UNR Get's Cuts. AB 449 Get's Sandoval's Undying Love and Support

Let me see if I get this right. The Governor’s draconian budget cuts have finally gotten the quiet UNR President Milton Glick to finally step onto the front page of today’s RGJ and kindly refer to the $59 million cuts as a “game changer”. (The full text of his comments are below).

Just below that headline, there is another story about an “ambitious economic development bill (AB449)” that was introduced, which Governor Sandoval says will cure damn near everything wrong with the state.

WTF? How many economic development canards has this state seen in the last 40 years? And here, they’re trying to sell us another one! Gee, if it creates jobs, it must be good? Right? Ask instead, does it create sustainable jobs, and better yet, sustainable communities.

Here’s some heresy: A new job doesn’t always create a better balance sheet for communities.

If economic development councils worked so damn well, why are we in the pickle we’re in right now? And, furthermore, how is our deluded Governorship going to convince business and industry to come to Nevada when the state can only boast one of the worst K-12 and higher education systems in the nation?

The FactCheckers at the Reno Gazette-Journal could do us all a huge favor and expose the lie that is ‘Economic Development’ councils/commissions/study groups. Talking about auditing the mining industry, how about auditing these black holes for tax dollars to ensure they produce what they promise.

It always sounds so good. ‘We’re gonna take a real look at our economic development efforts … blah, blah, blah and bring in new businesses to our state… blah, blah and create jobs!’ During times of financial stress - like now - I think you could sell Nevadans anything to promises to create jobs and pulls us out of the hole we’re in.

But please tell me how that will work with a wrecked and broken educational system. I’m sorry, but this is putting the cart before the horse. Worse, there are Democrats in Nevada who step up to support this - like John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas.

Here’s why I believe the Monkey See-Monkey Do of ‘Economic Development’ should get a hard second look:

Economic Development efforts relieve local and state officials from having to the do the hard work of creating real cities and towns - communities with that often intangible ‘something’ to offer that draws investment from our neighbors.

Constantly at the top of that list of ‘something’ is a first rate educational environment. Placing close behind that are liveable communities, richly textured with less suburban sprawl, more arts and entertainment, diverse options for shopping, housing and mobility. The old  economic drivers of safety, leadership and services are more often led today by aesthetics in communities that are not dominated by the car-centered culture of the 1950’s-1990’s.

Successful communities - like Portland, Oregon - happen more organically, with a focus less upon buying ‘off the shelf’ packaged ‘solutions’ to their problems and more taking hard, honest looks at who they want to be and working within that. Nevada’s leaders have bought into the fantasy that they can spend their way back from the fiscal brink by offering ever more ‘incentives’ to bring business in - with the hope that another new industry/factory/distribution center would somehow create that ideal city where people just want to be.

This sort of old-thinking belies the real reasons people live where they live, and how economic growth flows from that (rather than the other way around!).

Knight Soul of the Community 2010 - National from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

Governor Sandoval, we’ve run out of things to give away. We’re fresh out of ‘incentives’. Will you please quit selling the same-old, same-old Ponzi Scheme of Economic Development? How do you plan to commercialize research from broken university systems?

Jobs and growth are the results of good economic and community planning, not a proxy for that.

Take a look at the Strategic Plan for Los Angeles County. Where do you see further tax breaks mentioned as an incentive to bring business in?

The overwhelming number of businesses in the United States have 10 employees or less. Visionary communities aren’t just seeking the next BIG industry or company to bring in from the outside, but rather how to nurture and grow from the inside outward, their own native talent - bright entreprenuers who live here because it’s the best place to live … not here just on account of the tax breaks. Tax breaks are only as good as the underlying economy. As soon as your neighbor offers a better one, those relying on that alone will be gone in a heartbeat.

Again, livable communities with solid educational credentials provide that rich soil for entreprenuerial growth and resulting economic prowess. Not more ‘Economic Development’ committees seeking to further cannabalize the picked clean bones of what’s left of a shattered economy, or steal from their neighbors.

The most sought after industries are the creative/knowledge economy. The Kaufman Foundation has published a report which outlines where the states stand right now (Nevada is number 30) in their attempts to develop economically through this recession, and how those states who will be successful might actually do it. Again, the same old cannabalistic economic development programs aren’t going to be models for new thinking.

Sprawl repair could put a lot of Nevadans back to work. Urban sprawl - particularly in places where land has been historically cheap and under-utilized such as Nevada - is contributing to negative perceptions of our state. Probably far more than the occasional whore house.

GenY want’s to walk. They’re willing to pay a premium for it. These are your entreprenurial, knowledge/creative businesses of the future. They don’t want to live out in BFE … or Spanish Springs, or Silver Springs, or Fernley and commute. That’s so 1960’s. Their grandparents day.  Where do you see the great bulk of foreclosures? Out in the sprawl. This doesn’t even account for the millions of boomers who want to age in place.

Do this hard work to repair sprawl, and the good businesses will come flocking.

So, at the end of the day, all AB449 says to me is ‘more old thinking’ and hanging desperately to what seemed to work in the past. Keep doing things the way you’ve always done them, the old Incident Command instructor told us, you’ll keep on getting the results you’ve always gotten. Except when it comes to ‘Economic Development’ we don’t actually know how well it’s worked - especially during the tough times. We’re guessing. We can’t afford to guess anymore.

It’s time to repair the educational system in Nevada, and quit with the magical thinking of ‘Economic Development’. These type of initiatives merely serve to obscure what really needs to be done to improve our states communities and make them the real drivers for sustainable growth and progress.

-maven

If you’re concerned - as you should be - here is the full text of President Glick’s comments:

AT A GLANCE

Click to read more ...

Friday Fish Wrap: February 11. 2010

What a day this has been. The Egyptians have done it, and I offer my heartiest congratulations to them. However, once the big party has ended, and the revolutionary hangover has passed, they’re going to have to figure out what’s next. Like how to transition from military rule and martial law to a truly democratic government of the people. It’s sure to be messy, but I believe they have it in them to do this.

This chain of events has got to weigh heavily on every other despot in the Middle East. I hope they haven’t been sleeping well. Apparently, Glenn Beck is staying awake nights as well. In his Thursday Fox rant, he’s deeply concerned that the entire Egyptian revolutionary movement is about commies and fundamentalists coming together, taking over Egypt to implement a ‘new world order’. Yup.

If you weren’t sure that this man is bat-shit crazy yet, then watch. Either he’s crazy or one of the biggest showman-opportunists that ever walked upright.

Back at the ranch here in Reno, Nevada the budgetary woes are claiming more victims each and every day I open the ever shrinking Reno Gazette-Journal. Today, 100 more city employees got notices and the police substation in the National Gee-Whiz-Answer-To-All-Our-Problems Bowling Stadium was closed. Yet. Yet…. there are ‘More Funds for Commission’, as in doubling the funding for Economic Development.

Yes, I know … in hard times you must attract new business, and the way to do that is with an Economic Development council … commission … department … whatever. Gee, whatever did anybody do before these sacred cows came to town? I’m just one housewife, but it seems to me that we’d all be better served to spend that extra money where it would really count - like education. I mean, will companies still continue to come here without an educated workforce? Can our Economic Development commissions promise them enough tax breaks - that’s really the incentive we’re talking about, right? - in these hard times to overcome continued FAILS in our educational system?

Furthermore, as our quality of life indicators, infrastructure and social services begin to show even more strain due to slashed budgets, how long do the Economic Development gurus think it will be before companies take a second, bleaker look at Nevada and say “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Thinking about this last night, I got doing a bit of research at the Pew Center on the States. This is a goldmine of fascinating tidbits.

Did you know that of all the states, Nevada ranks right there beneath Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma for Science and Engineering Doctorates in the workforce? Only Florida ranks lower. This certainly speaks to the level of education required running Keno tickets.

However, a full 19% of our 8th graders score at or above proficient levels in science. Better yet, 0.27% of our college students are earning degrees in science and engineering. That moved up up one level from the bottom. The number of Nevada citizens holding degrees is the lowest of all the western states. The number of college degree holders who moved here during the boom - uh, not so good at 23.4%. That’s the lowest of all the western states.

Where Nevada really shines is the number of college degree holders beating a path out of the state, the highest rate in the entire nation! Do ya think?

Most of the above figures came from data gathered before the economy tanked. What do you think they’ll be going forward?

Where are the jobs of tomorrow? Not in running Keno tickets. They’re in science, engineering and technology - AKA ‘Clean Energy Jobs’, at which Nevada ranked near the bottom in 2007.

Offering more tax breaks to beg companies to re-locate here is just the opposite of what the state should be doing to bring us closer to just even fiscally. It’s just simply nuts. Touting Nevada’s lower taxes - such as our low, bargain basement corporate tax rates - also hasn’t paid off. Every surrounding state has higher corporate tax rates, and good business seems to flock to them just as much, if not more. The surrounding states have personal income taxes, too. Business goes there anyway.

So don’t jive me with “lower taxes brings business in”. That’s simply not true.

When will people get wise to these Economic Development snake-oil salesmen? You can sorta, kinda look the other way when everything is fat and happy, but we’re broke and in the ditch. We can’t afford this nonsense anymore, but everybody is too scared to admit it.

I encourage you to really look through the Nevada pages on the Pew Center for the States. Go through all the tabs, including Bills Coming Due. Look at things like projected incarceration rates, infrastructure, emergency preparedness. It’s not a pretty picture.

Well, I went to the orthopedic guy this morning and the news isn’t very good. I did tear my ACL and there are probably two minor tears on the MCL. I can get by for a while wearing a brace - even ski if I’m very careful. But the bottom line is I’ve got to get an MRI, and then figure out the when and where of surgery to replace the ACL and repair the MCL. Crap. Double crap. I’ve got to get with this, since the rest of my body - hips, the left knee, both ankles - are taking a beating since they’re doing more with less.

I hurt. All over. So, if I’m a little crankier than usual, that’s why. The upside is that I can receive a ‘new’ replacement ACL from a cadaver. That’s too cool.

It also pisses me off that I have to go MRI shopping. It seems to me that being hurt should be the most that I have to deal with - but such is medical care under the auspices of ‘market driven’.

Fuck ‘market driven’ for-profit healthcare, and the insurance company horse it rode in on.

Oh, we sold the ‘98 Camry. Grandma’s car is gone. No more ‘discussions’ about driving. I had it on Craigslist one day, and sold it for cash - $3,700 in greenbacks - the next. You’ve gotta love Craigslist.

Oh, friend Ty Whitaker would like me to give all early warning to note the date of the 2011 Lahontan Spring Wings Bird Festival.  This is a great opportunity to see some of the best of Nevada’s migrating birds fairly up close. The Lahontan flyway is one of the best in North America, and if you are any sort of nature lover, this is a great family activity.

You can also get information at SpringWings.org   The dates are May 13, 14 and 15, 2011 at the Stillwater NWR, out near Fallon, Nevada. Check it out on Facebook, too.

I didn’t attend last year, but hope to this year.

Well, that’s enough for now. It’s time to avert my eyes from the computer screen, and to the Kindle, or the current copy of American Prospect accompanied by a steaming cuppa tea. Mighty Leaf ‘Green Tea Tropical’.

Oh, one more reminder that the Reno Skeptics are hosting a showing of ‘Creation’ (the Darwin BBC film) tomorrow night at the Sparks RoundTable Pizza on Baring Blvd., 6:00 p.m. in honor of Darwin Day. Buy your own beer and pizza. I’ll be there.

Stay warm. Stay employed if that’s what suits you. Stay healthy.

Laugh occasionally at the absurdity of it all. I’ll let myself out.

-maven