Is a bailout for Vegas casinos next?
Is a bailout for Vegas casinos next?
Congress and the White House say they are moving closer towards an agreement on a $15 billion rescue plan for the auto industry. On CNBC this morning, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) said he would be inclined to filibuster the auto rescue deal. “I think that not only myself but several of us will be looking at possibly blocking this package,” he said. But when the host asked Ensign whether the government should also rescue Ensign’s home state’s gaming industry, the Nevada senator left the door open:
Q: Las Vegas is quiet. If the gaming industry ever came to you and said we need some sort of assistance…where do we stop in all this?
ENSIGN: That’s exactly right. The gaming industry and the hotel industry are hurting and hurting very very bad. And by the way, the hotel industry across the United States, not just in Las Vegas, employs a lot more people than the auto industry does. … And we don’t hear people saying let’s bail out the tourism industry, and it’s hurting.
Watch it:
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Someone has to make Sheldon Adelson whole. Why am I not surprised a Republican ponied up such an idea?
December 9th, 2008 at 11:25 amThe mind boggles at the shallowness of our Congress, from Frank and Pelosi bending over to his lame duckedness Bush on the GM bailout, to the stupidity of Shelby, Sessions, Ensign, et. al who, in order to destroy US unions, wouldn’t have any compunction to lay off 2,000,000 workers and throw the US into a depression.
Do you have to be a soulless git to get into politics or do you become one once elected?
December 9th, 2008 at 11:28 am“And by the way, the hotel industry across the United States, not just in Las Vegas, employs a lot more people than the auto industry does. “…
Well the obvious solution then is for hotel industry employees to take more vacations and thereby help hotel employees keep their jobs–Duh!
You see Mr Ensign, hotel employees buy cars ( and hotels do too) which gives the auto industry employees a job, making cars, and then they can use those wages to take vacations, thus giving hotel employees their jobs! But, and here’s the funny thing Mr Ensign, a vacation is a choice , whereas a car is pretty much a necessity.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:32 amThe spirit of Bugsy Siegel is alive and well.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:33 amWhat a bone-headed anlogy. For one thing, the auto industry is manufacturing. It actually makes a product. For another, the auto industry is pretty centralized; three companies are the primary sources of jobs. Sure, there are secondary and tertiary suppliers, dealers, and so on, but aid to three massive corporations might keep them afloat and keep those jobs around.
The hotel industry is a service industry. It is atomized in that any significant aid to a big chain would have little to no effect on franchisees, let alone blue-collar clerks and chambermaids.
I’m not saying that Ensign is suggesting such an action; it sounds like he isn’t, and is arguing against it for the auto industry. But if you’re going to make an argument publicly, at least try to make it a logical one.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:36 amHere’s an idea, why don’t we bailout of the foreign wars that are hemorrhaging our tax dollars?
December 9th, 2008 at 11:40 amWell we’re bailing out the Wall Street thieves. The GAMBLING magnates, like Sheldon Adelson, are at least less hypocritical about their thieving business. Legal theft, why not bail them out. Bail all the rich bast ards out and slash school and healthcare funding. Let’s become Brazil and Africa as soon as possible.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:41 amI guess he misses the point that if 3 million workers lose their jobs, it’s going to create another depression and the last thing people do in a depression is to take a vacation.
What an idiot this guy is. On the other hand, he makes it look like he and he alone can filibuster this bill. He forgets that he needs to get all the Republican Senators but one to go along with the filibuster. I’m betting there are not that many Republican Senators who are willing to risk re-election when there are so many jobs at stake here.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:43 amAnyone else get the feeling that a die-off of humans is coming soon…? Things seem to be spining out of control.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:43 amI see some logic in the notion that we need to preserve our manufacturing base. The United States should be able to produce things in its own factories and having a skilled set of machinists is important.
But, the hotel industry? I’m not the best at keeping my place tidy, but I think I’d have an easier time jumping into a housecleaning job at a hotel than I would jumping onto the line at an auto plant. If nobody is travelling we do not need to preserve the hotel industry until they start again. That might be important locally, but is not a federal priority.
And the gaming industry are just a bunch of crooks in my opinion. Professional con artists who sucker the rubes out of their money. I’d be happy to see that industry dry up.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:51 amSo why did we bailout your buddies in the banking and mortgage industry…….a$$hole, hypocrite and maroon typical re-puke.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:54 amSo, by bailing out casinos, taxpayers would be bailing out Freedom’s Watch as well. More sound Republican free marketeering, no doubt.
“Freedom’s Watch, a group aimed at bolstering the “War on Terror,” has gone the way of the Dodo on the back of economic woes for the group’s largest donor, casino heavyweight Sheldon Adelson.”
December 9th, 2008 at 12:03 pmSen. Ensign: I got mine – screw those mooks in Michigan!!
December 9th, 2008 at 12:10 pmI’m ‘betting’ on Harry sending Ensign a strongly worded letter.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:11 pmWow. Who knew there were so many socialists in the Republican party…
December 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pmfletc3her Says:
But, the hotel industry? I’m not the best at keeping my place tidy, but I think I’d have an easier time jumping into a housecleaning job at a hotel than I would jumping onto the line at an auto plant. If nobody is travelling we do not need to preserve the hotel industry until they start again. That might be important locally, but is not a federal priority.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:51 am
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Besides, didn’t we already bail out the hotel industry by proxy with all the money we’re giving to AIG for their “team building” retreats?
December 9th, 2008 at 12:31 pmZimzone,
Reid is an order of magnitude more crooked than Ensign. Don’t expect our beloved Majority Leader to block an attempts at a Vegas bailout. After all, he’s got a negative approval rating and an election in 2 years.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:31 pmI can’t wait for Donald Trump to start demanding his bailout. He was never a great businessman, but born into a family real-estate business. Great at selling himself, not so great at avoiding poor business decisions and bankruptcy.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:33 pmJust a thought – maybe if we hadn’t gone and made ourselves global pariahs over the last eight years, we’d have a lot more foreign tourists coming here and spending money.
December 9th, 2008 at 12:36 pmRemember the days when buisnesses used to have to rely on customers to stay in business?
December 9th, 2008 at 12:38 pmWho’s next? The Bunny Ranch?
December 9th, 2008 at 12:56 pmI don’t know about the rest of you but I don’t think I’m going to be giving away or ‘loaning’ any more of my tax money that I have yet to make here in the land of no jobs.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:15 pmI don’t trust these people.
My brother-in-law used to run his own restaurant. It ended up going under (over 1/3 do in the first 5 years) and he spent years cleaning up his debts. He’s going nuts because watching the assorted bailouts going out to big businesses. Now Casino’s need to be bailed out! If the Casinos can’t make money it’s because people aren’t gambling! Business 101, if the customers aren’t there, your business will fail. Let Congress get back in the business of regulating the financial markets to stabalize the economy. If that regulation doesn’t come, and Soon, this insanity will just re-spawn, re-crash and burn, yet again! If that happens it won’t matter How many hotels and casinos there are, Nobody will have any money, except for the have-it-alls!
December 9th, 2008 at 1:15 pmImpeach. There’s Still Time!
Well Senator Ensign, if Vegas is in that bad a shape, I’d say let’s put those people to work making something other than beds. How about some manufacturing back in the good old USA so that we actually have an economy, instead of the world’s largest service swap meet?
Imbeciles like Ensign are getting harder and harder to take seriously.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:43 pmWhy not? Wall Street became even more of a casino after deregulation and they get a check. Wall Street or Vegas, it’s nothing more than moving money around while producing nothing of lasting or tangible value.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:53 pmWhy not just drop off a few trillion from a plane flying around the country?
December 9th, 2008 at 3:15 pmNaaaaaaaah. It’s too crazy.
December 9th, 2008 at 4:27 pm