"I miss the mob"

FTA: "When the mafia ran this town, it was fun. [...]" This from a cabbie there 27 years.

Howard Hughes bought the Desert Inn 42 years ago on March 1, 1967, ushering in the corporate takeover of Las Vegas.

The takeover was finished by the time I worked in Las Vegas, 35 years ago -- really. Co-workers Ed M. and Cliff L. were old-timers when I got there. They had the same sentiments as the cabbie. The mob kept the town clean, but now the corporations had taken over and were ruining things. E.g., forcing each casino department (gaming, restaurants, showroom, souvenirs, ...) to turn a minimum profit or be axed. Casinos run by MBAs with diplomas but no common sense.

Net-net, I believe the moral of the story, but not the story itself. 27 years isn't long enough.