Sisolak victimizes the vulnerable

During the Great Recession, then-Gov. Jim Gibbons (R, above) committed a depraved act by raiding Nevada‘s problem-gambling fund to plug some holes in the state budget. Not to be outdone, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) is following in Midnight Jim’s footsteps. He has whacked 75% off the pitifully small amount the Silver State sets aside to treat disordered gambling (derived from a surcharge on slot machines), leaving only $500,000. That’s hardly “george.” In fact, it basically abandons to their fate those unfortunate people who are the collateral damage of the state’s signature industry. Anybody who thinks compulsive gamblers should just suck it up or practice stoic self-reliance is cordially invited to go jump in a lake. And if you think that’s a stern judgment, you should see the blistering words that Richard Schuetz has for Sisolak and for Nevada’s cavalier attitude toward the dark underside of the neon glitter.