Letter: Record growth demands that residents pay up

Monday, Jan. 27, 2003 | 8:37 a.m.

For all who think Nevada should not have to pay its fair share, its citizens must ask what would we like to live without? A road, police, prisons? How about education for children? Shall we throw orphans into the street?

Just because we have the distinction of being the fastest-growing state in the union doesn't give us bragging rights. Additionally, who benefited from such fast growth?

We're also the fastest-growing state in a lot of other things, to name a few: poor education, suicide, teen pregnancy and our dropout rate. This has not happened overnight, according to the "Children's Report Card." Nevada's state ranking has been at the bottom of those lists for 10-plus years.

The Children's Advocacy Alliance has come up with creative ways to fix problems that have not cost taxpayers' one dime. For example, it raised over a million dollars of private funds to solve many child welfare issues that were not being funded by the state.

But private groups cannot solve all of Nevada's societal problems and shouldn't have to. Gov. Kenny Guinn said it best, that this is a day of reckoning. We can live in a state to be proud of or, at least, not totally ashamed of how its citizens choose to care for its people.

Or Nevada can just pretend it cares about things, put the blinders on and hope someone else will step up to the plate. Our state is made up of all types of people -- young, old and yes children who need education and sometimes social services.

We've all been gambling too long without paying, the comps have stopped, and there are no more discounts. It's time we all pay our marker.

FRANK MCKAY Editor's note: The writer is vice president of the Children's Advocacy Alliance.