OT Gambling

c development?

It is a useful tool to extract some tax money from the 47% that don't pay taxes. Mikek

It is a useful tool to extract some profit money from the 47% that don't like profits.

Who actually runs those games ? Did you check ?

Hi Mike, I find it kinda weird that you pick one of the multiple taxes people pay and call that the 'only tax'. Lets see there's FICA, sales tax, property tax, school tax, and state income tax. I must be missing at least one other. Since the Bush tax cuts my federal income tax was almost cut in half.. I've got two kids and thus take $2k right off the top.. Well not 1/2 anymore, I'm making more money. I've got a friend with 4 kids. He may be one of your 47%.

George H.

It's probably worse for you guys upstate. Once you get above Westchester things start to look run down, the economy really stinks up there. I think it's a bad idea, just look at atlantic city and what creepy things are in the outlying areas.

Cheers

Be interesting (not enviable!) to see how your attitude changes as the conversations get a bit more "stressful" :-/ Really hard watching others "make mistakes" that you *know* are going to "cost them". Even mreso when its close to home (hopefully you will be spared much of that)

(sigh) What's *more* depressing is when you listen to these folks

*rationalize* their behavior. Or make such nonsensical claims like "the machine is READY to pay" or "it JUST hit so it WON'T hit again soon, move on to another", etc.

These are the same sort of folks that think the chances of a coin-toss ending "heads" CHANGE (for better *or* worse) after

25 consecutive "heads"! And, refuse to emotionally grasp the illogic of the belief systems driving their behavior!

In most jurisdictions, gambling must *truly* be a game of chance. In some, even "games" that you *think* you "know" can also operate on unexpected rules.

E.g., just because you see playing cards displayed doesn't mean that it follows the rules of a regular deck of cards! So, thinking you "understand" cards doesn't give you the edge that you would think you have in a genuine (video) "poker" game!

Yup. But, it's a sin tax so *looks* like it "hurts no one" (at least not "non-sinners") :> And, usually, there is very little that the municipality/state has to do to *enable* this -- no big infrastructure projects, etc. Just change some local zoning and possibly some tax status. Win-win, right? :>

Look at other big projects that are similarly pitched under the guise of "economic development": new ball fields, convention centers, etc. Often, the net economic impact is negative -- yet that doesn't stop folks from pursuing the same ideas over and over again!

I read somewhere that a McDonald's going into a neighborhood pulls money

*out* of that neighborhood. Low paying jobs, "corporate supplies", etc. I expect the same is true for places like Walmart, etc.

But, politicians want to be able to point to "jobs created" regardless of the types of jobs or the net impact on the community.

Your mistake was not leaving the bar with (unopened) "one for later"! :>

Ok, I should have said Federal income taxes. Lets see there's FICA, Forced saving for retirement with a disability policy thrown in. sales tax, Ya got me there. property tax, school tax, same thing where I live, and even if they rent, the tax is passed through to them. and state income tax. No state tax here.

So, I'll let them vote in state elections, no skin in the game for Federal.

I must be missing at least one other.

I don't see that much.

I've got two kids and thus take $2k right off the top.. Well not 1/2 anymore, I'm making more money.

ut a

'real'

She seems to have a fairly level head on her shoulders. (At least compared to some of her friends.) I'm not sure what you mean by stressful? We've talked about drugs. My message, "Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, are th ings that are fine to try once your body/ brain is fully developed, but don 't go near heroin or methamphetamine.. other drugs we should talk about." I had friends in college that used extasy(sp).. I called it the hug drug. Didn't seem addictive, but I didn't try it. I just try and be honest. Talk about my over indulgence in college, there's alcoholism on my side of the family so that's something she might have to be aware of... things like that. If it's sex, we talk about that too. I know other fathers who seem terrifi ed of their daughters having sex. I just told her to go slow and if there' s some guy she really likes we'll see about getting birth control. (I mean how ya' going to stop 'em... might as well make 'em safe.) She did let on that she has a crush on one boy in school, but would not divulge (even to her girl friends) who it was.

o a

Yeah that was the depressing part of the conversation. "Oh you picked 10 too, we jinxed each other. I'd never play a number if I knew someone else in the bar was playing it."

s.

velopment?

I assume you mean if it displaces a local eating place.

Oh I had another when I got home. 2-3 beers a night, my doctor would rathe r it be 1-2, but that doesn't seem possible for me.

George H.

Gambling: It is essentially a regressive tax.

Your daughter: Hats off to you for desiring conversations with her. There are too many parents today that take no interest in their off-springs' interests. Please continue. It will make the world a better place for everyone.

Cheers, John S

It used to be considered immoral, which it is. But states make money off gambling, so they encourage it. It's a bad deal, because it may cause more social damage, and expense to the states, than the revenue they get from lotteries and casinos.

I guess a state can come out ahead if the gamblers are mostly tourists, so they get the money and other states get the social damage. Until the other states allow gambling, too. Vicious cycle.

--

John Larkin                  Highland Technology Inc 
www.highlandtechnology.com   jlarkin at highlandtechnology dot com    

Precision electronic instrumentation 
Picosecond-resolution Digital Delay and Pulse generators 
Custom timing and laser controllers 
Photonics and fiberoptic TTL data links 
VME  analog, thermocouple, LVDT, synchro, tachometer 
Multichannel arbitrary waveform generators

Inevitably, she will want to do/try something that you will *KNOW* is "wrong". And you're suddenly in a box: do I treat this person as an adult who should be capable of making her own decisions (even if I "know" them to be clearly WRONG)? How hard do I "push" my own "knowledge based on personal experience" vs. letting her learn her own lessons? (much easier to do with OTHER folks' kids).

Highest on my personal list is smoking. I can hear the litany of excuses: "I only smoke one a day", "I'm not addicted", "I just do it at parties", "I can quit any time", "I'm young, my body can recover", etc.

And you watch all these things slowly, permanently fall apart. And no one wants to be reminded of how *sure* they were of each of these assertions: "Just give me the damn cigarette!"

I imagine the same is true of many drugs, nowadays. Esp meth, heroine, oxycontin, etc. Ditto sex. Kids think their indestructible. E.g., when *we* were young (guessing you to be my approx contemporary), the big downside of sex was pregnancy -- and having to face your/her parents! An STD was a dose of penicillin. Stakes seem considerably higher, now! :<

(and the persistent naivite of folks: you can't get AIDS from heterosexual sex; your safe if its only oral sex; etc. SHUDDER)

I've had mixed feelings on the subject. And, they continue to evolve. For years, I was *sure* pot should be legalized -- or, at least treated comparable to alcohol (which, IMO, is abused far more frequently than pot -- at least from my experience!) I saw all the enforcement activity "invested" in that as counterproductive: high speed chases, raids, etc. Seemed like a waste of resources.

But, one evening, we had a guy over to the house to give us an estimate on a job. And he was stoned. I was *livid*. (I was actually surprised at the intensity of my reaction -- esp given my prior rhetoric!). And, I realized he had broken my trust in my *expected* behavior of "pot users" by being irresponsible. I.e., had he shown up DRUNK, I would have been equally enraged.

So, I had to rethink why I had, in my mind, expected "him" to behave more "responsibly". And, I realized it had to do with personal experience. I was around a lot of "substance abuse" in school (alcohol, drugs, etc) yet, for these folks, it was done "maturely" (WTF?). I.e., you didn't get drunk/stoned/trip until you had finished your homework, didn't go to class "high", etc.

I realized (belatedly) that this isn;t the case with all people. The fact that I saw "drunks" in a less favorable light was because drunks didn't have to HIDE their abuse problems -- they *could* drink in public, etc. So, I saw a wider range of people "exposed to alcohol" than "dropping acid", etc. I was comparing apples to oranges.

So, my attitudes towards various substances (incl alcohol) are more muted and subtle. I'm no longer as *sure* of my past convictions wrt legalization, etc.

I also have had a very difficult time understanding addiction, in general. I, apparently, turn my own personal addictions on and off like a light switch. They seem more to be "habits" than addictions.

(though I have a LOT of them -- e.g., I dress virtually the same every day! Because "fashion" has no appeal in my life and I don't want to have to waste time thinking about what I *should* wear! :> So, drawers full of black, navy & white shirts and multiple pairs of the same bluejeans; black or white socks -- makes it really easy to match pairs when doing the laundry :> )

E.g., I quit smoking because it was too cold to go out and buy more cigarettes, one morning. Why didn't I buy them that *afternoon*?

I spent a summer in school drinking a case of beer daily. When the summer was over, I stopped drinking beer.

But, I see so many people who apparently can't just "turn it off" (whatever *it* is). And, I don't see them as "defective". So, I have to wonder what is going on inside their brains that causes this sort of irrational behavior. Without experiencing it for myself, it's hard to imagine what it must be like!

A close friend has had to take morphine to control chronic pain (spinal injury -- too many "hard landings" :> ). It is usually for a short period of time "between treatments" (some sort of injection that alleviates symptoms for several months; but, wears off before it is "safe" to repeat the process). He has sworn he won't go the morphine route, again. And, the look in his eyes as he says it is *scary* -- "haunted"!

I simply *can't* imagine what he went through!

Yes, tactile stimuli are enhanced.

I had lots of friends who would trip weekly. Never had any appeal for me (I guess I've got a good enough imagination not to need it "enhanced" artificially :> ).

But, I worry about *all* drugs -- even Rx's. Hard to believe there aren't downsides. Just not yet *known*! And, for illicit drugs, how much REAL research is done? Listen to the litany of side-effects and contraindications for prescribed medications and wonder, "Gee, these are the things they *know* about and have actively researched. What DON'T they know??"

Admirable. OTOH, how would you *feel* if you saw her drinking at parties? (deliberate choice of word, there -- emotional reaction, not intellectual one) "Stress", IMO, is what you feel in a situation where you have limited/reduced control. Regardless of whether that is of your own deliberate choosing, or not.

I.e., it comes back to the "trust her as an adult" -- even if she

*IS* making a mistake!

Ha! Yeah. Neighbor across street has "grown up" daughter. *Stunned* him to realize that not only was she old enough to be having sex, but that she undoubtedly *was*! ESP when she moved in with boyfriend!

(Uh, d'uh... you don't ee her wearing a HABIT, do you?? :> )

Remember, there's more to the issue than just birth control!

E.g., even things as "apparently" innocent (in the sense that it ISN'T AIDS) as HPV. There are consequences to actions. Often ones that you cant anticipate.

I read a notice on bulletin board at my MD's office. Recommendation for *all* people in my age group to be tested for Hep-C (?). I actually have to ask him to explain that as I had thought previous recommendation was only certain risk groups! sheesh, even when you think you're NOT at risk...

I enjoy making statements like "If I wanted to throw away a dollar (or whatever the lottery costs), I'd pick 00000 for sure!"

Folks will *gasp* -- "Oh, that's a TERRIBLE number!"

WTF? BY LAW all numbers are *identical* in their probabilities of outcome. AND, if so many folks consider a number to be "bad" or "jinxed", then fewer people are LIKELY to pick said number. The practical consequence of this is the expected value of any payout is HIGHER -- I wouldn't have to SHARE it!

But, instead of seeing the logic in this, they'll continue to avoid that "terrible number"!

Sheesh!

If it displaces *anything* -- even an empty lot!

What it brings into the community (wages & "cheap food") is offset by the fact that most of the "sales income" is siphoned OUT of the community. No locally grown produce used. Napkins are purchased from "Corporate". Furnishings/kitchen equipment likewise from out of town vendors, etc. In return, community gets low price, low quality food -- and the health problems that accompany!

I don't like alcohol, in general. Favorite beer hasn't been sold in any of the places I've lived these past 30+ years. So, I've learned to "live without". Now get most of that sort of enjoyment from a nice bowl of pasta -- with *thick* marinara sauce! (When I had first colonoscopy, I was CONVINCED interior of colon would be the same bright red that the sauce STAINS all the plastic "Tupperware" containers in which I store it! :> )

I was actually kind of disappointed that this wasn't the case! :-/

NY was that way when I left 20 years ago. All of the bars had video Keno (I think it was). Scratch-offs are everywhere, particularly where the poorest people are. It's not just NY, but almost everywhere, now. Interestingly, Alabama doesn't allow such nonsense. I rather like it but if people want to voluntarily pay higher taxes, who am I to stop them?

You shouldn't. It's not good.

Who actually plays those games?

Did you read?

A *subsidized* retirement savings plan. Subsidized by the same people who pay the income tax.

Not federal. States are allowed to raise money as they see fit. You're free to vote with your feet.

Not federal.

Not federal.

You're assuming a "fair" coin. After 25 consecutive "heads" I'd be asking to look at the coin for a "tail".

The state or private "regulated" gambling. AFAIK, private casinos must operate on "real" (though virtual) decks. No one knows what government-run gambling does. They're above the law they make everyone else live by.

Depends on who you're looking at. Some are getting economically developed very nicely. It's really no different than Obama's "green technology". It's robbing many to benefit a few. It's amazing that lefties fall for this again and again.

Oh, good grief. *ALL* retail business pulls money out of "neighborhoods". It has to, to pay for materials and profits. Of course you probably think profits should be illegal.

Well, there *are* jobs were there were none.

Most places that's illegal. What's bought in a bar must be consumed within its walls. It's kinda stupid to pay the bar premium and take it home, when you could have bought three (or more) for the same price.

Not regressive at all. It is voluntary, though.

'bingo' gambling. A new game every minute or so. And in the corner was a scratch off vending machine. During the hour I was there I think ~1/2 the people hit up the vending machine and another 1/2 played the TV 'bingo' game several times. Maybe 1/3 of the conversation concerned gambling and what numbers to pick. I found it very depressing. Gambling seems like a stupid tax. My state (New York) has just passed a new gambling bill.... more casinos. (I voted against it.) Gambling produces nothing, how is it economi

Gambling, lotteries, and the like, are voluntary taxes on the stupid.

That kind of thing keeps dives like 7-11 open, the stuff about being a convenience store is just a front. The upside is it keeps their customers out of the better convenient stores.

This is going to gross you out so brace yourself, but you might as well have kissed every single one of those people on the lips, and I'm talking swapping spit. Have you seen how those bartenders handle the bottles and glasses? Get real.

Consider what it's like to use a public restroom? How clean is that inside doorknob -- AFTER you've washed *your* hands AND DISCARDED THE PAPER TOWEL!! :>

A smart bartender wants his glasses *spotless*. Not even oils from his fingers inside the glass. Used to be TSP was a great way to ensure a "good head". The stuff that is used in dishwashers has drying agents that work *against* the head -- and, folks seem fascinated by head (WTF?). Some glasses will even have etched bottoms (inside surface) to promote nucleation to keep the beer "interesting" (until it goes flat -- I suspect George doesn't let his sit *that* long, eh George? :> )

I'm not sure where TSP sits on the "permitted/prohibited" list, though...