Guinn gets the 'prize' for tax proposals

Last Friday, the Wall Street Journal's editorial page, a bastion of Republican conservatism, awarded Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn "the prize for sticking it to taxpayers."

The comment came in an editorial lambasting Republican governors who are proposing to raise taxes and praising Democratic governors who are trying to hold the line or lower taxes.

"A looming worry this year," according to the newspaper, "is how much economic damage will be done by state tax increases, perhaps enough to offset the stimulus in President Bush's tax cuts."

This is a legitimate concern, and one we share. It's also a legitimate criticism of Guinn that he is proposing to raise taxes in tough economic times.

Still, there were a few things about the Journal's editorial which exposed it as knee-jerk political rhetoric instead of a reasoned response to Nevada's budget problems.

For one thing, it identified Guinn as "a former university president" without mentioning he filled that role in Las Vegas for a year at a salary of $1. It also neglected to note he was chairman of a bank and president of a gas company.

But if you follow the Journal's editorial page at all, you know that working on a university campus is akin to holding a Socialist Party card. Apparently, no amount of business experience is enough to overcome the stigma of being a one-time university president.

The newspaper also summed up the state's dilemma this way: "As a fast-growing state, Nevada has real needs but among them is a complete reorganization of state government before taxes are raised. Rather than tackle that tough job, Gov. Guinn is scapegoating his critics."

Thanks, Wall Street Journal, for helping us see the light. All Nevada needs is a "complete reorganization of state government." Gee, wish we'd thought of that.

As Guinn wrote in a reply to the newspaper, Nevada doesn't have the options the editorial applauded in other states -- like reducing capital gains tax and income tax.

"Here in Nevada, we cannot cut either of those taxes because they do not exist," Guinn wrote. "Before writing your next editorial about a Nevada-related subject, please give me a call so I can help you better research your topic."

Good advice, coming from a former university president.