Opinion column on the bill from Sports Illustrated

[linuxrocks]

[ QUOTE ]
The obvious solution would be to legalize and regulate it so that there are US-based sites.

Of course. But it's so obvious that of course these dummies do the opposite.

[/ QUOTE ]

It may sound bad, but actually it makes sense. If they legalize, Do you really think any US company can stand up to the pressure or Party, PS likes ? The market is already completely dominated by these overseas players. A good way to kill them all is pass such a legislation and score some brownie points for election as well.

They can simply make an amendment later or just make a statement saying that online poker is legal.

[Ace upmy Slv]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It's already been pointed out: The ban was 6th page news; reversing it will be front page news."

[/ QUOTE ]



My newspaper yesterday (Sacramento Bee) had the gambling ban as their cover story on the front page. I think it is getting much more media attention that you think, and I think that will continue to grow. With that being said, I agree with you that nothing will happen overnight, but to get public opinion on our side obviously can't hurt.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not saying it isnt getting any coverage, just that most people really dont care, especially not enough to do something about it.

I fully agree that public opinion on our side is good, never said anything to the contrary.

[/ QUOTE ]

To say that most people really don't care is a poor way to look at it. I don't know about you guys, but EVERY single person that I work with and my entire family now knows exactly what is going on. I have educated everyone that I come in contact with about this issue and have explained it in a way that makes them care regardless of the 'gambling' issue. The best way to get other non-gamblers to care about it, is to educate them on the back door way this bill was passed and how our government unethically handled this bill. We also need to appeal to others about the ignorance of the government to think that it is their job to look out for our morals and how we as citizens want to live our lives.

This is the stuff that we should be doing instead of continually going back to the idea that other people just don't care or won't care.

[peritonlogon]

Maybe my reply should be in the political forum, but, the protection of state lotteries/horse races is primarily a subtle type of class warfare.

Let me explain

For the past 26 years or so, taxes have been continually cut on state and local levels, federal too with a brief break in the Bush I/Clinton erras(they've also been continually shifted downward). Taxes have simply become unpopular. People want schools, people want the public services, but they don't want to pay for them. People demand new services, but no one will ever be elected if he or she proposes a tax to pay for the service.

As a result states have had to come up with other means of funding, since people don't want taxes. The three primary avenues for funding are increased fees, increased fines and state-run-lotteries. The fines really make me want to vomit on a politicans face, $1k for 7mph over in a work zone? That is a tax lottery. The fees... well ok, business that need to be licensed should pay something, they're getting the benefit of the license, so fine.

Then there are the state-run-lotteries. Most people who play those are low income, often nearing or past the poverty line. Once the lotteries are introduced, the states do nothing but expand them and then talk about how great they are for funding so much education. And the lotteries are just ridiculously stupid, scratch tickets! if you thought being a click monkey was bad, you should see someone standing with a penny over a few dozen scratch tickets. But I digress.

State-run-lotteries, megabucks, powerball, etc and scratch tickets are regressive taxation. They are there specifically to fill a funding need and they primarily use the money of those who need their money the most. We could just as easily have more luxery taxes or more income/property/sales taxes.

I mean, doesn't it make sense that the people who benefit (take) the most from society should have to contribute (pay taxes) the most.

Fees, fines, and gambling, have come to take a large portion of the tax burden because people do not want taxes, and people don't mind shifting taxes downward because every American hopes to be rich some day. Fines for the sake of funding are actually illegal, its called missino creep, but it invariably happens whenever citizens can't or don't take part in their government.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't be have the choice to play scratch tickets or lotteries. We should just be honest about their purpose, to keep, the taxes and tax burden of middle and upper middle class Americans low.

[Hock_]

As I pointed out in another thread, this line of reasoning is stupid, because what the legislation has done is guarantee that all wagers will go off-shore since it prohibits US-based companies from accepting bets while having no applicability to off-shore sites.

[SlyGuy]

Commie! j/k

Well said. If only more people understood this. The system is slanted to take advantage of those who don't understand enough to realize it.