Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Collins’ argument is valid

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2000 | 10:18 a.m.

Ruthe Deskin is assistant to the publisher. Reach her at deskin@lasvegassun.com.

NAACP Las Vegas Chapter President Gene Collins' impassioned plea for workers who will be terminated when Station Casinos takes over the Fiesta fell on deaf ears as the North Las Vegas City Council voted last week to grant necessary licenses to Station.

The vote was close, with Stephanie Smith and John Rhodes voting against approval.

Collins was voicing the concerns of thousands of casino and hotel workers who will be facing an employment dilemma. As new owners take over, especially at neighborhood casinos, longtime employees are told they must re-apply for their jobs. Some, of course, will not be rehired.

There are arguments on both sides.

Granted, casino owners should have the right to select employees. But what about the future of workers who find themselves unemployed after several years at the same job?

To lose income just before the holiday season is a most unhappy circumstance.

My sympathy goes out to young families who live, by necessity, from one paycheck to the next. Mass layoffs do not seem to be the answer. There should be a smooth transition when a new owner takes over to avoid the desperation and fear that employees might feel about losing their jobs.

Collins was on the right track.

Through all the posturing and legal maneuvering of the contested presidential election, Americans have benefited with a massive civics lesson.

The average citizen now knows more about the Electoral College, who determines the presidency in case of a tie, the role of Congress and the basic rights of voters.

We have been instructed about chads, dangling chads and dimpled chads. Talk show hosts, editorial writers and cartoonists, comedians and political pundits have had a field day with everything from bad jokes to ponderous pontificating.

The winner might not be the lucky one, as it will take the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of a saint to bring the situation back to normal. Meanwhile the big beneficiaries of the entire brouhaha are the lawyers, whose fees must be astronomical.

We are grateful that the decisions will be made in the courts, which is much more desirable than riots in the streets as would, more than likely, take place in many countries were the same situation to arise.

All of which reminds me of an item I ran in a 1993 column, which seems apropos: "America is governed by an elite minority. It's called voter turnout."

It seems as if everyone is getting in on the act. An ad on the Internet offers bumper stickers for $5 each, which read "Sore-Loserman."

Sending men and women into space is routine. Cloning and test-tube babies are realities. The Internet brings new wonders every day. Computer science is changing the way we live.

Yet, we can't manufacture enough flu vaccine to take care of the need, or for that matter elect a president.

Makes one wonder.