DEMOCRACY IN PERIL

Thursday, July 24, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Democracy in Peril

By Steve Sebelius

FREE AT LAST: The Legislature didn't adjourn until 1:32 a.m. Tuesday, but the final vote on the tax and education plan came at 11:35 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time Monday, as 28 members voted "aye" on Senate Bill 8. The final, fifth Republican vote was Assemblyman John Marvel, R-Battle Mountain, who said he was voting for SB8 with "great reluctance." The $811 million bill raises too many taxes and spends too much, Marvel said, but the imperative to get a two-thirds constitutional majority vote compelled him to join four other Republicans and all the chamber's 23 Democrats in voting to approve the bill. (Republicans say the bill is even more expensive than that, raising $836 million in taxes. They complained that the deal was sold to them at the $811 million figure, but later turned out to be more because of a last-minute amendment that increased liquor taxes and other factors.)

FUN TIMES: The Reno Anti-War Coalition had a fun little flier on Sunday, poking fun at lawmakers for balking on taxes. "Legislators of Mass Obstruction" the flier says at top, with photos of the so-called "Mean 15" Assembly Republicans who stood firm against taxes. In the center of a Brady Bunch-like grid is Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville. "Keeping Nevada's homeland insecure through Legislative Jihad," says the tagline. We're pretty sure Hettrick would disagree with the terminology: It's not insecurity, it's simply a reduction in the enhancement of security.

THANKS, BUT NO THANKS: Several sources in Carson City were buzzing about the allegedly shabby treatment that Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio received at the hands of Hettrick and the minority caucus in the Assembly. According to several people, Raggio offered Saturday to come to a meeting of the caucus, but was rebuffed. "It was not only no, but hell no," one Republican source said. "It just proves he [Hettrick] runs his caucus like amateur night. It just proves he's an ideologue."

But Hettrick says he doesn't recall refusing a guest appearance from Raggio. (He admits the Republicans who voted for taxes--Josh Griffin, Jason Geddes, Dawn Gibbons and Dr. Joe Hardy--have been excluded from tax strategy meetings, and added that "we felt bad about that.") Although there have been scores of meetings with senators and others on taxes, Hettrick says, "I don't even remember an offer from Bill coming up here." Hettrick did say he told Raggio weeks ago that it wasn't necessary to come to the Republican meeting and explain his remark that "John Birchers" were taking over the GOP.

LEGISLATURE FUN FACT: The venerable Nevada Taxpayers Association opposed a gross receipts tax on business during the session, special session and second special session. So how does the organization determine members' dues? By gross sales, of course! Small businesses pay $300 per year if their gross sales are under $500,000 per year, according to the group's website. Medium businesses (between $500,000 and $5 million) pay $600 per year and large businesses ($5 million and up) pay $1,000 annually.

You can be a sustaining member on the Policy Advisory Committee for $1,500.

Steve Sebelius writes a daily e-mail newsletter, the E-Briefing, from which "Democracy in Peril" is excerpted. Reach him at 383-0283 or by e-mail at ssebelius@reviewjournal.com. To subscribe to the E-Briefing at a Mercury reader special price of $20 per year, go to www.lasvegasmercury.com/ebriefing.