Pipe Smokers Intelligencer

Well, it was bound to happen, right? States and municipalities are running out of money and rather than cut unneeded services and bloated bureaucracy, they are turning to Internet gambling.

Yes sir, what we need in this country is more gambling and more casinos. That’s like a $5 cigar. It’s good for the country, doncha see.

You can believe there is already an outcry from those who view gambling as an evil influence. It will lead to a road of perdition.

States are saying that gambling casinos on the Internet and in bricks and mortar palaces should be allowed and they should be able to receive revenue from those who like to gamble away their money.

And, why not? It is legitimate in many states, so the argument goes. Besides, states and towns need the revenue to keep services up and running and the bureaucracy fat and happy.

Sound familiar? It should. It has the ring of hypocrisy just like lifting the budget ceiling debacle that darn near sank the nation. Instead of facing the hard realities of lean times, states would rather depend on you, the taxpayer and those in the gambling community to pull their mule out of the ditch.

Uh, see, tobacco taxes have been used up already. Pols have rifled those pocketbooks and gone to that money well once too often. Levying more taxes on tobacco and tobacco will be another failed industry, just like manufacturing in this nation. Gone, gone, gone.

Now, states are saying that they should be allowed to rake in taxes from Online gaming and to build their own casinos to bring in the hordes, most of whom can ill afford to lose the rent, house and car payments.

Do you find it odd that states and municipalities seem to have a single track mind when it comes to revenue streams: more taxes, or figuring out another way to relieve you of your hard-earned cash?

I find this totally objectionable, not because I am against a friendly game of poker, but because elected officials who stuff their pockets full of largess from the public till can think in one direction and that is find the public horse and ride it until it drops.

Instead of creating real, lasting jobs, we get another dog and pony show about raking off revenues from gambling. Something about that approach just seems absolutely rotten to me.

But, hey, I’m accustomed to these things now. I have been made a pariah in my country because I enjoy my pipe tobacco. I can no longer smoke my pipe in restaurants, public buildings, some streets and parks and soon, I expect tobacco will be outlawed permanently while the mainstream press goes along with this idiocy.

And then one day, the pols will come after another segment of society, say fattening foods. Oh, that’s right; the feds are already working on that one.

You are being told now what foods you can and can’t eat, but, hey, it is all right for large chemical companies to produce synthetic seeds so mega farms can grow unsafe and FDA-approved foods for your shopping pleasure.

So, pull up a chair at the table all you gamblers. You are about to see your federal, state and local governments at work. . . on you.

Selah