This Mayor Goodman guy sounds like a bad@ss: Nevada Blasts Obama for Vegas Quips Lawmakers in the state of Nevada lashed out at President Barack Obama on Tuesday after he made another reference to Las Vegas while explaining how people should make tough choices on spending. The issue is sensitive to Las Vegas because its economy is largely based on tourism, and several lawmakers said they were shocked that Obama singled out Las Vegas again after commenting one year ago about bailed-out banks holding meetings here. “When times are tough, you tighten your belts,” Obama said, according to a White House transcript of his appearance Tuesday at a high school in North Nashua, New Hampshire. “You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage,” Obama said. “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices.” The comments quickly sparked a flurry of reaction from federal, state and local lawmakers in Nevada, which had an unemployment rate of 13 percent in December. “I’ll do everything I can to give him the boot,” Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said during a hastily called news conference, adding that he was incensed when he heard about the comments and said he would no longer welcome the president here if he visits. “This president is a real slow learner,” said Goodman, who is not affiliated with a political party. Goodman said he thought Obama had a “psychological hang-up” of using Las Vegas as an example of excessive spending, and that this time, an apology wouldn’t be enough. “He has to step up right away and say, you know, he wasn’t thinking,” Goodman said. “Sometimes when he’s not using his monitors and reading what he says, he doesn’t think.” “Enough is enough!” Democratic Congresswoman Shelley Berkley said in a statement. “President Obama needs to stop picking on Las Vegas and he needs to let Americans decide for themselves how and where to spend their hard earned vacation dollars.” “Once again he has threatened the struggling economy of Las Vegas,” Sen. John Ensign said, recalling what he characterized as Obama’s “irresponsible” comment in February 2009. Harry Reid, the Democratic Senate majority leader and one of Obama’s closest allies, issued a statement headlined “Reid to Obama: 'Lay off Las Vegas,”’ and was unusually blunt in his reaction. “The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn’t be spending their money,” Reid said. Reid later released a letter he received from Obama in which the president said he “wasn’t saying anything negative about Las Vegas.” A White House spokesman referred to Obama’s letter to Reid and said the administration had no further comment. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/03/politics/main6169574.shtml
This is so stupid. Obama’s statements are 100% correct (in this case) and America would be a better place if people actually listened to them.
Right on. People should also stop going to sporting events, watching movies, eating at restaurants, or buying toys for their kids. You gotta save for college, you know. Nothing else in life matters.
He’s not saying that we should not spend money. He is saying that we should not spend money that we don’t have.
Haha yeah because losing money in a casino, which is essentially a direct transfer of wealth from you to Steve Wynn, is completely analogous to those situations. Right on!
Yeah because people don’t spend money on anything besides gambling when they go to Las Vegas…
And there’s only a handful of jobs there…
^ That’s a good point. I guess I was just assuming he was talking about gambling when I read it the first time but looking back at it he doesn’t specify. I think overall its hard to deny that he makes a good point. People shouldn’t spend thousands of dollars on gifts to themselves or others when they are piled under mountains of debt or have other obligations that they need to fund in the future. It’s easy for people on this forum to take for that for granted as I’m sure most of us know how to properly manage our finances, but I have seen first hand (as I’m sure many of you have) people doing foolish things such as spending more than 50% of their paychecks on living expenses.
>Haha yeah because losing money in a casino, which is essentially a direct transfer of wealth from you to Steve Wynn, is completely analogous to those situations. Right on!< If you were referring to Smirk’s comments I dont see why spending at a casino is that much different than spending at a sporting event or movie, etc…
king_kong Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think overall its hard to deny that he makes a > good point. People shouldn’t spend thousands of > dollars on gifts to themselves or others when they > are piled under mountains of debt or have other > obligations that they need to fund in the future. The hypocrisy of Obama’s “tighten the belt” statement is ghastly. Isn’t this the same guy that’s proposing the largest ever budget deficit?
kevinf12 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > >Haha yeah because losing money in a casino, which > is essentially a direct transfer of wealth from > you to Steve Wynn, is completely analogous to > those situations. Right on!< > > If you were referring to Smirk’s comments I dont > see why spending at a casino is that much > different than spending at a sporting event or > movie, etc… I suppose you could lump those all into “entertainment.” In any case, I don’t have any issues with people spending money on anything, as long as it is within their means to do so. I think nuppal’s post in a prior thread sums up the contrary to this point best: nuppal Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > You wan’t to read some scaray stuff, go to > Digg.com and read the comments underneath articles > that bash banks. > > I was reading the comment written by someone > yesterday who was pissed at BoA because of his > overdraft fee’s. He said “I went to the movies, > bought popcorn, then went to Fridays (something > along those lines). Then we had to pick up my > wifes meds which I knew would over draft me, > however, since they are vital to her health, I > figured I could handle a 35 fee…” > > What I want to know is that, if this guys knows > his account is low, why the hell is he dropping 30 > dollars to see a movie and another 30 to get > dinner? Why can’t he watch cable and throw a > hungry man in the microwave?
“You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage,” Obama said. “You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices.” Are you people f**king stupid? He is saying dont spend money on items with no return if you havent saved enough money for the investments in your life, mortgage, college, etc. Even the boat analogy, a depreciating asset vs, the consumption with no return strategy, is a decent one. And while I get that Oscar is p***ed, he also was a criminal defense attorney who defended the most notorious mafia man in LV. Rent Casino, and that guy that Joe Pesci plays, Anthony the Ant. Oscar even made an appearance in that movie. He know where the “holes in the desert are”. The demographic of LV is hardly representative of the country as a whole and while I do pity the people there, half are transplants that were looking to make a quick buck and move there to buy a house on the cheap. As my buddy who has since left said, “I have never seen so many single mother strippers in all my life.” Save vs. consume on blatantly overpriced goods. Yeah real bad advice.