We were preparing a little speech recently when we noticed some very interesting parallels. (And by interesting, we mean “terrible.”) Check out this Review-Journal editorial for quotes from Democratic state Senate Minority Leader Steven Horsford. We thought some of them sounded familiar, and so we did a little work with The Google, and what we found might surprise (and frighten) you:

Horsford: “I won’t support tax increases — not when the private sector is losing revenue and losing jobs.”

Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons:”I will continue to balance our budget without looking to taxpayers for more money when they’re already struggling in their own lives.” (R-J, July 11, 2008)

Interesting, huh? Those quotes sound almost totally alike. Here’s another:

Horsford: “We need to invest more money in recruiting high-quality teachers, and we need to offer better pay for better performance…”

Republican state Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio: “He [Raggio] pointed out that he often disagrees with the association, supporting merit pay for teachers and advocating for stronger charter schools.” (emphasis added) (Reno Gazette Journal, Aug. 10, 2008)

Wow, what a coincidence. They totally agree on that issue. Weird, huh? Hey, wait, there’s more.

Horsford: “I think everyone recognizes the need for more public-private partnerships in transportation.”

Gibbons: “The Nevada State Board of Transportation today approved the recommendation of Governor Jim Gibbons’ Public-Private Partnership Advisory Committee studying transportation to conduct a demonstration project in Clark County.” (News release, office of the governor, May 15, 2008)

Hey, Horsford was right. Everybody does agree on that. Or at least he and Gibbons agree. This is getting downright eerie. Let’s do another.

Horsford: “The general fund needs to be managed in a way that doesn’t allow growth beyond population growth and inflation.”

State Sen. Bob Beers: “Bob Beers is the ‘father’ of the TASC Amendment, which limits government spending hikes to the percentage of population growth plus inflation, unless voters approve an additional increase. Politicians generally oppose it.” (Bob Beers’s website.)

Not all politicans, Sen. Beers! You’ve got a fellow traveler, it seems.

We’re feeling pretty weak, but we think we might be able to do just one more. Here we go:

Horsford: “I believe government should do a few things very well, then get out of the way. State government is doing too many things.”

Beers: “I perceive myself as moderate, which is that our government is doing enough, and not doing what it’s trying to do well enough, that it doesn’t make sense to expand the percentage of the economy consumed by the public sector.” (CityLife, Feb. 21, 2008)

OK, that’s it. We can’t take anymore! We’re out.