This is pathetic really...

[pointblank]

Is this for real?

<snip>
"The Las Vegas-based company's casino in downtown New Orleans suffered about $200,000 of damage -- doors and a section of roof were ripped off, Lopez said, adding that power won't be restored to the property for at least two weeks.

"Early estimates that casinos could open within a few days are overly optimistic, and, at the least, we expect severe business disruption from the devastated areas for the next several months even if some of the casinos can get up and running over the near term," Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Eric Hausler said in a report."
<snip>

From:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167879,00.html




Are they really talking about re-opening a CASINO in NO right now? Am I still asleep?

[bryant69]

1. Ummmm

This is wierd. Seems like there was just a post on this issue.

What's wrong with it?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[pointblank]

4. Sorry..I haven't read every post on every page here...

Are you seriously asking "Whats wrong with it?"

[bryant69]

5. Yeah. What's wrong with people choosing to rebuild and reopen casinos

Yep that's my question.

I should say at the start that while I'm a liberal, I'm definately a capitalist as well.

[pointblank]

7. I would consider myself a liberal and a capitalist as well...

But you don't see the irony of re-opening a casino in a disaster area?

[bryant69]

11. Irony I can see, I guess.

But you seemed to indicate the reopening of casinos was some sort of moral failing on the part of new orleans (or these casino owners, at any rate).

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[pointblank]

15. Maybe I do see it as a bit of a moral failing...

on the part of the casino operators. Could they not just keep them closed until things get back to normal, if they ever do. Maybe just open up the necessary facilities, hotels and such, but the casinos?


Maybe I am not seeing things right, I am emotional today as I said. Pissed off and saddened at the same time.

[bryant69]

20. It's a tricky situation

Part of me can see the argument that people shouldn't be gambling at a time like this.

But the other question is who decides? Who decides what people should and shouldn't be doing, at a time like this? If people want to gamble and if people want to run a casino to cater to people who want to gamble, well, what can you say about that?

[pointblank]

26. You know what I can say???

I can say on an internet forum that I think it is fucked up and wrong.

But, you are right...free country. Just my opinion.

:toast:

[bryant69]

32. Let me ask you another question

Based on something else you said - how much of this is the hurricaine and how much of it is a general dislike for gambling (which I understand, I don't gamble myself, but I do appreciate that it can be addictive)?

Or let's, to pick something else some might see as frivolous, say the announcement was that Tower Records would be reopening as quickly as possible?

[pointblank]

37. To me, it is the gambling..

Although, I thought I had made it clear that I partake occasionally, and don't dislike it.

What I do dislike is the thought or the TALK of a casino being opened so soon in a disater area..Thats it, plain and simple.

I'm all for free market, but also believe in good taste when it comes to situations as sensitive as this, and I don't think this qualifies.

Hell, I'll go to Vegas, gamble, stuff dollars into a strippers underwear (sorry females) and stumble back to my hotel room and ouke in the bathtub, don't get me wrong...This situation to me is different.

[SlowDownFast]

13. Pointblank, I see your point, pointblank.

Don't mind the stupid posts like the above poster. I been lurking along time, and I recognize the stupid post as well as the poster who made it.

Stupid is as stupid does...

edit: and that's putting it mildly, Mr. Bryant.

[bryant69]

17. Well come on

Don't be mild on my account; tell us what you really feel.

[SlowDownFast]

27. If I said how I really feel about your insensitive and shortsighted post

the mods would delete and I might be tombstoned.

[bryant69]

30. I'll just have to imagine it

I guess if I have offended Pointblank I will apologize.

I'm deeply sorry if my disagreeing with you Pointblank has caused you any emotional pain.

[pointblank]

33. LOL

My head hurts, that's about the only pain I have right now, and thats the beers I foolishly drank last night hitting me.

The day I start experiencing real emotional pain over a discussion forum, is the day they should take away my keyboard.

:toast:

[bryant69]

36. That's good to hear.

I just didn't want to feel like I had hurt anybodies feelings, as Utopionsecret agent seemed to indicate.

[SlowDownFast]

40. "I'll just have to imagine it"

You do that.

And while you're at it, no need to feel sorry for disagreeing.

More like be sorry that NO (and that general area of the South) is utterly in ruin and you can't get to your casino 'cause it's in shambles, too.

Nevermind the tragedy that's unfolding down there.

Just be sorry about the casino owners and how they can't open today or tomorrow or anytime soon.

Like they'll have lots of patrons soon, anyhow...

Really dense, you are.

[bryant69]

42. "Lord where do we get such men"

Well if I'm dense at least I can read, which is a small consolation, I suppose. At any rate I'll just have to live with your disapproval.

[MercutioATC]

46. DAMN RIGHT! Don't put people back to work...keep businesses CLOSED!

You ARE right about one thing...

...stupid is as stupid does...

Why the hell would anybody advocate keeping sources of employment closed, especially in what's going to be an extremely financially depressed area?

My response would have been much milder had yours to Bryant69 not been a viscious knee-jerk attack.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

18. Well, as a capitalist,

Why not charge for all the food and supplies going to the needy down there? You could make a lot of money by raising prices, since there's no supply and high demand. :mad:

[pointblank]

22. Hey yea!!!

We could probably get at least 2 dollars a bottle for water!!!...oh wait, that is what they charge anyway..never mind.

[bryant69]

25. Those things are necessities

And people are willing to give them to the people for free (like me), so it wouldn't be profitable. This is an emergency.

I'm not a lassaiz faire, libertarian capitalist who envisions a world where you give the fire fighter your credit card before the hosese start working.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[SlowDownFast]

29. Careful. Your doofus is showing.

Cover it quick before others see.

[pointblank]

38. We're on the same page on this Utopian...

I appreciate your candor!!

But relax, we are just voicing our opinions here...in the scope of things, does it really matter what is said here?

:toast:

[Divernan]

10. What's wrong is that gambling is a tax on the stupid,

ie, the mathematically challenged. The only way it's "good" for a community/city/state (which tax the casinos and winners)is if all the stupid gamblers bus in from out of state. If the wealthy choose to throw their money away for the entertainment value of a gambling outing, fine. (I like to go to the races and handicap the horses, but never bet what I can't afford to lose for the excitement of watching a race.) But the casinos also depend on a high number of customers who are elderly and poor - gambling addicts who would be better off saving for retirement or getting adequate medical and dental care, or eating properly, or getting their car repaired, etc.

The value to NO of the casinos is the tourist attraction factor. It will be many, many months, if not years before that city is cleaned up and rebuilt enough to attract tourists. So if the casino owners are pushing to reopen their doors in a matter of weeks, they are counting on the local addicts to come flocking back. Only now the gamblers will be desperately trying to win enough money to cover their mammoth hurricane losses, much of which will be uninsured loss. I can see them also gambling their FEMA grants for home repair because a gambling addict ALWAYS believes that they're going to win the next bet.

[pointblank]

19. The local addict factor...

as you put it, is what i am worried about.

Gambling is something I enjoy from time to time, but it really is a disease.

Maybe some of you have never been to a riverboat casino in the midwest, at 7 in the morning perhaps...check it out sometime, you will see things more on my level, I guarantee it.

[fasttense]

2. Love your beagle pup picture.

[pointblank]

39. THANKS!

Love them Beagles.

[YellerdawgFlorida]

3. It's all about money!

Marx was right about that much, at least. Mississippi will lose $500,000 a day in revenue from the casinos in Gulf Port and Biloxi. Thousands have lost their homes and their jobs...hopefully not their lives.
To me, it is really tacky to be talking about money right now with all these lives lost...leave it to faux news!

[pointblank]

6. The money IS important...

I just found it tacky as hell to run this story..and the the thought of a casino opening in NO anytime soon seems pathetic to me.

Who the hell is going to gamble there?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good night of dollar beers and some blackjack at the casinos here in STL from time to time, but really.

[mmonk]

8. It would be a gamble

[gmoney]

9. They need to reopen anything that can be reopened...

That's the only way normalcy will be restored. Plenty of people depend on their jobs at casinos for their wages and insurance. I'm not saying divert emergency resources from rebuilding a hospital or anything, but any business that can get back on its own feet should do so ASAP.

If nothing else, I imagine a lot of casinos also have lodging and restaurants, too, that will be necessary for those displaced from their homes, stranded travellers, etc.

[pointblank]

12. I did not think of those things...

Thanks for pointing it out.

I am just emotional about htis, and I saw it as a kind of a misplaced priority.

Am I totally off? Open the restaurants and the hotels then, but the casino itself...still sad.

Some of these fols down there who have been financially affected by this may have gambling problems, or may develop them after this disaster...I just see it as really poor taste.

[gmoney]

21. Well, it's going to take weeks to clean up...

I imagine some of these places will be "open" but will still have weeks of cleaning up and reconstruction and such... and I think it would be a good thing psychologically for the place where you work to be "open" even if business were almost non-existant... plus it would probably help the owners to justify paying people their wages if the place is open and they're working on cleaning up.

I'm also sure that it's not JUST limited to casinos... I'm sure loads of "non-essential" businesses are doing the same thing, just trying to get back on their feet. You'll see press releases from movie theatre chains, hair salons, advertising agencies, all sorts of places... I'm sure the media just picked up on the casino to elicit JUST the reaction they got from you.

[pointblank]

24. Why would they want to elicit the reaction I gave...

Am I missing something here?

[gmoney]

43. The media?

The MSM is all ABOUT misrepresenting situations to elicit emotional responses. Don't tell me you haven't noticed? Notice the story was NOT represented as "Casinos among many businesses working to get back to normal so their employees can earn a living and rebuild their own lives."

It's presented in the most sensational, scandal-mongering manner possible in most instances. It's like, can you imagine what's going to become of the Aruba tourist trade after all the non-stop sensationalizing about Nataleeeee?

The sensational, scandalous, and outrageous ALWAYS gets more ratings or sells more papers than responsible reporting. Even when the scandals are trumped up.

[Evergreen Emerald]

14. How much business will they get in two weeks?

Perhaps they should, in this time of disaster, open the doors to those who have lost everything.

[pointblank]

16. To quote Emeril Legassi (sp?)

BAM!! You got it. Thanks.

[KharmaTrain]

23. It's Not A Casino...It's An Entertaiment Center...

:sarcasm:

Yesterday, some media talking head moaned how the casinos in Biloxi crank in $500k a day for Haley Barbour and how this was going to be such a loss.

Hey brainstem...even if you get those gambling tubs back up and going, whatcha gonna gamble with? Corn chips? People won't have the money to throw away in their one-armed bandits...and those that do either are the poorest who escape to the "glamour" of the casino or the high rollers who wouldn't lift a finger or drop a dime to help out the community in this time of need.

Where the hell are people's priorities?

[pointblank]

28. Why do I feel like at least half of that 500K, if not more

is local money being recycled thorugh those places.

these are supposed to be tourist attractions, that bring in revenue from people from elsewhere.

Do they want tourists to start coming in the next 2 weeks, or do the casinos just want to cut their losses and milk the money from anyone, even if it means from the lcoals who should be spending their money on rebuilding their lives?...I smell the latter.

[KharmaTrain]

34. Is That An Abramoff Casino??

I agree with you. If, and I doubt, the casino could re-open in two weeks, the only people who will be around to throw money into the coffers will be the locals. From the damage I saw yesterday...that 20 foot wave that went crashing into Biloxi wiped out roads and buildings nearby...so even if you could get those things open, how would people get there?

What burns me is how reliant states have become on gambling money and lotteries, and how important a story this becomes over just the survival of the area. Yes, I know the casinos offer lots of local jobs, but now these people can be employed in rebuilding their town and if the casinos had any decency, they'd be the ones rolling in 500k a day into those communities and put a priority in rebuilding roads, schools and other community services...then let the high rollers back in.

[theboss]

31. Have ya been to New Orleans?

I'm surprised that the citizens didn't carry the casino to higher ground themselves.

[crispini]

35. They're not talking about re-opening it NOW, but when they can.

And this is the business section, of course they are talking about the impact on business. the people interviewed are casino owners, not FEMA officials. I fail to understand why you even think this is weird. Business owners need to think about their business.

[pointblank]

41. This is the quote that got me Crispini...

"Early estimates that casinos could open within a few days are overly optimistic..."



How early were these estimates? Were they as of Monday, Saturday?


Business owners need to think about their business, but they also need to put the communities they serve first. This is what is wrong with corporate Amurka, IMO.

Frankly I am suprised to be getting any oppostion to this on DU...but I like it!!

[crispini]

44. Well, yeah, that's pretty stupid.

But, after the storm hit and before the levee broke there was a period where we thought it wasn't going to be too bad. :cry:

[gmoney]

45. Does it say who is doing the estimating?

Besides, the situation changed a lot when the levee broke...