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According to the self-aggrandizing mythology of America’s right-wing rich, Sheldon Adelson is one of society’s “producers,” not one of those morally-inferior “moochers” who’re always looking for government handouts.
For a reality check on the moral superiority of the rich, however, take a peek at who’s now trying to do some of the most egregious mooching ever from the economically-devastated people of Spain. Why it’s Adelson, the multibillionaire casino tycoon from Las Vegas! In addition to trying to buy favors from our own government by throwing as much as $100 million into this year’s presidential and congressional elections, the far-right Republican extremist is making a huge financial play in Madrid, Spain.
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Posing as a magnanimous “producer,” Adelson claims he’ll create 250,000 jobs there by erecting a dazzling, neon-bright, $35-billion, gambling Mecca to be called: “EuroVegas.” Casinos, hotels, golf courses, four-star restaurants, you-name-it – Sheldon’s corporate development shimmers like a free-enterprise mirage for Spaniards suffering from a housing and banking collapse – and 30 percent unemployment.
But wait – a mirage is nothing but an illusion. And so is Adelson’s free-enterprise “miracle.” In fact, Sheldon the Moocher is demanding that two-thirds of the funding come from the cash-strapped government, which would have to take out bank loans to finance Adleson’s profiteering scheme. He’s also got his hand out for special tax breaks, and – get this – he’s even demanding labor law changes so he can bring in cheap foreign labor to build and staff his Spanish casino-opolis.
What we have here is another example of the ultra-rich’s extraordinary sense of entitlement. The dark secret of so many self-proclaimed “producers” is that, in fact, they’re professional, world-class moochers.
Not Everyone In Spain Eager To Wager On EuroVegas,” www.npr.org, October 5, 2012.