Gov. Gibbons announced Wednesday that he will balance the budget on the backs of Nevada's children by making additional cuts to education.

As legislative leaders battle to close the budget gap – making the tough decision about what to cut while still finding ways to protect children, seniors and the most vulnerable Nevadans – Gibbons glibly guts the programs that matter most to this state’s residents.

Gibbons has now attacked our children’s education at both ends – announcing yesterday that he would cut all-day kindergarten classes from 23 schools in addition to putting the state’s higher education system in jeopardy with the nearly $500 million in cuts he already proposed.

Where will our children go for a college education if we lose our community colleges, or if UNLV or UNR are forced to close because of his cuts? How many children will he pack into already overcrowded elementary school classrooms? What will happen to seniors who lose their home care and wind up in nursing homes on the taxpayer dime?

Tell America’s Worst Governor that you won’t let him balance the budget on the backs of children and the elderly.

Contact him here to tell him his cuts are too severe:

Write: State Capitol, 101 N. Carson Street, Carson City, NV 89701
 
Call: (775) 684-5670 or here (702) 486-2500
 
Email: http://gov.state.nv.us/ContactX.htm

Obama budget decimates Yucca funding

Pres. Barack Obama’s 2010 budget scales back funding for the Yucca Mountain Project to its lowest level ever, and clearly states that the $196.8 million in funding that remains will be used to identify alternatives to the dump and put an end to the work that’s being done there.

Read coverage of the Yucca Budget in the Las Vegas Sun and the Review-Journal.
 
This is a great victory for Nevada and it wouldn’t have occurred without the leadership of Sen. Reid, who has been fighting the dump for more than two decades, and the rest of the state’s Democratic delegation. Now, with the help of a president who agrees with Nevadans, money that once went to pay for a project backed by flawed science will now be spent finding a safe, alternative solution to the nation’s nuclear waste problem.
 
Pres. Obama’s budget  includes funding for a blue-ribbon commission to study alternatives to a repository at Yucca Mountain. The $196.8 million budget, down more than $90 million from last year, is the lowest since Yucca was designated as the nation’s nuclear waste dump.

“Today’s budget announcement by the Obama Administration reaffirms its strong commitment to the death of the failed Yucca Mountain idea,” said Sen. Harry Reid on Wednesday. “The termination language in its plan could not be any clearer – Yucca is history. The record-low budget for Yucca is only enough to maintain the site until it’s closed, and the people of Nevada can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that we will never be this country’s toxic dumping ground.”

 

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100 Days of Success

Wednesday marked 100 days since Pres. Barack Obama took office. And what a 100 days it's been.

From passing an economic recovery package that includes a tax cut for more than 95 percent of American workers to reversing Bush's restrictions on stem cell research to setting a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, Pres. Obama has swiftly followed through on his promises to Americans. He's also followed through on his promise to Nevadans to kill the Yucca Mountain Project. And he continues to work to reverse the failed economic policies of the Bush administration.

Nevada's Democratic delegation, led by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, has been vital to advancing the president's agenda. Pres. Obama praised Reid in a prime-time news conference Wednesday, thanking him for securing passage in the Senate of his budget, which will lay the groundwork for increased aid to Nevadans in the form of tax relief, foreclosure assistance and veteran's benefits. It will also strengthen the middle class and restore fiscal discipline.

Also this week, both Democrats and Republicans praised Reid for making permanent a sales tax deduction that will save more than 440,000 Nevadans money this year, at a time when families are struggling to make ends meet.

It is Sen. Reid's ability to reach across the aisle and work with moderate Republicans that allowed passage of these key pieces of legislation.

But there's more work to be done, such as providing affordable healthcare for all Americans. Nevada Democrats will be right there with the president over the next 100 days, helping pass important legislation to put Nevada and the nation back on the right track. They'll also help Pres. Obama fight back against the Republican Party of No.

One key to winning the battle against their obstructionism will be the key 60th vote of Sen. Arlen Specter, who joined the Democratic party this week, saying Republicans moved too far to the right for him. Again, it was Senator Reid's ability to work across the aisle that helped facilitate Specter's party switch. "Reid's shepherding of the Specter switch shows his unique understanding of how relationships often trump party in the Senate," wrote the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza this week.

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You might have seen America’s Worst Governor, Gov. Jim Gibbons, touting his drastic budget cuts, which balance the state budget on the backs of children, schools and seniors.
 
You might also have noticed that Gibbons is holding town halls throughout Nevada, but refuses to answers the hard questions facing Nevada.

Why? Gibbons doesn’t have the gumption to face opposition to his budget. He doesn’t want to answer these questions:

●  Where will our children go for a college education if we lose our community colleges, or either UNLV or UNR is forced to shut down because of his cuts?
●  How big will he allow class sizes for elementary school children to get?
● What happens to seniors who lose their home care and end up in nursing homes that cost taxpayers more money?
 
Gibbons knows that Nevadans are outraged about his drastic proposed budget cuts, and he doesn’t have the nerve to meet with most of us face-to-face. He’d rather tout his “no taxes” message in staged press conferences. We don’t govern by banner slogans here in Nevada.
 
WRITE, CALL or EMAIL Gov. Gibbons and tell him his budget cuts threaten Nevada’s future.
 
Write him here: State Capitol, 101 N. Carson Street, Carson City, NV 89701
 
Call him here: (775) 684-5670 or here (702) 486-2500
 
Email him here: http://gov.state.nv.us/ContactX.htm
 
Yes, state revenue is down 44 percent from two years ago, and legislators will be forced to make difficult budget cuts. But they are fighting to protect the education of our children first and foremost.  They are fighting to make sure Governor Gibbons’ callous cuts do not become a reality.
 
WRITE, CALL or EMAIL your legislators and support their efforts to oppose the governor’s budget. Tell your legislator YOUR story.  You can find your legislator and his or her contact information by clicking here: http://mapserve.leg.state.nv.us/website/lcb/viewer.htm.
 
The 75th legislative session is winding down and budget talks are in final negotiations. NOW IS THE TIME to voice your opinion!
 
Don’t let America’s Worst Governor slice and dice our children’s future without a fight!

 

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