The Pursuit of Happiness, Not the Sit-Around-and-Wait of Happiness

Massachusetts license plates are decorated with the tagline "The Spirit of America." It's the colonial tradition that makes some cities think of themselves as quintessentially American. Philly is kind of that way. New York probably would be if it didn't have so many other things going on. I suppose Washington has a pretty good claim on the title, on account of it being the seat of government and all.

But for my money, Las Vegas is the distillation of all the things that make America great, and it creates a corrosive, yet delicious, paste that you can spread on toast.

Naked capitalism.

Fully dressed capitalism.

Crass commercialism.

Marginal entertainment.

Extreme gluttony.

Giant lizards.

Pyrotechnics.

And the Sweet Taste of Liberty.

So, today we remember the wise words of Barney Stinson: "Look: our forefathers died for the pursuit of happiness! Not the "sit-around-and-wait" of happiness! Now if you want, you can go to the same bar, drink the same beer, talk to the same people every day, *or*, you can *lick* the Liberty Bell! You can grab life by the crack and lick the crap out of it!"