Let's stop shooting ourselves in the foot
Let's stop shooting ourselves in the footBy Dr. Eugene T. Paslov For the Nevada Appeal We are in the middle of the worst depression in Nevada's history. We need strong leadership to reinvent our economic system and help us recover. Nevada's senior senator, the majority leader and arguably Nevada's most powerful voice in the U.S. Congress, is a key leader to help our state achieve new economic vitality. Yet we have some who seek to replace him with a political novice. Unfortunately, shooting ourselves in the foot is not a new phenomenon.In the 1864 Constitutional Convention, William Stewart, a lawyer paid by the Comstock Corporation, put into our Constitution a "net proceeds tax." The effect of this provision was to protect the mining industry from paying their fair share of taxes. Mining, then as now, is a major industry in Nevada; yet the profits are leached out to national and international corporations. Soon after the end of the 19th century, tourism became important; we devised ways to entice tourists to spend money in the state, ke