To Heck with taxes

That's what former state Sen. Joe Heck, now a candidate for governor in the Republican primary, said when he put his Joe Heck on a, "taxpayer protection pledge," put forth by a group called Americans for Tax Reform.

Here's what Heck says about the decision on his Web site.

"By signing the pledge, Heck is making a commitment to the people of Nevada that he will not raise taxes. The pledge states that as Nevada’s Governor, Heck will 'oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes'."

The pledge could become an issue in the Republican primary as new-to-the-field candidate Brian Sandoval says he won't sign.

"I've just never been a believer in signing pledges. I'm more than happy to sit down with everyone who wants to talk about those things and I think anyone who is seeking for me to sign a pledge of any kind once they sit down with me they'll understand perfectly where I'm coming from when it comes to spending and that I'm very fiscally conservative," Sandoval said.

Whether anyone can adhere to the pledge-in-question and balance the state budget without making major cuts to education and other state services is another story.

Asked about the prospects of balancing the budget in 2011 -- a $2.4 billion difference between revenue and expenses is now expected -- with cuts alone Jeremy Aguero of the economics research firm Applied Analysis said, "I don't know anyone who would believe that is possible."