Harrah’s Entertainment and the AFL-CIO have collected the requisite 20,000 signatures to place its request for a publicly funded stadium out back of Imperial Palace (currently a vast, dark wasteland) before Nevada solons. CEO Gary Loveman would throw in some acreage and taxpayers — tourists and conventioneers, mainly — would unknowingly foot the bill through yet another increase in sales taxes on the Strip, raising them to some of the highest in the country.
The proposal is crafted in such a way that only the Harrah’s site would qualify, leaving other aspirants (such as Paul & Sue Lowden) on the outside, looking in. The 2011 Legislature could simply rubber-stamp this juice job. Considering that you and I are expected to help pay for it, lawmakers should at least have the stones to put on the 2012 electoral ballot so voters can decide whether it’s a pig in a poke or a wise investment.
Putting budget items to a public vote is a disaster, and California understands why: people vote for spending and not for the tax that pays for said spending.
I’d rather there NOT be a public vote on this idea, but that the Clark County legislators also have to agree with it, considering that they are somewhat expected to support it via the RTC and the like. Let the politicians decide whether or not to tie their careers to this one. If both state and county approve and the public is unhappy, then they will “throw the bums out.”
The article says 200,00 signatures. Since it appears that the signature gatherers are paid, I hope somebody does some close checking to see that all the signatures are from valid local residents, not tourists.