Pretend, for a second, that you’re a state agency that wants to shut up a special interest group.  They want you to provide benefits to their domestic partners, even if they’re gay.  How do you do this without, y’know, actually doing this?

CARSON CITY (AP) - A Nevada panel that oversees health insurance benefits for state employees voted Thursday to extend coverage to domestic partners, including those of the same sex, despite budget problems that could make the $2.7 million cost unaffordable.

State Public Employees Benefits Program board members voted 5-3 to move forward despite concerns about the cost voiced by some members.

If funding doesn’t develop during the 2009 legislative session to pay for the expansion of benefits to domestic partners and their children, the regulation won’t take effect.

Candice Nichols, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada, praised the decision, saying it “enables Nevada to recruit the best and brightest employees for the state.”

That’s right - you create a regulation and state that it takes effect so long as it’s paid for, then promptly ignore the fact that it is, in fact, not paid for.  Brilliant!

I wonder how many other “problems” can be solved this way?  Universal health care?  No problem - we’ll provide universal coverage to everyone and everybody so long as it’s paid for.  Universal housing?  No problem - we’ll buy every American a house, provided tax revenues are sufficient.  Heck, we’ll feed everyone, clothe everyone, and wipe everybody’s diapers… at least on paper.

Folks, I am a genius.

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