A funny thing happened along America's way to imperial greatness: the encouragement of gambling as a major component of our culture. State lotteries, once considered dubious means of raising revenue, are now widespread, and pockets of casino gambling continue to multiply all over the country. Headlines proclaim one record after another for the size of Lottery jackpots, and the slow, steady, grinding down of the poor continues - because the House always wins.
Las Vegas, a city that is synonymous with gambling, was chosen as the site of "Yearly KOS." The reason nobody declared this decision to be incongruous is that the gambling culture has been normalized in America. It is the backdrop of our lives now and no longer a peculiar institution. Let's look at how we are gambling away America on this "Independence" day.
The war in Iraq is a good place to start. Because the high roller is revered in America, Bush is constantly praised for his gutsy determination to invade Iraq. Even if the final outcome is ruinous for America, Bush will forever be praised by his partisans for gambling on the glorious flowering of Democracy in the Mideast and the capture of huge oil reserves.
Look at the gamblers in the US economy. Loading everyone with debt is risky, but if you can pull off enough real-estate trades and sharp investment moves, Ka-Ching, the quarters come pouring out of the slot machine. Sure there is a risk that the dollar will collapse and foreigners will own our country, but risk is the path to riches!
How about that class warfare in our society? What's wrong with gambling on your chance to get rich. Most Americans believe that they are going to be rich some day. Well how can they be rich if someone else isn't poor? Every poor person in America is a Lotto ticket that enables a BIG WINNER. This is why increasing income inequality is not an issue for a gambler nation.
Today, NASA is gambling on launching a Space Shuttle with known safety problems resulting in a 1 in 100 chance of catastrophic failure. Since only 16 launches are needed to finish the International Space Station, that seems like a good bet, doesn't it? A few petty-minded NASA officials wanted to improve the odds, but high-roller administrator Mike Griffin decided to "play the odds." What a fine American gambler!
The problem with accepting the gambler ethos as a core American value is that gambling has pathological aspects that carry it far from the science of probability. In short, once you are hooked, it can destroy you. On this Independence Day, America seems to be doubling it bets on cheap gas, military aggression, and reckless spending. I don't think this is a winning hand.