BY MIKE ZIGLER

Before most Nevadans make a decision, they perform a hint of research. However, Rep. Jim Gibbons is banking on Nevadans to make a blind decision come this August's primaries so he can march into the governor's mansion, should uninformed voters advance him to November's general election. What else explains why he is ducking debates with opponent Bob Beers until after early voting?

Beers, state senator and Republican candidate for governor, called on Gibbons to stop denying Nevada voters the opportunity to see their candidates for governor debate, announcing he is even willing to change his campaign schedule if necessary to accommodate his opponent. The challenge came shortly after the congressman announced he was taking a week off from Congress for his son's high school graduation. 

"I appreciate the importance of attending his son's high school graduation," Beers said. "However, considering the length of time he is taking off and the Congressional votes he has chosen to miss - such as homeland security - it is painfully clear he has time to debate."

Gibbons, as expected, did not respond.

Despite promises to debate after filing closed in May, Gibbons has only agreed to two debates, Aug. 4 and Aug. 11, after early voting starts. Gibbons has since declined invitations to debate on Jon Ralston's "Face to Face" and Chuck Patti's "Political Viewpoint" on Channel 30 in Pahrump. In each case, Gibbons cited his busy schedule as the reason he could not debate. Beers, on the other hand, provided each show with more than a dozen dates when he would be available and even offered to adjust his schedule if none of those dates would work for Gibbons.

"For months, we have all had to listen to debate excuses - that it was not fair to exclude anyone who had not filed, that he could not miss any congressional votes, that his schedule is too busy, that he doesn't have enough vacation time," Beers said. "Yet Gibbons continues to return to Nevada for personal and campaign purposes when they suit him."

Beers added that a willingness to discuss policies and issues in a public forum is something that Nevada voters have a right to demand from those seeking their state's highest office.

"Gibbons can make whatever excuses he likes, but it has become painfully apparent to voters that he is too intimidated to face me in a debate," Beers said. "The Gibbons camp seems to be of the mindset that they can do what they want and never be held accountable or accessible.

"Even if he is unwilling to meet my initial proposal to hold 17 debates, one in each county, there is no reason to cheat early voters out of a candid discussion of the issues," Beers continued. "He (Gibbons) originally said he would debate after the May filing deadline and he will debate several times prior to early voting if he has any honor whatsoever."

Regarding Beers' Tax and Spending Control effort, he responded to a news report on a government union-backed attempt to stop the TASC initiative from qualifying for the November ballot by pledging to intensify his campaign's efforts on the initiative's behalf.

A Las Vegas Review-Journal article published on May 18 reported that the government union-backed group Nevadans for Nevada is paying people to show up at locations where petition signatures are collected "to combat the TASC ground troops with anti-TASC literature." The literature is headlined "Information About Beers' Deceptive Ballot Proposal."

"It should be clear now what those of us advocating TASC are up against," Beers said. "The government unions and special interests will spare nothing in their arsenal to prevent taxpayers from having a say in how our hard-earned dollars are spent, even going so far as to spend money on misinforming the public as to what TASC really does."

Judge Sally Loehrer ruled June 8 that the tactics of the group Nevadans for Nevada would not be tolerated.

TASC slows government spending increases to the percentage of population growth plus inflation, unless voters approve an additional increase. Beers is the "father" of TASC and the only candidate for governor who supports it.

"We know why the government unions fear TASC," Beers said. "They know that a fiscally responsible budget will put an end to regular cost-of-living adjustments greater than cost-of-living increases. And we know why politicians like Jim Gibbons oppose TASC. He knows it will tie his hands when it comes time to pay back the government unions and other special interests who have backed him in his run for governor. It's time our government be held accountable to the people, not the politically privileged."

Beers reiterated that voters deserve a discussion between himself and his opponent. Gibbons is opposed to TASC, as well as Beers' plan to repeal the state gas tax.

"When you look at his record, you'll find Gibbons has missed congressional votes and has been absent from Congress on several occasions for reasons much less important than a gubernatorial debate," Beers said. "He doesn't seem to have any problems scheduling media interviews or speeches either, which demonstrates just how disingenuous his arguments are. If he is simply attempting to protect his supposed 'frontrunner' status, then he should say that."

Last month, Beers announced the beginning of his campaign's paid media effort with a television ad entitled "Let's Face It." The ad can be viewed at www.beers4nevada.org. LW