Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Decades-long denial

Friday, Sept. 13, 2002 | 4:58 a.m.

LOOK OUT, here come the tax and spenders.

It was not too long ago -- call it 30 years -- that the term "tax and spend" took on a significance in American politics that has grown steadily over the decades to the point that any politician who even thinks about raising revenues is doomed in the court of public opinion.

We lament, as voters, what we perceive as dishonesty in our elected officials and yearn for the good old days when the people who asked for our votes looked us in the eye and told us the truth. At the very least, they told us what we wanted to hear. Whether or not we heard the truth -- a debate I am always willing to have because I think nothing much has changed, ever, just the subject matter -- is not important for today's discussion.

For today I want to talk about taxes. And on that subject the truth is quite plainly in the eye of the taxpayer. Here's a test: Raise your hand if you aren't paying enough taxes to the government. Raise your hand if you think your neighbor or the business down the street can afford to pay more even if you can't. Now raise your hand if you want the police department to respond faster to your calls for help; the firefighters to get to your burning home sooner so it can be saved; the parks in your neighborhood to not only have lights for night use but also grass instead of dirt so your kids can play safely; the streets in your area to be paved like the ones across town and the roads to be built wide enough in the first place so we don't have to be under constant construction. Get the picture?

We want, we want, we want. But we don't want to pay for it. And any politician hopeful who suggests that we need to pay for all these things we want never gets elected. It's the fellow who lies to us -- tells us he can do it all at no additional cost and then creates a smoke-and-mirror show designed for election-year appeasement -- who keeps getting our vote. Is there something wrong with that picture? Because if there is that is the reality in which we find ourselves. Not only here in Nevada but in almost every other state which has fallen hard for the effective political nostrum which has now proved its moral bankruptcy.

The Governor's Task Force on Tax Policy has been working for almost a year on a report to Gov. Kenny Guinn and the Nevada Legislature that will recommend significant changes to the tax structure of this state. As a member of that task force, I can attest to the sincerity of the members and the earnestness with which they and their technical working group has approached the problem which quite simply is: too many obligations and not enough money to pay for them.

We have all been there in our own lives and our solutions are usually quite simple. Either earn more money or spend less of it. You would think that government can hold itself accountable to the same requirements, wouldn't you? The answer is that it can, but unlike in our own lives when we cut out our entertainment budget in order to have money for rent or food, the government's obligation to the people is much broader based to the extent that one citizen's entertainment is another citizen's food. In a democracy, that requires a balancing act which defines the diffrerence between government and the individual family.

For example, while I might argue that educating our young people and providing for our national security are the two most important functions of government, others could argue just as forcefully that providing for the retirement and the health care of our aging population should be the first priority. We'd both be right, which means the cost of government must go up.

Now here's where Nevada and others have gotten into trouble over the years. Since voters elect the fellow who lies to them -- tells them they can have everything they want and not pay for it -- we have been in a decades-long period of denying the funds needed to keep up with the basic requirements of a democracy. In short, we have refused to spend the money necessary to provide needed services to our citizens for so long that, just like that old TV ad that says "pay me now or pay me (much more) later," the time has come to square accounts. And the state of Nevada ain't got it!

That brings us to the Task Force and its work. We will present our report and it will comply with the directive to broaden the tax base and raise the revenues needed for the Legislature and governor to do the job the people have elected them to do. While we are not through with our deliberations and our tinkering, it seems evident to me that we are going to suggest new taxes so that government can spend.

Just the other day, the governor admitted that taxes must go up so that needed spending can take place to catch Nevada up with the rest of civilization. In another day and, perhaps, in a different re-election race, he would have not had the gumption to tell the people the truth. But he did and hooray for him. In the coming days and weeks, others will be saying very much the same thing, and soon the message will spread throughout the state. And, with a little luck and some very good sense, the public -- which almost always does the right thing when left to its own conscience -- will push the elected officials down the right course so that Nevada will remain a strong, vibrant and decent place to live. At least, that's the plan.

The irony of the whole thing is that many of the people calling for new revenues and more and wiser spending by state and local governments will be the very people who used to say "no" at all costs. Well, now, even they realize the cost of inaction is much too high.

Welcome them aboard the bandwagon to a better tomorrow. Move over you liberals, make room for the tax-and-spend conservatives!