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EDITORIAL
Strategic thinking
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Updated: Apr. 10, 2012 | 10:43 a.m.
Nevada is hurting, no question about it. Unemployment rose last month to a near-record 13 percent. While housing prices have stabilized, no one expects them to rise again for years. Tourism is steady, but visitors aren't spending much of their money. Businesses are scrambling to survive. The state and local governments are planning hundreds of millions of dollars worth of budget cuts in response to sagging revenues.
All these conditions have some politicians thinking about raising taxes.
They speak of their wishes in code, preferring to call for a "restructuring" of Nevada's levies. They're quick to forget that when the economy was healthy, Nevada's tax structure allowed governments here to increase spending faster than anywhere else in America.
The solution to the revenue problems of Nevada's governments is not higher taxes -- it's taking steps to help the economy grow. That requires strategic thinking.
State lawmakers got a taste of some Wednesday when Jeremy Aguero of Applied Analysis presented a report that said the state could recover from the recession more quickly if economic development officials encouraged more retirees to move to Nevada.
"We spend $80 million a year to attract people to gamble in Las Vegas," Mr. Aguero told a legislative committee. "We spend zero reminding people Nevada is a great place to retire."
He said his studies debunk the idea that senior citizens are a drain on government services. On the contrary, their median income is higher than the national average. Although 12.6 percent of the country's population is at least age 65, only 11.3 percent of the state's residents are that old.
"Our population is getting older," Mr. Aguero said. "Seniors will choose where to retire and bring a huge amount of capital with them.
"Somebody is going to get the benefit. If it is not us, it will be somebody else."
Seniors want to live in a favorable climate -- they want warm weather and a low tax burden on their fixed incomes. Southern Nevada has it all: sunny days and fun things to do, an airport with affordable direct flights almost everywhere, and no income or estate taxes. Its low home prices are a big draw, too, these days.
Lawmakers seemed to support Mr. Aguero's findings. Good. Now they need to act on them by putting proposals in motion. Local governments, which can move much faster than the state, shouldn't be bashful about redirecting some of their current PR expenditures into such campaigns.
A larger retiree population would be a boost to many industries, including home building, home improvement and furnishing businesses, vehicle sales, restaurants and gaming. It would provide an incentive for more physicians and medical specialists to move here and take care of them (provided Congress doesn't ruin the health care industry first).
It would create jobs -- what Nevada needs most.
Mr. Aguero's report was a long-needed injection of encouragement and positive thinking for a Legislature that's too quick to bemoan Nevada as a Third World wasteland desperate for vastly expanded, prohibitively expensive government services.
"Every news report is how bad things are in Nevada," Mr. Aguero said. "We need to remind people this is a great place to live."
We couldn't agree more.
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Are you #$%*8^($ me??????? Retire to Nevada?????? After I retired, the sweetest sight I ever saw was Las Vegas in my rear view mirror!
HEY! HAVE YOU SEEN THE LITTLE PP patrick SMACKDOWN IN VIN'S COLUMN TODAY?
THE LITTLE MOOCH HASN'T EVEN HAD THE CAHONIES TO RESPOND TO HIM. LOL!!!
READ IT AND LAUGH! GO VIN!!!
Richard:
I think you missed your calling; you could have been the first human nuclear waste repository on earth; proving once and for all how safe nuclear waste is.
But, strangely enough, you just don't hear the dump crowd suggesting this as an option; and here I thought that most of them were "rugged individualist" who don't take much to that "pointy headed science stuff" and that the "free market" should welcome their contributions.
Let me be the FIRST to stand up and SUPPORT 100% the rights of any rugged individualist/free market type who wants to be paid as a toxic waste repository (and not just the normal toxic waste that these types spew daily, I'm talking yucca mountain nuclear waste).
Standing up for the rights of the little guy to prove that all this stuff ain't just talk.
Sign me up!
Poor Patrick. I doubt if he even knows where Yucca Mountain is.
What does he think passes through the valley everyday on the Interstates and railways? There are more non-radioactive, highly hazardous/deadly materials, literally next to your backyards, than would ever be stored at Yucca. Of course, the politicians fail to mention this, don't they!!
Senator Reid can't tell the public the real story.
Already giant irradiated mutated ants large as motor homes are wrecking lonely desert service stations and devouring the attendants. They have eaten all the horses, sheep and cattle on the desert ranges.
Now the prey on truckers who stop to rest on the roadside and whole families at rest stops.
To protect the children fron unneeded fear theses facts have been kept secret.
Grievous mutants of other species can be expected.
I trust that you will not repeat what you have read.
My wife and I moved several years ago out of Vegas, and I have to say I miss Vegas.
My parents and aunts, uncles are all retired and wanting to move to warmer climates.
Some of the questions they had were, what about the water shortages?
The biggest question they had, plus with so many home foreclosures and the utility infrastructure already built, and now so many empty homes.
How high can living costs get for utilities to make up loses?
Plus once Vegas had great inexpensive food in the hotels and shows weren’t priced outrageous, the luxury that once was Las Vegas is no more, along with the odds when gambling.
Every one of my relatives stated the same thing, after many years of going to Vegas and being able to gamble and actually win every once in awhile, now it’s like just drop your money in a machine and leave.
True our aging and retired generations once had more money but with two huge scams, first the tech dot com scam and then the housing and banking scams. A lot of our older citizens have lost a great deal of their retirement.
This sounds like a great idea but how realistic is it? My family had more question than answers concerning costs. A lot more has to be changed in Vegas to really make this a workable idea.
AS A 57 YEAR OLD RESIDENT OF SUN CITY,
COURTING SENIORS IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA.
SENIORS TEND TO BE MORE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AND POLITICALLY ACTIVE.
THEY DON'T HAVE CHILDREN USING BILLIONS IN RESOURCES. THEY ARE AN EXCELLENT GROUP TO COURT.
HOWEVER, NEVADA HAS BEEN A RUNAWAY TRAIN WITH UNIONS AND OVERPAYING GOVERNMENT UNION EMPLOYEES IN HEALTH CARE AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS WHICH IS
NOT SUSTAINABLE.
I AGREE WITH PAUL. IF AN INCOME TAX IS IMPOSED, MASSES WILL LEAVE.
I HAD MY BUSINESS IN NEVADA (AN INTERNET BUSINESS) SINCE 1997, I MOVED IT LAST YEAR TO WYOMING BECAUSE OF THE ANTI BUSINESS ATTITUDE IN THE LEGISLATURE, LAS VEGAS, AND CLARK COUNTY. THE UNIONS ARE OVER THE TOP BULLIES AND GREEDY. THIS IS THE UNDOING OF NEVADA. IF YOU WANT SENIORS,
CUT THE FAT!!!