Gambling is false hope

How did gambling in our society so quickly go from vice to virtue, and from being perceived as a social disease to an economic asset?

A generation ago, it was considered to be a form of greed, covetousness and avarice. Its silent creep into current society is undermining the traditional work ethic so essential to competing with other nations and advancing individual economic freedom.

Its deception as portrayed in our media as a means of financial gain undermines the dignity of work and its value, offering false hope of wealth without industry. In addition, it especially harms the poor and less fortunate by luring them into thinking that money can be had by random chance, rather than by hard work and educational advancement.

The best way to advance upward through economic progress is not to build entertainment systems centered on the random chance of gambling, but through promotion of hard work and education.

George Will, the syndicated columnist, said it well: “The more people believe in the importance of luck, chance, randomness and fate, the less they believe in the importance of stern virtues such as industriousness, thrift, deferral of gratification, diligence and studiousness.”

Ron Belisle

Spokane