An English philosopher named Herbert Spencer once wrote, "The ultimate consequence of protecting men from the results of their own folly is to fill the world with fools." I don't know about the world, but America must be pretty close to the tipping point.
Gambling was illegal and immoral until government discovered it could move in, take a cut and sell it to the public as a way to reduce taxes. And people bought it! Now we have funds to help those who develop an addiction. Sort of like the tobacco companies printing a "smoking causes cancer" warning on a pack of cigarettes. Someone complained about a pawn shop opening near the Hollywood Casino - go figure! Blood in the water attracts sharks! You won't find pawn shops next to Toledo Museum of Art. What's next? Grandiose, awe-inspiring brothels?
Where are those shovel-ready jobs rebuilding infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, that the stimulus billions went for? Will the casinos provide the underemployed and unemployed something to do with their extra spare time? Maybe our government can issue poker chips or lotto tickets in lieu of food stamps.
Did you ever think your tax money would go to provide free birth control for college students? Or fund government agents shutting down kids' lemonade stands and church-sponsored bake sales? How smart is it that you can score a bag of weed on the corner in almost any sizable village, but you can't buy a glass of homemade lemonade from a 10-year-old or a plate of cookies from a senior citizen in the same town? Meanwhile in California, our government agents raid homes and confiscate raw milk people have purchased from dairies, but they can't deport illegal aliens.
New York City's mayor wants to ban 32-ounce soft drinks because of the high sugar content, but you can buy 150-proof booze by the half gallon. He already banned smoking outdoors in city parks, etc., but you still can buy cigarettes there.
We don't have to fill the world with fools to create a disaster, just allow enough of them into government while a hundred million of us stand by and fail to exercise our right to vote, even though you don't have to prove you're a citizen to do so.
D F Heimrick,
McCutchenville
