A bad economy brings some hard choices

I watched the governor's address the other evening. After about 10 minutes of recognizing and thanking just about everyone in the state, he delved into what sounded familiarly like what millions of Americans across the land are finding it necessary to tell their families, employees and constituents: We have to, no we must, tighten our belts until it hurts. Consolidating duplicate efforts, cut spending, eliminate non-essential programs ... In other words the money just isn't there to continue financial recklessness. The message I inferred is to get creative, micro mange whatever funding is available and cut wherever possible.

I have had to perform these very same miracles at my business. Our revenues are one third of what they were in 2004 and breaking even seems like a cause de celeb, a reason to celebrate. We have five employees where we once had 12. We have listed our facilities for sale or lease, so we can relocate to smaller, less expensive environs, so as to cut further back ... because it is not only necessary, but mandatory, if we are to survive.

Is it what I want to do? No. Is it where I wanted to be after 30 years in business? No, Is it what I expected after 60-plus years of life, leading into what I had hoped would be a comfortable retirement? No.

Is it what must be done, in order to keep eating and have a roof over my head? Damn right!

Republican or Democrat aside and be damned, the retort of Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, was an offense to the entire population of the state of Nevada. When she finally got to the meat of her response, there was no meat. Condemning the governor for cutting state salaries, mental health programs, etc., etc., ad nauseum, was as easy as being an armchair quarterback. Did she offer any alternatives, or simply try to make the governor look like the bad guy? Anyone with any sense at all knows the answer to that question.

The time for partisan politics is far past and should be, nay must be, retired, put away and declared dead for the foreseeable future, if not forever. The time to roll up your collective sleeves, hunker down and find ways to subsist on what you have, what you positively can depend upon is not only neigh, but we actually have to play catch up, if we are to even survive, let alone flourish.

The SAGE Commission, as explained by the governor, has performed beyond expectations, finding ways and means to facilitate reduced expenditures. I believe each county in the state should follow that example and have their own such commissions to do the very same thing. If we can develop plans to reduce spending and relieve the pressure, at the county level, that would, in turn, relieve some of the pressure on the state.

I, for example, sent a letter to the Governor almost a year ago, explaining that we could create a private/public partnership and build privately run prisons, taking in prisoners and revenue from other states, to the tune of millions in profits. Never mind that I received back a platitude saying the letter would be forwarded to the head of the Department of Corrections.

We have much more important dragons to slay than having a staff to fight Yucca Mountain becoming a depository for nuclear waste. If that isn't a back burner issue I don't know what is.

Perhaps we should develop a populace waste depository in some remote canyon, way out in the desert. We could accept garbage from several area states, at a cost to them, generating millions of dollars of new revenues for Nevada.

Since California is deporting 27,000 of its residents per week, according to recent news reports (actually -- I think them to be more like escapees), maybe we could find ways to capitalize on that and put those folks to work.

Finally, I am pleased to hear public/private partnerships are being studied regarding toll roads to relieve traffic problems around the state. I had suggested that for a 395 bypass, right here in good old Douglas County, years ago.

In closing, I would like to express my incredulous disgust at the way the Democrats in the legislative chambers refused to applaud the Governor during his speech. Grow up partisan hacks. It is that conduct of behavior that is more responsible for our plight than anything else.

n Rick Campbell is a Gardnerville businessman and resident.