Public education gobbles up vast sums of public money, so any negotiations on how those tax dollars are spent must take place in public. The leaders of Gov. Jim Gibbons’ Blue Ribbon Education Reform Task Force wisely acknowledged as much Wednesday when, after originally deciding to meet in secret, they agreed to abide by Nevada’s open meeting law and share their important discussions with taxpayers.
The short version of the controversy over Nevada deciding to seek $175 million in federal “Race to the Top” schooling grants goes like this:
One of the biggest flaws of the proposed vehicle mileage tax plan (Wednesday editorial) is that it will not capture any taxes from our tourists and part-time residents. If taxes are no longer paid at the pump, the thousands of cars and RVs that drive here from California, Utah and Arizona weekly and fill up before returning home will not pay taxes. Yet, they are users of our highways that need to be maintained.
