Gambling

I don't gamble because I'm not a lucky person. There are some people who just have a knack - or whatever it is - of being lucky. (And then there are those who know how to cheat.) In my case I learned years ago that I'm not one of those lucky type people. So I don't waste my time and money. I also have the feeling that if I ever started I might like it too much to want to quit. The desire to get money without having to work for it appeals to anybody.

I have a friend that is having a problem with gambling thanks to the local casinos. He probably doesn't think that he has a problem, but I believe that he is spending more time at the casino than he ever thought that he would. To be nice, I'll call him "eternally optimistic" - and I hope that he does get through this phase without losing his shirt. The odds are against him. Aren't the gambling casinos banking on the fact that few will beat the odds? And you can bet that they know what they're doing.

I would guess that many people are having a problem with gambling like my friend. This was not near the problem 30 years ago when there weren't all of these gambling casinos around. But now they are very convenient for all. Since there are certain people who are prone to gambling problems it is not a good idea for society to allow such temptations. Our founding fathers understood that and so they made gambling illegal. But that was then and this is now.

Since we have changed so many things in our society that our founding fathers thought was best, we have to deal with the consequences. This not only includes divorce, pornography and other "society killers". It also includes the consequences of gambling. Of course the easy thing to do would be to make it illegal again, like our founding fathers did. But I'm not sure if the American people would want that - or would stand for it.

There are a lot of good studies and statistics about gambling out there these days. None of them seem to be too favorable. Bankruptcy rates can be directly related to the presence of gambling casinos. Crime and bad behavior is also frequently associated with gambling casinos including domestic crime. And now days teenagers are becoming addicted - ensuring a life time of headaches and money problems for those who have this addiction. So is gambling worth it?

Gambling money that is promised to help schools has not become a reality. At least that's what we're told. I guess a study of each state would be in order to figure out where the money actually ends up. Maybe we can see why our founding fathers frowned upon gambling. Overall gambling works out in the real world as a liability to society. It's just one more thing that we are doing wrong as a society in the name of "freedom".

There are a lot of societal problems that need to be addressed during my administration - and changed if that's what the people want. I have to be honest and tell you that despite what we know about gambling it's not high on the priority list (unless the taxpayers want it to be). That's because there are so many other pressing issues that need attention. I can't guarantee when the issue of gambling will be addressed. I imagine that there are anti-gambling groups out there who will be pushing for attention and I applaud them for it. But they will have to be patient.

On the other hand, if there is a large outcry of American Taxpayers letting it be known that they want to address the gambling issue (using the "Meet and Vote" process so that the people decide - not the casino owners) then we will make it a priority. As of right now my priorities will begin with the Iraq war (if it's still in progress) and the War on Terror. Though my presidency will be focused on domestic problems, and I've promised not to leave the country because of our domestic problems, we need to bring our troops back home first. We will eventually get around to gambling if the taxpayers feel that we need to.