There are alternatives to more cuts and layoffs

Save our State petition.

The state of our state is disaster.

Nevada faces an immediate $882 million shortfall. We strongly oppose filling that hole by making additional cuts to programs and people. We urge a sensible and fair solution that combines minor cuts with new revenue.

Our plan is fair. Cutting education and state services by 22 percent across the board is not. Creating tax fairness makes sense. Laying off underpaid state workers and teachers does not.

We the undersigned citizens of Nevada believe that these sensible and fair solutions that combine minor cuts with new revenue should be adopted first to help balance the state budget:

Lawmakers must -- shuffle available funds to fill the hole ($150 million one-time as outlined by Speaker Buckley).

Lawmakers must -- eliminate statutory deductions the mining industry uses to avoid paying its fair share. ($150 million annually).

Lawmakers must -- implement a state activity tax of .50 percent on all businesses earning more than $350,000. This will exempt most small businesses in the state (estimated $500 million annually.

Lawmakers must -- cut the remaining $82 million in expenditures with the care of surgeons. We urge no layoffs of state employees or teachers. We support shortening the school year or adding an additional furlough day to achieve this cut.

I hope I'm not just building Erin Neff's mailing list by linking to this, (and I'd feel better if there was any sort of privacy policy on her site about what use will be made of the information) but the content of the petition is worth supporting.