And yet prior to Bill Clinton’s signature in 1996, prescription drugs were not allowed to be advertised to the general public, only to doctors in professional journals. Thanks Bill, for groveling before Big Pharma and unleashing the shameless mess we have today.
a good place to start would be banning state-run lotteries, aka 'a tax on the stupid'. get a bag of potato chips at any bodega in New York City and you will see people who plainly cannot afford it lined up to lose 10, 20 50, 100 dollars. every week. its shameful enough that our governments collect tax revenue off of these vices, but the lotteries are actually state-run enterprises. imagine if these poor slobs learned about the power of compound interest in school rather than this instant millionaire lie.
The Tribal Casinos are Vegas times 1000 for watching society collapse. I’ve always thought if you can afford to travel to Vegas you can probably afford to lose a little money. The Tribal Casinos are a totally different story and make me depressed every time I stop by thinking granny is gambling her social security and her son is gambling his electric bill.
Take the 2 hour drive north to St. George Utah (30 min past mesquite) and you will not find a more stark contrast to the Vegas “culture.” Two desert cities with values and outcomes so opposed it will make one or the other look stupid, depending on your morals. Hint: it’s Vegas that looks stupid and gross, because it is.
I am old enough to remember when Las Vegas was run by the Mob, Bugsy Seigel anyone? Now it is not the mob promoting legalized gambling, but the government. Far be it from me to liken government to the mob, but you can draw your own conclusions.
Alex, you couldn’t be more right. For all the reasons you alluded to (e.g. the legalization of sports betting, lotteries, weed, etc.) Vegas has become a microcosm of the United States. Everywhere you look there is evidence of incredible material affluence alongside examples psychological and spiritual despair and emptiness. Vegas is bipolar: it’s exciting, depressing, happy, sad, glitzy, dirty, crowded and empty. We are seriously headed in the wrong direction as a country. We are systematically dismantling and abandoning everything that made this country great. I hope I’m wrong but I see no evidence that it’s going to turn around. We are all witnessing in real time the decline and fall of a once great nation
What a refreshing article...something kind of fun, yet thought provoking. We need more like this! I only go to Vegas because it's the gateway to a lot of the bicycling trips we go on. Death Valley a few years back, and Utah in about six weeks, fly to Vegas, get the hell outta there asap and go to St. George, UT.
"The societal barriers were probably more important. They always are."
This is the most important line in the post. And it is the root of any of the problems that your local government tells you that they want to create "solutions" for. In the meantime, the same government has been diligently working to remove such barriers, claiming that they're "stigmas" that "oppress" "marginalized" communities.
From a philosophical angle, I have no objection to gambling. But as a baseball fan, I have to admit that I find it distracting and intrusive to see the bottom third of my TV screen inundated with betting numbers that mean nothing to me and that I have zero interest in. Enough visual obstructions already, give me back the bottom of the screen! 😠
And now, gambling talk has even started to invade the play-by-play commentators' conversations. I couldn't care less whether Team A is "over 125" or Team B "under 150," whatever the heck that means. Talk baseball, not betting odds!! 😡
No one puts a gun to your head and says GAMBLE. It's a CHOICE every GOD given brain has, as are most things in life. Personal responsibility HAS to make a comeback. The coddling, entitling and victim minded American mind is REAL!
Interesting that you play poker! Isn't it frustrating that over a decade after "Black Friday", we still can't legally play poker on the internet?
America might be becoming more like Vegas, but at least in Vegas it's important to keep up appearances. Many places (especially west coast) are simply open-air cesspools these days. All of the downside of the Vegas experience but none of the glamour.
And yet prior to Bill Clinton’s signature in 1996, prescription drugs were not allowed to be advertised to the general public, only to doctors in professional journals. Thanks Bill, for groveling before Big Pharma and unleashing the shameless mess we have today.
Gambling is a serious addiction that nobody talks about.
a good place to start would be banning state-run lotteries, aka 'a tax on the stupid'. get a bag of potato chips at any bodega in New York City and you will see people who plainly cannot afford it lined up to lose 10, 20 50, 100 dollars. every week. its shameful enough that our governments collect tax revenue off of these vices, but the lotteries are actually state-run enterprises. imagine if these poor slobs learned about the power of compound interest in school rather than this instant millionaire lie.
The Tribal Casinos are Vegas times 1000 for watching society collapse. I’ve always thought if you can afford to travel to Vegas you can probably afford to lose a little money. The Tribal Casinos are a totally different story and make me depressed every time I stop by thinking granny is gambling her social security and her son is gambling his electric bill.
Take the 2 hour drive north to St. George Utah (30 min past mesquite) and you will not find a more stark contrast to the Vegas “culture.” Two desert cities with values and outcomes so opposed it will make one or the other look stupid, depending on your morals. Hint: it’s Vegas that looks stupid and gross, because it is.
I am old enough to remember when Las Vegas was run by the Mob, Bugsy Seigel anyone? Now it is not the mob promoting legalized gambling, but the government. Far be it from me to liken government to the mob, but you can draw your own conclusions.
Agreed 100%. That is why our problems will not be solved with a political solution. It is a spiritual solution.
Alex, you couldn’t be more right. For all the reasons you alluded to (e.g. the legalization of sports betting, lotteries, weed, etc.) Vegas has become a microcosm of the United States. Everywhere you look there is evidence of incredible material affluence alongside examples psychological and spiritual despair and emptiness. Vegas is bipolar: it’s exciting, depressing, happy, sad, glitzy, dirty, crowded and empty. We are seriously headed in the wrong direction as a country. We are systematically dismantling and abandoning everything that made this country great. I hope I’m wrong but I see no evidence that it’s going to turn around. We are all witnessing in real time the decline and fall of a once great nation
What a refreshing article...something kind of fun, yet thought provoking. We need more like this! I only go to Vegas because it's the gateway to a lot of the bicycling trips we go on. Death Valley a few years back, and Utah in about six weeks, fly to Vegas, get the hell outta there asap and go to St. George, UT.
our prime struggle has shifted from survival to temperance
"The societal barriers were probably more important. They always are."
This is the most important line in the post. And it is the root of any of the problems that your local government tells you that they want to create "solutions" for. In the meantime, the same government has been diligently working to remove such barriers, claiming that they're "stigmas" that "oppress" "marginalized" communities.
From a philosophical angle, I have no objection to gambling. But as a baseball fan, I have to admit that I find it distracting and intrusive to see the bottom third of my TV screen inundated with betting numbers that mean nothing to me and that I have zero interest in. Enough visual obstructions already, give me back the bottom of the screen! 😠
And now, gambling talk has even started to invade the play-by-play commentators' conversations. I couldn't care less whether Team A is "over 125" or Team B "under 150," whatever the heck that means. Talk baseball, not betting odds!! 😡
No one puts a gun to your head and says GAMBLE. It's a CHOICE every GOD given brain has, as are most things in life. Personal responsibility HAS to make a comeback. The coddling, entitling and victim minded American mind is REAL!
Well written. Sure gets lots of pushback. I’m glad Texas continues to hold out on casinos although they are all just over the state lines.
Interesting that you play poker! Isn't it frustrating that over a decade after "Black Friday", we still can't legally play poker on the internet?
America might be becoming more like Vegas, but at least in Vegas it's important to keep up appearances. Many places (especially west coast) are simply open-air cesspools these days. All of the downside of the Vegas experience but none of the glamour.
"I know the First Amendment effectively makes any restrictions on advertising impossible. And if it’s legal, and can be advertised . . . "
When was the last time you saw cigarettes advertised anywhere except on Native American reservations?