Review-Journal: What, Me Worry (About Clean Elections)?

Property tax caps are in the news once again in Nevada, with an effort underway to put a clone of California's Proposition 13 on the November 2008 ballot. But populism ain't what it used to be: the signature gathering drive that's getting underway to put the proposed tax cap on the ballot is being financed by, well, one person. A single $200,000 donation (identity unknown) represents, all by itself, about half of the money that is needed to buy enough signatures to get on the fall '08 ballot.

In an August 1 editorial, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's editorial board derisively quotes Democratic Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley's opposition to this subversion of democracy: "Why do we need to come up with another measure that some out-of-state financier wants to import to Nevada?" Their response:

[Tax cap proponent Sharron] Angle isn't saying where the $200,000 check came from, but blaming "out-of-state ideas" always sounds good. We await Ms. Buckley's renunciation of such out-of-state ideas as seat belt, motorcycle helmet and draconian DUI laws.

This is almost too absurd to waste time on, but: there's a big difference between out-of-state ideas and out-of-state money. Ideas can be debated on a level playing field. When ideas are stupid, they can get shot down. But a suitcase full of fifties can tilt the playing field in favor of even the dumbest idea by giving it a prominent place on a ballot, where it can be described in an oversimplified way designed to fool the electorate. But forget about the ideas v. money distinction-- if it turns out that some fat-cat resident of another state is simply buying a spot on Nevada's November 2008, that's reprehensible on its face, and the folks at the Review-Journal should recognize this for the distortion of democracy that it really is.