Gov. Jim Gibbons' highly nuanced position has been: I said no new taxes, so I will ignore a task force report that suggests we need a modest increase and I will appoint my own blue-ribbon panel and hope to have a solution by the time of the 200th road rage homicide in the Las Vegas Valley.

The Gang of 63's brave stand has been: We won't raise taxes, either, because that would make us look bad, so maybe we will put it on the ballot or do nothing, and hope the governor gets most of the blame for the ever-increasing gridlock.

The public will only be willing to buy into a tax increase for an estimated $3.8 billion road infrastructure deficit if educated on the enormity of the problem and the limited number of viable solutions by the state's leaders. But because three score and four folks who make these decisions in the capital have chosen expediency over leadership, the public remains hopelessly conflicted, according to a new statewide poll.

The survey, conducted last week by a Pennsylvania-based firm, clearly illustrates the duality on most growth-related issues. The public wants their elected officials to deal with the problems; they just don't want to pay for it. And that's why elected officials need to step up and either explain why the problems are not so great or why they must be attended to - and the money has to come from somewhere.

When asked in the poll how important is it "for the state to be able to provide adequate and reliable state funding for the state's transportation projects including roads, highways and bridges," 63 percent said it was very important and 33 percent said somewhat important.

So, the Voter Survey Service poll of 500 statewide voters indicates, people know the need is there.

But then consider the next question and the answers.

The question: "As you may know, the task force that studied Nevada's transportation needs concluded that transportation projects planned for the next several years will require at least an additional $3.8 billion dollars in revenue. Generally speaking, would you support or oppose an increase in taxes if the funds were used specifically for road and highway projects as a way to improve the state's transportation system and cut down on traffic?"

The results: Forty-six percent either strongly (20) or somewhat (26) support a tax increase while 47 percent either strongly (31) or somewhat (16) oppose it.

So there's the problem. There are only two ways to move those numbers.

The first would be to put the tax question on the ballot, which take great thought in how to craft it and a lot of money on a skillful public relations campaign to sell it.

The second would be for the governor and the Gang of 63 to actually do their jobs, explain the consequences of inaction and realize a task force spent months looking at this issue.

The former is a form of abdication of responsibility and the latter may be too late to accomplish considering the dithering in the first part of the year. As that $3.8 billion estimate is already obsolete, it seems clear that without pressure from the business community and other pressure groups, the cost - literally and figuratively - will only go higher.