Letter: Adelson puts money where his mouth is

Sunday, March 22, 1998 | 9:30 a.m.

I found Jeff German's March 15 column on Sheldon Adelson very interesting, but missing a few important details.

I see a parallel between Adelson and the Culinary Union. Politics is like a double-edged sword. Republicans are the one edge and the Democrats the other. As Adelson surely sharpens the Republican edge, so does the Culinary for the Democrats. Until Adelson stepped into the scene, the Republican sword was not quite as sharp as the one held by the Democrats. Now that the Republicans are sharpening their blade, the Democrats find they need a new grinding wheel, so they attack Adelson.

Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates states that it is "inappropriate for casino owners to be involved and so out front of something like this," but wasn't it just as inappropriate for the Culinary Union to spread all the lies about Sue Lowden during the 1996 Senate election? The main difference between Adelson handing out wads of money and the Culinary Union handing out its wads of money is simple. Adelson uses his own money, and the money the Culinary uses it takes from the working people that it is supposed to protect. Remember, there are Republican members of the Culinary.

Politics is the free flow of ideas from candidates and incumbents to the voting population. The problem is that it is not free to be heard; even a small election costs tens of thousands of dollars. With people like George Harris and Adelson in the Republican corner, more candidates will be heard. I guess what they have to say scares the Democrats.

Tony Dane