Editorial: Doing the right thing

Thursday, May 3, 2007 | 7:22 a.m.

Facing shrinking revenue, state lawmakers unfortunately seem to be resigned to slashing Nevada's two-year budget before the Legislature ends next month.

The state Economic Forum told the Legislature on Tuesday that it has $75 million less than expected in the budget, and that comes on top of $112 million in cuts already ordered by Gov. Jim Gibbons.

"The sad part of it all is that we won't be able to do the things we need to do to help the people who deserve the services," Assembly Ways and Means Committee Chairman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

Arberry is right to say there are plenty of people who need and deserve help, but the Legislature shouldn't give up. There is too much at stake this session, and given the governor's void of leadership, lawmakers should be leading the way. The state, which already ranks near the bottom of the nation in many quality-of-life indicators, faces a great number of needs, such as funding highway construction to ease increasing gridlock and boosting the struggling public school system.

There should be no doubt that the state needs more money, but lawmakers trying to raise revenue will run into an obstacle in Gibbons, who stubbornly refuses to confront reality and holds onto his foolish pledge to not raise taxes or fees.

Conservatives may point to the budget's increase, but what they will fail to note is that the state budget, for the past few decades at least, has never been adequate to provide enough of the essential services that Nevadans need. It should be painfully obvious that our schools, highways, public hospitals, courts, police, mental health facilities and child welfare programs have all suffered because of a lack of funding.

The Legislature and governor cannot wait any longer, pushing off tough choices for another session. Lawmakers should not hesitate to approve important programs, such as all-day kindergarten and highway construction, and pass the fees and taxes to pay for them. Someone in Carson City has to lead.