My job has required me to be in Las Vegas a couple of times recently.

I do always marvel at the architecture and detail of the hotels out here.

My most recent trip brought me to Mandalay Bay for the first time. They have a long hallway leading to their convention center that is lighted by huge custom chandeliers. My building products expertise tells me these are probably, at minimum, $35,000 each and there were a whole bunch of them.

I know as well as anyone that you have to spend money to make money and that making money helps stimulate economic growth ... but ...

I also thought of the several non-profits I work with ... the money represented by just a couple of those chandeliers would have a MAJOR IMPACT on the ministry activities of those groups.

A few years ago, "minimalism" was the fad in architecture and design. That may still be the case some places but definitely not in Vegas.

It would be an interesting trend, though, if it freed up funds that could be used for the least of us.