Viva Las Vegas!

Jeffrey Tucker reports from FreedomFest. I’m not there, but Vegas is one of my favorite cities. It’s a place that’s coursing with energy. A couple of quick thoughts:

1. Market forces aren’t doing anything about the weather outdoors, but they’re helping alleviate it. My guess is that there’s someone on every street corner who will sell you a bottle of water for a dollar (for an interesting story, ask about their relationships with the casinos, the licensing authorities, and the cops).

2. One of the comments on Jeff’s report points out that Vegas probably owes its existence to federal subsidies and messed-up water infrastructure. That’s probably true, but Vegas represents a lower bound on what our creative energies can achieve.

3. I stayed at the Tropicana when I was there for the APEE meetings in April. I asked at the front desk if there was a church nearby. The clerk responded “no, but there’s an In-n-Out Burger if you like burgers.” I’ve had In-n-Out Burger once before, and I’d say it was an experience that brought me closer to God. It turns out there’s also a Catholic church near the Wynn. It was a hike from the Tropicana, but it was worth it.