Ian Millhiser, writing on the liberal blog Think Progress, accuses Sharron Angle of “…fighting against the Nevada Constitution’s requirement that all children have the opportunity to obtain a public education” back in 2003, when then-Assemblywoman Angle voted against a tax package that would have funded schools.
But that’s not what happened in Carson City that year.
Regular readers know the scenario: The Legislature passed every budget except the one that funds K-12 education, which couldn’t be passed until an $833 million tax bill was also passed, so the budget would balance. A 15-member contingent in the Assembly, led (in effect) by then-Assemblyman Bob Beers resisted the taxes, thus denying majority Democrats the tw0-thirds vote they needed to pass it.
The session ended, and a special session was called. It also ended without a resolution. Things dragged on as yet another special session was called. The new fiscal year started, and still there was no schools budget. Then Gov. Kenny Guinn ordered his then-Attorney General, Brian Sandoval, to sue the Legislature to get lawmakers to do their jobs. The state Supreme Court ruled — in one of its most infamous and poorly reasoned decisions, Guinn v. Legislature, later meekly withdrawn — that the Legislature could raise taxes with only a simple majority. The decision was rightly criticized, and Angle and some of her fellow Republicans sued to overturn it in federal court.
The stalemate was finally broken when then-Assemblyman John Marvel switched his vote to yes, enabling the taxes to pass. The Republican lawsuit went nowhere.
Now, while it may correctly be said that Angle’s vote against taxes delayed the funding of schools, it may not be said she fought against the constitution’s requirement to give kids a public education. She never did any such thing. The only thing Angle wanted — and, to an extent, it was what everybody in Nevada wanted at the time — was for the state Supreme Court to balance two seemingly conflicting provisions in the constitution, one requiring the Legislature to pass a schools budget, the other requiring a two-thirds vote to raise taxes. This is entirely reasonable (in fact, it was ultimately the Legislature that harmonized those provisions, in spite of the state high court).
No one at the time — not Angle, nor Beers, nor any member of what came to be alternatively known as the “Mean 15″ Republicans in the Assembly — ever said a word about not funding schools at all. They never came out against the constitutional provision calling for all Nevada children to get a free public education. They simply wanted to fund schools without raising taxes, by making cuts elsewhere in already-passed budgets. This was about taxes, not schools.
I covered the 2003 Legislature, and I strongly disagreed with those holdout Republicans. (Then again, I strongly disagreed with the state Supreme Court’s ruling in Guinn v. Legislature, and supported the lawsuit to overturn it.) I supported raising taxes back then, and stand by that view, which means I disagree strongly with Angle on the issue. But I also know what Angle did, and didn’t do, back then, and she did not fight”…against the requirement that all children have the opportunity to obtain a public education.”
UPDATE: Millhiser, who mixed it up with my colleague Jon Ralston on this issue on Twitter on Tuesday, pens another blog, essentially conceding my central point here.
Tags: Nevada Legislature, Sharron Angle
Loading ...
Senator Harry Reid must be furtively looking over his shoulder at the downfall of the entrenched incumbents in Congress.Not looking out for the American peoples interest , will also be his fate. His hard-line push for Amnesty has riled the majority of Americans and now he to must pay the “Piper?” Is 2010 shaping up to be an Anti-Incumbent, Anti-Liberal or Anti-Democratic year, beginning with lost seat of Martha Coakley in Massachusetts to Scott Brown? Whose is next on the incumbent black list for Ditching? Coming up in in 13 days is the Delaware battle between the Republican Mike Castle unseated for 15 years and the candidate Christine O’Donnell supported financially the Tea Party Express. Joe Miller’s the surprise upset winner of the Republican Senate primary in Alaska, supported by the Tea Party Express and Sarah Palin. Is this the year of anti-tax and spend? Smaller government and returning the power back to each state and THE PEOPLE..
Is this the genesis of politicians working for “The people” again and not for the special interests and open border lobbyists? Only time will tell and the final results is the November midterm elections? As for a reduction in the illegal alien population, I don’t believe it for one minute? NOR DOES ANYBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND BELIEVE IT…? The Obama Czars has shown there true colors, that illegal immigration is a great way to collect votes in the future by pacifying large minority groups. Now ICE is openly releasing illegal aliens back onto Main Street. Allowing people to go free is an outrageous award for entering America illegally and its effect will bring in more nationals looking for government benefits.
Perhaps not the best person to be witted against Sen. Harry Reid, but Candidate Sharron Angle did NOT dismantle E-Verify, illegal worker verification system, implemented by the Social Security administration and Homeland security databases. Reid is also a confirmed Pro-Amnesty lawmaker, when his own state of Nevada is suffering chronic unemployment and a withering state deficit.
Like Arizona, Nevada has a very large population of illegal immigrant households that have been continuously nibbling at the public welfare programs and across the rest across the country. Whereas, Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer along with state Senator Russell Peirce have enacted laws such as SB 1070, to try to inhibit the illegal immigration invasion. The omnibus Consolidated Appropriations bill includes a little-known provision that guts the major provisions of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This provision — buried on page 123 of Division E of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. It is my analysis that if the 2006 Secure Fence act had not been amended, to a single fence the growing occupancy of illegal aliens would not have happened to the 18 and up population. Sen. Reid has done nothing to safeguard his state from being overrun by illegal alien families working in the entertainment and service industries. With 15 million American workers jobless nationwide, why hasn’t read made E-Verify permanent?
Senator Reid voted–YES–on Comprehensive Immigration Reform–AMNESTY.(Bill S.1639 ; on Jun 28, 2007) Voted–NO–on declaring English as the official language of the US Government (Bill S.Amdt.1151 to S.1348 ; on Jun 6, 2007) Voted–NO–on building a Fence along the Mexican Border (Bill H R 6061 ; on Sep 29, 2006) Voting–YES–establishes a guest worker program with a path to citizenship for illegal aliens who have worked in the US for 5 years. ( Bill S. 2611 ; vote number 2006-157 on May 25, 2006) Voted–YES–on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security ( Bill S.Amdt.3985 to S.2611 ; vote number 2006-130 on May 18, 2006 )Voted–Yes–on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship.( Bill S.Amdt.3969 to S.2611 ; on May 18, 2006) Voted–YES–on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work ( Bill S.2260 ; on Jul 23, 1998)
Voted–NO–on limiting welfare to Immigrants ( Bill S.947 ; on Jun 24, 1997 ) Reid has an open border immigration record with NumberUSA and Fair and needs to be recognized as a danger to America. Like so many other Liberal Democrats they are selling themselves for votes in the coming midterm election. Like all incumbents’ governors, mayors and elected official he and those advocating Amnesty and a trillion dollar welfare nightmare for taxpayers, needs to be levered from his nice comfy seat in the Senate.
Call your Senator or Representative at 202-224-3121.and inform them you’re watching them on illegal immigration. We better be on our toes in November, because in large illegal alien states will violate the law and vote for pro-amnesty lawmakers.