People like to think of Switzerland as a neutral country whose government will let you do pretty much anything you want. There are no laws – everything is legal – and people are on the honor system to not hurt each other. This isn’t entirely accurate.

It is true that the Swiss Confederation is one of the best examples of free-market capitalism in the world. In fact, it’s ranked number 6 on the Heritage Foundation’s  Index of Economic Freedom (the United States, in comparison, is number 8). As a result, Switzerland has a thriving economy and its per-capita GDP is among the highest in the world. Economically, Switzerland is everything that every other country should want to be.

However, they do still have a government and like all governments, when they do something it’s usually not good. Such is the case with their recent decision regarding poker.

The highest court of the Swiss Confederation ruled that Texas hold’em is not a game of skill. Therefore, by law it can only be played within their casinos. That means no poker tournaments held at bars, resorts (outside the casinos), restaurants and wherever else people like to hold poker tournaments. Friendly games within your home are still okay, but in every other case, the poker game must be confined to the casinos.

The court ruling is a victory for casinos who were worried about losing business but a defeat for poker players and lovers of freedom everywhere. Switzerland, you know I love you, but you got this one wrong.

How did they come to the conclusion that Texas hold’em is a not a game of skill? According to reports, if it could be proven that mathematics, psychology and other mental tactics are more important to the game than chance (which card you are dealt), then it would be a game of skill and you could play it anywhere. After examining the evidence, the court ruled that chance was the most important aspect of Texas hold’em. It makes me wonder if they have ever played.

So the government of the Swiss Confederation has made a bad decision that takes away freedom in favor of helping big business. Welcome to the party, Switzerland. You were a little late, but there’s still room for you.

“I understand that America is a mess right now. Unemployment and the economy are in a dismal state. It is my number one priority to solve these problems and fix the economy. But people, don’t spend money! Save it! Stuff it under your mattress! Keep it away from the greedy banks and don’t spend it on frivolous things! Hoard your money because you’re going to need it!”

Obviously, saying something like that would be terrible for the economy and is the exact opposite of what the country needs. It’s also a loose paraphrase of the words of President Barack Obama. Throughout his year in the White House and even before, Obama has made it clear that he’s not a fan of capitalism, taking every opportunity to portray businesses as greedy, people as being in need of handouts, and the government being responsible for taking care of the people. That would be fine, except that he is the president of a country that has a Representative Republic system of government and a capitalist form of economy. His attitudes are not only counterproductive, but also downright dangerous for both.

The most recent of many examples of this is Obama’s criticism of Las Vegas and people who visit the city. Obama recently said that people saving money for college shouldn’t waste their money on gambling in Vegas. Last February, he made a similar remark about companies that received TARP funds, saying that it was irresponsible for them to take trips to the Sin City.

It’s no surprise that an anti-capitalist wouldn’t realize that trips to conferences and junkets in places like Las Vegas are an important part of the process of obtaining and retaining clients. But at least in that case he was criticizing the spending of money by companies that had received money from taxpayers. In his recent comments, he criticized private citizens for spending their own money.

Lawmakers and businessmen in Vegas are understandably furious and many have vowed to support whoever runs against Obama in 2012. They recognize that his comments and policies are bad for Las Vegas, the state of Nevada, and the country as a whole.

While the entire country has a dismal unemployment rate of 10% — you know, the catastrophic number that Obama said we would reach if he didn’t get to pass his “stimulus” bill – Nevada is even worse, at 13%. You should also note that both are conservative estimates that don’t count people with part-time jobs, those who have given up looking for work, and those who work on a temporary project. And with unemployment that bad and Nevada’s tourism industry struggling, the President of the United States, the most powerful man in the country (with the exception of George Soros and Al Gore), is telling people not to visit Las Vegas and not to spend money in their casinos, which just so happens to be the biggest industry they have in the state. Real responsible, Mr. President.

People of the United States and the rest of the world, spend your money as you see fit. You should of course be responsible, but if you have the disposable income to take a vacation, I can think of no place better than Vegas. Of course, as I’ve said countless times, you should never wager money that you can’t afford to lose, but if you can afford to lose it, Las Vegas would be happy to have it.