Group charges leadership void hurts children, seniors

Friday, May 4, 2001 | 9:55 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A group that advocates social causes is complaining that children, senior citizens, the poor and the mentally ill will be hurt by a lack of leadership from Gov. Kenny Guinn and the Legislature.

The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada said Thursday the leaders are reluctant to discuss an increase in taxes to make up for a $121.5 million shortfall in the state budget. Instead the governor and legislators are looking for ways to slice programs in order to balance the budget.

Bob Fulkerson, state director of the alliance, said the loyalties of the lawmakers and Guinn "are to special interests: gaming construction, mining and business.

"All of these groups objected to tax increases even though the state desperately needs additional income," Fulkerson said.

Fulkerson said there should be discussion on such things as a sales tax on services, a luxury tax, a water tax on mining and a business profits tax on big corporations such as Wal-Mart or Bank of America.

"No one except Sen. Joe Neal will talk about the gaming tax and absolutely no one will talk about changing our constitution to implement a progressive income tax," complained Fulkerson, referring to the senator from North Las Vegas who has proposed more taxes from the gaming industry.

The alliance said Nevada spends $1,000 per pupil below the national average and ranks 37th in the nation in per-student spending. Nevada is 47th in the nation in the number of children without health insurance. There is double the national rate of suicides.

In Clark County in 1999, there were about 50,000 children living below the federal poverty level, Fulkerson said in remarks prepared for a news conference today in Reno.

He asked if legislators and the governor want to be remembered for leaving this legacy.

The alliance includes such organizations as the ACLU, the AFL-CIO, Committee to Aid Abused Women, Common Cause, Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, Culinary Workers Local 226 in Las Vegas, the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association, the Sierra Club, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and the Reno-Sparks NAACP.