Andy Rooney spoke out against the gaming industry on Sunday’s edition of “60 Minutes.” Seeming to take solace in the fact that the industry has been suffering he said that one good thing to come out of high unemployment rates is a reduction in gambling.  

He seemed to think that people who work for the gambling industry are less valuable than those who work in other industries. "I mean who's best for this country, a machinist at an automobile plant in Detroit or a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas?" he told viewers. Well I for one think that both are valuable and that it’s better that people have a place to work then have no work at all.  

People employed in the industry shouldn’t have to feel guilty about the work they do. They work hard for their money just like everyone else and they aren’t committing some great crime against humanity. It’s a good thing that the gambling industry is around to create such jobs and many communities have benefited from expanding gambling in their states.

Not only does the industry provide jobs to members of the outlining communities it produces revenue for the states. Many states have been suffering from the recent recession and gambling revenue has helped keep money in important programs like police, firemen, roads and schools. It is in many ways blasphemous to praise the fact that the government has been losing out on important funding and hope for their failure.

Rooney says that, "Gambling produces nothing,” but that just shows his ignorance.

Gambling turns everyday people working from paycheck to paycheck into millionaires, which in turn helps stimulate the economy. It supplies the country with thousands of jobs and produces helpful tax revenue. It’s true that gambling is a $30.74 billion dollar industry, but imagine what would happen if the industry wasn’t there. Very few products are made in this country anymore and that money would probably end up going to other countries rather than stay in the states. Not to mention the devastating effect on the employment rate should casino employees lose their jobs.

Shame on you Rooney.