Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: An uphill tax battle

Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 | 10:09 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

TAXES. TAKE TWO.

Thursday's column dealt with the maturity level of Nevadans as we approach the results of the Governor's Task Force on Tax Policy report, which should be available as you read this. The report recommends a number of existing and new areas for raising the needed revenues to keep Nevada not only among the fastest-growing states but also one of the strongest and most viable.

There are no illusions. Our recommendations are just that, recommendations. It will be up to Gov. Kenny Guinn and the 2003 state Legislature to act on this report. And therein lies the rub.

It is no secret that we have become a society that revels in the democratic privilege of complaining -- about everything. Forget the fact that life in these United States -- except for the very least fortunate among us -- is right near the top of the world heap. And, yet, most of us find the time and energy to complain about that which isn't perfect.

At the same time, many or most of our elected officials have reached a level of sophisticated timidity such that they dare not act without poll results and other information that will guide their actions down the middle of majority opinion --- regardless of the correctness of that decision. In short, very few politicians are willing to take a chance.

That is why in election after election we keep hearing not very much of anything from the people seeking our votes. They have been counseled by their handlers not to say or do anything that will upset this group or that for fear that with margins of victory becoming increasingly small, they might talk their way out of victory.

That, in turn, makes for a very dull campaign that results in lower turnout and, hence, election results that may not be representative of society as a whole.

Now before people jump on me for intimating that low turnouts and bad results in elections are nobody's fault except the voters, let me be the first to agree. It is our fault.

And that is to say that it is not the fault of the media -- which, frankly, only gives us what they know we want to hear. And it is not the fault of the politicians -- as much as we would like to blame them the way we do for everything else.

Their do-nothing, say-nothing attitudes are defensive maneuvers designed to protect them from the wrath of a highly motivated but not well-educated electorate. I don't mean unintelligent people, just voters ignorant of the facts.

So, that's the environment in which we find ourselves in Nevada as we head into the 2003 legislative season and the Legislature's top priority -- raising the revenues necessary to get this state out of the hole and into the world of enlightenment.

Long before I was invited to join seven other well-intentioned Nevadans who volunteered their time, resources and, in some cases, considerable intellect on the governor's task force, it was clear to me that the fastest-growing state in the union could no longer keep its head in the sands of the past and ignore one very basic reality: On practically all matters of quality of life and quantity of happiness, Nevada was ranked at or near the bottom. Right down there with Mississippi and Alabama.

After having spent the better part of the last year immersed in facts, figures and formulas designed to right this ship of state, it is now perfectly clear. And it is even worse than I thought. In some areas we trail Alabama and Mississippi!

Gov. Guinn and the leadership in the Legislature have an uphill battle because the voters, in some fit of pique a few years ago, created a situation in which a minority of lawmakers could thwart the will of the majority when it comes to taxes. In short, just a few more than a handful of senators can stop this state from doing what it needs to do to make sure that Nevada can grow and prosper.

And you can bet your bippy that those who are consistently unhappy and content to complain their way through life will be targeting those few lawmakers needed to stop progress in its tracks and thwart a governor whose election was approved by an unheard of majority of Nevada voters.

The challenge, of course, will be to educate the Carson City gang so that they can act rationally and avoid their first inclination which is to seek political cover behind a "no new taxes" mantra. That has already started. But, if we want to move forward -- together -- it will be up to us, not them.

Like I said Thursday, this is a time for grown-ups.