OT: Herry Reid gets dowwwwwnn!!
- From: "The Librarian" <zootwoman@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 13 Jan 2006 20:57:17 -0800
s op-ed column by Harry Reid is one of the most in-your-face challenges
I've seen in quite some time and it gets right to the heart of the
matter:
In 1977, I was appointed chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. It
was a difficult time for the gaming industry and Las Vegas, which were
being overrun by organized crime. To that point in my life, I had
served in the Nevada Assembly and even as lieutenant governor, but
nothing prepared me for my fight with the mob.
Over the next few years, there would be threats on my life, bribes, FBI
stings and even a car bomb placed in my family's station wagon. It was
a terrifying experience, but at the end of the day, we cleaned up Las
Vegas and ushered in a new era of responsibility.
My term on the gaming commission came to an end in 1981, and when it
did, I thought I had seen such corruption for the last time.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case. It is not quite the mafia of
Las Vegas in the 1970s, but what is happening today in Washington is
every bit as corrupt and the consequences for our country have been
severe.
Our nation's capital has been overrun by organized crime - Tom
DeLay-style.
The gangsters are the lobbyists, cronies and lawmakers who have banded
together and abused their power to serve their own self-interest. The
casinos are the Capitol, which has had its doors thrown open for
special interests to waltz in and help themselves, and the victims, of
course, are the American people.
There is a price to pay for the culture of corruption, and we can see
it in the state of our union.
Consider the state of our economy. On one side is Big Oil, which reaped
$100 billion in profits in 2005. On the other side are middle-class
families. Their wages are declining at the same time they are paying
more for gas, heat, education and other needs.
Take the state of health care. On one side are the HMOs that benefited
greatly from a $10 billion slush fund in the Medicare bill. On the
other side are seniors who face gaps in their coverage and the high
cost of prescription drugs.
And then there is our national debt. On one side are the special
interests and the multimillionaires who have received tremendous tax
breaks over the last five years. On the other side are our children and
grandchildren who will pay for these tax cuts when they inherit
billions in debt.
In our country today, we are seeing what happens when lawmakers and
lobbyists conspire to put the needs of special interests before the
needs of the American people. We have a country that grows more
dependent on foreign oil each day. We have cronyism like that exposed
by Hurricane Katrina, and we have a national security policy that does
a good job of protecting Halliburton's bottom-line but not a good
enough job protecting the American people.
.
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