Why would council support Oscar’s Golden Palace?
To the editor:
And the political hoodwinking continues.
I am appalled at the lack of concern by the Las Vegas City Council for the current budget crisis we face and its vote to move ahead with the building of a new City Hall (Oscar Goodman's Golden Palace). This in spite of a majority of their constituents being against this proposal.
This should be viewed as a slap in the face to the citizens by our elected officials.
Why aren't the taxpayers protesting and picketing the City Council in regard to this? We can't afford this project and to play the money shell game is like calling us all ignorant.
We, the people, are going to pay for this in the long run. This is no different than what the fraudulent lenders did authorizing loans to people who couldn't afford them. Bail out!
Thanks, Councilman Stavros Anthony, for having the guts and courage to go against the City Hall elitists.
Remember your representatives come election time.
Richard Kohl
LAS VEGAS
Stand up
To the editor:
I read your Friday editorial on the new City Hall. I noticed that you did not specifically mention our great mayor, Oscar Goodman. He alone is behind this project. He intimidates the rest of the council, and they do what he wants. I wish that they would stand up to him.
If he runs for governor and wins, God help the state.
Sid Joseph
LAS VEGAS
Power play
To the editor:
Mayor Oscar Goodman got his votes to have a new City Hall built. Good for him. It will be part of his legacy.
Thursday's Review-Journal revealed that more families are on food stamps and the city plans layoffs.
With the city's revenue shortfall in the millions, it's difficult to comprehend how approval for this project was accomplished.
There was only one negative vote, Stavros Anthony, our newest council member. Perhaps he hasn't joined the power group yet.
Good for him.
Joseph L. Szukiewicz
HENDERSON
Harry's baby
To the editor:
In his Friday column, John L. Smith credits Kirk Kerkorian, and to a lesser degree Jim Murren and Bobby Baldwin, with the MGM Mirage dream of CityCenter.
But if Mr. Smith had paid any attention at all to radio and TV commercials, he would have realized that this project was accomplished totally through the efforts of Sen. Harry Reid.
Stan Pullen
LAS VEGAS
Local content
To the editor:
CityCenter is on the verge of becoming a reality, at last. We all hope it will turn out to be the great boon to the Las Vegas economy that we expect and sorely need, especially with regard to its new jobs for local citizens.
It seems, however, that while CityCenter may be the largest such endeavor in history, it is also the most narrowly focused demographically: There is absolutely nothing here that will attract locals. Literally everything, from dining to shopping to entertainment, seems designed to appeal to only the most affluent visitors.
While Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming no doubt will appreciate this extremely narrow focus, it may turn out to be short-sighted on the part of MGM Mirage. Time will tell.
Rod Bell
HENDERSON
Pay to play
To the editor:
When the banking and automobile industries tanked and everyone was bemoaning the lavish perks, salaries and bonuses the CEOs got, we went so far as to tie salary and bonuses to productivity. President Obama even appointed yet another czar to watch over the industry and regulate what companies can pay their executives.
After all, if you don't perform, should you get paid?
We the American people missed a golden opportunity. We should have demanded the same rules and regulatory control over our elected officials.
Perhaps members of Congress wouldn't be so quick to throw our money into money-pit projects and fund-sucking, tax-and-spend politics if their salaries and bonuses and perks were tied to the success or failure of their acts.
After all, if you don't perform, should you be paid?
Michael Zbiegien
HENDERSON
Porno peddlers
To the editor:
If you are going to run a story about a woman who is not permitted to dance in public on Fremont Street (Friday Review-Journal), why not also run one about getting the porno distributors off the Strip?
These people have no respect for people walking with their wives and children as they shove "escort" materials in your face.
The peddlers denigrate the beauty and classy look of the casinos, create needless litter and are a disgrace to their families and themselves. However, we make sure we defend their rights.
Get them off the Strip.
Frank Russo
HENDERSON
