The Importance Of Travel In Our Country
Floor Speech
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Ms. TITUS. Well, thank you so much for letting me join you and thank you, Congresswoman Berkley, for organizing this and giving me an opportunity. I know you've been talking about some of the issues already, and nobody is a stronger advocate for tourism and activities in Las Vegas than my colleague SHELLEY BERKLEY.
So I just want to add the fact that, yes, Las Vegas is a wonderful bargain and a wonderful place to come.
You know, it just kind of added insult to injury when people canceled the convention, paid a cancellation fee, and then went to another city and paid a higher rate. That makes no sense whatsoever.
In Las Vegas, we have fabulous convention facilities. Nobody can feed a room of 5,000 eight courses and serve the line on time like you can in Las Vegas. So we do want you to come back.
And I was touched by the story of your daughter because that is so true. We shouldn't be thinking of this just in terms of statistics, and the statistics are staggering, but we need to think of it in terms of people.
Many of the people who live in District 3 work in the tourism industry. It's not just along the famous Las Vegas Strip, but we have the Red Rock Casino. We've got the Green Valley Ranch. We've got the new Inn that's opened, a lot of areas outside of the strip that are in District 3. So those are jobs.
Las Vegas, Nevada, has the highest unemployment rate it's had in 25 years. You know, we used to think we were recession-proof, and if you had two nickels to rub together you'd come out there to try to change your luck. That's not been the case recently. As people lose disposable income, they're not coming. Those tourism dollars aren't there, and people are losing jobs. If you lose a job or you lose hours on your job, or those tips aren't there, if you have one member of the family who is a tip earner then that leads to another problem which is the housing foreclosure.
So when you're talking about where to have your convention and what the pluses are to having it in Las Vegas, remember, those are very real people who are making those beds, serving that food, dealing those cards, dancing in that chorus line. Those are real folks that live in the district, go to school there, obey the laws, and just try to do the right thing.
So I'm very glad to be here tonight to add my voice to the notion that we've got to do more business travel and to put Las Vegas back on the list of preferred destinations.
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Ms. TITUS. Well, you're so right, and if you look at our population, you know, we're very American. The rest of the country is becoming more like us. We have the fastest growing senior population, fastest growing Hispanic and Asian population, fastest growing school age population. We really are a southwestern city, and so to try to paint us with just those kinds of, oh, descriptions or adjectives or hyperbole is just not fair. We are a good community, a place to live, and we are a family and go to work, go to church, go to school. So I want people to see the other side of Las Vegas, the real people side of it.
You know, I hope to do something along those lines to change the conversation a little in my role on the Homeland Security Committee. You know, there's no place that has more high-tech security personnel and equipment than Las Vegas. Everybody's heard of the ``eye in the sky'' and everywhere could learn something from us in how those giant hotels deal with emergency situations and what we would do in the case of an emergency on New Year's Eve when we have all those people on the Las Vegas Strip watching fireworks.
So I'm trying to get some more cooperation between government and the private sector to come and look back of the house to see what all those things are that we have to offer just to change the conversation, so you can see another side of Las Vegas.
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Ms. TITUS. I think travel is so educational. I certainly agree with what you're saying about how it enriches a person's life.
When I was growing up, my father would put my sister and me in the car--the station wagon--and we would drive across country, hitting all the National Parks. So that is something that I don't guess we do too much anymore.
If you want to look for the heart and soul of a small community, take that trip. Because there are places around the country that have the biggest rubber band ball or the biggest stack of pancakes or the biggest ear of corn, country fairs and home cooking and boiled peanuts. That's the way you really learn about this country and learn who your neighbors and fellow countrymen are.
Education is a great result of that kind of travel.
That also builds tolerance and understanding when you can see and know people who aren't necessarily just like yourself. That comes from travel.
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Ms. TITUS. I would mention along these same lines that Las Vegas plays a big part in other things that you don't think about. Right now there's a big emphasis on renewable energy. Certainly, we are the sunniest State in the country in Nevada. Everybody goes to Las Vegas for the wonderful weather. They're calling me every day to tell me how warm it is there compared to how cool it is here.
But the architecture that relates to that renewable energy is very interesting. A very famous book was written about the architecture of Las Vegas a number of years ago. They can go back and write another one now because there was a time not too long ago that of the top 10 LEED-certified green buildings in the country. Seven of those projects were along the Las Vegas Strip.
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