KNAPPSTER George Knapp is a longtime reporter and anchor for KLAS Channel 8.

Thursday, February 06, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Knappster: NASA, Nevada have much in common

By George Knapp

CARSON CITY--The space shuttle disaster seems to have tossed a palpable gloom over the opening days of the Nevada Legislature. The mood, like the flags on state buildings, is at half-staff here. The usual opening day banter and wisecracking, so evident in most sessions, were held to a minimum, and I suspect it will remain that way for some time.

It could be argued that Nevada and NASA have plenty in common. Both entities have taken a nickel-and-dime approach to their primary responsibilities and are now reaping what they've sown, with the disturbing results apparent to anyone who cares to look.

State lawmakers have already begun the long, painful process of overhauling Nevada's pathetic patchwork of taxes and fees, a conglomeration of Band-Aids, quick fixes and compromises that has left basic services in our state woefully underfunded for decades. I don't need to recite the now-familiar litany of last-place standings earned by our state in almost every meaninful quality-of-life category.

By now, some of you may have heard about yet another fiscal study released earlier this week, a study by an out-of-state group that characterized Nevada's tax system as the worst in the nation, worst by a mile. It's my gut sense that most lawmakers here recognize the fact that our tax system needs to be scrapped altogether, but that's no guarantee it will ever get done. This is Nevada, after all, the land of backroom deals and smoke-filled rooms, and where a small cadre of anti-tax diehards could kill any plans for reform, any plans, that is, that call on Big Business to pay a reasonable share.

It isn't much of a stretch to note the parallels between Nevada's skinflint ways and the tightwad treatment of the NASA budget. For years now, the philosophy at NASA has been to do everything "smaller and cheaper." Yeah, and it shows.

Why in the hell do we send these brave and remarkable astronauts into space aboard the equivalent of a 1975 Plymouth Duster? The space shuttle design is 30-plus years old. That is an eternity in technological terms. We've all seen the news stories about how the aging fleet of shuttles has been plagued by cracks and strains and pieces falling off. NASA can blab all it wants about how "safety has always been the top priority" but that's a bunch of crap. If safety was truly the top priority, the shuttle fleet would have been grounded long ago and a new generation of space planes would be zipping our astronauts into orbit and then returning them to Earth...alive. The decrepit shuttles would have been carted off to a museum somewhere, or cannibalized for parts. Safety, my ass.

Readers of the Mercury may recall a cover story from last year about a local company, Bigelow Aerospace, which has hopes of creating and marketing a revolutionary new module for use in space. The company has undertaken this immense project on its own dime, but has been stymied at every step of the way by NASA.

We can't blame NASA for having a shrinking budget--that's the fault of gutless elected officials. But we can hold NASA accountable for its attitude about potential competitors. NASA doesn't seem to want anyone else having access to space. The result is that private industry has largely been shut out of exploring the commercial and scientific potential of space. Companies such as Bigelow Aerospace have had to talk to the Russians about getting help in finally exploiting the vast potential of the wild black yonder.

It's as simple as the old axiom, you get what you pay for. Nevada has been willing to pay only for meager services and a second-rate school system. How can we possibly be surprised at our rankings in such indices as dropout rates, teen pregnancies, suicides, infant mortality and morbidity? Go figure. And as for NASA, officials can scratch their heads and play with their slid rules and study the debris all they want, but if they truly want to know how such a disaster could occur, just take a peek at their own "smaller and cheaper" checkbook.

Legislative notes

Some lawmakers aren't amused by a statement from the White House asserting that the federal drug czar is not subject to Nevada election laws. The drug czar came to Nevada a couple of times last year to campaign against the marijuana initiative but has refused to fill out campaign disclosure forms as required by state laws. The White House says there is no need because Nevada laws don't apply to such high and mighty public officials. Hey, if that's the case, I'd say the drug czar should come to town and open up a sports book, or his own casino. He wouldn't need to get a gaming license, after all. Heck, not only can he campaign against marijuana, he could come here and smoke it by the bushel. Our meager laws wouldn't apply. ... If there is a sharper intellect in Carson City than Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, Knappster has yet to meet him or her. ... The brothel industry is gearing up for a fight. The prostitution racket has been a major source of funding for rural governments for decades and now finds itself in the crosshairs of those seeking new sources of state tax revenue. Basically, the brothels are saying they would be willing to pay their fair share, but if THEY must pay, so should their competitors--the so-called entertainers and escorts whose ads fill about 100 pages of the phone book, as well as the "swingers clubs" that have transformed themselves into full-blown (pardon the expression) whorehouses, operating with impunity throughout Clark County.