I see where Obama again has instructed us on how to live wisely, which of course is what we expect from a loving parent president. Again he has instructed the people to not “blow a bunch of cash on Vegas”. Yes, do not gamble your money away; instead save it and/or spend it wisely. Our Dear Leader is telling us how to behave. Ain’t that great?
Perhaps our Dear Leader should instruct government officials to not promote gambling in the first place. For many years now many U.S. States have promoted gambling, in most cases by first introducing lotteries. (According to this article, studies show that 70 percent of lottery winners go bankrupt within five years.) Then a few casinos were permitted in many U.S. States. Now that we are in a recession, most States are having financial problems, and some are now pushing plans for video poker and slot machines as their legislators hope gambling income will compensate for declines in taxes. My hometown is in Pennsylvania, and not long ago the State passed a law allowing slot-machine casinos to be built in the State. My hometown itself has now had one for almost one year. In addition, however, my hometown casino will soon also have table games. Early this year, the governor signed into law legislation to expand gambling in Pennsylvania to include table games such as poker, blackjack and roulette at the state’s casinos. The casinos, until then, had offered only slot machines. Ain’t that great? Now the citizens will have even more ways in which to have fun, gamble and lose money!
(Oops, I neglected something. Most of the money citizens lose will go to pay casino employees; those are new jobs, probably some of the ones Obama has promised us. Most of the rest of the money will go to the governments in the form of taxes, and our government leaders do, of course, know how to spend that new-found tax money wisely. As for me, although I am retired and do go to a casino three or four times a year, I do not gamble much money, do not stay long in the casino, and of course at least half the time I actually win money. You believe that, right? Heck, next week my old folks’ home is sponsoring a bus trip to a casino. We will only be in the casino for just over three hours – enough time for me to have a lot of fun and to win enough money to buy a nice gift for my new grandson.)