It finally came out yesterday....that a developer is looking at this idea of putting up a five-star casino deal in the National Harbor area.....which is just east of Alexandria, Virginia and over into the Maryland area. For Washington DC....this is a major topic of discussion. The creation of a Vegas-like atmosphere, in DC?
There are several ways of looking at this. First, there's not much for gambling pleasure around the region, unless you take off to Atlantic City. Second, there's a bunch of government employees in the region.....who might be talked into going to a Vegas-caravel-like playground....and spend their cash. For VIP's, I'm also guessing that some big-name locals would enjoy a chance to rub elbows other VIPs.
Helping the economy? Well....there's taxes involved somewhere in this mess, and that can only help Maryland. Course, it's just shifting money from one private pocket, to one government pocket. That's probably not the best kind of deal.
Friday, 17 February 2012
Free isn't Free
I've sat by for three weeks.....watching the President's contraception dilemma. It is a comedy of sorts now.
Once the President stood up and said he'd fix this issue....by making women's contraception free....that ended the torment possibility by big-name media. But you've got this odd problem laying there....free stuff. Officially, Congress can regulate commerce, but they can't make companies give anything away free. The President? Well....no one can remember any President directing anyone over the past two hundred years.....directing a company to give something away freely.
I sat and pondered over this.
It'd be nice, if the President could order the cable companies to offer HBO as a free deal, but I know that the cable companies would just inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order Burger King to offer free ice tea with each meal, but I know that Burger King would just inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order gas stations to offer free wiper fluid for your car when you filled up with gas, but I know that the gas stations would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order Ford, GM and Chrysler to offer free oil changes for the life of a car, but I know that the car companies would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order Marriott hotels to offer a seventh night free, if you paid for six nights in the hotel, but I know that the hotel chain would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order International House of Pancakes to offer free bacon with each waffle meal, but I know that the IHOP folks would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order the airlines to carry your baggage free of charge when you book your trip, but I know that the airlines would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order free installation with all septic tanks (upon purchase), but I know the septic tank companies would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
So out there are a dozen health insurance guys who are busy with the numbers right now, and planning for 2013. That normal three-to-five percent increase on health insurance costs? Well....I'm betting almost all companies go for a ten percent rate increase, and maybe even fifteen percent. The President will try hard not to grin when this gets announced, and Congress will talk of an investigation.
In the end.....there just isn't anything free. That happy meal at McDonalds for your kid? It's not really free....they figure its cost into the kid's meal. The free tea deal at Catfish Cabin? It's not really free because they figure that cost into the meal itself. The free installation of that battery into your car at Sears? Well....it's not free because Sears figures the cost into each battery they sell.
Yes, we are just that naive, to believe that free is free, and that's the sad story of America tonight.
Once the President stood up and said he'd fix this issue....by making women's contraception free....that ended the torment possibility by big-name media. But you've got this odd problem laying there....free stuff. Officially, Congress can regulate commerce, but they can't make companies give anything away free. The President? Well....no one can remember any President directing anyone over the past two hundred years.....directing a company to give something away freely.
I sat and pondered over this.
It'd be nice, if the President could order the cable companies to offer HBO as a free deal, but I know that the cable companies would just inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order Burger King to offer free ice tea with each meal, but I know that Burger King would just inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order gas stations to offer free wiper fluid for your car when you filled up with gas, but I know that the gas stations would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order Ford, GM and Chrysler to offer free oil changes for the life of a car, but I know that the car companies would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order Marriott hotels to offer a seventh night free, if you paid for six nights in the hotel, but I know that the hotel chain would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order International House of Pancakes to offer free bacon with each waffle meal, but I know that the IHOP folks would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order the airlines to carry your baggage free of charge when you book your trip, but I know that the airlines would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
It'd be nice, if the President could order free installation with all septic tanks (upon purchase), but I know the septic tank companies would inflate their prices and add two percent on top of that.....to come out ahead. It just wouldn't be free.
So out there are a dozen health insurance guys who are busy with the numbers right now, and planning for 2013. That normal three-to-five percent increase on health insurance costs? Well....I'm betting almost all companies go for a ten percent rate increase, and maybe even fifteen percent. The President will try hard not to grin when this gets announced, and Congress will talk of an investigation.
In the end.....there just isn't anything free. That happy meal at McDonalds for your kid? It's not really free....they figure its cost into the kid's meal. The free tea deal at Catfish Cabin? It's not really free because they figure that cost into the meal itself. The free installation of that battery into your car at Sears? Well....it's not free because Sears figures the cost into each battery they sell.
Yes, we are just that naive, to believe that free is free, and that's the sad story of America tonight.
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