What with him being a neurotic, emotionally stunted glassy-eyed pathological liar with sociopathic tendencies, sometimes it's easy to forget that Jim Gibbons, the nation's worst governor, is also a corrupt, venal crook -- but not for long! There's always something there to remind us, in this instance provided by AP reporter Sandra Chereb:
Gov. Jim Gibbons asked for and received a property tax break on a vacant rural parcel he owns in Elko County that saved Nevada's chief executive thousands of dollars a year and left the county assessor feeling pressured.
Records show the first-term Republican governor lowered his annual property tax liability to $15 from about $5,000 on the 40 sagebrush-dotted acres he owns near Lamoille by getting it designated as agricultural land rather than residential.
The story goes on to tell how the nation's creepiest governor slammed Elko County Assessor Joe Aguirre up against the wall in a parking garage and told him to put out or else. OK, that's paraphrasing. But not much.
The state Democratic Party rushed out a release Friday afternoon under the headline "'No-new-taxes Gibbons' doesn't pay his own taxes," and accused Gibbons of being "reckless and self-indulgent in using his power as governor ... once again, it looks like Gibbons is abusing the trust of Nevada voters."
Well, yeah. But this might be a little bigger than that.
Gibbons was trying to get out from paying taxes by claiming that the land qualifies for an agricultural designation because he makes more than $5,000 leasing a measly 40 acres of dirt and rocks, primarily for grazing livestock. As AP reported:
Forty acres isn't a lot of ground for an animal that needs 800 pounds of forage a month, industry experts said. The Nevada Cattlemen's Association said one rule of thumb is 100 acres per cow if the land is mostly scrubby sagebrush, though less is needed if the land has higher quality feed and water.
Grazing land lease rates range from $1.35 to $20 per animal unit month, meaning that if Gibbons' 40 acres could support a cow, the going rate would be $240 a year on the high end, about $500 if it supported two cows.
Gibbons -- for whom the phrase "all hat and no cattle" might have been originally coined, after all -- is either flat-out lying, as usual, when he claims the land earned more than $5,000, or he found a crony in the form of Washoe Disrict Judge Jerry Carr Whitehead to substantially overpay him -- or at least make it look like he was paying him.
Through lawyer and Nevada Tax Commission member (!?!) John Marvel (son of the geezer legislator), Gibbons ...
...submitted copies of the front side of two checks from Whitehead to Gibbons in the amounts of $1,500 and $4,227, with notations saying they were for 2007 lease payments, according to documents obtained by the AP. Aguirre said from the documentation provided he couldn't determine whether the checks had been cashed and he didn't feel comfortable questioning the governor or Marvel on that matter.
Whitehead, contacted by phone, declined to comment, saying it was a private matter.
In other words, this is not just another in the interminable string of Gibbons lies. He also could be involved in ... well, the Gleaner is not a lawyer and not sure what one would call it but "conspiracy to commit fraud" and "fraud" come to mind for starters, no?
For the record, the story includes the requisite hollow denials dutifully trotted out by increasingly discredited-by-association Gibbons spokester Ben Kieckhefer, the poor, poor bastard.
You couldn't make this stuff up! He is just an endless supply of unbelievable!
Posted by: Nancy | 07/11/2008 at 02:36 PM
Gibbons asked the federal government for a disaster declaration for cattlemen in 2007 becuase of the drought in Nevada (no grass for grazing), so did Gibbons or Whitehead benefit from same?
1 cow needs 100 acres, so 40 acres is .4 sufficient for a grazing cow.
I think the AG's office is looking into this lease as well as well as the judiciary oversight group as it seems to be a gross overpayment considering industry standards!
"Excuse me Mr. Raggio, could I pay you $5,000 for the hamburger on your plate? Why, thank you!"
Posted by: Dave404 | 07/11/2008 at 02:53 PM
I guess no new taxes refers to Gibbons himself!
What's really sad is that Republicans don't have the guts or the brains to come out publicly and say this guy is a disgrace.
Posted by: Michael Green | 07/11/2008 at 03:07 PM
Cue Gibbers' rush to buy some miniCows.
Posted by: theo | 07/11/2008 at 03:16 PM
The LuvGuv has already gone public about this property saying it is where he and Dawn (or some other woman of the day) will build their retirement home. Just a drive by would tell us how many head of cattle might be grazing on the land that apparently he wants denuded of foliage before he builds this retirement home.
Hopefully the AG's office will do a timely investigation and not let this cowboy finish his term and rather be send packing on his mule to Lamoile for an early retirement.
Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you.
Posted by: Judy | 07/11/2008 at 03:35 PM
Forgot to mention that all the fringe just does something to me! Makes me wonder if he is wearing spurs too................
Posted by: Judy | 07/11/2008 at 03:36 PM
So, let's see...
The Luv Guv and his soon-to-be ex paid $575,000 for the parcel last August.
The AP estimates he could get $500 in annual income from grazing fees... if he's lucky.
So he'll recoup his investment in this prime agricultural acreage by... let's see... the year 3158.
To borrow a phrase from Mr. Kieckhefer, that's a "damned good" investment. My house will probably return to 2005 prices by then.
Posted by: That Anonymous Guy | 07/11/2008 at 03:37 PM
@Dave404,
I think the correct analogy would be
Excuse me Mr. Raggio, could I pay you $5,000 for the hamburger on your plate until you're ready to eat it?
That way you won't have to pay sales tax on it, because it'll be a comped meal.
Posted by: Gus | 07/11/2008 at 04:32 PM
I would deffinitely dub Gibbons that all hat no cattle governor, except I wouldn't want to offend those with hats.
Posted by: CollegeStudent | 07/11/2008 at 04:41 PM
This explains the otherwise inexplicable lack of interest in picking him to run with McCain...
Hey, wonder who gets this choice cattle farm in the divorce?
Posted by: Dude | 07/11/2008 at 05:21 PM
I hope Special K is paid well 'cause imho no amount of money is worth having to spin the shit this embarrassment of a Governor has dished out.
Posted by: Scorpiogal | 07/11/2008 at 09:09 PM
Luvgov-This guy never fails to give me my laugh for the day. Thanks Jim I needed that.
Posted by: Kickboxermomma | 07/12/2008 at 01:32 AM
There was an interesting story on TV yesterday from the folks at the
Channel 8 I-Team. Apparently one of their reporters worked with the head of Liberty Watch (a group that Senator Bob Beers is apparently affiliated with) to try to screw over Assemblyman Bob Beers. Both are right-wing whack jobs, but apparently Liberty Watch is backing a guy named Jon Ozark who is challenging Ass. Beers in the Republican primary. Considering how right wing Ass. Beers is (he and Ty Cobb were in the R-J together yesterday fighting over who hates Latinos more), Ozark must be really, really far right.
Anyway, during the special session Liberty Watch's George Harris and the R-J's Ed Vogel played "gotcha" with Ass. Beers and donated $10 (Harris) and $5 (the much cheaper Vogel) to his campaign via a link on his website that he had not disabled. When the Ass. sent Harris his $10 back via certified mail, Channel 8 showed that it was signed for by Vogel! Lovely. And the R-J gets to enjoy tax-exempt status as a "newspaper"?!?!
Posted by: When Right Wingnuts Collide | 07/12/2008 at 08:39 AM
Why would a reporter be signing for a certified letter addressed to a political attack dog?! I have always wondered if Vogel was in bed with the Republic Party in this State; this co-conspiracy eliminates all doubts!
This kinda of stuff could come back to haunt George Harris and Senator Beers in the Senate 3 race where Harris's other business partner, Leo Davenport, is running. Davenport is tied in with Harris and Lau and Nevada Retail Association (who backed his losing senate race in 2004), backed by VESTIN mortgage vestinbankrutcies and many others in his business world, which is the MORTGAGE INDUSTRY!
Hey George, I wouldn't have found that in 2004 that your business partner Leo Davenport, may have accepted, as of October 25, 2004, what could be a felonious amount of campain money from a certain mortgage compnay! Or was the allowable contribution amount in 2004 greater than $10,000?
Posted by: more questions | 07/12/2008 at 09:09 AM
Why, the idea that Ed Vogel would do something to help Republicans! Shocking.
Posted by: Michael Green | 07/12/2008 at 09:16 AM
The latest Gibbons scandal illustrates an important point:
Normally, taxes are a favorite issue of the right wing. Nobody actually enjoys paying taxes.
However, if the issue is framed as "who pays taxes, and who DOESN'T pay taxes", then taxes could be an issue for the left.
Does anybody know how much taxes the RJ pays to Nevada? And how much profit they ship out of state? Ditto for Wal-Mart, Bank of America, etc.
What is the effective tax rate paid by these non-casino businesses, compared with the rate I pay at a restaurant?
Just asking...
Posted by: John Farley | 07/12/2008 at 10:03 AM
http://www.kenvtv.com/Friday.wmv
If you go here right now and watch about 1/8 of the way in, you can see the land that Gibbons bought and hear the County Assessor talk about it.
Hurry though, it will only last about a week.
Posted by: Reno.Muse | 07/12/2008 at 12:12 PM
Seems the gov was out having some good times at the Sparks farmers market.
http://reno.craigslist.org/rnr/752355375.html
Posted by: mark | 07/12/2008 at 06:05 PM
well I'll tell ya Pilgrim...
I think Chrissy (@Y@) Mazzeo will make a good ranch hand....
Posted by: temujin... khan of the yakka mongols | 07/12/2008 at 08:46 PM
Senators Bob Beers and Joe Heck, both Republican inicumbents in Clark County, both running in districts with Democratic voter majorities, should be fulminating about the ongoing and/or never ending follies of their Republican Party leader, our Governor, Jim Gibbons.
At least Heck should be, as we know Senator Beers LOVES the LuvGov and thinks he is swell and perfect. I wonder if that view, which is not shared by 80% of the voters will hurt him in the general election?
Heck, are you a good Party man or do you think the Governor is the laughing stock and ill suited to the demands, pressure and decorum required for a competent governor; i.e., are you FOR the voter or Against the voter?
Posted by: dave404 | 07/13/2008 at 08:03 AM