Jon Ralston outlines a 10-step plan for progress toward finally fixing the state’s economy and educational system

Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007 | 8:04 a.m.

It's like a television sitcom rerun that may have been funny the first time but only gets more tiresome and predictable with age.

Broaden the tax base? Not so hilarious anymore. Cut the budget? No laugh track follows. Maybe business should pay more? All you can do is groan.

For anyone who has been around the state for the past two decades, the latest episode is like a ubiquitous "Seinfeld" repeat: a show about nothing. But it need not be, if only the script were rewritten.

So herewith I present a 10-step, modest proposal, not so much Swiftian but perhaps equally shocking because it could result in something rather than nothing:

Step No. 1 - Have some serious dialogue, as Gov. Jim Gibbons facilitated last week, among major state players about the state of services and funding. Face up to the inarguable facts: We do not provide generous Medicaid benefits, mental health services or K-16 education funding. Even if state Sen. Bob Beers is right, that we are 37th and not near-last, are we proud of that? And speaking of Beers ...

Step No. 2 - Gibbons should appoint a task force, perhaps headed by Beers and taxpayer watchdog Carole Vilardo, to take a comprehensive look at state programs and operations. They should take up to a year to hash out where the waste really is and arrive at a list of potential serious reductions. Let's put this part of the debate to rest, once and for all.

Step No. 3 - The gaming industry, rightfully and wrongfully, is now being targeted to pay for whatever the state's needs might be. The industry is right to be upset about being singled out, but wrong in the way it has overreached over the years (Case in point: The business tax 16 years ago was a good idea, but the ravenous Strip lords insisted on volume discounts that later were repealed). The industry should agree to pay more, so long as others do, too.

Step No. 4 - The debate over education funding, the most divisive spending issue, at least among politicians and interest groups, needs to be resolved. Nevada's spending level, no matter what the ranking, is putrid. But to get it increased, those who want more money must agree to stringent accountability measures that they have long resisted. Real merit pay. No protection of manifestly bad teachers. And so on.

Step No. 5 - Certain elected officials, in the twilight of their public careers, need to be outspoken about the need to reach a resolution. Some already have shown signs they will - state Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Reno Mayor Bob Cashell are notable for their pointed comments.

Step No. 6 - There must be a special session before the next regular Legislature convenes in 2009. The agenda could be expansive, but it should at least address the statutory spending cap that could render this discussion moot before it begins. If the governor and the Gang of 63 participate, you could get buy-in from the public - a huge "if" in the middle of an election year.

Step No. 7 - This one is simple and should have bipartisan support: The Legislature should begin meeting, for a brief, fixed session, in even-numbered years to look at the budget projections. Milton Friedman, Alan Greenspan or John Maynard Keynes couldn't predict the economy's performance for 24 months. So why should we expect the state's Economic Forum forecasters to do so?

Step No. 8 - Clark County officials have to realize this is all about � Clark County. Most of the state's needs are here and the legislative delegation should unify behind a plan that ensures most of the money comes this way. Don't short the rest of the state, but don't let a disproportionate share of operational or pork funding go North.

Step No. 9 - The business community needs to get real. The Just Say No crowd needs to participate in the discussion in a meaningful way. I don't just mean the Rich Friends of Jim Rogers, who the chancellor says will pony up. That means everyone, including mining, which is populated by multinational behemoths doing business here.

Step No. 10 - Someone needs to talk some sense into Mr. No New Taxes - maybe his close advisers who understand the problem or his wife who voted for the largest tax increase in history as an assemblywoman because she understood the problem. Someone must get him to be more flexible.

If not, Nos. 1-9 are moot.