When will the Las Vegas Community demand better?

Editorial by Rick Singer

Although I have written on this subject prior to today the question of “when will the greater Las Vegas community demand more for themselves?’ continues to remain in the conversations of many residents throughout Clark County. As one man put it, (a 3^rd generation Clark County resident) “out of the ashes of what are currently Las Vegas needs to emerge a new Phoenix with leadership”.

When you or I or any resident of Greater Las Vegas or anyone observing Las Vegas from a far looks at the ridiculous standards in which our community continues to operate the scenario goes from beyond humorous to completely embarrassing. The levels of self-indulgence, narcissism and nepotism provided or empowered  by this communities leadership (if you can call this leadership) has excelled to the rate of incompetence, theft and abuse that could never be interpreted as maintaining any form of  ‘fiduciary responsibility”  to the citizens.  Just within the last 4 months, here are some highlights:

1. North Las Vegas judge places an order on North Las Vegas city council preventing further reduction of the city Police force because of the citizens rights to Public Safety have been compromised.
2. The son of a Clark County judge is found guilty for “grand theft” at local casinos and then given a minimal sentence.
3. Sun reporter is “encouraged” by a Judge not to write about a specific story that affects the cornerstone of Journalism and the community’s right to know.
4. The school systems of Nevada and in Clark County are nationally ranked amongst the WORST systems for education in the United States.
5. Pill Mill’s (distribution of Legal Narcotics via Pain clinics) has become so epidemic in the Las Vegas area that the number of arrests of Doctors within the community has gone over 19 in 8 months.
6. Unemployment remains between 13.5 and 13.7%. That means 1 out of every 8 people who were working a year ago is no longer working.
7. Metro’s Sheriff Gillespie and his new management team have determined that it is in the best interest of the public to  triple the building and facilities budget while asking Metro Officers  to reduce their incomes. The leader of Clark County Law enforcement has also decided not to add any new law enforcement academies. (I feel so much safer with that new building, don’t you?)
8. Public Safety has been compromised with multiple shootings taking place on the Vegas Strip; enhanced accosting by smut peddlers and children being both injured and killed attempting to cross the street.
9. Las Vegas property values have diminished at a rate faster than the National average (homes are worth 45% less than they were in 2007) in large part due to the number of foreclosures in Clark County. 
10. Why have the foreclosure rates been so high in Clark County? Because the procedures for “kicking people out of their homes” has been compromised, and oh, by the way, the suicides in which  law enforcement has witnessed in conjunction with foreclosures has increased and  is no longer uncommon.
11. Clark County Firefighters were systematically creating an embezzlement scheme by utilizing ‘loop-holes” in the Firefighters contract to be utilized for sick days.

The list can and probably should continue .. but I am becoming noxious thinking about it. The real question is simple; “when will the Clark County residents become sick and tired of being sold neon signage and a cheap cocktail as a substitute for real community leadership”?

1. Judges are bending rules; children of Judges’ are receiving minimal sentences for federal Crimes.
2. Doctors are going to Federal prisons for drug pushing of prescription narcotics.
3. Our Children are getting the worst education in the Nation
4. Public safety has been compromised, crime has increased and our kids cannot come home safe from a night of “Halloween”.
5. Tourists are concerned about safety on the strip with increased shootings and harassment by smut peddlers.
6. Law enforcement has a nice new building while citizens are being evicted from their homes without proper due process.
7. Firefighters and goodness knows how many other city and county employees are working a system to steal that much more money from the populist.

Is this really Las Vegas at its best? For the MILLIONS of dollars available to these departments and boards are you telling me this is the best result we can get for the community? The answer is obviously No! Many more communities with comparable populations and LESS money are providing more to their citizens.
The hard working people of Southern Nevada are great; the people they choose to represent them are the aliens.  Clark County residents need to begin looking within themselves, their own neighborhoods and friends. It really is time for new leadership at all levels of the City of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Clark County, the Board of Education, the Sheriff, and the Judges. We the people of Clark County need and deserve a new Phoenix with leadership.