THE LOWDEN LINE

Nevada’s economy is still slow, which means the Governor may need to call for even additional reductions in the spending increases approved by the Legislature last year. And that has the apocalyptic Chicken Littles in full throat once again.

Keith Rheault, state superintendent of public schools, told Brendan Riley of the Associated Press yesterday that “With the first go-around, we pretty much exhausted all the easy-type cuts,” stating that any additional belt-tightening would be at the expense of athletics and other non-teaching programs. For his part, University Chancellor Jim Rogers warned ominously that “we’re standing on the ledge of absolute destruction and permanent injury.”

As John Stossel would say, give me a break. These guys would trot out the same sky-is-falling rhetoric if you threatened to cut their budgets by a $1.98. They’ve simply exhausted their credibility on this issue with their constant hyper-ventilating. And if Keith Rheault really needs to put some heads on chopping blocks, he should start with a few overpaid vice presidents and administrators before throwing gym teachers under the bus. And that’s the Lowden Line.