Gold in Dem Corporate Fiefdoms

The putative leader of the the State of Nevada was crowing about all those profits Big Mining was ripping out of Nevada recently (KRNV,MineWeb). Casinos, too, are making a bundle.

So, wonders Ralston,

Maybe those who brought us Governor Read My Lips and the Gang of 63 should bear the burden. Consider two recent news items:   

News Item No. 1 – Mineral income in Nevada reached a record $5.1
billion last year, an increase of $1.4 billion over 2005. Nevada
remains the nation’s foremost gold producer and has never been more
profitable, it seems.

News Item No. 2 – Nevada casinos won $12.6 billion in 2006, compared
with $11.6 billion the previous year. The Strip win increased by almost
11 percent and many of those companies were investing millions in
far-flung Macau.

Other industries also are worried about being tapped to make up the
budget shortfall. The homebuilders recently sent a missive to lawmakers
that highlighted the housing slump. Trust me – the subtle message was
not that this isn’t a good time to sell your house.

And what about for-profit hospitals? Or insurance companies? Or the construction industry?   

They are all rich. Can’t we siphon some cash from them, too, to pay for roads, textbooks and mental health facilities? (Ral)

How about this for a tax plan: order those who gave money to Gibbons’ campaign from those who gave the most to the least, and then tax them in proportion to their gifting. I call this plan "Adelson First." Hitting the Gube’s gift list will get you just the people you’d want: the mines, the casinos, the hospitals and the insurance companies, plus that power company that seems to be doing okay, too.