DIFFERENT FOR A REASON
Drew Carey and other Libertarian minds explain why Vegas pops — and how it could burst
BY MIKE ZIGLER

Earlier this year, PBS’ “American Experience” stepped into the world of bright lights and back-room deals to illuminate what makes Las Vegas “The Most American City in the Country.” The documentary detailed why Vegas is the world’s most famous monument to reckless abandon and unbridled excess. Once shunned as “Sin City” and considered beyond the pale of respectable society, it is now the epicenter of mainstream leisure, attracting more visitors than the holy city of Mecca.

Comedian Drew Carey and a slew of other guests at Reason magazine’s Dynamic Cities Conference reinforced and elaborated on that during the Libertarian publication’s gathering Nov. 4-6 at The Mirage hotel-casino.

Carey said Vegas’ success stems mostly from its carefree image. “This is the city of opportunity, and people have picked up on it — quickly. Thousands of jobs are created each month with thousands of new residents keeping pace to fill them. Real estate is apparently rockin’ and who knows how many new streets are named each year?”

Though not near perfect, Vegas serves as the best example of what could happen if government allowed the free market to be its guide, Carey said. While his interview with Liberty Watch centered around Vegas, Carey’s opening-night presentation was warm with laughs at the ironies and hardships that federal and state governments hand-deliver Americans on a methodical basis. 

On the Transportation Security Administration, Drew shared a story about a visit to one airport’s security line. He witnessed an officer sideline a crippled, wheelchair-bound lady to search her, eventually confiscating a pair of tweezers.

“I was so glad to see this guy got her before she boarded the plane because, God, this crippled lady could of tweezed her way into the cockpit and who knows what could have happened?” Carey joked. “The TSA also pulls babies aside, but it all makes sense because of the rash of baby bombings we’ve had lately.”

Drew encouraged conventioneers to wear a sticker he created which reads, “I ™ being treated like a criminal by the TSA.”

Naturally, the War on Terror surfaced. “I don’t know when the War on Terror will be over. That’s not my ignorance, that’s the official line from our friends in the White House — it’ll be over when it’s over.”

Joining Carey on stage was a pseudo-congressman from the comedian’s beloved home state of Ohio, Richard Martin. The duo held a mock interview with Martin playing the role of a Republican politician.

DC: Does Washington really not care about black people?
RM: People give the Bush administration a lot of crap about not liking black people. That’s simply not true. I can assure you that we don’t even think about black people in the White House.

DC: What about Hurricane Katrina? You had to think about them then.
RM: We gave them three days to get a higher education, buy an SUV and a new home elsewhere, and to get the hell out. But they decided to stay.

DC: Will gays ever have equal rights?
RM: Yeah, that doesn’t look good. We’ve crunched the numbers and it just doesn’t look good.

DC: Why doesn’t George Bush attend the funerals of the soldiers who die in his war in Iraq?
RM: I’ll be honest; they’re a downer for George.

DC: What’s your military record?
RM: I voted for the war; that’s about it.

Referring to Alaska’s $231-billion pork project to build a bridge to Gravina Island in Ketchikan, a town with less than 8,000 residents, one audience member asked if there might be a better place to build a “Bridge to Nowhere.” Martin’s response: “Nowhere is a good place.”

Drew used the interview to sum up the American politician’s perspective: “If you want America to be a better place, all you have to do is salute the flag and question less. Things will run more smoothly.”

“The government takes away our rights little by little, and it didn’t just start with the PATRIOT ACT,” Drew told Liberty Watch. “But I don’t get too caught up in it. My personal belief is the only thing you can worry about are the people, family and friends you are in contact with everyday. I don’t let what’s in the newspaper disturb me. It sounds selfish, but if everybody did it, life would be great.”

Sinful education (2 of 3)
What can Las Vegas teach liberals and conservatives who fear and loathe it?