WAYNE ALLYN ROOT: Las Vegas homeless law a model for America

This is a rare column about local politics. But in the case of Las Vegas, local politics is really a national story.

We are the tourist and convention capital of America. We are among the fastest-growing cities and states in America. What happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. Our decisions reverberate across the country.

So bravo and a great big thank-you to the Las Vegas City Council for passing a new law dealing with homelessness. It is a model for the nation. The homeless cannot be allowed to destroy the quality of life in our great city. The rights of homeless people do not take precedence over the rights of taxpayers.

In the 1970s, my dad used to say, “The definition of a conservative is any liberal who just got mugged.” Today it’s, “The definition of a conservative is any liberal homeowner who sees a homeless person in his neighborhood.”

No sane person wants to see homeless people on their street or in front of their business.

We will remain America’s tourism capital only as long as our taxes are near the lowest in the country, our streets are safe and tourists don’t see homeless people bringing filth, urine, feces and drug needles to the Strip.

We have to act now to prevent this homeless invasion from destroying the Strip and from ruining beautiful neighborhoods in Summerlin and Henderson. Our property values and children’s safety are on the line.

The driving forces who made this happen should be celebrated: Mayor Carolyn Goodman, along with Republican Councilmembers Michele Fiore, Victoria Seaman and Stavros Anthony.

This doesn’t happen without three Republicans on the City Council. Now anyone can see how voting Republican does indeed make a difference in quality of life for taxpayers.

Democrats and the liberal media have it all wrong. Our City Council didn’t vote against homeless people. They voted for homeowners, property owners, business owners and taxpayers. Those are the people who pay all the bills. They are the groups every politician ought to be making the No. 1 priority.

The vast majority of homeless people aren’t homeless by mistake. They have terrible mental health issues and addictions.

If homeless people start invading nice suburban neighborhoods, our taxpayers will move away. Then there won’t be any money to help the homeless — or anyone else. It’s a vicious cycle: Just ask the citizens of Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, Newark and Cleveland.

Thanks to our City Council for putting taxpayers and homeowners first. It’s a great start.

And it’s a model for America.

— Contact Wayne Allyn Root at Wayne@ROOTforAmerica.com. Hear or watch the nationally syndicated “Wayne Allyn Root Show” from 3 to 6 p.m. daily at 790 AM and at 5 p.m. on Newsmax TV.