Listening in on a super-secret discussion on taxes

By Jon Ralston (contact)

Sunday, May 10, 2009 | 2 a.m.

I am beloved by most lawmakers, so I was invited into the super-secret (except for all the leaks) core group Friday so I could show people how the legislative process really works. Here’s what I witnessed (only the four leaders were at this one):

Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley: So where are we on higher ed?

Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio: Well, I want to help. I care as much as anyone in this room about higher education. I have for years. I remember when ...

Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford: Could we cut the history lesson short today, Bill? We need to get this done. Every day we waste only helps the governor, who is out there pounding you, too.

Raggio: Let’s not get partisan. I hate it when things get partisan, except when it benefits me.

Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert: Let me tell you where my caucus is on this.

Buckley: Heidi, no one cares about your caucus. Ty Cobb can bring more votes than you can.

Gansert: Madame Speaker, there is no reason to get nasty.

Buckley (frustrated): I’m just trying to move this along. Can we get down to a 10 percent cut, Bill? That’s another $100 million.

Raggio: As I said, I want to add money to higher ed. But my caucus has told me they won’t go above $600 million in the overall tax increase. I know $600 million sounds ridiculously arbitrary — and it is — but we tend to be ridiculously arbitrary up here.

Horsford (more frustrated): Your caucus? Come on, Bill. You may as well send Cegavske and Washington home. They wouldn’t vote for a tax even if you promised them they could be leader next session. The rest? We know we can get two or three, maybe more.

Raggio: You know I never talk about internal caucus discussions. I leave that to others. This will not be good if it doesn’t look bipartisan.

Buckley: Are you saying you would rather have a special session and let Gibbons control it, Bill, than vote for restoring cuts that are killing the state? You know he could get a bump from a series of tax vetoes and still win a Republican primary next year if we make him look good. You want that?

Raggio: I told you not to get partisan, Barbara. That will get us nowhere.

Gansert: May I say something?

(The others, in unison): No.

Horsford: Listen, Bill, let’s worry about the tax package next week. Right now all we need to decide is if you want higher ed to be cut by more than 10 percent. You say you do?

Raggio: Of course not. But I’m taking heat from the more conservative members and that (expletive) Chuck Muth is sending out e-mail every day calling it “The Raggio Tax Hike.”

Buckley: So what, Bill? This is your legacy we are talking about. I’m trying to run for governor and I have that loudmouth chancellor calling me out for not supporting a corporate profits tax. And everyone knows I was for a corporate profits tax before I was against it before I was for it again.

(Laughter.)

Raggio: You can’t help but talk about taxes in the context of this. I know we keep telling the media we are not talking about taxes, but even they can see through it. And they don’t get much. We can’t go above $600 million. We can’t have any industry-specific taxes. We can’t have a broad-based business tax. That’s what my caucus thinks.

Horsford: You think your caucus members are fine with voting against a mining tax — did you see that AP story about the industry’s shrinking tax bill? That will look good in a campaign.

Raggio: Please, don’t get partisan.

Gansert: No one in my caucus would support a mining tax. Or a business tax. But we support public benefits reform and any anti-union legislation.

Buckley: That’s helpful, Heidi. Bill, what if we make this promise? Steven and I will make every effort, if you go for the $100 million more for higher ed, to make up most of it from local governments. No one cares if we take money from them. Plus, it hurts Rory Reid with his folks.

Horsford: We might even be able to do something with the room tax money for the teachers union. I have no problem doing that.

Raggio: Let me take it back to my caucus.

Gansert: I will take it to mine, too.

Buckley: You do that, Heidi.

Horsford: So let’s meet Monday and do this again.

Raggio (whispers to aide as he leaves): It went well. Got them right where I want them.

Jon Ralston hosts the news discussion program “Face to Face With Jon Ralston” on Las Vegas ONE and publishes the daily e-mail newsletter “RalstonFlash.com.” His column for the Las Vegas Sun appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.