certainly doesn't sound like something the Better Business Bureau recommends.

We know the No on 3 campaign has a penchant for the melodramatic. But really, this is a new low. These renters have a business agreement with Camden. They didn't sign up for Camden emails so campaign flyers can drop in their inboxes.

So is this the new LVGEA "Get Out the Vote" plan to kill The Education Initiative (TEI)? We know they can't compete on policy. So now they're having their friends at Camden send intimidating emails to renters at Camden apartment complexes?

Is this even legal? It's amazing to think this is actually for real.

No "Deal", No Mirage, No Dilemma

We had a feeling this was coming. In his "Sunday Column" yesterday, Jon Ralston moaned about the difficult choice he has regarding Question 3. Dare we say the typically very opinionated pundit hasn't yet made up his mind?

We understand this is difficult for him. He wants to believe. He wants to believe the Governor & Legislature will magically reach "The Deal" that Las Vegas Sun publisher Brian Greenspun alluded to in his column announcing his opposition to The Education Initiative (TEI). If we just give the "bid'ness establishment" just a little more time to "bring everyone together", can't we all just get along and praise the glorious arrival of "The Deal"?

However, Ralston has seen this same s--tshow play out so many times that he can sense "The Deal" is just a mirage. And when we say mirage here, we're not talking about the Strip casino resort with the volcano.

There's a reason why the very "bid'ness establishment" that's promising to usher in "The Deal" is spending so much to kill TEI. Every time anyone has suggested some kind of comprehensive and progressive tax reform, it's gone in to kill reform. Not even then Governor Kenny Guinn (R) could succeed at that front in 2003.

So why are we to believe "this time will be different"? And why are we to believe this time they will actually behave differently? We don't even know what's in this "Deal". And to be completely honest, we don't know if there will ever be a real "Deal".

However, we have the real deal on our ballot now. The No on 3 campaign offers a beautiful mirage of a miraculous "deal". But as with all mirages, this one is simply an illusion. Even Ralston seems to understand this.

As we've said before, our choice on Question 3 truly comes down to this: Something or nothing. We can either agree to the real deal for Nevada schools by saying yes to Question 3, or we can just say no and eventually realize there's no deal behind "Door No on 3".

We understand this may actually be a dilemma for Ralston and some other Nevada voters. Why must we be stuck with this decision? Why must we have to decide tax policy at the ballot box?

We just don't see this as a dilemma any more. That's because we're sick and tired of being offered nothing but enticing mirages and ficitious "deals" by the Carson City "bid'ness establishment". We want the real deal, and we now know exactly how to achieve it.

Why "TEA Party, Inc." Fears "T Word" Honesty

(They did it again. Of course, they did it again! They're the powers that be who happen to run the state's largest [absolute embarrassment of a] "newspaper". Today, they published another in-house anti-TEI ad. But this time, they posted it on the front page and right under a story boasting about how much money the No on 3 campaign has raised!

Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

So we figured today is the perfect day to take a trip down the Nevada Progressive archives and back to June 2012. Let's review why we now have Question 3 on our fall ballot. Let's examine the truth behind the lies being propagated by opponents of The Education Initiative. And let's remember how this whole Question 3 campaign began.)

As we noted yesterday, the corporate margin tax is finally going live. And already, it's making a big splash. And already, the radical right is making noise on how "dangerous" this is.



The usual "tea party" suspects are kicking up the scare tactics. Who knew a simple margin tax, a tax proposal that some progressives complain doesn't go far enough[, could be so damned frightening?] That's why I had a good laugh when I saw NPRI's hand wringing, and why I then rejoiced when I saw Sebring's rebuttal of NPRI's fearmongering at The Nevada View.

Anti-tax reform groups, like NPRI, feeling like they have duped and confused middle class citizens go on to state that “research shows there’s little to no correlation between $ and student achievement.” The facts are not on their side though. As the Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) project and the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) project have shown, “Research concentrating on class size is important because the findings have largely concluded that smaller class size leads to increases in student achievement, helps to close the minority-majority achievement gap, and has several other long lasting benefits.” Class size reduction though isn’t possible without an increase in the number of teachers in classrooms within a district. Logic tells us that these increases in teacher counts will cost money. Thereby showing that increased financial investments in schools most certainly does increase student achievements, as well as providing other socially relevant benefits.

For decades, the likes of NPRI have deceived Nevadans into thinking we could get something for nothing. But in the last decade, we've had to learn the hard way that we really can't get "money for nothing and chicks for free". Instead, our penchant for rewarding tax evasion has only caused us unnecessary pain and suffering as we've failed to invest in the public infrastructure (like public schools) necessary for growing a sustainable and diversified economy.

Even Ralston, who sometimes wants to like NPRI almost as much as he hates the initiative process, couldn't stay mum on NPRI's idiotic attempt to stifle reasonable discussion on badly needed tax reform. And that's what has "Tea Party, Inc." running scared. The frustration is real, the need for reform is real, and now the first step in building a lasting solution to our chronic budget AND economic development woes is real. They're trying desperately to stifle this, but their days of bullying Nevada into remaining a failed state (just so their corporate patrons can reap the rewards of our suffering) are numbered.

Here's the Truth.

Perhaps you've been reading about the scary new attack ads bombarding our TVs, radios, and even internet enabled devices. They've all been spreading the same message: "WE'RE DOOMED!!!"



Yes, we've seen the actual ads, including the one starring the very person who started The Education Initiative (TEI) in the first place. "The Coalition to Stop Any Effort to Make Them Pay Their Fair Share" is hoping its bribes to this person will be enough to sway us to "STOP THE SCAWEEEEEE MAAAAARRRRGGINN TAX!!!"

Here's the problem: They have nothing. They literally offer nothing. And that's deliberate, as these "big bid'ness" types are the same folks who have always fought any & every effort to properly fund public education in this state. What makes anyone think they actually now "believe the children are our future"?

Here's what really scares them: More & more Nevadans are finally realizing what they're truly up to. And now that TEI is on our fall ballot, We the People finally have the opportunity to do what they've been preventing in Carson City for far too long.

Here's the truth behind their scary attack ads: They can't prove what they're claiming. If TEI is so "job killing", then why isn't Nevada doing better under the "no tax" status quo? Why are states with higher "tax burdens" seeing better job growth and balanced budgets while we lag behind?

Yesterday, new independent analysis from two UNR economists confirmed what we've been saying for some time: TEI will help Nevada's economy by restoring investment in public education. This is why a number of local business owners, such as Ron Nelsen & Cassie Rice, have come forward to explain why they're more than willing to invest more to build a better future for our kids.





Here's the truth behind all the media spin surrounding Question 3: Our schools are "grossly underfunded". And as long as they remain "grossly underfunded", our economy will suffer. But if we break this cycle of underfunding and failure, we can retool our economy so that it's no longer reliant upon "bubbles" and "winnings". TEI gives us the chance to invest in a stronger economic foundation instead of relying upon quicksand.

That's the truth that TEI's opponents don't want you to hear. So instead, they load up on scary attack ads featuring slick political insiders preaching a frightening message of "DOOM!" Don't fall for their crap. Just look behind the curtain to uncover the truth.

Smart Funding Solution

On Monday, we made a field trip to Gibson Elementary School in Henderson's Green Valley to witness the wonder that is #BackToSchool. We noticed parents dropping children off and teachers taking them in. We noticed Nevada children starting a new year full of new adventures.

We couldn't help but notice the classroom trailers, outdated textbooks, and overcrowded environment. And we weren't alone. That's why a group of concerned citizens, parents, teachers, and local business owners, stopped by Gibson Elementary on Monday to urge Nevadans to pass The Education Initiative (TEI) this fall.

Did someone at LVGEA catch our report? The "Esmeralda Straw Man Group" actually released an op-ed for the "newspaper" claiming they just want TEI supporters to "join with" them to find "smart funding solutions for our K-12 education system".

Oh, really? So now, LVGEA and the rest of the "bid'ness community" want "smart funding solutions"?



Like what? An overdue and illegal campaign stunt? Or defunding Esmeralda County schools? Or perhaps another regressive "service tax"?

Or are LVGEA and its fellow TEI haters just proposing the same "smart funding solution" they always end up supporting? Come on, you know what that is: Nothing.

So don't blame us for doubting the sincerity of LVGEA's latest commitment to "smart funding solutions". Hell, that op-ed promising "smart funding solutions" didn't name any specific "solutions". Gee, we wonder why. Could it be due to Nevada's recent history on "solutions"? And might it be due to the fact that the lack of real solutions is what created the demand for TEI in the first place?

LVGEA and other "bid'ness community" mouthpieces can spin as much as they want, but they can't spin the facts away. The only true smart funding solution is the one on our fall ballots: TEI. After all, the only "smart funding solutions" we know of are ones that actually exist.

Kiss That Straw Man Goodbye

We expected them to scream over it. But really, did they have to lie? And did they have to advocate a "plan" they themselves know will go nowhere?

So what are we talking about? Remember those gawd awful "Kiss Your Assets Goodbye" TV ads that the rabidly anti-tax-reform Nevada Development Authority ran in California nearly five years ago to entice businesses there to move here? Well, it's back... And it has a new name: The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA).

And not only does LVGEA have a new name, but it also has a new mission: killing The Education Initiative (TEI). Perhaps it's not really all that new, since LVGEA/NDA has always fought any attempt to bring Nevada's tax code into the 21st century. But now, it's focused on killing this new effort to break the cycle of FAIL that's crippled Nevada schools and the state’s overall economy. But why? Simple answer: shortsighted greed.

But this week, that shortsighted greed may be coming back to bite LVGEA. Why? Remember when we discussed the shortchanging of Southern Nevada two years ago? LVGEA went there this week. So far, so good. But then, it proceeded to shoot itself in the foot. But how so?

Remember when we went into detail last year about how to fix state funding formulae without shortchanging anyone? LVGEA clearly doesn't get that, since Jon Ralston & other local media caught LVGEA boss Tom Skancke claiming Esmeralda County can magically fix Clark County schools. But how so?

He claimed the state should just slash funding for Esmeralda County schools and the rest of Northern Nevada public education, then divert all that money to the Clark County School District. Of course, there's one problem with this new funding fix: It's anything but realistic. There's no way anyone up north will agree to massive budget cuts in order to better fund the south. But even if Southern Nevada lawmakers were to miraculously agree on a "Rob from the North to Fund the South" budget, it would still only add a few extra pennies into the still mostly empty bucket for Southern Nevada's schools.

So why go there? Why is LVGEA proposing such a nonsensical and unrealistic "alternative" to TEI? Does LVGEA now care about public education in Southern Nevada? Is its rage against the state’s flawed funding formulae blinding it to the full picture of Nevada's flawed tax structure? Or is it just trying to distract Southern Nevada voters with a rather flimsy straw man?

Frankly, we strongly suspect the latter. We also suspect this straw man is faring as well as that ridiculous "Kiss Your Assets Goodbye" campaign did five years ago. And if NDA/LVGEA/Whatever-the-hell-it-will-call-itself-next wants us to believe it has a realistic alternative to TEI, then it actually needs to produce one (and then get its cronies in Carson City to actually pass it).