Editorial: Last-minute fixes make for bad policy

Some things never change.

As they have done in past years, state lawmakers in Carson City have waited until the last minute to figure out how to pay for state government's budget. Their chronic procrastination resembles that of college freshmen who wait until the night before an exam to study for their mid-term tests -- with equally disastrous results. When the student fails, he has to live with a bad grade. When the Legislature shirks its responsibility, or comes up with a short-term fix that postpones a solution to the state's funding woes, it means that Nevadans get shortchanged.

Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, has tried to get the Legislature to do something about the lack of revenues to adequately fund essential government services, but too many other legislators fear a backlash if they take dramatic action. What legislators should worry about is a backlash from those constituents who wonder why this state does so little for education and essential social services.

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