Editorials and Opinion Pieces

The Republican Gray Davis

DATE: July 2, 2003
SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal
WORD COUNT: 317

REVIEW & OUTLOOK

The Republican Gray Davis

California's Gray Davis has little competition for the title of worst governor in the nation. But when it comes to worst Republican governor, Nevada's Kenny Guinn is running for the roses. Mr. Guinn has already signed a budget raising state spending by more than 25%, and now he's suing to force the state legislature to raise the taxes to pay for it.

At 12:01 a.m. yesterday, Nevada's Attorney General asked the Democrat-dominated state Supreme Court to intervene in the battle over tax hikes, arguing that the legislature has failed to comply with provisions of the state constitution mandating that it start the fiscal year with a balanced budget. "The issues presented in this petition to the court are unique and unprecedented in the history of Nevada," says the suit.

That's an understatement. It isn't every day a governor files suit against his own state. Nevada law requires two-thirds majorities in both houses to pass tax increases. And whatever the constitution says about balanced budgets, notes Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, it also allows "legislators to vote the way they want."

Mr. Hettrick -- one of 15 Republican Assembly members who has voted twice against the chamber's $864 million Democratic tax plan -- is resigned to some tax increases, given the size of the budget that has already passed the legislature by simple majority vote. But he is dead set against the proposed gross receipts tax, saying it would be deadly for high-volume, low-margin businesses. Governor Guinn, meanwhile, has declared he "absolutely will not reopen the budget" and pare back a few spending increases so that it could be financed with a slightly smaller tax hike.

Earlier this year Mr. Guinn told legislators they would be guilty of "political cowardice" if they didn't back his spending binge. We'd say the Governor is guilty of that and more now that he's asked a court to nullify those legislators' votes.