The power of money — and tenacity
Donald Trump’s first and only semi-major newspaper endorsement came with some rather curious caveats and contradictions. The Las Vegas Review-Journal, daily circulation 98,000, is newly owned by Sheldon Adelson, a casino mogul known for bankrolling archconservative candidates who take unflinching stands against taxes and government dependency.
In its endorsement, the paper’s editorial board evoked the frustration of Americans who are drawn to Trump out of their frustration with the “incestuous and pernicious atmosphere” dominating the nation’s capital.
“They see a vast array of lobbyists, elected officials and entrenched interests manipulating the levers of power for their own enrichment at the expense of ordinary citizens,” the newspaper wrote in its Trump endorsement.
Oh, really? The thought of powerful corporate interests flexing their muscle for enrichment at the expense of the masses sounded much like the scene in Carson City two weeks ago when a phalanx of lobbyists for Adelson and other casino interests muscled Nevada legislators into approving a $750 million hotel-tax subsidy for a Las Vegas stadium designed to lure the Raiders from Oakland. Billionaire Adelson regards it as his legacy project.
As for those much aggrieved “ordinary citizens”: This hotel tax increase, unlike others, apportions not a dime for public education. There is simply no profit-sharing with the taxpayers, who are putting in $100 million more than Adelson, and $250 million more than the Raiders and the NFL. And the public contribution is locked in, even if the $1.9 billion project comes in under budget; the savings would go to the wealthy recipients of public assistance.
The Review-Journal’s position on the most lavish subsidy ever for an NFL stadium? It’s a “must-do,” its editorial board has opined.
It seems that Adelson and his Review-Journal have a problem with welfare only when it’s going to struggling single mothers instead of into his own pocketbook.