I seriously feel sorry for the legislators making their way to Carson City next Monday to rubber-stamp an insanely suspect NFL stadium deal. Nevada's most powerful, special interest elite have lined up to push through what amounts to be the biggest corporate welfare program ever introduced in Nevada history (aside from mining, but that is another issue). Make no mistake, this deal is done, cooked fully, is being placed on a golden plate, and, by the end of next week, will be served to Sands Corp., the Raiders, the NFL and Majestic Realty.
I love that the group behind the stadium calls itself the "Win Win Nevada Coalition" but there is no doubt this is a lose-lose for Nevada Legislators (and possibly for Nevada residents). If they fight it, they will lose their seats due to a lack of institutional (gaming, etc.) support. If they support it, the voters are going to smack them down at the polls. Nearly every person I ask the question (business leaders, individuals, etc.) think the structure of the deal (as it stands and will probably be approved) is not good, if not criminal, for Nevada. It is as if you are a destitute family of four which needs to find a way to pay for essentials, like food, for the next 20 years but Dad decides to do an impulse purchase and take out a massive loan to buy PSLs, season tickets and luxury box access to a professional football team knowing full well that money would be far better spent on other, non-luxury items, to keep his family afloat. Maybe Dad can rent out the seats to prop up the family but the risk completely outweighs the benefits, especially when the team may go belly-up and the family, including the kids, has to find a way to pay back the loan on the seats without games to watch.
I REALLY hope this works for Las Vegas and Nevada as a whole but I have serious concerns the process has been rushed and the ramifications of the deal not well vetted. I have yet to hear a cogent, rational argument with realistic numbers to sway my opinion on the need for Nevada to front the money for the most expensive NFL stadium ever built. But that's the point, my opinion means nothing on this issue and the powers that be made sure you, me and every other Nevada resident has little-to-no say in this process. The amount of risk Nevada is taking on is unprecedented (both for the state and in the history of sports stadiums) and when we rank near the bottom of every, single social statistic in the country, I think we need to really think twice about buying what can amount to be an albatross before we address REAL needs we have in this state. Hey, Las Vegas, are we so desperate to be considered a "real city" that we are willing to sell our souls, and our children's souls? If you are not familiar with the specifics of the proposal, I recommend you become familiar as it isn't as simple and risk-averse as many would like you to think.
Oh by the way, Governor Sandoval has also asked state agencies to find $300 million to cut due to a budget deficit . . . you seriously can't make this stuff up.
