SUN EDITORIAL:

Another Gibbons gem

Nevada governor shows he has no grasp of the health care reform issue before Congress

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

Gov. Jim Gibbons must be longing for those days in Congress when he played the role of a loyal, inconsequential Republican backbencher and carried water for President George W. Bush. That’s because the governor has been spouting the same nonsense as Republican congressmen about proposed health care insurance reform legislation.

As reported Thursday by Marshall Allen in the Las Vegas Sun, Gibbons complained to health care executives at the second annual Nevada Health Care Forum last week about federal government involvement in reform efforts.

In classic Gibbons form, the governor put his foot in his mouth when he said: “I have a hard time remembering when anything as important as health care was ever improved by having the federal government involved.”

Does the governor seriously believe that no Nevada senior citizen should use Medicare or that no fellow military veteran should check into a Veterans Affairs medical facility?

Gibbons, naturally, did not offer any alternatives. He certainly owes Nevadans an explanation of the affordable medical plan he would choose instead for seniors and veterans.

The governor whined about what he said was the 1,500-page length of the proposed health care legislation. But it should be noted, as Cox Newspapers columnist Tom Teepen pointed out in a column published in the Sun last month, that a page of a congressional bill contains only 25 lines and only six or seven words per line. That’s not much more than an eye chart.

Gibbons, though, described health care reform as something that should be a “simple process.” Does he mean as simple as solving the state’s budget crisis, fixing its broken tax structure and diversifying Nevada’s economy?

Consistent with his role as a politician who has shown no capacity to solve problems, the governor is clearly taking cheap partisan political potshots regarding health care reform. It sounds like a lot of what we have been hearing from his former Republican colleagues in Congress. What a surprise.

Discussion: 14 comments so far…

By dwms

10/25/09 at 3:32 a.m.

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Gov. Gibbons can't effectively regulate insurance in his own state. Currently, AIG, who became AIU Holdings, who became Chartis, insures the State. The policy is a claims made policy. That is, only the state can bring claims. Therefore, those of us who have claims (including crimes to persons) against the state, cannot bring claims. Yet, the NRS states the DOI is to assist the claimant. YOUR RIGHT!
By Future

10/25/09 at 3:38 a.m.

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"I have a hard time remembering when anything as important as health care was ever improved by having the federal government involved."

Does the governor seriously believe that no Nevada senior citizen should use Medicare or that no fellow military veteran should check into a Veterans Affairs medical facility?"

The Federal government already controls 50 out of every 100 healthcare dollars and they are failing.

The LV Sun believes that Medicare which has a 30 trillion dollar liability is fiscally well run.

9 out of 10 Medicare members have to buy a supplement to get proper coverage.

Medicare members have buy a drug supplement to get medicine.

Gov. Jim Gibbons got it right and again the LV Sun got it wrong.
By Birdiedreamin

10/25/09 at 7:22 a.m.

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has there ever been a governor with less leadership skills???
ever???
in the history of the world???
By r4akese

10/25/09 at 7:28 a.m.

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Unbelievable smear! Gibbons is talking about the mess the federal government has made of health care, not the commitment of our country to provide seniors with health care. The Sun ought to acknowledge that there is more than way to achieve affordable health care and I'm not talking about seniors need to supplement medicare with a private insurance policy. Why not discuss using private insurance options to rescue Medicare and medicaid (both of which are bankrupt)? Nevada is being crushed by Medicaid and Gibbons is right to make this point. With the impending demise of Medicare Advantage (provided by private insurers and very popular in Nevada), just what makes a public option with worse coverage better according to the Sun? All this paper can sputter is Gibbons is an idiot so don't listen to his arguments. I'm reminded of the pot and the kettle.
By BarryS

10/25/09 at 7:52 a.m.

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The governor is so out of touch it is almost comical. He [and his estranged wife who he has yet to divorce], get great, inexpensive health insurance because the insurance companies know full well that if they did not, there [could] be real regulation. The rest of us poor slobs in Nevada are stuck with inferior, ultra-expensive coverage especially if we don't work for a gambling behemoth. He has his, so talk is cheap. Let him go to the "GREAT FREE MARKET" and buy it. I bet his "wife" would add that to her list of cruel acts in the divorce case. He of course could just plead insanity.
By darkhorse

10/25/09 at 8:20 a.m.

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Gibbons is the epitome of do as I say not as I do. I read that in Reno this week he will be in a charity single bachelor event. I thought he was still legally married? That trial in December will be priceless with his decision making and past indiscretions. Gibbons, better become familiar with how to collect unemployment on his way out. Sandoval or Reid seem almost Pope like compared to this clown.
By Burrittobandit2

10/25/09 at 11:26 a.m.

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Yes birdie from your home state of California; Gray Davis, The Jerry Browns. My home state of Nevada; Richard Bryan, Bob Miller, Kenny Guinn.
By jlb101

10/25/09 at 12:23 p.m.

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Governor Gibbons ran on an anti-tax platform. I voted for him because I don't want more taxes. Government does very little that is worth paying for. Thank you Governor Gibbons for keeping your word.

I moved to Nevada because I believed it was a very liberterian and freedom loving state. If we get Harry Reid's stupid kid elected to the governors office I will probably move again.

I would suggest we fire all the social workers and close the welfare offices and offer free one way bus tickets to California to anyone on welfare. Very few would miss them.
By mred

10/25/09 at 1:11 p.m.

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How come national hate-talk blowhard Sean Insannity doesn't mention Gibbons low numbers? He talks about the NJ, VA, CN races, and Reid's numbers, but never mentions GOV Zero. I tried to get on the air with this observation and the screen-er censored my call. We definitely need the fairness doctrine for radio.
By mywallet700

10/25/09 at 5:49 p.m.

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Hey Sun, take of your "Rory for Governor" kneepads and stop sucking whatever you're sucking.
By larry5

10/25/09 at 6:39 p.m.

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mred. How do you rationalize your conclusion that we need the "fairness doctrine?"

1. The more popular talk show hosts don't agree with your liberal point of view, therefore they should be forced off the air with legislation.

2. You were not allowed to spill your liberal nonsense on someone's talk show so that host should be forced off the air with legislation.

I can see there are no alternatives - no, wait, there is one that I just thought of - DON'T LISTEN! Perhaps you could find someone who got past the second grade to help you change the station on your radio.
By jlb101

10/25/09 at 8:14 p.m.

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I'm sure the call screener realized that mred had nothing intelligent to say. That is why they have call screeners.
By BarryS

10/29/09 at 2:33 p.m.

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And yet Gibbons uses HIS government supplied health insurance. No mention of him giving it up. Maybe the democrats in Carson City sould strip the governor of health insurance and let him go on the private individual market. If it passed, I bet his wife would include lack of health insurance as a tort in her divorce suit. Such hypocricy. But what do we expect. He can't govern or propose anything that makes any sense. Even his IM's were churlish.

BTW tax cutters, we can save loads of money by closing all the schools and privatizing all the roads. Then we won't be #49 anymore, we will sink to #99 [below our colonies.] But boy, those taxes will be real low.