Las Vegas Business Press :: Chuck Muth : Legislators too focused on growing government, regulating business

Legislators too focused on growing government, regulating business

Government doesn't create jobs. Entrepreneurs create jobs. Government creates anti-business bureaucracies, commissions, regulations and red tape.

If you want to put Nevadans back to work, you get government out of the way and let the people who know how to create real jobs get down to the business of creating real jobs. And that's exactly what our crack state legislators are preparing to do, right? Yeah, right.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. That's why Assemblyman Lynn Stewart is prepping a bill to designate an official Nevada state bug. In addition, Stewart has submitted another BDR (bill draft request) which would make next September "National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month." Yeah, that'll sure shrink the unemployment rolls, won't it? There are also bills galore to grow or change existing government agencies or programs, which instead ought to be seriously considered for elimination. For example, the Consumer Affairs Division has requested a bill "to increase registration fees for certain business organizations." Great. Let's just keep penalizing the very businesses we need to pull us out of this recession.

Chuck Muth

And even though Nevadans can't afford our existing government, Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie has requested a bill to create the State Renewable Energy Transmission Authority. Lovely. Not to be outdone, Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford has requested a bill to create a Statewide Education Efficiency and Equity Commission. Lovely squared.

Then there's the seemingly unquenchable desire by some legislators to regulate to death anything and everything under the sun. For example, there are BDRs to regulate fitness professionals, mobile billboards, sheet-metal workers, perfusionists (whatever the heck they are), certified medication aides, tanning salons, the sale of "novelty lighters," dog breeders and even bus stops.

And as if health care wasn't already expensive enough, some legislators continue to propose additional "mandatory" coverages for health insurance policies -- mandates guaranteed to drive monthly premiums even further through the roof. BDRs have been requested to force private insurance companies to cover autism screening and treatment, acupuncture and eating disorders. Chew on that, Mr. Consumer.

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Harvey Munford has a bill request in to require "video service providers to provide discounted rates to senior citizens with a low income." Government price-fixing mandates on private businesses? Is this guy serious? Unfortunately ... yes.

Assemblyman Morse Arberry has requested a truly offensive and racist bill establishing "a commission to provide startup loans for minority businesses." White people who want to start a business and hire unemployed Nevadans can take a hike.

And lest you think the rookies coming to Carson City for the first time aren't up to the anti-business challenge, Assemblywoman April Mastroluca has requested a bill providing "leave for parents who work during school hours." Who's going to pay for that, taxpayers or business owners? In either case, why should they?

Nevada's anti-business, government-lovin' legislators have seen the dire economic problems facing our state and have decided to fix the problem by tying the hands of the very people who could actually help. Kinda like shooting your brain surgeon in the head. Makes perfect sense.

Chuck Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, a nonprofit public policy advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Citizen Outreach. He can be reached at chuck@citizenoutreach.com.

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