Las Vegas is Home

Everyone’s familiar with the saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” I have a proposal for another: “let’s keep Vegas Vegas.” I don’t intend for this blog to become political in nature, but what politics I will discuss have to do with Vegas’s growth, and the influx of people from many places and cultures.

When people move to a new home, they bring their values with them. That’s unavoidable and certainly not a bad thing. However, Las Vegas has a “live and let live” attitude, and laws (or lack thereof) to back it up.

Will the multidudes who come from more conservative or religious cultures try to inhibit the somewhat libertine culture of Vegas - less availablity of alcohol, a more “family friendly” Vegas? Will those from a more liberal or, say, environmentalist environ want to stop folks here from smoking so much, driving so much, or eating so much at the buffets?

Let’s hope not. I came here not to change Vegas but to embrace it. Not everyone agrees: A majority of Nevada voters passed a controversial smoking ordinance last November. Many establishments are flouting the law. I say good. There has to be one place in America where adults can make their own decisions, and if not Vegas, where?