Editorial: Pot calls kettle black in halls of Legislature

State Sen. Mark James has earned quite a reputation as a sound-bite legislator. The Las Vegas Republican pounces on issues that tend to get a lot of media attention, sponsoring "feel-good" legislation.

So it was amusing last week when James himself derided a proposal by Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa that would require more security in casino arcades, a bill prompted by the 1997 murder of 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson, who was left unattended in a Primm casino arcade. James, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, where Del Papa's bill had a hearing, dismissed the legislation with this response: "This is nothing more than 'feel-good' legislation. ... Government can't do everything. Where are these kids' parents? Government can't be Big Brother, Big Mother, Big Father."

Del Papa's legislation admittedly has some shortcomings, but James has chutzpah to attack another individual for proposing "feel-good" legislation or bills that give government too much power. During the 1997 Legislature, James was routinely criticized for grandstanding on his anti-crime proposals. Not to be outdone this legislative session, James has offered legislation that would require certain topics be taught in American government courses (something that is best addressed at the local level, not through state government) and he also wants to expand the state's wiretap law (a further erosion of privacy rights).

Maybe it isn't too surprising, then, that James would call someone else's bill "feel-good" legislation or Big Brother at work. After all, he is an expert in this area and knows too well what he is talking about.

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