Friday, March 28, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
NEVER LET A good speech go to waste.
Every once in a while, I am asked to speak to one community organization or another, usually about a topic that interests the membership of that group. Yesterday, I was privileged to be able to speak to the Business and Professional Division of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
What was unusual about that invitation is that they let me choose my topic. What was even more unusual is that the luncheon attendees paid attention to what I had to say. And since I challenged each one of them to do what they could to change the dialogue in this community about two very important issues, the least I can do is follow my own advice.
So I am going to share what I talked about with SUN readers. Don't worry, I am not going to reprint the entire speech, although that would save me a considerable amount of time that might be better spent elsewhere. But giving up time and energy is exactly what I implored my listeners to do, so can I do any less?
The topic I chose was growth in Southern Nevada. That's a big subject and one I hope never stops being a topic of discussion. What I hope we see an end to soon, though, is the hand-wringing and finger pointing that accompanies practically every discussion about how and where to get the money needed to provide for the infrastructure needs of our community.
We have schools that are being built that lag years behind the need. The citizens of Clark County recognized the problem and voted a large bond issue to help deal with that issue. But there will be more schools needed and that means more money.
There is active discussion in the Legislature about raising the sales tax to help fund a "second straw" at Lake Mead which will provide a more stable and secure delivery system for water from Lake Mead. And there is considerable talk about updating our sewer systems, highways and road construction and practically every other piece of infrastructure that, when available, makes a community very livable and, when absent, practically unbearable.
All the "fixes" that are being proposed cost money. The good news is that we have the funds needed to keep up with our growth. Actually, we are paying today for the growth we have experienced over the past decade or so. Any new growth will come with problems of its own while, at the same time, bringing with it some solutions for our current dilemma. It is no answer to advocate "stopping the growth" because that would cause our community to cave in upon itself. Responsible growth going forward, however, does have some merit.
So, while we have the money to create a quality of life we all seek, we seem to be missing the appetite or the willpower to make the difficult decisions that will determine who pays. The simple and the equitable answer is that we should all pay a fair share of the cost to keep Las Vegas at the top of the list of desirable places to live so that we won't be singled out as the fastest-growing and least livable place to live and raise a family. Obviously, those two designations cannot co-exist for very long.
It is no secret that Las Vegas needs a few billion dollars to fix what ails us. It is also no secret that the gaming industry, our No. 1, 2 and 3 industries, must be a significant part of any revenue-raising solution. But it is equally true that the rest of the community bears some responsibility for a portion of the dollars needed to keep up with our steady growth.
Raising the other guy's taxes is no longer the answer. Actually, it has never been the right answer. All of us who can, must pitch in to make this valley work.
That's the short version of what I said about growth. I also suggested that the public must be pro-active in raising the revenues needed because most politicians were uncomfortable stepping out front to propose what is right. A case in point was the efforts of County Commissioners Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Myrna Williams, who have tried innovative ways to get all facets of the community involved, only to have their heads handed to them by those entrenched in the status quo.
The other topic of discussion was the high-level nuclear waste dump. Nevadans have made a valiant effort for the past 20 years to stave off what some people believe is the inevitability of the nation's only nuclear garbage dump being located just 90 miles from Las Vegas. I used to subscribe to that view.
However, I have come to believe that Nevadans, properly motivated and armed with the truth, can effect the outcome and can save our children and theirs from a horrible future. We don't have many options left, however.
Our single best weapon against the desire of the entire U.S. Congress and the Department of Energy to put the nuke nightmare out of sight and out of mind by burying it just a few miles from Las Vegas is the growing seniority of Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
It is uncontroverted that had Sen. Howard Cannon been re-elected for another term more than a dozen years ago, his seniority would have assured us that no dump would have come our way. And now we have another opportunity to gain the kind of seniority that will help in that fight.
Whether Nevadans shoot themselves not in the foot but in the head by not continuing their support for Reid's efforts on our behalf remains to be seen. Suffice it to say that we have a way to win our fight.
That's what I talked about at lunch the other day. I am not in love with the words I used but I am excited about the reception those words got from a group of Las Vegans who are genuinely concerned about the future of this valley.
My challenge to them was to "change the dialogue" when it comes to raising revenues to pay for our infrastructure needs and for fighting the nuclear waste dump.
That's the same challenge that I make to you.
Are you up to that challenge?
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