Sunday, July 22, 2007 | 1:16 a.m.
We've got trouble. Right here in ...
If this were River City we would have trouble and it could be pool. But, this is Las Vegas and the trouble we've got is far worse than kids playing pool. It involves kids, to be sure, but it exists in schools, parks, roads, health care facilities, our institutions of government, our leadership ranks and, yes, even our own homes.
For as long as I can remember, Las Vegas has represented the good and bad of American hopes and dreams. This community, growing up from nothing more than an idea that those who work hard and dream big can achieve almost anything, has attracted all kinds of people chasing that dream. And although most of the folks who have moved here over the past few decades have done so in the legitimate pursuit of building the kind of community for their children and grandchildren that will provide them opportunity and quality of life, there have always been some who look at this town as a place for hit and runs.
By that, I mean, Las Vegas has always represented a place for the quick-buck artist, the fellow who comes to town with the express purpose of making a financial killing - legit or otherwise - and hightailing it out of town having made his future, most often at the expense of those who stay behind to do it the right way. Charlatans, scam artists, fly-by-nighters and others who are motivated by greed and larceny have been commonplace around the fringes of Las Vegas' meteoric rise, and so we have come to expect them and, in most cases, watch out for them in our midst. We expect them to come and we are anxious to see them go.
But now we have a different problem. And this one strikes at the very core of who we are as a community and what we will become. We have a problem because the people who are now thinking about going are the very people who have been dreaming of staying and making Las Vegas their home for generations. If you will, the "good" people who are to build this town for the next generation are the very same people who are making other plans.
I had breakfast the other day with a young man I have admired since I first met him. The source of the admiration was a pride in the fact that he had grown up here, gone to school here and was committed to staying here, earning a living and raising his family here. He volunteers for absolutely everything that comes down the pike and coaches every team on which his children even think about playing. He offers his very valuable work talents to the public for nominal charges or free, and he votes without fail, after spending considerable time trying to educate himself about the candidates and the issues. In short, he is the ideal citizen for a community that needs ideal citizens as it charts its young growth toward what could be a very bright future.
So, what's the problem? Well, unlike the people who move here to deliberately prey on the good intentions of the locals and then scram out of town - the type of folks we want to leave even before they get here - my friend is the person making plans to leave. And there are many more just like him.
They are contingency plans, to be sure, but they are based on the very real understanding that a fellow has to do what is right for his family first. If the schools continue to get worse, which, admittedly they really can't, and if crime continues to go up while our quality of life continues to spiral down, his obligation to take care of his family means that he is preparing to leave the community that has nurtured him, provided him opportunity and allowed him, voluntarily and happily, to become part of its very fabric.
I asked him whether there are others who feel the way he does. He started to name them. When he reached the first dozen or so - young people who are so involved in this community at all levels that you would think it impossible for them to ever pull up stakes and leave - it became evident to me that we do have a big problem. And that problem is that my generation has not done for Las Vegas what our parents did for us. We have not made Las Vegas a better place to live for our kids.
You can argue all you want and point to all of the financial charts and graphs around showing the economic engine that has been created here and the money it makes, but I challenge anyone to show how any of that has created a quality of life that is compelling enough for people with families or those who want them to stay in our community for the long haul. Pick the subject.
How about Yucca Mountain for a start? Perhaps the dumbest move anyone in a position of leadership has made was made the other day by our governor and his water engineer. Not that dumb moves from Carson City should surprise anyone because Gov. Jim Gibbons has made so many that we should be used to them by now. But this one, to allow the federal government to use state water in an effort to shove the nation's radioactive waste down our throat is incomprehensible. There is no reason good enough to justify helping the fellow, who wants to destroy all that we have and all that we are, load the gun with which he will shoot us. Period.
Incredibly, the federal government rejected the state's decision to let it use the water for 30 more days. Lucky for us the federal government is more arrogant than we are ignorant.
When the younger generations see the leadership we have provided for them, is there any doubt why they consider leaving?
And what about our schools? Why is it that we are content to fund our public school system at almost half the national average, knowing full well that decision will result in constant teacher shortages, mediocre hires, burnouts, turnovers and stress levels that prevent quality teaching? Combine all that with the normal issues related to growth in a Southwestern state, and you have Nevada schools and education ranking at or near the very bottom of the pile. Behind Mississippi and Alabama, for God's sake.
When the younger generations see the attitude of the rest of us that provides their children inferior education opportunities, is there any doubt why they are considering leaving?
And what about the simple things like roads, parks and public institutions?
There is an attitude in this town and state - we saw it up close and personal during this most recent legislative session - that spending tax monies (from those who have it, not from those who don't) is an absolute no-no under any circumstances. It is a matter of political holy grail. At least for those who control the political processes and those who advise them. They correctly surmise that there is a strong minority of people in this state who believe in money more than they believe in God and who will punish those in office who dare spend public money on public causes.
The fact that the overwhelming number of people who live here support building new roads, more parks and buildings filled with music, books and the arts - but who are either too busy making a living to voice their opinions or too confused by the hype to sort through it - is lost on those who forget their oaths of office and remember only their desire to retain those offices.
When the younger generations experience the level of frustration that has to flow from those shortsighted, greedy and "me first" decisions, is there any wonder they are considering leaving this place they call home?
You can pick the topic and the answer will be the same. We have failed and continue to fail when it comes to building a better Las Vegas with opportunities for a brighter future for those who choose to make this place their home. It never really affected us when those who couldn't cut it pulled up stakes and left because there were so many others with the talents necessary for success who were coming to take their place.
But, this time it is different. This time it is the talented, the hard-working and those with the visions of a better Las Vegas who are considering the move. If that happens, think about who is left.
And think about whether you want to live here anymore with those folks firmly in charge.
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