The venerable and incorrigible Grand Imperial Tax-Hating Pooh-Bah of Nevada – a.k.a. my favorite Libertarian, Chuck Muth – is busy mobilizing resources over at Citizen Outreach as they gear up for what I’m affectionately calling Operation Saturation.
Muth says the voter districts of Republicans who refuse to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge by this weekend will be flooded with automated phone messages. The 30-second missives will notify constituents that their candidate won’t promise not to raise taxes and will advise them to demand explanations when he/she comes a-knockin’ for their votes in November.
For those of you not tracking issues in the Battle Born state, we are facing a financial crisis. A bi-partisan panel recently projected a 2009 budget shortfall of $248 million. Some are disputing that number, but it can’t be denied that revenues are going to fall far short of expenditures. In search of solutions, Governor Jim Gibbons has scheduled a special congressional session to convene this Friday. The usual suspects are calling for the usual tax increases; the conservatives are crusading for spending cuts; and the war wages on.
Gibbons is honoring his 2006 promise to voters and refusing to support any tax hike, but the Legislature could override his veto and pass an increase – IF Democrats can rally enough Republicans and collect the 2/3 vote needed. None of us can be sure of the outcome as long as so many Republican officials remain undeclared.
Happily, Citizen Outreach has provided a list of incumbent Assembly Republicans and GOP Candidates who have not yet signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. I’ve taken the liberty of adding links to contact info for each person. I strongly encourage Nevadans to take action by contacting these folks and letting them know your vote depends on their promise to oppose new or increased taxes.
If Speaker Barbara Buckley and the Democrats want to pass a tax hike, let them do it with NO Republican votes – and then just try to hold on to their Seats in the next election.
Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert
Assemblywoman Francis Allen
Assemblyman Joe Hardy
Assemblyman Tom Grady
Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea
Assembly candidate Sean Fellows
Assembly candidate Cheryl Lau (pending further search!)
Assembly candidate Donna Toussaint
Assembly candidate John Gwaltney (scroll down to #8)
Assembly candidate Melissa Woodbury
