Las Vegas Metro Violates Property Rights
Inside Liberty Watch Today - July 3, 2006

Perhaps you missed that scary looking criminal’s picture gracing the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal last Tuesday. He is an average looking 51 year-old guy who nobody knew a couple of weeks ago. Now, he’s front-page news. Why? He engaged in a transaction with another consenting adult. A commercial transaction not at all dissimilar to the many exchanges any of us makes during the course of any given day. Party A has money and wants a particular good or service. Party B just so happens to have the good or service that Party A is looking for, and is willing to trade that good or service for a certain amount of money. Sound familiar? Every day we engage in these types of transactions.

Unfortunately for our Front Page 51 year old, because he engaged in this transaction in Clark County rather than Nye County, the exchange that he made is considered unlawful. Of course these laws are not normally enforced with much vigor in most instances because there are no victims, and the public is not in any way endangered by these commercial transactions. Besides it is this kind of activity that helps attract millions of visitors to our fine city.

But, because Metro evidently has all other criminal activity under control, the department decided to arrest 184 individuals who were engaging in these voluntary trades. One of the 184 was our Front Page guy who, by the way, was named Teacher of the Year by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce in 2003. 

We’re not talking John Dillinger here.

According to the R-J, the Nevada Legislature recognized our now hardened criminal for promoting democracy as a CCSN instructor. Now that’s nothing to brag about, but you get the point, he’s not exactly a threat to society. Yet Metro exhausted hundreds of man hours and plenty of taxpayer money to essentially embarrass a part-time judge and teacher, and another 183 folks that were just minding their own businesses over on Fremont Street and the surrounding area.

Mr. Front Page was such a stand up guy, that in addition to paying the agreed upon rate of $40 for the service provided, that he even tipped another $10. Just that gesture right there makes him a solid citizen in my book. And according to police reports, the transaction took all of half an hour. D. Taylor wishes he could negotiate hourly compensation that good for his Culinary Union members. Why on earth would Metro want to stifle businesswomen from earning good livings while they perform a service that is obviously in great demand? Forget the corporate boardroom, this glass ceiling is courtesy of Metro.

For whatever reason, Sheriff Bill Young is hanging up his handcuffs this year. Maybe his successor will focus department resources on preventing property rights violations, not perpetrating them.

Doug French, Liberty Watch Columnist

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