Letter: Commissioners stifle enterprise

Tuesday, Oct. 12, 1999 | 9:21 a.m.

The smoke screens may be up, but if one looks close enough the truth can be found. Wednesday's County Commission vote to stifle free enterprise in Clark County by limiting a retailer's ability to sell groceries wasn't driven by cries of injustice from residents, it was driven by politics from a vocal and selfish special interest group. Oh sure, we heard about parking problems, lower wages, the loss of tax revenue and the countless businesses that would close if a huge retail box store was allowed to sell groceries.

Here's what I want to know. Where were the people who supported this ordinance when grocery stores started adding dry cleaners, floral shops, photography outlets, post offices and banks to their floor plans? How come they did not come forward and deny grocery stores the ability to drive small business operators out of business by offering a multitude of services under one roof? Because they are hypocrites, that's why.

And why haven't the commissioners ever used this logic to deny the construction of a megaresort? Don't the megaresorts drive the smaller casinos and hotels out of business, create parking problems and drive out competition with massive marketing campaigns?

In the free marketplace customers decide who they want to buy from. In a right to work state people decide who they want to work for. In one vote three commissioners made that decision for a million and a half residents.

I hope the commissioners don't mind explaining their logic to new businesses that are, or were considering, coming to Southern Nevada. They need to be sure to crank up the smoke machine though, I think they'll need it.

MIKE MILLER