Berkley to colleagues: Quit bashing Vegas

By Lisa Mascaro

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | 5:06 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley’s mad and she’s not going to take it any more.

The Las Vegas congresswoman came to a spirited defense of her hometown today on the House floor, admonishing lawmakers to quit bad-mouthing the city and driving tourism dollars away.

“I'm mad and I'm not going to take it anymore,” Berkley said. “I've had enough of my colleagues bashing my district, my hometown, and the community I love, Las Vegas.”

Berkley listed the grievances – from the attack on the proposed Mob Museum to the not-true assertion that $8 billion in the economic stimulus package will build a magnetic levitation train between Las Vegas and Disneyland to what she called the most egregious violation: criticizing companies bringing conferences to town.

“You are hurting our economy, you're forcing major layoffs of employees in the hotel industry,” she said.

“You are taking food out of their children's mouths .. every attack on Las Vegas by my colleagues is a knife in the heart of my city.

“So I implore my colleagues, stop bashing Las Vegas. Find some other whipping boy. We've had enough, we're not going to take it anymore.”