French Quarter fire

That is not good news. I think we need to find a prayer smilie!

A building is burning now. That would be the last straw if a fire were to get out of control with no ability to put it out. The whole area could burn up.

I have never been to NOLA but I bet it will never be the same again . Like you said if a fire starts in 1 building I can't imagine what would stop it from spreading. Aren't all the buildings connected on a given block?

They keep talking about casinos - who gives a crap about casinos.

They keep talking about casinos - who gives a crap about casinos.

I hear that 2 are missing :shock: and some were floated up over the highway :!:

The casinos in MS employ 14000 people and are huge to the state's economy.

Gambling is bad news. I don't like the way it has become so popular. It is becoming a greater and greater scourge. Those casinos will build bigger and better (at stealing money). Do people deserve what they get?? Where does all that money go that the casinos pay the state? Into schools? Feeding the hungry? Buiolding roads? Not in Miss. It's going right into crooks pockets.

See how they skirted the rules by building on barges. Next thing they'll be saying - hey we'll rebuild but let us do it on land cause its safer.

All those people that are employed by the casinos - what were they doing before? Starving? No - and most of them came from out of the area. Casinos are not good for anyone. Gambling is the worst vice. Vegas is the devils playground. Maybe he was pissed at Miss.

The casinos in MS employ 14000 people and are huge to the state's economy.

Yep. I heard somewhere that the state loses $500K a day that the casinos are closed. So.. I guess it is important. Plus, it's just amazing to see the pictures of the huge riverboat casinos moved a few hundred yards inland..

Yep. I heard somewhere that the state loses $500K a day that the casinos are closed. So.. I guess it is important. Plus, it's just amazing to see the pictures of the huge riverboat casinos moved a few hundred yards inland..

I can't believe governments are becoming so dependent on gambling money. I guess that's preferable to raising taxes, or becoming more financially responsible?

With casinos in NOLA and Mississippi shut down, what do you want to bet (no pun intended) that we see a push in Florida to legalize it here?

I had a realtor tell me a year or so ago that a lot of the big, new, high-rise condos in PC were running extra electrical capacity into their ground floor lobbies in anticipation of when (not if...when) it's legalized here.

I can't believe governments are becoming so dependent on gambling money. I guess that's preferable to raising taxes, or becoming more financially responsible?

I'm no apologist for casino gambling (never been much into it myself) but consider this. New Orleans' economy is (was) based on primarily two things--the port and tourism. Taxing the port is somewhat regulated since there are issues about levies on interstate commerce and international tariffs...I'm not sure NOLA had a lot of leeway to tax there. As for tourism, you can only raise taxes so high before you begin collecting less revenue. I don't know a lot about the NOLA or LA-state budgets so I can't say with certainty that they couldn't raise them some, but I question whether there was all that much room to move them up. Plus, the casinos were something of a draw for the tourists. Yes, people did come down to see Mardi Gras and the Jazz Fest, but the casinos helped bring them the rest of the year. And helped lure in the conventions and trade shows. You can't just "raise taxes" without first growing the tax base.

As for Mississippi's economy, it's just like Lousiana's but without the port or the tourism.

Fiscal responsibility? Well....this is Louisiana and Mississippi were talking about. :laughing1 (No flames, natives...I'm from there, too)

Again, I'm not a big fan of casinos myself, but I can understand why state governments find them attractive.

With casinos in NOLA and Mississippi shut down, what do you want to bet (no pun intended) that we see a push in Florida to legalize it here?

I had a realtor tell me a year or so ago that a lot of the big, new, high-rise condos in PC were running extra electrical capacity into their ground floor lobbies in anticipation of when (not if...when) it's legalized here.

I don't know about that, but it would not surprize me. I think they legalized gambling, other than the State run Lottery, down in Ft Lauderdale area this past year, along with another area. Ebro has the dog tracks and more recently added Texas Hold'em Poker.

Something else we may see is more owners from coastal areas of AL MS moving this way.

Something else we may see is more owners from coastal areas of AL MS moving this way.

Count on it.