Thursday, February 4, 2010

Conventions are good

In Nevada on Tuesday, lawmakers lashed out at Obama after he made another reference to Las Vegas while explaining how people should make tough choices on spending.

Several lawmakers said they were shocked that Obama singled out Las Vegas again after commenting one year ago about bailed-out banks holding meetings here.

"When times are tough, you tighten your belts," Obama said, according to a White House transcript of his appearance Tuesday at a high school in North Nashua, N.H.

"You don't go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices."

"I'll do everything I can to give him the boot," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said during a hastily called news conference, adding that he was incensed when he heard about the comments and said he would no longer welcome the president if he visits.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1459855.html

When you kill the convention business, you kill the jobs of blue collar workers - - wait staff and janitors and clerical employees in hotels and restaurants and car rental counters. I don't care if a bank has a corporate retreat at some four star hotel, as long as the hotel hires a few hundred people to service the convention.

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