• About Us
  • Activity
  • Advertising
  • Books
  • Business
  • Contact
  • Entertainment
  • feedback
  • Government
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • Members
  • National
  • Nevada
  • Nevada News and Views
  • Newsmax
  • NN&V Ads
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Polls
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Subscription Confirmation
  • Survey
  • Survey
  • Terms of Service
  • Today’s Top 10
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Welcome!
  • Yop Poll Archive
Nevada News and Views
  • Home
  • Muth’s Truths
  • Politics
  • Government
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Nevada
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Travel
    • News
    • Sports
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Pinterest

  • RSS

Opinion

Paving the Roads to Economic Ruin

Paving the Roads to Economic Ruin
N&V Staff
February 14, 2011

(Michael Chamberlain/Nevada Business Coalition) – The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is important to keep that old adage in mind whenever a legislator stands behind a microphone to tell you how he or she is going to take more of your money to make your life better.

In the most recent example, legislative Democrats began unveiling a plan they hope will help jump-start the Silver State’s economy. It offers preferences to in-state contractors and creates a fund for public works projects within the state. The majority party demonstrated the bipartisan nature of the announcement by not inviting any Republican legislators to the event.

They did, however, allow Governor Sandoval’s chief of staff, Heidi Gansert, an opportunity to speak. Gansert discussed one of the Governor’s proposals but declined to express an opinion on the Democrats’ plan.

While on the surface it may seem that giving preferences to companies that employ Nevada residents and purchase materials in the state is an unqualified good, there are going to be unintended consequences from this portion of the legislation.

It is certain to increase the costs of construction. The preferences require the state to pay as much as 5% more to hire a contractor who qualifies for preferred status over one who does not. It is also certain that there will be compliance costs involved for both the state and for contractors, who will pass these costs on to the state, as additional steps and documentation will be necessary to verify contractors are living up to their agreement.

No one knows how many out-of-state workers are employed on public works projects in Nevada so there’s no way to know if this will help employ Nevadans. Though they may sound good to some, the preferences in this proposal will result in increased costs to the state while providing few, if any, benefits.

The problem of unemployment in the construction industry in the state is not due to an overabundance of foreign workers but to a lack of demand for construction. Spending more money to discourage out-of-staters or to force-feed the industry are not going to remedy that.

Which brings us to the other part of the proposal. Raising taxes on others to fund additional public works construction will, at best, provide a few obscenely-overpaid construction jobs at the expense of the rest of the state’s workers and businesses.

This proposal is a bad idea whose negative consequences will far outweigh its professed good intentions and may lead us to quite literally pave roads to further economic ruin.

(Michael Chamberlain is Executive Director of Nevada Business Coalition.)

Prev postNext post

Related Items
Opinion
February 14, 2011
N&V Staff

Related Items

More in Opinion

Mike Lindell

Memo To Mike Lindell: Kick Some Dominion Ass

Penny PressFebruary 24, 2021
Read More

Trump Acquitted AGAIN!

Penny PressFebruary 17, 2021
Read More

More Money STILL Doesn’t Buy Better Education

Ron KnechtFebruary 17, 2021
Read More

Trump 2, Washington Whores 0

Penny PressFebruary 17, 2021
Read More

Pelosi: (I) Don’t Need To Follow My Rules, Man

Penny PressFebruary 11, 2021
Read More

Memo to Wyoming GOP: Time To Peacefully Get Rid of Liz Cheney

Penny PressFebruary 10, 2021
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Subscribe Free By Email

Looking for the best in breaking news and conservative views? Let Chuck do all the work for you! Subscribe to his FREE "Muth's Truths" e-newsletter.

* indicates required
Nevada News and Views
Nevada News & Views is an educational project of Citizen Outreach Foundation, a non-partisan IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization. It is not associated or affiliated with any political party or group. Nevada News & Views is accessible by the public at no cost. It funds its operations through tax-deductible contributions from donors and supporters and does not accept government money or grants.

TAGS

Featured Article Nevada Politics Muth's Truths business government Government Opinion Obama News Donald Trump GOP Republicans Ron Knecht Adam Laxalt

Copyright © 2021 Citizen Outreach | Maintained by VirtualAlly

Amazon to Texas: “Kiss my job-creatin’ ass.”
Avoid Budget Crises, Eliminate Collective Bargaining