Too little, too late from Harry

To the editor:

I read with interest your article in Tuesday's Business section regarding Sen. Harry Reid's letter-writing campaign to various government agencies urging them to "Reject rules that discourage (business) trips to Nevada." The report goes on to say that Sen. Reid has been on this crusade since July.

Given that Barack Obama's disparaging remarks about Las Vegas were made on Feb. 9 in a town hall-type speech in Indiana, I'm compelled to ask why he waited five months to start stirring the pot.

Further, instead of using his assistants to write letters to government agency managers, why didn't he just pick up the phone and call Mr. Obama personally? Sen. Reid, I'm given to understand, cuts a pretty wide swath in our Congress.

Mr. Obama in his Feb. 9 speech said: "You are not going to be able to give out these big bonuses until you pay taxpayers back. You can't get corporate jets. You can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers' dime."

The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce said the speech didn't hurt tourism at all. Again, how can they calculate all the business trips that everyone in the country is planning? How many of these trips might have been planned for Las Vegas?

Even the FBI rejected a legitimate bid to hold one of its large meetings in Las Vegas. I'm sure there were many others.

The number of trade shows and attendees at our convention facilities are down. We don't know whether it's the Obama hex or the business slowdown across the country. It's probably a combination of both, but if it is, we sure don't need the added burden of the president bad-mouthing Las Vegas and instructing all of his government agencies to stay out of town.

I understand unemployment in Las Vegas is around 13 percent. Not good. I'm afraid Sen. Reid's feeble effort to undo Mr. Obama's instruction is a little too late.

RON STEARNS

BOULDER CITY