Having nothing but time on his hands, the editor sent me an e-mail last week suggesting a topic for the column. Perhaps, he wrote, I could do a column on the dustup about the proposed casino.
You’ve read about it in the newspaper. The Miwok Tribe wants to build a casino on Highway 25 near the Santa Clara-San Benito county line.
Several thoughts occurred to me after I read the e-mail. First, the editor has way too much time on his hands. And here’s why: He sends reporters out to gather the news and then has nothing to do until late afternoon. Late afternoon is when the editor holds a meeting to decide what to put on the front page of the paper. If you ever go into a newspaper editor’s office any day before noon, he will want to know your lunch plans. To kill time editors surf the Internet and send e-mails to their columnists.
Second, I’m not a gambler. Generally, I subscribe to Canada Bill Jones notion that gambling is based on the premise that it is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money. And I’ve never set foot in one of the casinos in California. So I have no idea what goes on inside. The last time I was in Las Vegas was in the 20th Century, 1998 to be exact. Prior to that, my previous visit to Vegas was while Jimmy Carter was president. Back then the Strip was a cab ride away from the airport. When I walked out of the Las Vegas airport in l998, the Strip was right across the street. I asked somebody when exactly was it that the airport was moved closer to the Strip.
Third, in the interest of full disclosure, once upon a time I did bet on football games. And I have a nice wrist watch to prove it. But it was a lot of work. Some of my friends grew alarmed at my obsession with knowing what the weather was going to be in places like Green Bay and Cincinnati on a Sunday afternoon in December. So I quit, cold turkey.
When the editor suggested I write a column on the proposed casino, he was asking for my opinion. That’s what a column is all about – my opinion on things. Ask about the supes iron-headed decisions on campaign finance reform, better known as The Incumbents Surefire Reelection Act, and I have an opinion. Same thing with the laughing act otherwise known as the DA’s office. Or the Bush Administration’s all-out war on the middle class. Or the state budget charade.
But I don’t know about the casino proposal. In fact, when it comes right down to it, I’m ambivalent about the issue. And ambivalence does not a column make.
I explained my dilemma to the Back Porch Philosopher this way: The entire casino issue is very complicated. The casino, declare its proponents, will create jobs. Law enforcement agencies say it will create crime. And it occurs to me that the process of putting the casino in place will be a long drawn out affair, involving the state, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, planners and all the usual suspects. A lot of calendar books will be used up on this thing, what with all the meetings.
The Back Porch Philosopher listened and then reached into his duffel bag of metaphors. He said he understood my ambivalence. After all it was a complex issue, one that had more angles than Epcot Center.
As usual, the Back Porch Philosopher hit the nail on the head. The newspaper had a story about the casino issue the other day that was written by three reporters. And the editor wants a column from only one writer? What’s up with that? Does the editor know how to spell “daunting task”?
In the end, I’m not sure I can write a column about the Miwok Tribe’s proposed casino. Thinking about the entire issue of gambling, who does it, why and what happens to losers, makes me want to take a nap. Standing for hours in front of a slot machine with a cup full of quarters is hardly my idea of a good time. Not only is it hard on your wallet, it’s bad for your eyes. I would rather have the eye drop concession. On the other hand, I’m mostly in favor of whatever it takes to float your boat.
I hate to let the editor down, but at this point the casino thing is way too convoluted to figure out and put neatly into a column.
Time will tell, but the casino proposal could go either way. And it probably will.
