Editorial: Nevadans deserve better

Friday, July 13, 2001 | 10:10 a.m.

So Gov. Kenny Guinn is refusing to tell Nevadans what his plans are for raising taxes until after the governor's race is decided in 2002? The governor's strategy is reminiscent of another Republican, Richard Nixon, who during the 1968 presidential campaign said he had a "secret" plan to end the war in Vietnam. Well, Americans learned the hard way after Nixon's election that this was an empty promise, as the war dragged on for several more years before it finally came to a conclusion.

Obviously the governor is listening to his political advisers, who argue that revealing a tax plan could spell peril for his re-election bid. But the public deserves to know exactly where Guinn stands -- during the campaign. Political campaigns, after all, are supposed to be about a contest of ideas. Guinn repeatedly has said he's a different breed of politician, one who is willing to make decisions based on their merits, not on political expediency. Of course, such a claim is laughable if he'll resort to subterfuge in discussing taxes. The governor not only has acknowledged previously that more revenues will be needed, but also that state government's budget has been pared down as far as it can go. Raising taxes is the only option to pay for essential government services, so his stonewalling makes him look ridiculous.

Guinn needs to realize that running for governor is much more than a popularity contest. After all, he isn't running for student body president of his high school. As a former superintendent of Clark County schools and ex-president of UNLV, Guinn knows better than most officials that education -- and its sore lack of necessary funding in Nevada -- has to be addressed. That will mean more taxes, which nearly everyone acknowledges is necessary. But where the increase comes from, or how the revenues are reallocated, is where the battle will occur. If Guinn sticks to his silly notion of not talking about taxes, he will demonstrate that he is nothing more than the run-of-the-mill politicians that dot the Nevada landscape. It's just that kind of sidestepping that makes the public even more cynical that elected officials don't have the courage to level with them on the tough issues.