It was sometime in the middle of the last century when Norman Biltz, a Reno tycoon and land baron also known as the “Duke of Nevada” for his considerable statewide political influence, talked about the proper way to conduct economic development in Nevada. “Nevada must be kept small,” he was quoted as saying in The Green Felt Jungle, the seminal 1963 book by Ed Reid and Ovid Demaris about corrupt influences in Las Vegas. “Let industry go elsewhere. Large industrial payrolls bring in large families, which cost more money in taxes for public services.” In other words, stick to gambling and hospitality.
The Silver State is small no more. Since then, Nevada’s population has jumped 11-fold (and that of the Las Vegas area, 18-fold) such that 19 other states are now less populous. But Biltz’s philosophy of minimal government and minimal public spending has persisted to this day. It is a major reason why Nevada sits at or near the very bottom of national rankings when it comes to key quality-of-life metrics touching on health care. Every day the state dearly pays the price.
So to me, New To Las Vegas, it was terribly interesting when Governor Joe Lombardo last week finally unveiled a bill for the Legislature to consider that would try to deal with a plethora of serious health care issues. A conservative Republican like Biltz, Lombardo is no big spender (except maybe, as an ex-Clark County sheriff, on law enforcement). So most of the proposals are of the free-market variety, removing barriers and regulation.
Still, it’s a start. Continue reading