Gibbons (NV Governor, Republican) launches certificate program for teacher salaries

[tonysam]

The idiot really did make good on his promise to turn teachers into charity cases:

Gov. Jim Gibbons today announced details of his Education Gift Certificate program that he unveiled earlier this month in this State of the State address.

Residents can visit any DMV office to get a certificate or download it from the governor's Web site. Under the plan, money is donated for teacher salaries.

“The Education Gift Certificate is for anyone who wants to be able to help teachers by contributing directly to their salaries,” Gibbons said in a statement. “No administrative costs come from your contribution, and funds will be put directly into teacher salaries.”

Good thing the voters in Nevada are going to retire this buffoon.

link

[xxqqqzme]

1. This passed the state legislature?

[tonysam]

2. It sounds like it doesn't have to.

People can go to the DMV and pick up one or download it from his website.

[xxqqqzme]

4. I was just wondering where the money

was coming from to fund the 'gift certificates'. If the state is strapped for cash - who isn't - where is the source for this money. The article is not complete.

[enlightenment]

5. They are donations.

Literally. People can donate directly to help pay teacher's salaries. Anything to avoid raising taxes so much as 1/100th of a percent.

The man redefines ass.

[Hannah Bell]

6. I want to put his salary on a donation footing.

[Catshrink]

7. I love how you think!

Let him have his mortgage payment depend on donations.

[enlightenment]

8. A lot of us would love to do that.

The situation in Nevada is absurd.

An $882 million deficit and this man will not even consider raising taxes. The gaming industry pays 6.75% on gross revenue with another 1% for added levies by the counties - call it 8% and it is still the lowest of any state that allows gaming. If you drop the high and low rates for all the states (50%/8%) the average rate is in the high teens.

The mining industry gets to take it to the bank, also - only they have so much control here that their tax break is encoded in the state constitution (it was the only way they could get it ratified in 1860). The limit is 5% on NET proceeds. But that's not the biggest issue - mining companies are allowed to write off all expenses as deductions before figuring what they owe in state tax, to the extent that some companies can get away with paying no taxes at all. Between 2000 and 2007, the mines in Nevada extracted and sold $25.5 billion in minerals (gold/silver/etc). They paid a total of $125.3 million in taxes. That's one-half of one percent.

In 2008, the state legislature passed a temporary ruling to make mining operators report their projected 'royalties' (net proceeds) in advance each year (until 2011) - presumably to encourage them to pony up their 5% - but no changes have been made to the state statutes that allow them to deduct all their expenses, so it's doubtful much has changed.

And Gibbons won't even consider a tax hike.

Meanwhile, they are furloughing state employees or cutting their wages by 6%. Higher education is facing a 22% shortfall this year, on top of a 14% and 11% cut in the last two years. Social services are being cut to the bone. Unemployment is 14% in Clark County (Las Vegas).

And this IDIOT thinks we can make it all right by giving gift certificates to the state Department of Education . . .

[xxqqqzme]

11. sounds like gibbons took that

'second oath, along w/ all the state rethugs here in California - the one to grover norquist promising not to raise taxes.

[Lifelong Protester]

3. What?

That brings to mind the photo I took in SC of a place selling lottery tickets "South Carolina Education Lottery".

Really, like education should rest on a lottery. I guess in South Carolina, at least, it does.

:wtf:

[FBaggins]

9. That's common all over

That's how lottery advocates got them passed in the first place. Designate the "profits" (more properly known as a tax on the poor) for an appealing use. This is usually education, but it could also be roads etc.

Does this mean that schools actually get more money than they would have otherwise received? Maybe for a year or two while people are watching... but money is fungible. Pretty soon those dollars go to education, but other dollars that would otherwise have gone to education are now spent elsewhere.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. That's about the dumbest thing I've read all day.

[tonysam]

12. Well, it's Jimbo.

Stupid is as stupid does.