Fair and Balanced Fred wrote on December 31, 2008 07:00 PM: "j" sez: "I realize that "Fred" is probably just trying to be funny . . . ."

Let me tell you something, "j", I am absolutely, unequivocally, HILARIOUS!

Not only that, I am also fair and balanced as well.

j wrote on December 31, 2008 02:51 PM: I realize that "Fred" is probably just trying to be funny, but for the people who do think that there's no harm in firing their guns into the air:

"I don't want the nanny staters telling me ... when and where I can shoot my guns." ... "Bottle rockets don't kill people."

Bottle rockets may not kill people, but bullets fired into the air and returning to the ground at high speed *do* kill people every year.

Feel free to shoot your gun in self defense, while hunting, at a range, or in a remote location, but please do not fire it into the air for fun in a city. That is almost as dangerous as randomly shooting at people's houses.

Brendan Perez wrote on December 31, 2008 12:54 PM: It's rather amusing that people under 18 cannot be on the strip after 6pm unaccompanied.

Maybe the county should ask NYC and every other large city how they manage to have massive celebrations without subjecting an entire group of people to a 12 hour curfew-hint, they manage fine. They generally just go after people causing problems and leave everyone else alone-regardless of age.
It's a novel concept that has the expanded benefit of applying limited police resources towards removing actual criminals from the street instead of just young people who are hurting no one.

Chasing, ticketing, arresting, and/or harassing teens means the police aren't looking for/catching real criminals in the meantime and we all suffer. Police IDing someone who is/looks 17 can't catch the purse snatcher or guy breaking into your car. Heck, the scammers setting up Three Card Monte tables cause more problems then a teenager engaging in the terrible behavior of standing on the strip with everyone else.

A quick and dirty check of archives shows the police pushed for this law in time for the 2000 celebration, claiming that the projected size of Y2K celebration justified it. NYC didn't seem to have any unique issue with teens in Times Square and their celebration was much larger than ours. This year's is estimated to be around 1 million vs. our 150,000-250,000.

Joe Duke wrote on December 31, 2008 09:38 AM: buckwheat, thanks for the intelligent comments representing "your population".

redneck wrote on December 31, 2008 09:06 AM: Buck, I remember the other side being critical alot and complaining that they were always being hassled by "the man". We will be getting more critical once we start getting hassled by "the new man" - Obama.

Buck wrote on December 31, 2008 08:20 AM: No wonder white folks are critics and the most racist people on the planet. I swear, all your lives must suck pretty bad to just demean where you live. You're like pessimists of the world...I swear, if life sucks that bad....go on ahead and committ suicide because half of your population is anyways. Lol. Rednecks.

roger wrote on December 31, 2008 08:17 AM: So one of the differences is that the people in the valley wont be able to see them. Thanks, I appreciate that.. another sign of how much the strip values the locals.....

Ken wrote on December 31, 2008 08:11 AM: If there are 225,000 people, I'd be surprised. Every indicator in the economy to include hotel stays, trips made, money spent, money gambled, vacations cancelled, etc point to double digit drops.

There is no way it is only going to be 3%. Try 30+. If I am wrong it is because gas is cheap and the influx from CA will be higher than normal -- which is doubtful.

Note to Fred -- pretty funny stuff man.

Fair and Balanced Fred wrote on December 31, 2008 07:53 AM: Listen, I don't want the nanny staters telling me where I can, and where I cannot, set off my fireworks and when and where I can shoot my guns.

We know that fireworks and firearms have a tiny potential for harm, and this kind of nanny state over regulation is bad for laissez faire capitalism, bad for the economy, bad for my personal freedoms and bad for Las Vegas.

You never heard of these kind of left-wing, pinko regulations back in the good old days of "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke" or "Ozzie and Harriet." That's when we still knew how to have a good time! Nobody told the Cartwrights on the Ponderosa when and where they could shoot their guns, or when and where Ozzie could set off his bottle rockets.

Buildings occasionally catch fire. Bystanders occasionally take a collateral hit. That's the natural order of things and the way God intended. Bottle rockets don't kill people. People kill people. In 2009 let's turn back the clock on the nanny state!

ti702 wrote on December 31, 2008 06:47 AM: It's still early. I'm waiting for those folks to complain again about the Strip being closed and how inconvenient it was for them to find an alternate route, like they did for the marathon.