Don wrote: education goes both ways - the children you refer to under your fiancee's care come from areas and neighbourhoods where substance abuse is rife, and due to a socio-economic endemic? It is inherent in their people's culture. The children grow up under 'the way' and get to learn too late what is right, and what is not, and what measure can be taken.
If the education and conditioning for culture is done correctly, they will not make the wrong connection. They are able to reason for themselves at quite a young age and with guidance, make a sensible choice. Hence the education for handicapping as a science, first. Most things in life are based on competition - survival relies on humans competing, Maslow's needs. Racing is competitive. A structured competition. It is the structure that needs learning.
Casino's advocate gambling. The odds are high. Horseracing is not gambling, nor a game of chance. It is educated risk, with structured probability. Herein lies the difference.
You would be surprised - The institution is a private one and they only cater for a few subsidized beds - It costs about 24k for 4 weeks so most kids there have parents on Medical Aid and many are extremley well off(Drugs are not cheap and most of these kids are not there because they've committed any crime to source drugs ) - The old idea that only the poor used Drugs is a fallacy - I would not sleep well if I knew I was teaching children to Gamble!!
