Editorial: Just what was he thinking of anyway?

Tuesday, July 31, 2001 | 9:20 a.m.

State Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, should have known better. Washington sought workers' compensation insurance to pay for $10,000 in medical bills he racked up from injuring his leg in April during a charity basketball game between Democratic and Republican legislators. But as the Sun's Cy Ryan reported Monday, Employers Insurance Co. of Nevada rejected the claim, saying that his injury didn't fall within the scope of his official duties. Washington now is appealing that decision.

If Washington had hurt himself while on the job in the Senate chambers, he would have been justified in filing a workers' compensation claim. But an after-hours, charity basketball game? Come on. Washington's compensation claim is a symptom of a larger problem, one where some politicians have a sense of entitlement, a feeling that they deserve to be taken care of if they meet misfortune. But elected officials are supposed to lead by example -- something that Washington failed to do in this instance.

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