Sunday, September 6, 2009

death of a dream in Las Vegas

I am quick to tell people that Las Vegas is a sh¡thole. Lots of people go there to get easy money, and those who've grown up there learn the twisted values of easy money and typically eschew the hard work of going to college and learning to do something other than casino related jobs (blackjack dealing, cocktail waitressing, etc.).

I don't mind the heat, but I wouldn't want to raise kids in a place where there's such a palpable sense of transience to so many things — and people — around you, and where the "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" mentality officially written in to the city's DNA fosters a sense of hedonism and irresponsible behavior that trickles down even to Clark County's children.

And with that in mind, I read this story in the Los Angeles Times, about four "transplants" to Las Vegas, one from Minnesota, some from Orange County, whose dream of an easier life and greater comforts that they couldn't obtain back home are now dashed as Las Vegas seemingly sinks into the desert from which it rose.

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