Governor addresses Valley GOP

Saying Republicans will be resurgent in 2010, Gov. Jim Gibbons received a warm welcome in Gardnerville on Wednesday.

Gibbons received two standing ovations while addressing the Sierra Nevada Republican Women's luncheon.

He said that state government must learn to live within its means.

"Otherwise, Nevada won't be the state we love, but the state we leave," he said. "You do not raise taxes during a recession or a depression."

Gibbons said that the Legislature overrode his budget, adding $1 billion in spending.

"I submitted a budget that did not raise taxes," he said. "The state doesn't have a tax problem, it has a $1 billion spending problem."

Gibbons said that the Democrats are in danger of losing ground both in the Nevada Legislature and Congress.

"What began in New Jersey and Virginia will spread across the nation," he said. "There will be a firestorm across this nation if government can't control spending. What happened before was just a political swing of the pendulum that bounced off the extreme left and is returning to right itself."

Gibbons said he had been maligned by those who say he is opposed to the public schools.

Gibbons said the state should stop mandates like classroom size reduction.

"Clark County is the largest school district in the state and one of the largest in the country and a majority of their schools have applied to waive classroom size reduction."

Gibbons said the districts would still be paid, but would not be told by the state how to spend their money.

"Accountability should be with parents and teachers, not in Carson City and not with universal featherbedding by the teachers' union," he said. "Someone who is a great teacher should be paid well, and should receive merit pay. But I don't think that a good idea in Elko will work in Reno."