I would say No.
In the past couple of months, there had been a great furore and lengthy debate on the feasibility of a casino here. We've seen the gahmen deep in thought and consideration and in great mental turmoil over the 2 choices presented to them. ( ok, I'm just exaggerating, as I shall reiterate again, I believe they have long decided to get the casino done, but had to put on a facade to shut the mouths of religious zealots and self righteous moralistic people).
I understand that the whole issue of building a casino is coloured in many shades of grey. It is subjective to everyone whether it is good or bad, as is how some people would think the pros would outnumber the cons and vice versa.
To put it simply, the government must have reached the conclusion that the economic growth outstrips social costs ( the opporunity cost), and in this tiny $$$$$ nation of us, pragmatism reigns supreme. Thus, the birth of the casino.
As all my regular readers and friends know, I am a Christian, and fiercely proud of it. I am unabashed to say that I believe the casino is a household of sin.
But yet, when I say 'no' to the choice of building a casino, it is not because of religious beliefs. Neither does it have anything to do to the moralistic side of me. But rather, it is the whole gamut of social repercussions that will be brought about with the implementation of a casino. ( Ooops, I'm outdated! It's IR now!)
I was reading an article by Eunice Olsen, our gorgeous NMP, and she recalled this experience she had in Las Vegas. Going to a casino with her mother, she left her mother for a brief moment to get a drink. She was later taking a while to get her drink, which prompted an apology to the man behind her( if I'm not wrong.) What the man said after that left her ( and myself) bereft of words.
(Vaguely something like that) "Take your time. My wife, my children, they're all gone now. But I am still here. So take your time."
Indeed, that comment just left my jaw wide open. Poverty, unequality among the different classes, these are all serious socio-economic issues. But to me, the most dire and pressing social issue to date has to be the breakdown of the family unit.
The government based their decision to build the casino because they reached the conclusion that despite social costs, the casino is too lucrative a cash cow for them to blatantly give up.
I say no because I believe other wise. The government obviously looks at things from a more macro perspective, believing the number of jobs created, which they estimate could be up to 30000, would vastly improve the welfare of the nation, considering the dramatic reduction in unemployment figures.Yet I say, the welfare of the nation will still be adversely affected. Imagine the allure of gambling at casinos, which is now made worse for men because it is glossed over with this powerful image of masculinity. Men like to take risks, and gambling at casinos is the epitome of risk taking?
Whatever. Only idiots buy into that.
Anyway, like that man Eunice Olsen met, many unfortunate people will soon find themselves in his footsteps. Broken families have the power to really bring about horrific consequences, which will affect the generations to come, not just this generation of us.
The nation is made up of many institutions, most importantly of which is the family unit. The family is the cornerstone of a strong, powerful nation. I dare not think what this breakdown of families will do to the nation.
So much more to post about the whole casino issue, but I'll save it for a later time. Till then!
I understand that the whole issue of building a casino is coloured in many shades of grey. It is subjective to everyone whether it is good or bad, as is how some people would think the pros would outnumber the cons and vice versa.
To put it simply, the government must have reached the conclusion that the economic growth outstrips social costs ( the opporunity cost), and in this tiny $$$$$ nation of us, pragmatism reigns supreme. Thus, the birth of the casino.
As all my regular readers and friends know, I am a Christian, and fiercely proud of it. I am unabashed to say that I believe the casino is a household of sin.
But yet, when I say 'no' to the choice of building a casino, it is not because of religious beliefs. Neither does it have anything to do to the moralistic side of me. But rather, it is the whole gamut of social repercussions that will be brought about with the implementation of a casino. ( Ooops, I'm outdated! It's IR now!)
I was reading an article by Eunice Olsen, our gorgeous NMP, and she recalled this experience she had in Las Vegas. Going to a casino with her mother, she left her mother for a brief moment to get a drink. She was later taking a while to get her drink, which prompted an apology to the man behind her( if I'm not wrong.) What the man said after that left her ( and myself) bereft of words.
(Vaguely something like that) "Take your time. My wife, my children, they're all gone now. But I am still here. So take your time."
Indeed, that comment just left my jaw wide open. Poverty, unequality among the different classes, these are all serious socio-economic issues. But to me, the most dire and pressing social issue to date has to be the breakdown of the family unit.
The government based their decision to build the casino because they reached the conclusion that despite social costs, the casino is too lucrative a cash cow for them to blatantly give up.
I say no because I believe other wise. The government obviously looks at things from a more macro perspective, believing the number of jobs created, which they estimate could be up to 30000, would vastly improve the welfare of the nation, considering the dramatic reduction in unemployment figures.Yet I say, the welfare of the nation will still be adversely affected. Imagine the allure of gambling at casinos, which is now made worse for men because it is glossed over with this powerful image of masculinity. Men like to take risks, and gambling at casinos is the epitome of risk taking?
Whatever. Only idiots buy into that.
Anyway, like that man Eunice Olsen met, many unfortunate people will soon find themselves in his footsteps. Broken families have the power to really bring about horrific consequences, which will affect the generations to come, not just this generation of us.
The nation is made up of many institutions, most importantly of which is the family unit. The family is the cornerstone of a strong, powerful nation. I dare not think what this breakdown of families will do to the nation.
So much more to post about the whole casino issue, but I'll save it for a later time. Till then!
