Grumpy Editor

PAY-FOR-PARKING IDEA AT LAS VEGAS STRIP RESORTS MAY BE FADING

 

Looks like there is a welcomed (by tourists and locals) break in much frowned-on parking fees at major hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, observed Grumpy Editor.

 

Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, starting July 1, will stop charging overnight guests for parking while non-hotel guests will avoid parking fees if they spend $50 or more via restaurants, game play, shops, nightclub, shows and lounges.

 

"We have come to believe that charging additional parking fees is counter to the personalized service we provide," said Maurice Wooden, Wynn Las Vegas president.

 

Complicated parking charges at Wynn and other Strip hotels, instituted in 2016 after being free for self parking, have kept many grumbling visitors and locals away from most major Strip casinos that already charge resort fees.

 

At Wynn, self parking has been complimentary for the first hour, then a $7 fee kicks in for one to two hours, $12 for two to four hours, $15 for four to 24 hours and $15 for each additional 24 hours.  Valet parking fee has been $18 for up to two hours, $22 for two to four hours, $27 for four to 24 hours and each additional 24 hours.

 

Paid parking on the Strip was initiated two years ago by MGM Resorts International, followed by Caesars Entertainment Corp. 

 

Both raised parking fees earlier this year.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

IHOP GOES FOR A b.  Today’s the day when pancake lovers learn what the “b” stands for as IHOP (the International House of Pancakes), after 60 years, is changing its name slightly, going to IHOb.  Update:  The new name is International House of Burgers. 

 

NO MORE SWIM SUITS OR EVENING GOWNS.  Miss America Organization is scrapping its swim suit competition and no longer will judge contestants based on physical appearance.  The organization also is shelving the evening gown portion of the competition and instead says contestants will wear attire that "makes them feel confident and expresses their personal style."

 

WHILE MEDIA FOCUS ON OTHER MATTERS.  An AARP survey finds more than three quarters of 60 million Medicare recipients “know little or nothing about the initiative to use newly assigned ID numbers in place of their Social Security number (SSN) as their identification.”  Mailing of the new cards is under way.

 

MOST CALL POT "MORALLY ACCEPTABLE.”  A Gallup Poll finds 65 percent of Americans believe smoking marijuana is “morally acceptable” while 31 percent consider it “morally wrong.” 

 

NAVY UNCOVERS SEAMANSHIP PROBLEMS.  A Navy review of seamanship and shiphandling skills of junior deck officers reveals nearly 84 percent of those randomly tested do not have the competency to drive their ships without raising at least some concerns, particularly when it requires taking “immediate action to avoid collision.” 

 

CITY BANS “FOR SALE” SIGNS.  New Canaan, Conn. on July 1 starts a six-month trial ban on “For Sale” signs on homes.  The city’s Board of Realtors voted in favor of the ban, saying prospective home buyers aren’t driving around town anymore but are researching online. The board also claims signs "take away from the beauty of New Canaan and the rest of Connecticut.”

 

TV CAMERA GRABBED DURING LIVE REPORT.  Live reporting by an Australian news crew in London is interrupted by two male bicyclists wearing ski masks who stole their television camera, the latest in a series of robberies n the British capital.

 

MOON TRIP DELAYED A YEAR. Plans by Elon Musk's SpaceX in sending space tourists hurtling around the Moon this year is postponed until at least the middle of next year, the company tells the Wall Street Journal.

NEW INFORMATION ON OCT. 1 LAS VEGAS MASSACRE AT STANDSTILL

 

The massacre on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip was almost a month ago and new information is at a standstill, notes Grumpy Editor.  

 

Last Monday Grumpy Editor cited a changing timeline with the mass shooting.  Now, all is quiet from authorities on any new developments tied to the Oct. 1 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino shooting that killed 58 and injured 546.

 

Unhappy with the lack of developments, the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday came up with a full page listing 34 unanswered questions from the now mum Clark County Sheriff' and the local FBI offices.  Among them:

 

*  What was the gunman planning to do with the explosives found in his car?

 

*  Which law enforcement agency is in charge of what parts of the investigation?

 

*  When did the gunman start planning his massacre?

 

This compares with several press conferences a day immediately following the shooting, then gradually to one a day, then none.

 

There have been no significant updates in more than two weeks.

 

"It's an ongoing investigation, and unless there's something to report, there will not be a briefing," an FBI spokesperson told the R-J.  Sheriff Joe Lombardo, originally accommodating media's questions shortly after the shooting, "will not be conducting interviews," a spokesperson said late last week, adding, "Another media briefing will be held when we have new and accurate information."

 

Meanwhile, in a long-shot effort to find a clue as to why Stephen Paddock went on a killing spree, the Clark County coroner’s office this week is sending the shooter’s brains to Dr. Hannes Vogel, director of  neuropathology at Stanford (Calif.) University Medical Center.  The search will seek more than a half dozen neurological diseases that could be a factor.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

ENGLISH FADES IN GOLDEN STATE.  In California, the nation’s most populous state (almost 40 million in July, 2016), 44.6 percent of the people five years of age and older do not speak English at home, reports the Census Bureau which also mentions 18.6 percent of Golden State residents age 5 and older do not speak English “very well.”  This compares nationally with 21.6 percent who speak a language other than English at home while 8.6 percent speak English "less than very well."

 

GDP BLOSSOMS IN THIRD QUARTER.  Gross domestic product, a key indicator of economic strength in the U.S., expands at an annual rate of 3 percent in the third quarter.  The expansion defies concerns among some in Washington and others that hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico would put a damper on output.

 

JOIN THE MILITARY AND SEE THE WORLD.  Following news that four U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers were killed in Niger, it is revealed that 800 U.S. troops in Niger are among 6,000 in various missions in Africa.

 

AMAZON'S SECOND HOME SEARCH SPARKS INTEREST.  Amazon reports it has received 238 proposals from cities and regions in the U.S., Mexico and Canada hoping to be the base for the company’s second headquarters.

 

SEARS, WHIRLPOOL CALL IT QUITS.  After a business relationship of more than a century, Sears Holdings Corp. will no longer sell Whirlpool Corp. branded appliances.  Whirlpool CEO Marc Bitzer says his company no longer will supply Sears because it could not reach terms that were “acceptable to both parties.”

 

IT’LL COST MORE TO SEE THE VIEW.  The National Park Service proposes a peak season entrance fee increase at some of its busiest and most popular parks to fund improvements and hike revenue.

 

TOYS HIT.  The collapse of Toys'R'Us triggers a third quarter 13 percent drop in sales.  It also results in a $603 million net loss for Mattel that wiped 27 percent off the toymaker's shares and suspension of its quarterly dividend in the fourth quarter.

 

STILL BUILDING AFGHAN AIR FORCE.  The U.S. will provide Afghanistan with six additional A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft as efforts continue to strengthen the country’s air force and make government forces less reliant on American airpower, reports Stars & Stripes.

 

FORTUNE HEADS SOUTH OF BORDER.  Fortune magazine has been launched in Mexico where it will be published monthly, covering a range of topics from economy to politics.

 

 

 

COMMENTATOR CITES CHANGING SCENARIOS IN WAKE OF LAS VEGAS MASSACRE

 

 

A cover-up, cited by an author and broadcast personality in connection with the Oct. 1 Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 and injured several hundred, is spotlighted in a Sunday commentary column in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, observes Grumpy Editor.

After three weeks of different timelines presented to the public, Wayne Allyn Root focuses on the third scenario --- as does MGM Resorts, the casino's parent company and its lawyers and crisis management team, he points out, because that version "would lessen MGM's potential legal liability, saving the company a significant amount of money." The third version has a security guard arriving simultaneously with the start of shooting.

"The way MGM is handling this case looks and smells bad," Root declares.  "The questions and suspicions exploded when MGM security guard Jesus Campos 'disappeared' minutes before interviews with Sean Hannity and other serious media (professionals bound to ask serious questions). But it turns out he didn’t 'disappear' at all.  Apparently, MGM just didn’t want Campos being asked tough questions."

"Yes, the only witness to the worst mass shooting in America’s history would do only one media interview — and comedian Ellen Degeneres was the chosen interviewer. Ellen isn’t just a comedian. She is a comedian who has her own line of slot machines at MGM casinos.

"Anyone with a brain can figure out this is all about the timeline. Billions of dollars in lawsuits and legal liability are on the line."

Meanwhile, London's Daily Mail sums it up with:  "MGM was behind the decision to call off all the interviews and did a deal with Ellen, knowing she would not play hardball on the timeline as long as she had the exclusive."
 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

 

URANIUM SCANDAL IGNORED.  Old media continue to ignore a Senate probe into a Clinton-uranium scandal.  That's the case where the FBI finds evidence of a Russian bribery plot before the Obama Administration’s controversial 2010 nuclear deal with Moscow. The scandal reportedly involves millions of dollars in kickbacks to the Clinton Foundation.

NURSING FIELD SEES GROWTH OF MALES IN RANKS.  Latest nursing field figures (2015) show men make up 13 percent vs. 2.2 percent in 1960.

SO WHAT DO NORTH KOREANS WATCH ON TV?  NBC News reports that military officials in North Korea tune in MSNBC's "Morning Joe" specifically for reports and discussions about their country.

GIs WITH PINKISH BROWN TROUSERS?  Soldiers are sporting proposed outfits, with pinkish-brown trousers and dark olive jackets modeled after World War II-era uniforms known as “pinks and greens," designed for everyday office wear. If adopted, the existing blue Army service uniform would be used only for formal occasions.

ANOTHER DRILL AS "BIG ONE" STILL AWAITED.  Millions of Californians go through an earthquake drill --- including going under tables for protection --- continuing a routine started nine years ago in preparation for "the big one" which scientists claim is long overdue. 

MOST PEOPLE FEEL ITS FABRICATED NEWS.  Editor & Publisher reports 46 percent of voters believe news media fabricate stories about President Donald Trump and his administration, while 37 percent think the media do not manufacturer stories.  Remaining 17 percent are undecided.

COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL.  Jonathan, at 186 years old and considered the oldest giant tortoise in the world (and probably the oldest creature on earth) could be gay. Living on St Helena island in the south Atlantic since the 19th century, experts in the British Overseas Authority recently discovered the old-timer’s girlfriend of the last 26 years is probably a male.  Seems tortoises do not have easily identifiable differences between males and females. Gender generally is determined by subtle clues like notches in the shell or shape of stomach.

VEGAS GETS NEW SLOGAN AFTER SHOOTING RAMPAGE

 

Grumpy Editor says look for a new, widely circulated slogan in print and on TV for Las Vegas following the Oct. 1 shooting rampage on the Las Vegas Strip.

Advertising experts say the 14-year-old rallying cry --- “What Happens Here, Stays Here ” --- is among the more famous tag lines in modern tourism marketing, one of the most quoted, talked about and recognized.

Las Vegas ad agency R&R Partners develops a new advertising campaign that starts to run over the weekend for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.  The new ads build on the grass-roots #VegasStrong social media hashtag, says Billy Vassiliadis the ad agency’s CEO. 

The campaign aims to express gratitude for everybody in the community who responded to the tragedy, including police officers, paramedics and doctors, while highlighting how much Las Vegas has come together.

“We’re going to let people know that we are strong, and that we’ll be coming through this and coming out of this in a strong fashion,” points out Vassiliadis.  “A lot of people spent a lot money and a lot of years building this world-class destination. We’re not going to let one lunatic ruin it.”

As a motive continues to be sought by authorities, Time magazine's Oct. 16 cover story on the Las Vegas shooting rampage provides a one-line food for thought --- "The glitzy (Las Vegas) boulevard is a symbol of our culture of decadence: there's a reason that the Islamic State released a 44-minute propaganda video in May calling for supporters to conduct attacks there."

Meanwhile, CNN reports Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock didn't spend all his time in casinos --- he also took at least 20 cruises that sailed to Spain, Italy, Greece, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Las Vegas Strip marquees went dark at 10:05 for 11 minutes last night in honor of the 58 victims killed during the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest festival. 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

MOST MEDIA SOCK IT TO TRUMP.  An analysis of 3,000 stories across 24 media organizations during the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency finds reporting on the president has been the most negative over the past quarter century compared to other presidents. Findings show only 5 percent positive media coverage during the period with 62 percent  negative and 33 percent neither positive nor negative.

 

PBS AND NBC TAKE HONORS. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences names PBS and CNN winners in the business and economics news categories for the 38th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

 

CHINA THROWS CURVE TO HOLLYWOOD.  China has been underreporting audience figures, screenings and box office ticket sales, the latter by about 9 percent last year, says the Motion Picture Association of America.

AROUND, AROUND SHE GOES.  The Senate Intelligence Committee expands the long-running Russia probe despite a lack of evidence, points out Lou Dobbs on Fox Business.

 

NBC SETS SAN JUAN BUREAU.  NBC News plans to open a bureau in San Juan as a base to report on recovery activities from hurricanes.  The network is renting a house where news crews will be based.

 

HOWARD STERN GETS TOP PAY.  Howard Stern, heard on SiriusXM, tops Forbes’ list as the highest-paid radio host, earning about $90 million in the year ended June, 2017.  Premiere Networks’ Rush Limbaugh placed second on Forbes tally with an estimated $84 million.

DODGING WIND, RAIN --- AND CHAIR.  Mike Seidel, Weather Channel meteorologist and field reporter, standing outside in 85 m.p.h. wind and rain nearly gets smacked by a beach chair Saturday night while covering Hurricane Nate as it made landfall near  Biloxi, Miss.

Eating 150 million hot dogs seen on Fourth of July

 

Grumpy Editor, in holiday spirit as we celebrate the Fourth of July, notes it is a hot day for hot dogs with 150 million of them due to be consumed, contributing to total spending on food today of $6.77 billion, according to personal finance website WalletHub.

 

WalletHub also sees (overlooked) chickens in the holiday picture, too.  It anticipates 700 million pounds of the birds are purchased in the week prior to the holiday.

 

In addition, about $324 million worth of fireworks will be ignited today, although fireworks this year are cancelled in many dry brush areas around the country.

 

While the Fourth of July, or Independence Day, marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, annual value of American flags --- most made in China --- is $4.4 million, figures WalletHub. 

 

WalletHub also cites the top five most popular Fourth of July destinations as Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Orlando and San Diego.  Las Vegas, however, also has the highest average price for a Fourth of July party ticket --- $124, making it eight times more expensive than Atlanta, the lowest, at $15.

 

And which city has the longest fireworks show? 

 

St. Petersburg, Fla., where the pyrotechnics run a full hour. 

 

 

 

Now, Grumpy Editor has to fire up the grill for a batch of hot dogs.

Related articles

Are things really rosy on the U.S. financial front?

Feds place barriers in illegals coverage by media

A guide to the bang and flame: how to shoot fireworks.

MGM Resorts readies parking fees at Vegas Strip hotels

 

In a Las Vegas Strip first, MGM Resorts International will become the first major casino company in Sin City to start charging visitors for self parking, finds Grumpy Editor.

Locals and frequent tourists consider the move a bad turn in PR since such parking has been a key “freebie” since the Strip was born 75 years ago.

Management sees it another way. The headline on a company news release crows: MGM Resorts International to enhance guest parking experience.

The New York Stock Exchange-listed Las Vegas casino company’s properties --- MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Vdara, Aria, Bellagio and The Mirage --- will charge $10 for overnight parking, less for shorter periods during the day starting sometime in the second quarter.

MGM hotels on the Las Vegas Strip already are nicking visitors on the high end (up to $33.60 per room, per night) for so-called “resort fees,” padding added to room rates that covers the Internet, local and 800 phone calls, newspaper (at news stand), basic services at hotel business center and access to exercise room at MGM Grand Spa.

Resort fees, in efforts to boost bottom lines, have caught on in other parts of the country over the past few years.

As with past added money-making developments in Las Vegas, other major hotel/casino properties are likely to follow instituting parking fees.

With 45 million visitors a year to Las Vegas, the move by MGM is seen bringing in additional millions of dollars in revenue annually --- without adding a single slot machine or a craps table.

 

Iran capture of 10 U.S. sailors raises questions

News reports on the Iranian capture of two small U.S. Navy boats with a combined crew of 10, including one woman --- later forced to wear a headscarf --- were blamed on assorted factors. Most prevelant: engine problems as the boats drifted toward shore near Farsi island in the Arabian Gulf. Then it became a navigational error with the onboard GPS. (One report had the Iranians confiscating that gear.)

While released the next day, the U.S. sailors nevertheless were subject to facing weapons while kneeling with hands clasped behind heads on their own craft as the Iranians were busy recording propaganda video on board and later on land for worldwide consumption.

Few in U.S. media mentioned the Geneva Conventions ban the practice of parading prisoners for propaganda purposes.

In a new development today --- and adding to strange goings-on --- the Pentagon revealed Iranian soldiers removed SIM cards from two handheld satellite phones in possession of the U.S. sailors.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Despite bright economic outlooks last week from the White House, U.S. industrial production fell for the third straight month in December…Performing elephants, a decades-long attraction with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, will only be seen in vintage movies after May. All 11 touring circus elephants will be retired…While U.S. military forces continue to dwindle, Russia will create three military divisions on its Western flank this year…Media, especially TV, were highly excited late last week over a possible out-of season hurricane in the far eastern Atlantic. Named Alex, it quickly fizzled and departed the Azores Islands Friday as a tropical storm…California politicians concerned with housing the swelling prison population at San Quentin should read a Reuters story out Friday that noted more than 700 death row inmates in the Golden State still await execution. Despite an $850,000 remodeling with taxpayers’ funds, San Quentin’s death chamber remains unused, as the state has not carried out an execution in a decade…Forget bank robberies, that’s old stuff.   New York police are looking for a suspect who cleaned out an entire 190-bottle display of upscale nail polish at a Manhattan store. Caught on video and facing a grand larceny charge: a man, undoubtedly highly polished.

This five-word headline spotted on a financial site sums up stock market action last week: Global selloff on China worries.

And it’s not even our 51^st state.

Obama readies for 14th visit to ‘banned’ Las Vegas

 

President Barack Obama, now at Martha’s Vineyard for his 40^th vacation since taking office, on Aug. 24 will make his 14^th visit to Las Vegas during his presidency, a destination he twice knocked, resulting in scaring off tourist and convention activity, notes Grumpy Editor.

In his upcoming trip, he will be the keynote speaker at the National Clean Energy Summit --- and attend a fundraiser.

Obama’s poking at Sin City started in February, 2009 when he declared, “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.”  Soon after that statement, Wells Fargo Bank and Goldman Sachs, among others, shifted major meetings from Las Vegas to other cities.  Tourists also shunned the famous Las Vegas Strip. 

A year later, he warned, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”  Las Vegas’ economy then soured, with thousands of casino workers losing jobs, placing the area’s unemployment among the highest in the nation, while the city soon rose to first place in U.S. home foreclosures --- which remain a major problem.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

A major story --- involving cocaine and an unusual seagoing vessel --- received limited print coverage late last week:  The U.S. Coast Guard in the eastern Pacific seized a 40-foot semi-submersible vessel carrying more than 16,000 pounds of cocaine worth $181 million after the craft was spotted by a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft.   Four smugglers were arrested and the vessel, which took on water, sank…On the other hand, some newspaper editors were excited (devoting almost a half page, in some cases) over a Reuters story on identification of the remains of two Japanese hikers who disappeared on the Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps during a snowstorm --- 45 years ago…How’d she get in?  Following Thursday night’s GOP presidential debate in Cleveland on Fox News, a surprise guest on the scene for The Kelly File, hosted by Megyn Kelly --- one of the three Fox News quizzers at the debate --- was Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democratic National Committee chairwoman and representative from Florida's 23rd congressional district.  Kelly sought Schultz’s opinion of the debate.  Want to guess what Schultz had to say about the GOP session?…On-the-hour radio news on Friday proclaimed “rosy” job growth, citing nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 215,000 last month, but failed to mention 93.8 million Americans were not in the labor force.  Along with that, some economists said such job growth should further bolster the Federal Reserve's confidence in the economy, leading to a possible interest rate increase next month...Most editors missed a short Associated Press story on where Washington sends taxpayers' money:  NASA will have to pay $490 million to send U.S. astronauts on Russian rockets to the International Space Station through 2017…Where some jobs are:  A councilman in Huntington Park, near Los Angeles, said he planned to appoint two illegal immigrants to city commissions…A heart-warming story missed by many, mostly print, editors: A service dog in Philadelphia saved her blind owner’s life by alerting authorities to a house fire.  When the dog’s owner shouted “danger,” it was the code word for action.  So the golden Labrador dialed 911 on a specialized phone. Firefighters responded and controlled the blaze.  The dog also was a hero last year when she dialed 911 after her owner fell at home and lost consciousness…Publicly-traded U.S. companies now will be required to disclose to investors how much CEOs earn compared to average workers at their firms, said the Securities and Exchange Commission…More white vs. black news:  A study by University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found 73 percent of characters in top-100 grossing movies of 2014 were white.

 

Aiming to be a newsmaker:

KMOV-TV, St. Louis, reporter/anchor Robin Smith, retired after 40 years in broadcasting, and plans to run for Missouri secretary of state in 2016.

Leno, Obama vie for most appearances in Las Vegas

With another campaign rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, President Barack Obama seems to be competing with Tonight Show host Jay Leno in the number of visits a year to Sin City, notes Grumpy Editor.

Obama, recognizing Nevada as a key battleground state in the upcoming election, returns to the casino-studded neon capital over the weekend, on the heels of another visit just 18 days earlier.

It marks the president’s eighth visit to Las Vegas and ninth trip to Nevada this year.

Obama is esxpected to stay three nights in the Las Vegas area before heading to Denver for an Oct. 3 presidential debate with Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Jay Leno, meanwhile, reappears for his stand-up routine in Las Vegas Oct. 12 and 13 --- with six more appearances scheduled on The Strip through next Sept. 20.

The difference between Leno and the president, however, is that Leno encourages folks to visit Sin City.

Obama is remembered for taking two negative blasts at Las Vegas.

In February, 2009, one was directed at business meetings when the president declared, “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.”

A year later, the president followed that with, “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”

Las Vegas’ economy then turned south, triggering pink slips to thousands of casino industry workers, knocking out construction, and sending the area’s unemployment and home foreclosure rates soaring to the nation’s highest. 

It's back to Sin City for campaigning President Obama

National media are mum on why President Barack Obama keeps going back to Las Vegas, as he will tomorrow for a speech, in a state with the nation’s highest unemployment rate, now 12 percent, notes Grumpy Editor. 

Las Vegas also leads in home foreclosures 

It will mark Obama’s sixth visit to the Silver State since January and second visit to Sin City in three weeks. 

All this follows shots the president took at Las Vegas, a city highly dependent on tourist travel and conventions. 

In a Sept. 9 column for Stevens Media, Sherman Frederick, former publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, noted Nevada is now among the toss-up states after leaning toward Obama. 

He pointed out Las Vegas “is ground zero for the recession” with high unemployment, especially among Hispanics and minorities.  He mentioned “the construction industry was destroyed” and “net wealth for all Las Vegans was cut in half (or more) by the collapsed real estate market.” 

Frederick said “the president won’t take ownership of the mess.  He still blames George W. Bush.” 

Added Frederick:  “But the president can’t blame Bush for his own actions.  Not once, but twice President Obama took shots at the people who dare to visit Las Vegas during the recession.”

As pointed out earlier by Grumpy Editor, the first blast, in February, 2009, was directed at business meetings when the president declared: “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.”  He followed this a year later with: “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.”  

Las Vegas’ economy then turned south, with thousands of casino industry workers losing jobs, sending the area’s unemployment soaring to the nation’s highest. 

In his Las Vegas speech tomorrow, prior to traveling for a campaign event Thursday in the Denver area, Obama was expected to tell his audience the choice in the upcoming election will be between moving forward with his vision for continuing to create an economy that’s built to last, or going back to economic policies that hit the economy and punished the middle class.  

Obama again seeks funds from Las Vegas area he knocked

Grumpy Editor says imagine a U.S. president telling Americans to bypass a city and spend money elsewhere, yet visiting that city multiple times --- for fundraising toward his reelection.

That’s the case with Barack Obama who, again, routes Air Force One to Las Vegas this evening for tomorrow's fundraiser.

It’s part of a two-day stop in Nevada, a state hard hit by the souring economy.  Today he is visiting Reno.

In his fifth visit to the Silver State since January, the president’s trip this time comes as Nevada’s unemployment rate edged up to 12 percent last month --- the highest rate in the nation.

(Michelle Obama has made three trips to the Las Vegas area over a three-month period this year to rally campaign supporters.)

The president tomorrow will be passing his hat in an area, dependent on tourist travel and conventions, after he fired two blasts at Las Vegas after he took office.

In a February, 2009 message directed at business gatherings, the president declared:  “You can’t take a trip to Las Vegas or down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime.” 

Then a year later, he warned:  “You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.” 

Las Vegas’ economy then turned south, with thousands of casino workers losing jobs, sending the area’s unemployment soaring.

Then Las Vegas soon rose to first place in U.S. home foreclosures.

Along with ranking tops in unemployment, Nevada also heads the list in bankruptcies and worst credit scores, finds a CardRatings.com survey. 

In connection with tomorrow’s visit to a high school in North Las Vegas, a statement from the Obama campaign mentions that among topics the president --- in office for almost four years --- will focus on:

How to grow the economy.