Vice Squad Attacks on Missouri’s “Deplorables”

The accompanying illustration is symbolic, but the message is real. The people in “Deplorable Valley” are not criminals. They are Missouri clerks, cashiers, bartenders, veterans’ hall workers, smoke-shop employees, convenience-store owners, route technicians, and small-business families trying to keep the lights on. That is who gets hurt when government replaces clear law with threats, deadlines, and shifting interpretations.

Missouri’s alcohol licensing records show the scale of the issue. The state maintains roughly 70,000 active alcohol license records, though many businesses hold multiple licenses. A reasonable estimate is that 4,000 to 6,000 Missouri retail locations could be affected by aggressive enforcement policies involving amusement or skill-game devices. Those locations are employers.

Using a conservative estimate of 8 to 12 workers per location, the affected workforce could reach 32,000 to 72,000 Missouri jobs. Even assuming only half are materially affected, that still places 20,000 to 35,000 workers in the economic danger zone. At $30,000 to $35,000 per year, that represents roughly $600 million to $1.2 billion in annual Missouri payroll. This is not abstract. These are working-class Missourians, the people political elites dismiss until election season and then pretend to defend. They are the so-called “deplorables” who open the stores, stock the shelves, serve the drinks, clean the floors, and work the counters.

If Missouri wants to prohibit certain devices, the General Assembly can say so clearly. If Missouri wants regulation, licensing, inspections, taxes, or age restrictions, the legislature can create that framework. But government should not be allowed to govern by proclamation, threat letter, or vice-squad press release.

In the end, the fight has never been about the machines - it is about the people who work behind the counter. Join the movement at molag.org.