Columnist Jeff German: DMV idea lines up as a bad one

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 | 11:04 a.m.

Republicans are supposed to lean to the right, but lately some GOP lawmakers are talking as though they're in left field.

God bless Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, today's all-star left fielder.

The three-term legislator, one of the most likeable guys in Carson City, has leaped to the forefront of Nevada's emotional tax debate by challenging the vision of his party's own governor, Kenny Guinn, to lead the state out of its budget crunch.

It's good to have politicians like Beers around at an important time like this. They provide a sense of balance to the tax debate -- except when they lose their own balance.

When they do that, they help us keep our sense of humor.

This week, as lawmakers scrutinized Guinn's budget, Beers, without even breaking into a smile, suggested the state could bring in more revenues if it charged people to wait in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

What's next -- handing out fines to motorists stuck in traffic jams along I-15?

Beers doesn't like Guinn's idea of spending $11 million to hire 184 more state workers to reduce the waiting time at the DMV.

From his perch in left field, he would rather see motorists punished for not using the telephone, the mail or the Internet to renew their driver's licenses or vehicle registrations.

Beers forgets that many people aren't as computer literate as he or may not trust these alternative payment methods. Though waiting in line at the DMV is about as popular as having a root canal in the dentist's chair, these people would rather conduct their business with the DMV in person.

So the logical solution is not to punish them further, but to make it easier for them to deal with an unpleasant situation.

As a former governor who dealt extensively with DMV issues from 1983 to 1989, Richard Bryan knows how silly it is to add a surcharge to those waiting in line.

"This isn't going to fly" Bryan said. "It's only going to increase the misery index of going down there."

Can't Beers see that from his slanted perch?

Longtime political consultant Don Williams, who has elected candidates over the years solely on the issue of reducing DMV lines, couldn't believe his ears when told of what Beers has proposed.

For the first time in a political career that has spanned more than 40 years, Williams said he was speechless.

Well, almost speechless.

"This ranks as one of the stupidest suggestions I've ever heard a politician make," he said. "We don't need these kinds of minds cluttering up real solutions."

Williams thinks Beers should either get serious or get out of the tax debate for the sake of the state and the Republican's own political career.

At the very least, Beers should try to stay out of left field.