| Standing Firm on Principles is Never “Irrelevant”
By Assemblyman Ed Goedhart
There’s been a lot of talk about how “irrelevant” Republicans in the minority in the state Assembly will be now that the Democrats enjoy a veto-proof super-majority. I couldn’t disagree more. As Samuel Adams - a Founding Father and leader of the Boston Tea Party - famously said, “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.”
READ ED'S BLOG HERE
With that in mind, I fully intend to be a political fire-starter in the upcoming 75th session of the Nevada Legislature. They’re gonna have to have Smokey the Bear follow me around Carson City for the 120 days that we’ll be there.
First, as I have promised in each of my campaigns I will “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes” - including the legislative initiative being sponsored by the teachers union to raise the room tax on our state’s tourists – and will urge my colleagues to do the same. If the Democrat majority wants to penalize the lifeblood of our economy, they’ll have to do it without my vote or that or many Republicans in the “tireless minority.”
Secondly, I have adopted a checklist originally created by a former Florida Speaker of the House to evaluate each and every bill which comes before me - and I will encourage my Republican colleagues to similarly evaluate each bill before casting a “yes” vote. The five-question test will be:
1.) Does the bill reduce government regulations, reduce the size of government, eliminate entitlements, or eliminate unnecessary programs?
2.) Does the bill reduce taxes or fees?
3.) Does the bill encourage responsible behavior by individuals and families and encourage them to provide for their own health, safety, education or general welfare?
4.) Does the bill increase opportunities for individuals or families to decide, without hindrance or coercion from government, how to conduct their own lives and make personal choices?
5.) Does the bill enhance the power of parents and guardians to rear their own children without excessive interference from the government?
And lastly, the single biggest issue facing the Nevada Legislature this session will be government spending. In evaluating the budget and various spending proposals which will come before us, I have adopted a set of four principles originally articulated a couple years ago by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn to guide his votes on spending bills at the federal level:
1.) If a bill creates or authorizes a new government program or activity, it must not duplicate an existing program or activity without de-authorizing the existing program.
2.) If a bill authorizes new spending, it must be offset by reductions in real spending elsewhere.
3.) If a program or activity currently receives funding from sources other than the state government, a bill shall not increase the state government’s proportion of the costs of the program or activity.
4.) If a bill establishes a new foundation, museum, cultural or historical site, or other entity that is not an agency or a department, state funding should be limited to the initial start-up costs.
Nevada families are making difficult decisions and setting spending priorities in these tough economic times. They are fed up with elected representatives who continue to demand more of their money while doing nothing to likewise tighten government’s belt. My votes as a member of the minority party and loyal opposition in the Nevada State Assembly in the upcoming session will be cast with those irate families in mind.
And if I set a few brushfires in the minds of my colleagues, as well - especially those on the other side of the aisle - so much the better. And that, my friends, will be anything but irrelevant.
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