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Steve Sebelius
Former lawmaker offers innovative ideas
Matt Callister has been out of public life for a long time, but he still has some ideas.
Callister, who lost his Las Vegas City Council seat to now-Clark County Commissioner (and mayoral candidate) Larry Brown in 1997, has been practicing law for the past 14 years. Before that, he served as a state assemblyman (and chairman of the Finance Committee) and a state senator, as well as a member of the council.
He's seen Nevada from the state and local level. Now, he's got something to say about it.
Callister is a Democrat, but his solutions don't involve creating new taxes or raising existing ones.
Instead, he says in an open letter to Nevada's political establishment, "state and local government must be seen as maximizing revenue savings and pursuing all new revenue options."
First, he says, consolidate the city of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Clark County under a strong mayor form of government. It's the kind of arrangement that works for San Francisco, for example. "We are a world-class community masquerading as a cowtown," Callister writes. "This (consolidation) could well complete a revolution in municipal collective bargaining and the savings it could generate could be substantial."
Next, he says, legalize the cultivation, wholesaling and retailing of medical marijuana. In Nevada, medical marijuana is legal, as is growing small amounts for personal use. But buying marijuana is still illegal, leading to what Callister calls an "idiotic" system that says you can possess your legally prescribed medicine, but you must grow it yourself.
This would certainly draw the ire of the Drug Enforcement Administration, but it would help patients get their medicine and generate tax revenue.
Recreational use could remain illegal.
Third, Callister recommends building a world-class stadium, with public dollars. The initial cost (estimated at more than $400 million by at least one would-be stadium developer) would eventually be offset by the additional tourism.
Fourth, Callister endorses the idea of establishing a "ring around the valley" to prevent leapfrog development and encourage new projects to be built inside the valley. There's not much development going on now, but Callister says there's vacant and undervalued land inside the urban core that could spur urban redevelopment, if far-flung land were closed to developers.
Fifth, and perhaps most controversial, Callister says Nevadans need to accept Yucca Mountain as a reality and profit from it.
"More than 20 years ago, Yucca was thrust on Nevadans. We embarked on a 'just say no' course that has brought us no jobs, no economic revitalization and no true diversification," he writes. Since there's no way to replace oil with renewable energy -- at least in the short term -- nuclear power is a reality.
"So here we sit with opportunity to negotiate at our doorstep, yet we refuse to even open the door to engage in dialogue," Callister writes. But he says we shouldn't sell out cheap, insisting on endowed chairs in alternative energy research at state universities, a rail line to Yucca through the central part of the state, and funds for high-speed rail travel to Southern California.
The letter is vintage Callister -- provocative, controversial but also thought-provoking. Some of his ideas are probably more viable -- politically and financially -- than others. But they're a "no new taxes" place to start talking about ways to fix the state's eternally broken tax system, and they're things nobody is thinking or talking about now.
At the very least, they're a welcome respite from the eternal debate -- cut budgets or raise taxes -- that grips Nevada every odd-numbered year.
Steve Sebelius is a Review-Journal political columnist and author of the blog SlashPolitics.com. His column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at (702) 387-5276 or at ssebelius@reviewjournal.com.
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I agree that these ideas are worth considering, but why must we consider nuclear waste 90 miles from Las Vegas when we have so much open space in the rest of the state?
As for our "broken" tax system, it is the same as other states except that Nevada, Texas and a few others don't have a state income tax. Even if one is instigated, revenues will recede in a recession as incomes, like everyting thing else go down in a recession.
There is no resource that is a magic bullet against economic law. "Broken tax system" are code words for new types of taxes on the populace to give their money to other people who didn't earn it which will further strangle economic recovery.
Wow, a former member of the criminal class comes up with the great idea to consolidate political power. Yeah, nothing but kittens and puppy dogs could come from that.
Matt Callister has some really great ideas. The Medi-Mari idea is one that is long past due, and would raise a lot of tax revenue for Nevada. A patient in Nevada is forced to become a "Farmer" in order to get his medicine.... ABSURD !! His thoughts on Yucca Mtn are also spot on. We should absolutely be storing the nations waste in this deserted area called Yucca Mountain. We should also be charging a kings ransom to do so, thus keeping tax hikes to a minimum. It's a crying shame that Liberals have screwed up common sense thinking in this great state of ours......
Had a chance, did not do squat,yet sits on the fence describing what is wrong with the state when he had an opportunity. Worthless as far as I am concerned. Don't waste space or needless words on wash up politicians, let alone politicians in general. Just isn't enough words to describe their incompetency until the gravy train stops. For instance look at Chris G. running for Mayor. Think how many Viet Nam and Veteran votes she will get for her husband's comments and attacks on veterans and his considering them worthless. He will have ample opportunity now to be critical of them, as they sleep in the streets of Vegas now and he can shout from the exalted towers of Vegas "See I Told You Viet Nam and Veterans Were Worthless Human Beings!" I do hope all veterans remember his words during his running his last campaign against a military war hero who was given a silver star for bravery at Nellis! A Vote For Chris G. Is A Vote Against Veterans and Their Families For Their Sacrifices!
The difference between a former politician and one who is currentling running for office?
The first speaks the truth. The second says what he thinks other people want him to say.
Really? He uses San Francisco as an example for governing, he's crazy. The "middle class family" is on it's way to extinction in SF, and along with it, the values. I read the local newspaper everyday, and SF is in a downward spiral, where the big money is made off programs funded by the Federal government and the backs of local taxpayers. Street people (they call them homeless) are the sacred cows. Illegals alien crime issues are beyond ridiculous. The SF Board of Supervisors is a bunch of scamming progressive losers. I could go on and on...SF has reached the tipping point for me...won't go there for business or recreation...it's a dump.
Too many dutchies and fifedoms involved for consolidation to work...learned that a long time ago.
There you go, Callister. Fail before you get started by taking 'ideas' from bankrupt CA. Just like rhino Lowden who now can't pay her bills. Typical dem mentality.
Really Steve, this is a great idea??? Democrat ideas are...well...worthless. HOW DOES ANY OF THIS ADDRESS THE PROBLEM???? QUIT SPENDING SO MUCH TAXPAYER MONEY> OUR MONEY!!!!!! But dems look at our money as their money. "Let's spread the wealth around." and we-the dems- will decide just how to do that because we are soooo intelligent and enlightened.
From the 3/3 WSJ: "[T]he public sector and its unions have no objective measure of value delivered. They don't have to because in their economic bubble, income and cost are not even remotely related. [T]hey do not . . . have the means of pursuing goals that maximize the yield on the taxpayer dollars they spend. Since they do not measure value delivered, they sincerely believe [that] their value increases in direct proportion to their cost. [W]hen their costs go down, so does their value." None of Callister's ideas address this fundamental problem.