Following the report that Nevada’s unemployment rate increased to 14 percent in May, Rep. Dean Heller, R-NV, put out the following statement:

“I am deeply concerned with the most recent unemployment numbers which place Nevada with the highest unemployment rate in the nation. While our economy continues to struggle and Nevadans seek work, the U.S. House of Representatives just this week voted on measures to recognize that milk and bald eagles are good and to honor the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is time for Nancy Pelosi and this Congress to focus on measures that will actually improve the economy.”

“Since the passage of the stimulus, Nevada’s economy has continued to decline. Despite assertions to the contrary, it does not appear that jobs are being saved or created under the current economic plan. I hope the most recent numbers serve as a wake-up call for the Speaker to finally put partisan politics aside and work towards real solutions that get Americans back to work.”

Well duh, the stimulus won’t necessarily help Nevada, given our economic choices.  It’s not Obama’s policies that caused our problems, nor is it Pelosi’s.  Nevada’s leadership is the sole owner of our economy and its woes.  Nevada’s economy relies too heavily on ‘tourism.’ The focus of Las Vegas, our biggest population center, is almost exclusively on tourism. If the rest of the nation is in recession, that means they have less discretionary dollars to spend.  Thus, they’re not going to fly to Nevada to spend and gamble away precious dollars that they would need to put food on the table or a roof over their heads.  Our over-reliance on tourism is the problem.  We need to diversify our economic base such that we don’t rely so heavily on tourism.

For decades, Nevada has concentrated its efforts on cultivating two primary boom and bust industries, gambling and gold mining.  When a recession hits, or the price of gold plummets, our economy tanks, unemployment goes through the roof, housing values plummet and people start filing for bankruptcy.

Then in that same announcement, he went on to tout a bill he had introduced, HR 5453, the Protecting Against Indebting our Descendants through Fully Offset Relief (PAID FOR) temporary extension act.

“This legislation would extend unemployment benefits and COBRA premium assistance, prevents the impending cut for Medicare providers, and extends the National Flood Insurance and Small Business Loan Guarantee Program.  Unlike the legislation that passed the House, Heller’s bill is fully paid-for, utilizing unobligated stimulus funds to deliver assistance that Americans need right now.”

Well Mr. Heller, you’re wrong.  Unobligated or not, stimulus funds are borrowed monies and as such, that means that your bill is NOT ‘fully funded.’  It’s borrowed and thus adds to both the deficit and our national debt!  So, how is your proposed legislation any different than anything else?  If you want to claim something is fully funded, you need to identify a budgetary offset … you know … something in the actual budget that you won’t fund so you can instead use those funds for your bill.  That’s what we ordinary Americans have to do. We give up something for Peter to pay Paul.   Your proposed bill does absolutely nothing to reduce this nation’s deficit spending.  Unobligated stimulus funds should be returned to China or Japan, whichever one we borrowed them from this time.