The Storey Teller News and commentary on what’s really going on in Storey County.
Remember this?
They said it would only tax (i.e. steal from) transient semi-trucks in the TRIC area.
They said it would only be indexed at 3 percent a year.
They said it would sunset in ten years.
What they didn’t say was they were praying for it to make up for the plummeting revenues and the deafening roar of the fabled TRIC money gusher.
We said no.
60-40.
No.
No Lance. No Jack. No Marshall.
N to the O.
No More Taxes.
Yet here we are, a little over 5 months later and our elected representatives are doing their best impression of a slippery California tax-and-spend taxhole Democrat.
The fuel tax is back. This time it’s different. No longer indexing Gas and Diesel. It is now “up to” Five Cents on diesel only. Without that pesky sunset thing. As in permanent.
Commissioner McBride said this tax is only fair:
We say the way to restore equity is to lower the gas tax 5 cents to match diesel, not raise diesel to match gas.
Jason Van Havel said using the General Fund for road repair isn’t in the spirit and intent of the General Fund Revenues:
What is the spirit of the General Fund? Upward spiraling Salaries and Benefits? Trips to Washington D.C.? Delivering water, dispensing sewer, taking care of kids & elderly at risk and fixing the roads is just about the only thing the spirit of the General Fund should be used for.
The lobbyist representing 5 counties including Storey County suggests this isn’t at all working against the will of the people because the tax is not indexed and it is only for diesel:
She must think we are either not paying attention or we are stupid; Taxation is Taxation is Theft.
Commenting on the neutral position, Cheryl Blomstrom of the Nevada Taxpayers Association takes exception with the notion that this isn’t what the taxpayers overwhelmingly rejected by Nevada Counties that don’t rhyme with Washoe and Clark:
Thank you Cheryl.
Here is Storey County Manager Pat Whitten in his soft shoes from the Storey County Commissioners meeting update email:
SB438, the 5 cent diesel fuel tax bill is still under consideration. Concerns have been expressed by some residents. Note, this bill is not to pass this tax, but to enable local government to consider an “up to” 5 cent tax. It could be 1, 2, or 3 cents. Further, this tax impacts diesel fuel sales only. In Storey County the bulk of diesel fuel is sold in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. Washoe and Clark Counties have already established a diesel fuel tax.” (Technically, it’s SB439 and the bill’s text is available here).
And if you believe that the county would keep the tax at “just .01 cents” for the first ten years, my Comstock Mining Inc. stock is still for sale at the 3.00 a share I bought it for…
Nicole Barde chimed in with commentary on her blog:
SB 439. The bill to allow the counties to raise the diesel tax by 5 cents….if they feel like it. Pat Whitten made it a point to clarify the misinformation that was posted on the VCH message board. He clarified that this was NOT a tax hike. That if passed, this would only ALLOW the county commissions to raise the tax…..if they felt like it. But it is not a tax hike. RIGHT..…..just an open door to do it. It’s like giving me a cupcake and telling me that I don’t have to eat it…….RIGHT. Anyway, he said it’s out at TRI and the county residents don’t fuel up there…oh, and all the other counties already have higher fuel taxes………..and oh…..it could be less than a 5 cent hike…it could be 2 or 3 cents……and ….SB 439 is not a tax hike. At no time did he say that the Storey County Commissioners would not enact it.
Wait, what?
Did I mention the sun will shine on this tax’s fanny in perpetuity?
Because it will. Until they come sniffing around for more.
If (or is that when) this bill passes, even though we already told them no, our Commissioners can now enable this tax, directly violating our consent. Right after we kicked this tax to the curb it comes back like the Terminator on the hunt for Sarah Conner.
How you like them onions, cupcake?
To quote ol’ H. Dubya “Read My Lips. No New Taxes”
No new taxes. No old taxes. No middle aged taxes. No boomer taxes. No millennial taxes. No toddler taxes. NO newborn taxes. No preemie taxes.
No. More. Taxes.
Please remove your crowbar from of my wallet and the wallets of the truck drivers who deliver our stuff. Again.
If you don’t like them onions, take a moment to let Mr. Whitten know how you feel. He can be reached at pwhitten@storeycounty.org, 775-847-0968.
Better yet stop on by and knock on his door at the courthouse and tell him thestoreyteller.online sent you.
On second thought…
Postscript
Why am I so dead set against Taxation? Because Taxation is Theft.
Jason Stapleton, libertarian talk show host is paraphrased here discussing bureaucratic government leaches: “You have to fight them every day. Relentlessly. Without mercy. Without rest. Because if you rest for one day, for one minute, they will be at your wallet with a crowbar, drooling as they extract whatever they can to grease their skids. They bloat their salaries, fill their retirement accounts, use the gas cards, run up the cell phone bills, buy computers and fancy desks and lunches and dinners and junkets and vacations and pet projects. They use your money without regard to how much or where it came from. You must not stop fighting for a single second or you will end up penniless.”
This was posted on https://www.facebook.com/thestoreyteller.onlne and is worth sharing here…
Paul Melroy I am so confused on this why did I vote NO on raising fuel taxes? When our commissioners can just go ahead and do it anyway? Kind of looks like a dictatorship if you ask me. The voting system is for the people, whom you all have the pleasure of serving not yourselves. I would like an explanation of the law that allows our commissioners to do the EXACT OPPOSITE of the will of the people of Storey County who clearly voted NO. I am aware this has not happened yet but seems to be coming.
Here’s an idea maybe our county should make these million dollar companies coming to TCIP pay taxes sooner then 10 years. Or is it just ok to break the will of the voters but not the million dollar companies agreement?
Also this TCIP only benefits a few not the common people who are picking up (footing) the bill for this disaster. I could think of many other things my tax dollars could be used for rather then making sure these companies don’t pay for 10 years. Like schools, libraries, senior centers, community parks could go on and on bit you get my point.
So if you don’t mind sending me the state law that gives our commissioners the right to IGNORE the vote of the people and pass such a law please I would greatly appreciate being educated on this loop hole. Who holds these commissioners accountable?
This is our reply:
The Storey Teller So a quick distinction. The video came from the committee discussion on bill SB439. This is a bill that was introduced to generate revenue because spending priorities don’t necessarily put fixing potholes in front of, say junkets to Washington D.C. or buying Fancy new cars for the county employees to drive around in. It is not law yet.
Notice the clip that Mary Walker made in closing comments and how she magically turned this bill (which I agree with you is EXACTLY OPPOSITE of how 60% of us voted) into not what we shot down but something completely different. It’s a tax not an indexed tax. It’s permanent, not with a sunset bla bla bla.
Again, it is important to note that this bill is not (yet) law. If (when) it becomes law, then the ball goes into the court of the County Commissioners. At that moment we all need to come unglued and show up to the courthouse with pitchforks and torches and let them know how we feel about this.
My gut tells me that they will politely listen to all of us howl and then grin, wink and nod in agreement of a .05 cent a gallon increase in diesel fuel, will of the people be damned…
When will people learn that the DemoNazis only have one solution to every single problem, raise taxes and then raise their expenses so that they have to raise taxes yet again. It will never stop. Just look at the mess California is in. People must not be very smart. They keep falling for the same politicians over and over. Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Vote for people that will lower taxes. It’s a simple solution.
How is it the State of Nevada is controlled by DemoNazis in both the Senate and the Assembly.
People are always looking for the Government to help them.
Quit Demonizing Democrats. Aren’t all three of the commissioners as well as Pat Whitten Republicans? I would rather my taxes not be used by a orange blowhard to use on weekly golf trips but I don’t hear you Republicans griping about that.
For the record, I am against this diesel tax increase. But lay off the Democrat/Republican crap. This country is divided enough.
Hear, hear.
First, I am a Libertarian. Second, these aren’t Republicans they are RINOS. Third, the DemoNazis have had control of this country for 50 years. Their whole goal is to shred the Constitution at every turn. They hate the first and second amendments. They also want to control every faze of our economy. Obamacare was just a start to the eventual Government controlled health care.
Libertarians and others have sat peacefully by for a long period of time while our pockets have been picked for the social good. As an Economist I have never seen a social program help anyone. It just adds to our many problems.
I would encourage anyone who thinks differently to take some classes in Economics from a well grounded, Austrian school of studies, institution. There are too many colleges that are now teaching socialistic economics. They actually try to pretend that this crap works.
People are fed up with all of this spending and taxation and Trump was elected to send that exact message.
Even at the local level our state government wants to meter our water wells and make us pay for their lack of responsibly in allowing excessive growth. Enough is enough. We are now standing up for our Constitutional rights. Go Trump go. Crush Socialism once and for all.
Here Here!
The editor of this newspage is a Libertarian as well and as such I reserve the right to criticize both parties with equal resolve whenever they deserve it. Which it pretty much most of the time. Like daily.
That said, I think when we can come together and not divide our country we should. I believe that the extreme wings of the Eagle are financially rewarded when they divide and conquer us.
Once we wake up and recognize we are living in a quasi-fascistic empire where Government and Business collude to benefit each other at the expense of the chumps, us taxpayers, we can see the problem for what it is and take steps to solve it. The steps I choose to take are to spread the message of Liberty every single chance I get. Check out the main page and do the next generation a favor and buy the kids you know a 6 pack of the Tuttle Twins.
Sadly, we have ZERO chance of changing the beltway, so I think our efforts are best spent on the local hogs who feed at the trough filled with Storey County Taxpayer Dollars.