AN ADDICTION PROBLEM

A serious addiction problem has been revealed in Carson City.

Gov. Kenny Guinn this week decried a federal budget-cutting move which
eliminated Residential Substance Abuse Treatment grants. Nevada had
received $616,138 in such federal funds last year. The money was used
to treat more than 1,500 prison inmates, and the program had a 78
percent "success" rate, according to the Nevada Department of
Corrections.

Yes, many of those who are incarcerated have drug and alcohol
addictions. But doesn't the Department of Corrections already have an
extremely effective drug abuse prevention program? It's called
"prison," where inmates should be without drugs and alcohol while
serving their time.

Meantime, there is an addiction problem in Carson City, all right --
an addiction to snatching at federal funds, which are squeezed from
the paychecks of Nevada taxpayers, money-laundered through Washington,
and then sent back here disguised as free loot ... but always at some
incremental added cost to the state's sovereignty.

The Bush administration has not exactly turned out to be a champion
budget-cutter. This is a good, if small, start.