Brother, can you spare a dime? Or, perhaps, a few million dollars? You see, I've got these unions goons who put me in to office and if I don't keep them on the govenrment gravy train, I could have an "accident". This story is from the Nevada News Bureau:
Assemblyman William Horne, D-Las Vegas, may have just found the state $20 to $35 millions in new revenue.
Under his proposal, if you lose or do not redeem a paper voucher printed from a slot machine, the state would sweep that money into its coffers as unclaimed property. Right now, casinos pay taxes on that money and count the remainder as revenue.
Horne argued that the person owns the voucher rather than the casino. Additionally, he said it would be impossible to track down the owner of the voucher. So that money should revert to the state as unclaimed property...
Well, geesh, Horne, I've also got some spare change which has fallen under the seat in my car. You can't be absolutely sure its mine, so why not grab it for the State? Horne's proposal amounts to an assertion that everything of value in the State which does not clearly have a person's name on it belongs to the State. Its like that lunch you see in the lounge 'fridge at work. Its better than yours and doens't have a name on it - so, why not swipe it? What's next? Having our legislators hold up "will legislate for food" signs on street corners? Start "dumpster diving" to see if anyone accidentally threw away something valuable?
Here's the thing: nothing belongs to the State unless we, the people, say it does. And we don't need Ruling Class bozos like Horne running around grabbing everything that isn't nailed down. This sneaky attempt to increase taxes on an already strugging gaming industry must be opposed. The problem with our State budget is not on the revenue side, but entirely a matter of spending. We spent too much money for too long and now the piper has to be paid. Governor Sandoval understands this, Horne doesn't. For people like Horne, the only thing which matters is government - keeping it as big and expensive as possible, because that is what writes his own paychecks and, of course, gives him position in society.
Enough of this. It is time for the Hornes of our States to crawl back in to the woodwork. The people need leadership which will actually do the hard work of balancing the budget and putting our financial house in order. What we don't need is more budgetary tricks to put off that day of reckoning when the Ruling Class will have to pay the price for their folly.
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