Sometimes, you have to read between the lines of a news story to see what’s really going on. Take this piece from today’s Review-Journal, in which we learn that Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid is planning on creating a 15-member task force to determine where future budget cuts ought to be made.

Now, Reid is no dummy. He knows cutting budgets means potential layoffs, eliminating or reducing popular services and general bad feelings. He also knows that next year — when the cuts will have to be made — is an election year. And if there’s one time you don’t want to look like the bad guy, it’s in an election year, right? Especially an election year where one might, say, be running for governor.

Now, instead of Reid making the cuts, and opening himself up for criticism from potential primary opponent Barbara Buckley, the commissioner can say he was simply following the recommendations of a citizen panel that got input from “…county staff, focus groups and the public.” This is the will of the people, he’ll be able to say. Vox populi, vox Dei, and all that.

“We have to listen to what people believe are our priorities,” Reid says in the story. Indeed. Many times, people express their beliefs as to their priorities by electing representatives to local, state and federal government, and charging those representatives with carrying out the priorities of the public in their stead. It’s a little thing called “representative democracy.”

But that’s not always the way to go. In some cases — say, when your job may be on the line — a little direct democracy is called for, and this is clearly one of those cases.

Well played, sir. Well played.