Who is picking up the phone for our Veterans?

[Steve Sanson]

Who is picking up the phone for our Veterans?



Las Vegas, Nevada on June 25, 2006 the City Center project was under construction. City Center is a city within Las Vegas, located on Las Vegas Boulevard, it’s a 66 acre project the largest single funded project in the world.

City Center has a 4,004 room 61 story Resort and Casino, 165,000 square foot casino, a resort tower with 400 rooms plus 227 condos, another resort tower with 400 rooms plus 207 condos, a 1543 unit condo tower, a twin 337 unit condo luxury tower, 500,000 square foot retail and entertainment space, 225,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, 900,000 square feet for back of house operations, 2,000 seat theater, 70,000 square foot spa, a fire station, a people movers tram, and a onsite power plant.

United States Senator Harry Reid indicated in his commercials that he was on the phone with bankers raising money to get this project to be a reality.

Who is picking up the phone for our Veterans? In October 2006 we had several congressional and senatorial representatives did a ground breaking ceremony for the new (VA) Veterans Administration Hospital, located on North 215 and Pecos. The same year City Center broke ground.

Southern Nevada has not had a VA Hospital since 2003. Where is the urgency for our Veteran population? We have over 400,000 Veterans in Southern Nevada and we don’t have a VA Hospital. Why is it that we have a major problem constructing a few buildings for a VA Hospital and promise that it would be built in 5 years but we could build a city in 3 ½ years?

There is a lot that these politicians keep from us and when we ask questions they avoid the question or give us lip service.

In addition, to a VA Hospital, McCarran International Airport is the only International Airport in the United States that does not have a (USO) United Service Organization Lounge or a Military Hospitality Lounge for our Veterans.

The Veteran community has repeatedly requested a USO Lounge at McCarran International Airport from our elected representatives in Washington DC and the USO. When we asked the USO about a lounge they told us that they do not want to set up shop in Las Vegas because of “gaming”, but last year alone we have had over 250,000 active and reservist pass through McCarran International Airport, sleeping on the floors to catch their next flight.

It seems like our Veterans are only remembered when it’s an election year or when they have paid the ultimate price defending our freedoms. Who is picking up the phone for our Veterans?

Steve Sanson
President of Veterans In Politics International
www.veteransinpolitics.com
702-283-8088
[e-mail]