LETTER: Get public employees out of the Nevada Legislature
February 23, 2017 - 9:00 pm
In response to Knight Allen’s Feb. 19 letter, “Get public employees out of Legislature”:
It has been said that politics is the highest form of human endeavor because it has to do with the arrangement of human affairs and, as such, it has a direct bearing on all human life. Somehow I was never comforted by that statement, especially in light of our Legislature’s poor performance over decades.
For the past 40 years, the public either did not understand or was not concerned about our state constitution’s “separation of powers doctrine.” However, members of the Legislature knew the document prohibited anyone from functioning in two branches of government simultaneously, yet they ignored it with impunity.
The result was government employees taking good care of government employees. To wit: A guaranteed pension paid by all citizens — some as high as 100K per year and in come cases higher — ideal working conditions and the luxury of reporting to supervisors who approve pay raises because they can.
This gives the outdated phrase “serving the public” a new meaning. Is it possible to stop this runaway train? I believe the chance is remote but it is possible with your vote. Again, get the public employees out of elective office.