[TheEngineer]

September 29, 2007

The Honorable John Boehner
Office of the Republican Leader
H-204 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Boehner:

I am writing as a concerned conservative Republican to ask you to cosponsor either HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, or HR 2610, the Skill Game Protection Act. I realize the idea of a federal Internet gaming prohibition pushed by some big government “conservative” CINOs may have sounded appealing to you last year, but it surely cannot seem so in the current political environment. I strongly urge you to abandon the CINOs before the voters finish abandoning our party. Please rejoin the limited government crowd (i.e., the real conservatives) by supporting ending this foolish federal prohibition on what people choose to do in their own homes.

The voters in my home state, Kentucky, will speak on Nov. 6 with regards to gaming in the commonwealth. Our Republican governor, Ernie Fletcher, is running on a campaign of gaming demonization (and little else). It has gotten him nowhere in the polls – despite being the incumbent, he’s down a solid twenty points. His position on gaming has clearly worsened his standing. It is clear from this polling that the good folks of Kentucky do not feel some overpowering need to “protect” their neighbors from having the right to choose to play some cards or a little poker after work. I know I don’t. Where are the anti-gaming marches? Where is the concern? I don’t see it. Given all of Fletcher’s scare tactics, one would expect to see something if anyone here thought gaming was somehow evil or wrong. As there have been none, we obviously see all gaming, whether online, at a bricks-and-mortar casino, or at a racetrack, as simply another valid choice of entertainment. And, it looks like we’ll vote that way. If this is the story in a red state, imagine how things will be nationwide in 2008!

The truth is that anti-gaming nanny-state groups have sold the Republican Party a bill of goods, and this new so-called big government conservatism is hurting our party. Surely you don’t deny that this prohibition has cost the party many votes. We don’t need big government to protect us from ourselves.

If the CINOs in Congress wish to ban gaming simply to protect people from themselves, what’s next? Legislation controlling the menus at fast food restaurants to keep people from becoming obese? Why not? What’s the difference? Philosophically, it’s the same, isn’t it? Protecting our “feeble” citizens from themselves with the power of the big federal government? Big government is big government.

Again, I urge you to publicly support the right of Americans to choose to play Internet poker. It’s foolish not to. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

TheEngineer