72°F
weather icon Windy

EDITORIAL: City shouldn’t rely on federal handouts to combat terror threat

It's the beginning of the new year, so of course it's time for Las Vegas to again go begging at the trough of the federal government, hoping for more funds to combat the possibility of a terror attack.

As reported by the Review-Journal's Sean Whaley on Jan. 15, Gov. Brian Sandoval expressed concern that Las Vegas might again fall below the cutoff for special homeland security terrorism preparedness funding in the upcoming federal budget cycle. Gov. Sandoval sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson expressing his concern, and on Jan. 21, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen met with Secretary Johnson in Washington, D.C., to plead the region's case for a share of the Urban Area Security Initiative Program funds. Gov. Sandoval and the mayors said that, with more than 40 million visitors a year, Hoover Dam and Nellis Air Force Base, the Las Vegas metropolitan area is deserving of the funding.

The grants are based on an assessment of the relative terror risk facing individual cities. In 2015, Las Vegas ranked 27th of 28 cities that split $587 million in grants, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This year, the city is 29th among the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas. In 2015, Las Vegas received $3 million. "It seems we have to make this case over and over again," Gov. Sandoval said. "I don't understand."

We don't understand why the case would even be made over such a relatively small sum of money. A terrorist attack, regardless of scale, would be devastating to the valley's tourism trade, and governments and industry must take every step possible to prevent such an event. However, if $3 million is the difference between this city's safety and its destruction, then the city isn't very safe to begin with. In 2013, Las Vegas didn't receive any UASI funds; in 2014, it got $1 million, after which a pleased Mayor Goodman said, ""We are a target. Don't let us ever forget that."

So why are officials relying on a tiny federal handout to prevent terrorism? Even last year's sum is a drop in the bucket compared with the billions of dollars spent every year by local governments and the trillions spent by Washington. As we've stated previously, if the UASI grant is a make-or-break figure for a critical local anti-terror initiative, a program needed to save lives, then the city and Clark County have an obligation to allocate that money immediately, rather than waiting for Washington to shove us a few shillings.

Better still, we should abandon the failed model of the state sending piles of money to the federal government, then begging to get it back — be it for terror funding, education or highways. Let us keep more of our money, rather than letting Washington act as an expensive middleman.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
EDITORIAL: More free stuff

Bernie Sanders wants to wave a magic wand and impose a 32-hour work week.