PRISONER EXPRESS

It is not uncommon to turn on our televisions and see primetime shows like 'Gambit', 'Wheel of Fortune', 'Who wants to be a millionaire?' and many other programs that encourage gambling. Nearly every state in America has passed laws to run lotto tickets, bingo halls, and slot machines in all of our communities and neighbors. It is not uncommon to see 'Pick 3" and "Pick 6" numbers posted on the doors and walls of out local grocers, and to see bingo halls located right next to our churches. Our citizens are flooding countless stores everyday in hopes of purchasing the winning lotto ticket. With our competitive market, and society's insatiable desire for wealth, our nation is in the throes of giving birth to a new illegitimate and unwanted inception.

So take an objective view of gambling and analyze why our nation has lunged into such an onerous activity, one only need to evaluate the economic instability of our nation and society's need for financial stability. In our capitalist society, big businesses are trying to compete on an international scale which is causing our smaller businesses to fold. Thus, millions of American jobs have gone overseas and inflation has decreased the value of the dollar. So a lot of Americans and wondering if they will be able to provide for themselves within our fluctuating economy and gambling for them has been an alternative way of providing hope for financial stability.

Consequently, the money that is spent by our hard working citizens just goes into the pockets of the government and big businesses who act like leeches, sucking the life-savings out of the less fortunate and underprivileged. Most of our hardworking citizens do not really understand the game of chance and probability due to the over-commercialization of the advertised winners. But one thing we know for certain is that desperate people will do desperate things, right?

Moreover, analyzing gambling from a sociological perspective and seeing that people are generally creatures of habit, one cannot go without examining the psychologically addictive behavior associated with gambling. First and foremost, we know that our society is being plagued by other physically addictive substances, such as heroin, PCP, ecstasy, cocaine, and many other illicit drugs. Considering these factors, mixed in with America's insatiable addiction to sports, it has created additional programs, such as Gamblers Anonymous, where it has been noted that people have sold their cars, homes and personal goods to satisfy their uncontrollable urge to gamble. This habit alone, apart from addictive substances, has devastated and crippled Americans.

Just as America gave birth to the unwanted drugs and alcohol problems we face today, that has increased crime. Today millions are dying from the diseases. Gambling has not become a focal point in America today because our citizens have not seen the ugly side of families going without food due to gambling, families that are homeless due to gambling, and jobs that have been lost due to gambling. America is not listening yet because it has not become a national epidemic that demands public intervention. My question to you today is...Where do we draw the line?