As I was driving past a sandwich shop in a semi-rural community in Northern Illinois I noticed several signs on a building about playing the slots inside. A thought flashed through my mind of trip we took through Nevada five decades ago. We stopped off in a big casino, at that time, and played the nickel slots for a couple of dollars and continued on to Pasadena. It was before interstates in the area so we took regular highways with some signs for places of legal prostitution.

            Now as I drove around Illinois and other states I see casinos and signs for slot machines, and betting places. Bets can be placed without leaving home. Many states, including Illinois, allow for sales of narcotics like Marijuana to anyone old enough to comply with that state’s laws. It is heavily taxed just as gambling so communities and states can have money without the usual taxes.

            A few years later we took a trip east and I played Blackjack until I lost the budgeted fifty dollars. My wife finally lost twenty playing the slots. It was fun and we got free drinks. Oddly there was a lot of water and mixers but not much alcohol.

            As I drove past the sandwich shop, I saw the indoor shooting range sign. It then occurred to me – the next time I go past a prostitution sign could fit in just as Vegas in the seventies. Is that the road many states are on to get more tax money? How many tax dollars would it bring in to balance a budget? The Religious Right was against legal gambling but some of their big name leaders visited with expensive call girls and so forget the moral issue.