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According
to a
Channel 8 report, the valley has lost about $20 million as companies have
cancelled business meetings in the last 30 days.
Nevada Democrats, led by Sen. Harry Reid, were quick to take to the floor of Congress to stand up for Las Vegas.
Now
it’s time for Sen. John Ensign to fight for Nevada, too. He should call on his
colleagues to stop the lies that are costing Las Vegas workers. In particular,
Ensign should tell his housemate, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn – the source of many
of the false claims made about Las Vegas in recent weeks – to stop attacking our
most important industry, tourism.
The worst part about these Republican criticisms of our fair city? They’re completely untrue.
When Coburn criticized a local training of Federal Emergency Management Administration employees, he claimed FEMA would be flying federal employees to Las Vegas. In fact the training was for Nevada FEMA employees.
When Republicans were attacking President Barack Obama’s stimulus package – a package that Nevada’s Democratic delegation worked hard to pass to lend a hand to Nevadans like you – they took aim at a proposed high speed train from Southern California to Las Vegas. They dubbed it the “Sin City Express” and attacked it as a wasteful earmark.
Factcheck.org called the claim “a major distortion. No money is specifically set aside for such a train.” And a Las Vegas Sun article said “Republicans don’t let facts get in their way.”
The truth is, competition for the $8 billion in stimulus money for mass transit projects is just beginning. A train from Las Vegas to California would have to prove it is among the best projects.
So why do Republicans continue to perpetuate myths and lies about Las Vegas? Call Sen. John Ensign and ask him. Tell him you’re tired of Republican politics that hurt ordinary Las Vegans, especially now when we can afford it least.
