Viva Las Vegas!
By Art Carden • Saturday July 10, 2010 12:23 PM PDT • 9 Comments
Jeffrey Tucker reports from FreedomFest. I’m not there, but Vegas is one of my favorite cities. It’s a place that’s coursing with energy. A couple of quick thoughts:
1. Market forces aren’t doing anything about the weather outdoors, but they’re helping alleviate it. My guess is that there’s someone on every street corner who will sell you a bottle of water for a dollar (for an interesting story, ask about their relationships with the casinos, the licensing authorities, and the cops).
2. One of the comments on Jeff’s report points out that Vegas probably owes its existence to federal subsidies and messed-up water infrastructure. That’s probably true, but Vegas represents a lower bound on what our creative energies can achieve.
3. I stayed at the Tropicana when I was there for the APEE meetings in April. I asked at the front desk if there was a church nearby. The clerk responded “no, but there’s an In-n-Out Burger if you like burgers.” I’ve had In-n-Out Burger once before, and I’d say it was an experience that brought me closer to God. It turns out there’s also a Catholic church near the Wynn. It was a hike from the Tropicana, but it was worth it.
Tags: Business, Culture, Economics, Entertainment, Food, Free Market, Government subsidies, Mercantilism, Personal Liberty, Religion, Urban Issues 
Art, Jeff Tucker is indeed correct that Las Vegas exists largely because of the massive military and government water projects in the area along with huge federal subsidies to the defense, agriculture, tourism, and other industries. It is no accident that Harry Reid has been Senator from Nevada for 23 years.
As for your asking the Tropicana Hotel’s front desk about nearby churches, I suspect that they thought you were referring to Church’s, the fast-food, fried chicken franchise, for which there are numerous outlets in the city. However and in reference to your eating at an In-N-Out location, the firm is owned and operated by the Snyder family, and their highly regarded food, customer service and overall business ethos reflect their Christian beliefs. Indeed, they print discreet references to Bible verses on their paper utensils.
David Theroux | Jul 10, 2010 | Reply
I think In-N-Out also prints religious phrases from the bible on the....burger wrappers and cups?
Steve Verdon | Jul 12, 2010 | Reply
Nope, the verse references such as,
Revelation 3:20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-N-Out_Burger
Steve Verdon | Jul 12, 2010 | Reply
Federal subsidies? Are you serious? The opposite is more true:
1) Will the writer of this fantasy please instruct us about how Las Vegas fought to be the nearest city (80 miles) to dozens of atomic bomb tests, the resultant radiation, and a nuclear waste dump?
2) Is it Washington generosity which gives the state of Nevada 2% of the Colorado River vs. 50% to very inefficient farms in California and Arizona alone. Las Vegas, the only city within 20 miles of the River creates 1,000,000 jobs and $100 B gross product vs. the relative handful of jobs that the farms produce with 20 times the amount of water. Who is being subsidized?
3) The Federal Government retains 90% of the land of Nevada and allows mineral exploitation under a 19th century law that no third world country would tolerate. Please tell us how Nevada benefits from this subsidy.
4) Among the many laws designed specifically to inhibit the flow of money to Las Vegas casinos, the Feds withhold tax on gambling winnings. Its competition in Macau allows winners (from all countries) to keep 100%.
5) The “Freedom Fighters” operating Nellis Air Force base prohibit, in violation of the Constitution, private owners of “adjacent” (sometimes as many as 20 miles away) properties from developing their holdings. The Feds use the Maryland-sized chunk of Nevada to prepare for the next Korean-style war–but does allows us commoners to visit the base one weekend per year. Naturally, they oppose virtually every private enterprise use of its mammoth real estate empire.
6) While the Federal government works overtime and spends $1 Trillion per year to create enemies the world over and impoverish its own nationals, Macao and China spend similar sums to create friends, customers, and wealth for all. Is it any wonder that Macao has left Nevada in the dust?
7) While Macao issues free visas at its border and China issues visas to virtually anyone within one day, the government in Washington, D.C. requires months to decide to reject 50% or more of its applicants This figure of course exclude the hundreds of millions of potential Las Vegas visitors who don’t want to risk a “rejected” stamp placed in their passport.
Steve Wynn is right—but just for starters. He really understates the dramatic differences between the US and Chinese governments. The US government is more of an enemy of Las Vegas than even the Baptist Church. At the other extreme, the Chinese government has zero restrictions on the flow of money and people to Las Vegas. In fact, its officials probably fantasize that its citizens would dump in Las Vegas as many as possible of the everyday-more-worthless-Washington-produced-dollars that are being dumped in China at the rate of $1B per day. On the other hand hand, it is certain that the Chinese government is not happy about the humiliating process used by the US to process its citizens who simply wish to visit “America”. These people don’t need subsidies and neither does Las Vegas. Both could use some fair treatment, however.
Did someone say that the Federal Government “SUBSIDIZES” Las Vegas?
Edmund Uehling | Jul 12, 2010 | Reply
PS—There is a large Catholic Church about 300 yards from the south east corner of the Tropicana Hotel—somewhat fewer than the 3000 yards to the Catholic Church next to the Encore (Wynn) Hotel.
Edmund Uehling | Jul 12, 2010 | Reply
Ed,
Steve Wynn’s recent comments are indeed excellent about the need to get the federal government to back off.
And, there is no question that the federal government’s control of lands in Nevada and its myriad controls and other measures are huge burdens for the development of Las Vegas and Nevada more broadly. But, it is also indisputable that federal water projects such as the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, military facilities and defense contracts, and a vast assortment of other pork subsidies have made Las Vegas’s existence and growth possible. To believe that the city is a Mecca for free enterprise is to overlook this massive government support. The solution is to end federal involvement and privatize any and all U.S. properties. But, just try to get the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce to adopt even a tiny slice of such a position, and the reality of what keeps the city afloat will become all too clear.
David Theroux | Jul 13, 2010 | Reply
Carden’s guess “that there’s someone on every street corner who will sell you a bottle of water for a dollar” is entertaining (as in L0L) but verifiably inaccurate. If he had stated “someone on every street corner begging for money” he would have been a great deal closer to reality.
Moe Badderman | Jul 16, 2010 | Reply