The Weak Link

LAS VEGAS - It's 108 degrees on the Las Vegas Strip, and a half dozen men and one pregnant woman stand in a line in front of the Holiday Casino handing out fliers written in a language they probably cannot read or understand. The group wear orange T-shirts with the words "GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS" printed on the front and back. The fliers they shove at passersby have a photo of a scantily clad female with a phone number printed underneath. The sidewalk and gutter nearby are littered with discarded fliers blowing in the hot desert wind.

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As the handbillers indiscriminately shove their fliers at men, women, and sometimes couples with children, several mobil billboards slowly pass by on the four lane boulevard. Their message boldly states "Hot Babes Direct To You 24 Hours, 7 Days. Girls That Want To Meet You." This goes on each day and night in the new Las Vegas where our slogan is "What Happens Here, Stays Here," and two mob museums are slated to open in 2011. Meanwhile, the June 3, 2010 Las Vegas Review-Journal headline sadly proclaimed; "Officials: Businesses not sold on Nevada," this, while our local unemployment hovers around 14.2%. RJ Capitol Bureau reporter Ed Vogel wrote; "Too many business owners think about Nevada only as a place to gamble, not as a place where they could relocate their businesses, two economic development officials told legislators Wednesday." More...