“PATIENT COMPLAINT DOES NOT COMPUTE … MUST REUSE CLAW FOR ANAL PROBE/POLYP SEARCH SEQUENCE … COST SAVINGS CALCULATED AT APPROXIMATELY .003 CENTS PER PATIENT-SECOND … ”

Okay, maybe not that bad. But that much better?

The Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded. Once again, we at Various Things & Stuff didn’t win anything.

Sigh. Well, maybe next year.

Speaking of Gov. Jim Gibbons, a remark of his in the Review-Journal today stands out. The governor was discussing the budget deficit, which has now risen to $910 million, and ways to deal with the problem.

We said “ways.” Actually, we meant “way,” since the governor has but one way to fix deficits: Reduce spending. If it wasn’t for state Treasurer Kate Marshall, who keeps finding millions in the state’s couch cushions, Gibbons would be forced to slash spending even more.

“By reducing state spending during this tough economic time, we won’t be balancing our budget on the backs of Nevada residents,” Gibbons said.

Excuse us, but what in the hell is he talking about?

Who, precisely, does the governor think is going to be most affected by his budget cuts? California residents? Leprechauns? Illegal immigrants whose health care tab is picked up by the Mexican government?

Of course not. It’s Nevada residents, and usually the most vulnerable ones. Elementary schoolchildren. College students. Would-be enrollees in Nevada Check-Up. Children with autism. People with traumatic brain injuries. The mentally ill. The people who would have been helped by one of the programs Gibbons and some key lawmakers are eliminating, a program to pay for dental and vision care for the poor.

Doesn’t the governor get it? Every budget reduction is balanced on the backs of Nevada residents.

We’re sure the governor and his allies would argue the opposite as well: That every tax increase puts a burden on residents, too. And while that burden would be far more progressive than his scheme of cuts, it’s also justifiable. As a community — as civilization — we collectively pay for the things that we collectively need. That includes police, courts, national defense as well as a social safety net that prevents the poorest and most vulnerable among us from hurting, whether times are good or bad. It’s a little thing we call the social compact.

But Gibbons has pledged never to raise taxes, essentially saying he’s not going to charge what former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes called “the price of civilization.” And with each cut he makes, a bit of civilization slips away.

The ugly result will fall where it always does: Squarely on the backs of Nevada residents.

Dave Burns Berns, host of KNPR-FM 88.9’s State of Nevada show was kind enough to invite us on today to talk briefly about this week’s CityLife cover story, in which we call on Gov. Jim Gibbons to resign. As of this writing, by the way, Gibbons is still in office; so much for the mighty power of the media.

Anyway, you can click here to find links to today’s radio segment, which also included Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith. Smith didn’t so much defend the governor as say there were glimmers of hope that Gibbons might be finding his way.

Also, in case you missed it, you can check out the Gibbons story here. We also penned a sidebar about the governor’s terrible appointments, collected a bunch of crazy gubernatorial quotes and even found people willing to defend the governor.