Opinion: Time to move on from Assemblyman Oscarson

When Democrats are in elected office we expect them to raise taxes. Higher taxes support larger government and that what the socialism agenda of the Democratic Party has adopted and been professing for decades now. If you watched the Democratic presidential debate last month this was crystal clear.

When we elect Republicans we expect them to protect the Republican Brand of smaller government, lower taxes and more personal freedom and liberties.

When James Oscarson and the other brand-damaging members of the Republican Party voted to raise taxes in Nevada to an estimated $1.5 billion dollars, they did so under the heartfelt ruse of the taxes being "for the children."

In 2003, then-governor Kenny Guinn pushed through the largest tax increase (up to that point) in Nevada's history which was, again, touted as being "for the children." The children who started in 1st grade that same year in 2003 just graduated in the spring of 2015. Their entire school careers were spent with Kenny Guinn's massively increased school tax and spending and in their entire school careers Nevada's educational score reached only to 47th in the U.S. in 2008.

Since then Nevada has been ranked last of all 50 states.

So what happened to the billions of tax dollars collected and intended "for the children? The unions got it, and here's how:

After the 2003 tax hike the Clark County teacher's union negotiated a goal of no more than 25 students per classroom. Well, in the fastest growing county in the country for nearly 30 years this was a monumental task and a fool's errand. Not a single legitimate study has ever shown where smaller class sizes have ever increased learning in schools. Never.

However, in an attempt to meet this new criteria, your tax dollars went to purchasing land for more than 100 new schools, it went to pay prevailing wage to union workers to build those schools, it went to hire dues-paying union workers and administrators to staff those schools and purchased everything needed to operate those schools.

When it came to paying all the new teachers to staff those schools, there wasn't much money left and the new-hire teachers were offered salaries below the national average. When you pay below-average salaries you get below-average results and you end up with many unfulfilled teacher openings.

With the newly-passed and largest tax increase in Nevada's history the legislators didn't address even a single one of multitude of flash flood washes from where all the previous tax money was swept away.

No, instead they raised your taxes by an estimated $525 per resident of Nevada and intend to send all those billions of dollars down the same leaky cistern. That's not courage, that's absolute stupidity.

James Oscarson has been touted as having courage for his votes to raise all of these taxes and fees and implement new ones. Hogwash.

Courage is when you do everything necessary to work hard to keep your promises to your constituents.

Courage is seeing the problems with Nevada's education and working hard to fix them rather than voting to throw more money down the same leaking financial hole.

Courage is taking a stand against big government and taking the time to articulate the problems and fixes to your legislative colleagues, regardless if of popularity.

Courage is leading your own committee without strife against those who don't agree with you because they have the courage to do the hard work.

Courage is seeing too much government where private industry can do the job better and working toward that end.

Courage is fighting for your financially depressed constituents and not strapping each member of each household with an additional $525 per person. Courage is doing all of these things and protecting the Republican Brand, not defacing it.

James Oscarson hasn't demonstrated courage or been able to properly articulate his rationale for voting in new and higher taxes and fees. All he's done is regurgitate the same tired, empty talking points he's been fed by the governor's machine. That James Oscarson has announced he's running for re-election in spite of his unbelievable lack of courage is uncanny.

It's absolutely time for a new representative for state Assembly District 36. The people deserve it.

Bill Carns is chairman of the Nye County Republican Party.