It’s politics as usual for House members

Dave Newton, Las Vegas

Saturday, July 5, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

Regarding a story in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun, “Nevada trio help kill Michigan casino plan”:

Nevada’s three members of the House spend weeks blocking Indian gaming in Michigan, so MGM Mirage won’t face increased competition there.

Despite the long list of serious challenges facing our country and state, this is the way they choose to use their time. And, apparently, they are proud of it. Yes, there are tough issues that should be faced, but this is important to a big employer (and, what really matters, a big campaign contributor).

The main message I got from the Sun’s article is that our representatives are typical of the problems we face in Washington, D.C. They view their real jobs as catering to the rich and powerful to advance their own careers. They do little, if anything, to try to tackle the real challenges most Nevadans face.

And it seems they have been so tainted by the typical approach to politics in our nation’s capital that they don’t even realize they should be ashamed of their actions.