Sunday, June 22, 2008 | 2 a.m.
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It is time to do and not just to say.
Ever since we were children, the adults in our lives would tell us to do as they said, not necessarily as they did. As we have grown up we have learned it is much harder and more noble to do than to talk about doing. It is also a measure of maturity and worthiness to “walk the walk.”
Nowhere is this truth more evident than in the world of politics, in which people say they will do a lot of things and then, once elected, either forget what they said or simply refuse to do anything for fear of not getting reelected.
And rarely do the people, the voters, ever get the opportunity to actually see what their elected officials do and hold it up in real time against what they promised.
This is one of those rare times in Nevada, courtesy of, perhaps, the only politician who can be trusted to keep his word. Candidate Jim Gibbons — had you listened closely to what he said he would do and watched his career in Congress prior to his being elected governor to learn what he did do — is one of the only people in office I can truly say has met expectations.
He basically promised to do nothing and he has kept his word. The tragedy is that Nevadans need a leader who will do something!
We need a leader who will do something to balance the state budget, not on the backs of the people who rely on government to build roads, operate public schools and provide parks, emergency health care, fire and police services and a second-to-none system of higher education, but from the bulging pockets of the myriad businesses that have so far refused to own up to their responsibilities as citizens of this state.
We need a leader who is willing to stand up before the people to explain and educate about the need to diversify the state’s revenue base so that everyone who can afford to invest in our future does so. For too long we have been content to let the tourism industry pay our way. That works until the industry falls on hard times — like now — and there is no money for the rest of our free lunches.
We need a leader who will take a stand, even if it means a voter backlash, to present a vision of a state that is the envy of the nation and not the brunt of its jokes. We are one of the wealthiest states in the union and yet we spend like we are one of the poorest. He or she needs to paint that picture of a bright tomorrow and then lead us toward that goal.
And now, right now, is the time to do it.
The governor’s special legislative session, for whatever low-brow reasons he called it, has now become — because of the new figures released Friday by the Economic Forum — a perfect opportunity for the elected officials in this state to take a position of leadership and stand by it, for it and with it all the way to a better Nevada.
And what better time could there be? Not only do we need some wisdom and responsible action so this state does not fall into the abyss of also-ran states, but this is the time that the voters are watching!
With the elections around the corner in November, most of the elected officials would be telling us what they are going to do, promising to do it and then hoping we will vote them back into office so they can sit on their hands for another session.
This time it is different. Because the governor is putting them on the spot right now, the voters have a bird’s eye view of not only what the lawmakers are saying but what, finally, they are doing in our name and for our state.
The time between this special session and the general election in November is short enough that no one can or will forget what our leaders have not only said but also what they have done to fix what ails us. And, believe me, if this special session doesn’t fix our serious problems — far more serious than a few million more dollars in wage freezes can solve — the people will act very differently in the fall.
The hotel industry and some of the workers’ unions have come together to offer sane and sensible revenue plans. If these and other coalitions continue to grow, the elected officials will no longer have to kowtow to the Chamber of Commerce types whose main goal in life is not to pay taxes so that our children can’t be taught and our roads can’t be traveled.
But these efforts aren’t enough. For all Terry Lanni and Steve Wynn and Gary Loveman, together with the teachers and other Nevadans dedicated to serving our state, say they want to do, it isn’t enough when the elected leadership is cowering in a corner.
To heck with the “looking for cover” crowd. It is time for the “follow me to a better future” crowd to stand up and make noise. If you make the case, most of the people will follow because they know the status quo no longer works.
This is indeed a special session the governor has called. We shall soon see if there is anyone special who is deserving of our vote.
Brian Greenspun is the editor of the Las Vegas Sun.
