by Mark Silva
At first, the mayor of Sin City was demanding an apology after President Barack Obama, in decrying the excessive bonuses that Wall Street executives have collected, said during a "town-hall'' meeting in Elkhart, Ind:
"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. There has got to be some accountability and some responsibility, and that's something that I intend to impose as president of the United States.''
"What's a better place, as I say, than for them to come here," Mayor Oscar Goodman told KLAS-TV. "And to change their mind and to go someplace else and to cancel -- and at the suggestion of the president of the United States -- that's outrageous."
But the mayor's letter to the White House is somewhat more restrained, according to the Associated Press and Las Vegas Sun: While he understands that the president faces an enormous burden in dealing with the economy, Goodman suggests in writing, the president should stop "calling out" individual destinations.
Signed by the mayor in his capacity as chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the letter complains that Obama's remarks "are harmful to the meetings and convention industry as a whole and in Las Vegas specifically. They reinforce the stereotype -- unjustified I may add -- that meetings, events and incentive are wasteful and any trip to Las Vegas is a 'junket.'"
(Las Vegas Statue of Liberty photo by John Handley / Tribune)
Comments
These days the odds of winning in Vegas are greater than Wall Street. Maybe the banks would do well and the bailout would make sense...
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport ☯ | February 11, 2009 3:11 PM
If "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" ... Can we take the Republican party and drop them off and LEAVE THEM THERE?
Posted by: Doug Vader, son of Darth | February 11, 2009 3:36 PM
But Doug, when they build a successful business and entertainment empire won't you and dems just come crawling back when you need money? Like you're doing now?Just like the woman who complained about being homeless at Obama's townhall last night? The one that was given a home by a republican?
Go get 'em, Mayor Goodman!
Posted by: Jeff | February 11, 2009 4:09 PM
Hey, Mayor Dippy, He was talking about junkets to Las Vegas to reward the executive class for losing billions of dollars.
If people want to go to Vegas to drop their own money they would, but the problem is that they don't have anymore because the executive class lost it (took it) all.
Posted by: Todd M | February 11, 2009 4:19 PM
This is not a difficult concept.
If a bank CEO wants to live it up at the Wynn or the Bellagio on his own dime (and he has quite a few dimes with which to do so), I think that's great.
As a taxpayer, I should not have to fit the bill for him to do so.
Not. Hard. To. Understand, Mayor Chickenlittle.
Posted by: Bubba Porter | February 11, 2009 5:04 PM
The companies getting bailout money should be required by President Obama to hold all of their business meetings in Las Vegas, the city which is the most economical and the most conducive to holding efficient business meetings and conventions, with 130,000 hotel rooms and thousands of restaurants within a few miles of dozens of huge convention facilities and hundreds of meeting rooms. With reduced room rates because of the economy, and because Las Vegas hotels can afford to have lower room rates because of casino revenues, Las Vegas is a bargain, and Las Vegas is the only city where all corporations should be allowed to plan their meetings and conventions.
When I was delivering newspapers 35 years ago, the newspaper company had a party every year for delivery carriers and gave them free pizza and soda pop. The carriers who sold the most newspaper subscriptions were awarded prizes. The top prize was a trip to Disneyland. As a result the newspaper increased their circulation and were able to charge more for advertising. When I was an outside sales rep selling plumbing supplies to wholesalers 25 years ago, the owner of the small manufacturer rep firm that employed me, required me to take customers out to lunch every day, and we payed for lunches for engineers that did specs. That was how we made our products known to buyers, and that was the lifeblood of the company. If taxpayer money is being used to get these companies on their feet, we better hope that these companies are doing the kinds of things that attract customers and reward productive employees, or all of these companies will fail and the taxpayer money is gone. Is this still a capitalist country, or are we in Communist Cuba?
Posted by: Vegas Taxi Driver Dot Com | February 12, 2009 2:28 PM