Dear poker players: We're not alone; govt screws everybody!

[WordWhiz]

In the wake of the UIGEA or whatever it's called, there was a lot of wailing and moaning and gnashing of teeth on the forums here. Many people complained that letters to their congresspeople received form letter replies (if any at all), that the government didn't seem to care about them, that the process sucked, etc.

This is all correct, but it's hardly unique. It happens every day, to small groups here and there, none of which have the political clout to do anything about it. Two examples I stumbled upon just today:

[ QUOTE ]
In December, the Stolen Valor Act made it a crime to buy, sell, mail, import or export any military decoration approved by Congress. But the bill—intended to stop people from impersonating decorated vets—has such vague wording that medal collectors and auction houses are scrambling to find out if they're within the law.
...

Online auction sites such as eBay have already begun to cancel bidding on Purple Hearts and other decorations, regardless of whether the medals date back decades or longer. (Collectors of Civil War memorabilia could be affected.) Manions International, an auction house devoted to militaria, has yanked all American medals from its listings. And Jeff Floyd, the largest auctioneer of orders and medals from around the world, canceled his company's February round of auctions as he takes a "wait and see" approach.

[/ QUOTE ] (from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16841992...ite/newsweek/)

Hmmm, sound familiar? I imagine if we ventured over to the military memorabilia websites, we'd see the exact same stuff we've been seeing here for the last few months.

The other example:

[ QUOTE ]

The US government last month stopped accepting all but the latest version of Iraqi passports, effectively barring hundreds -- potentially thousands -- of Iraqis with valid US visas from entering the United States, including some students at Boston-area universities.
...
The move has stranded Iraqi families around the world and made it more difficult for countless others to flee the chaos-ridden country, according to Iraqi officials.
...
Now Iraqi citizens are being told that the only way to get a valid passport is to travel to Baghdad. But Sumaida'ie acknowledged that it would be an extreme hardship for most Iraqis abroad to make such a trip.
...


[/ QUOTE ]
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/ar...ps_iraqis_out/

Why does crap like this happen? Because govt is an unresponsive monopoly. In business, if you piss off your customers, they go elsewhere. With govt, you have no choice, other than leaving the country. Oh wait, there's an article about that in the latest Newsweek as well!

As Gustave de Molinari observed over 150 years ago:
[ QUOTE ]
The monopoly of government is no better than any other. One does not govern well and, especially not cheaply, when one has no competition to fear, when the ruled are deprived of the right of freely choosing their rulers. Grant a grocer the exclusive right to supply a neighborhood, prevent the inhabitants of this neighborhood from buying any goods from other grocers in the vicinity, or even from supplying their own groceries, and you will see what detestable rubbish the privileged grocer will end up selling and at what prices! You will see how he will grow rich at the expense of the unfortunate consumers, what royal pomp he will display for the greater glory of the neighborhood. Well! What is true for the lowliest services is no less true for the loftiest. The monopoly of government is worth no more than that of a grocer's shop.

[/ QUOTE ]

Democracy is a check on the worst government abuses--it restrains it slightly more than in a dictatorship, where one must risk life and limb in physical revolt to combat wrongdoing. But it comes nowhere near the level of the free market at rapidly and effectively satisfying consumer demand.

[tomdemaine]

Less likely but just as foolish

[ QUOTE ]
We have spoken many times about the famous "iPod Killer", but Democrat Senator Carl Krueger feels we should talk about the "killer iPod". So he wants to ban the iPods on the streets of New York.

Yes, he is planning to introduce a law which would make the use of the iPod, the BlackBerry or any other handheld illegal, when crossing the streets of New York. No matter how funny or weird that might sound to you, his intentions are pretty serious. He claims that the number of fatal accidents caused by what he calls “the iPod oblivion” is increasing in New York and as an example he brings the case of a young man who died last month. Apparently, the 23 years old man got hit by a bus while inattentively crossing a street, with his mind focused on what the iPod was playing. He did not cite though any scientific study concerning the rise of such fatal, iPod-related accidents.

[/ QUOTE ]

[John Kilduff]

[ QUOTE ]
Less likely but just as foolish

[ QUOTE ]
We have spoken many times about the famous "iPod Killer", but Democrat Senator Carl Krueger feels we should talk about the "killer iPod". So he wants to ban the iPods on the streets of New York.

Yes, he is planning to introduce a law which would make the use of the iPod, the BlackBerry or any other handheld illegal, when crossing the streets of New York. No matter how funny or weird that might sound to you, his intentions are pretty serious. He claims that the number of fatal accidents caused by what he calls “the iPod oblivion” is increasing in New York and as an example he brings the case of a young man who died last month. Apparently, the 23 years old man got hit by a bus while inattentively crossing a street, with his mind focused on what the iPod was playing. He did not cite though any scientific study concerning the rise of such fatal, iPod-related accidents.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

It's really pretty amazing.

Every time there is a problem of any kind, no matter how big or how small, some politician decides that the solution to it is to pass a new law. So the USA, and the states and the cities, keep getting more and more and more laws.

Eventually nearly everything will be illegal.

Haven't these politicians ever heard of the big picture? Does every problem, inconvenience, accident, grievance or health issue require a new law?

[ojc02]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Less likely but just as foolish

[ QUOTE ]
We have spoken many times about the famous "iPod Killer", but Democrat Senator Carl Krueger feels we should talk about the "killer iPod". So he wants to ban the iPods on the streets of New York.

Yes, he is planning to introduce a law which would make the use of the iPod, the BlackBerry or any other handheld illegal, when crossing the streets of New York. No matter how funny or weird that might sound to you, his intentions are pretty serious. He claims that the number of fatal accidents caused by what he calls “the iPod oblivion” is increasing in New York and as an example he brings the case of a young man who died last month. Apparently, the 23 years old man got hit by a bus while inattentively crossing a street, with his mind focused on what the iPod was playing. He did not cite though any scientific study concerning the rise of such fatal, iPod-related accidents.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

It's really pretty amazing.

Every time there is a problem of any kind, no matter how big or how small, some politician decides that the solution to it is to pass a new law. So the USA, and the states and the cities, keep getting more and more and more laws.

Eventually nearly everything will be illegal.

Haven't these politicians ever heard of the big picture? Does every problem, inconvenience, accident, grievance or health issue require a new law?

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, I don't even consider "ipod oblivion" to be a problem. It's natural selection at work. Now if this law is passed, I'll have to take off my headphones to cross every road?? I understand the risk, and I want to take it, why shouldn't I be allowed to?

Sigh, far too many politicians consider it to be their mission to "help people" with legislation. A good idea I heard was that we should have "conservation of laws", so if a new law is introducced, one has to be taken off the books.

[TomCollins]

"If this saves one persons life...."

Ugh.

[Uglyowl]

Reminds me of this non-sense:

Massachusetts senator wants Fluff banned from school lunches