>It’s not the government’s business though. Either we believe in smaller government or we don’t.
None of my response related to government intervention — only to the large scale wreckage gambling has caused to families and individuals.
As an advocate of smaller government let’s set aside the discussion of government intervention and laws for a moment and look at right and wrong outside the scope of the law.
>People have to rise & fall on their own.
This is an altogether wrong and immoral attitude in my opinion. If you see someone running back and forth across a freeway, you’d feel responsible to say something wouldn’t you? Hey, that’s very dangerous, bad choice.
Likewise if you saw a friend who is the parent of small children, considering taking up heroin, gambling, or similarly highly dangerous, destructive and addictive behavior, wouldn’t you have enough compassion to speak up and warn against it?
Yes, you’re not their mother, but surely said something concise about the dangers and suggest taking up a different hobby. Isn’t that what real friendship is, saying slightly uncomfortable things to help them?
>Gambling has destroyed a lot of lives but when you consider the millions of people who gamble and don’t get in trouble, well it becomes just like anything else.
Wow!!! I COMPLETELY disagree with this statement. People might get away with controlling and hiding it for years, but you never know when the fever will strike and there goes the retirement fund, the savings account, the kids college fund.
Those giant mega hotel palaces in Vegas are built on the wreckage of families who never thought it could happen to THEM.
No that’s not a silly statement, the whole point of why gambling is different is because it is addictive.
Because if it wasn't "addictive", it be the person with the problems fault, right? Most people aren't ever going to gamble too much, or drink to excess, or smoke more than a couple joints every once in a while. To build a whole nanny state to keep safe the minority who are just wired wrong is backwards, if you ask me. Help the ones with problems, and leave the rest of us alone.
So you’d be in favor of making all gambling illegal, and shutting down all casinos? Just checking...
Just ask Adelson...
Unless you can cite supporting statistical data, I'll contend that you are woefully misguided on the matter.
I'd wager (i.e., gamble) that the casinos in Vegas (or Atlantic City) make 98% of their profits off of people who are not habitual gamblers. Just like brewers and distillers make 98% of their profits off of people who are not alcoholics.
Purveyors of legal products should not be held responsible for the small fraction of people who misuse and abuse the product. Would you hold automobile companies responsible for reckless drivers?