Time to have our voices heard - Criticism of the PPA

[va1halla]

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PPA is too late. They need to die off so that they aren't watering down the lobbyist pool. I don't want these ineffectual jackasses doing tv interviews and pulling support away from some other group that might actually do something.

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What other group ?

[cmac99]

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I don't know about anyone else in this forum, but I am extremely frustrated over this most recent legislation passed by OUR congress. The reasons for this are not just directed at the government however. We as players are as much to blame for this as anyone on Capitol Hill.

By taking a See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil attitude towards online gaming we have allowed the government to make the first move. What is more frustrating then our lack of aggression in doing some type of preemptive action,is our delay in putting together a strong, immediate response that sends a signal that these types of actions by the government will not be tolerated and we will fight against this until changes are made. Reaction has been limited to complaining on forums and everyone trying to figure out how to circumvent the law instead of changing it. People seem to be content with being pushed underground instead of using the power of numbers to try and initiate a meaningful resolution to this.

This lack of response is largely the fault of the PPA however. This organization claims to represent the poker community thru its membership base and government lobbying, but yet how many of the members actually know who the President is or can name a person on the Board of Directors?And who determined how those people were put in that position?

By taking up the interest of the poker players here in the US but not allowing those same people to have any voice in the decision-making process they continue to miss out on a golden opportunity to be the leading force that results in regulation of the online gaming industry. They would like to have a million members but how do they expect this to happen if the only influence members have is to give some money to people that they had no say in being put in that position and no way of knowing how that money is being used.

If you look at any other major lobbying force in this country you will find that they all have the same basic structure set up with local and state chapters designed to perform grassroots campaign to generate funds and increase membership base. Both of which result in strength and influence with members of Congress.

Until a grassroots effort is made to gain membership and allow everyone to participate in the organizations efforts the PPA will continue to fail in making itself a powerful lobbying force in Washington and will remain largely seen and not heard.

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Maybe if everyone on this forum would stop criticizing them, and stop being so damn cheap they would have a million members.

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Does anyone even know what would happen if they had a million members? As far as I can tell they have never said what they would do once they get to that point.. how will they be set up? Are they going to set up Chapters in every state? What kind of laws are they looking to pass? How will they lobby? All their doing right now is asking us to send money and trust them even though they have yet to be responsible for helping pass a single piece of meaningful legislation...

[Asianj]

I could not agree more with this post

[Grasshopp3r]

How many of you are members? I ponied up my $20 back in May when the bill was just starting to roll.

[cmac99]

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How many of you are members? I ponied up my $20 back in May when the bill was just starting to roll.

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It doesn't matter... the issue isn't whether your a member or not, it's about why you would want to be a member and what you get out of being a member. Besides the cutsie little bag stuffers they send you what exactly is that $20 getting you?

[hugheser]

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Besides the cutsie little bag stuffers they send you what exactly is that $20 getting you?

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You are getting a voice in DC lobbying for poker rights. Until recently, they have been fighting the current bill. Now that it has passed, they are trying to create legislation to carve out a poker exception. What else do you want them to do?

[PokeReader]

Actually I agree about the member charge, that is a highly unusual way of doing business for a group that is looking to push numbers. They would be better off if they just collected email and addresses and they sent people organization and solicitation info. List building is everything.

Foreign companies doing business in the U.S. are legally entitled to lobby the gov't, and to form a PAC. B.A.E. the british defense company's PAC's donated almost $800,000 this year. You do it the way the oil companies fund those groups that say there's no global warming, everbody kicks there funds in overseas and here suddenly it's the and Poker Legislation and Regulation Association.

[suzzer99]

I want to hear it from the head of the PPA - here - in a big thread where he responds to everyone's questions until they are all have been answered or attempted an answer. If he can't tell us something for strategic reasons that's fine - but he can at least hint or something.

The fact that this isn't already happening concerns me. Combined with the reservations of Mason et al - is enough to make me very wary of giving them my money.

[cmac99]

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Besides the cutsie little bag stuffers they send you what exactly is that $20 getting you?

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You are getting a voice in DC lobbying for poker rights. Until recently, they have been fighting the current bill. Now that it has passed, they are trying to create legislation to carve out a poker exception. What else do you want them to do?

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Sure they fight.. they call Senators just like we do.. the problem is that when they send someone to capitol hill and they say that they want the voices of their 25,000 members heard it gets drowned out by groups like the NRA with their 3 MILLION members and the AARP with their 5 MILLION members and groups like that. And they admit the same which is why the say the need a million members.. I think they can and should do more to reach out to players at the local levels to bring people in and set up a democratic process where those members have a voice in how the organization conducts its activities..

[Pokertini]

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i signed up with them and never got my free t-shirt

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