August 21, 2011

PERS, the Nevada Public Employees Retirement System, which has about 102,000 members, saw a 21 percent return on its investments for the last fiscal year (ending June 30, 2011) and for the previous fiscal year it was over 10 percent. The value of the fund is just over $25 billion dollars, and its annualized return over the past 28 years is 9.6 percent, which is incredible.

This of course, makes Sandoval very sad because he and his cronies kept saying PERS was broken and too much of a liability. They kept harping about it, and some even proposed to replace it with one that is unfair and untenable.

Poor Sandoval.. he got it wrong again. He can’t see straight because he really works for gaming and mining and listens to chambers of commerce in Nevada, which are sworn enemies of state employees and for me, that makes Sandoval a sworn enemy of state employees.

He also has failed to create jobs like he said he would in January. Instead, Sandoval increased unemployment by getting a faux budget passed that makes counties pay for state expenses. Starting this fiscal year state and local public employees were laid off because of that budget. Way to go Sandoval. Add that to your resume.

Again, where are the jobs? If you created any you would have offered a press release. I haven’t seen one.. have you?

You said you would be a job creator, but you are just another sorry excuse for a governor because of your association with Nevada’s big-business community. Your predecessor was worse but your term has just started so we shall see.

If a good business climate and low taxes were the driving force for jobs and economic viability then Nevada would have a much lower unemployment rate, probably less than 5 percent. Sandoval just doesn’t get it, and neither do the right-wing think tanks, chambers of commerce and the gaming and mining industry. It’s not all about them. Unfortunately, Sandoval thinks it is.