Forbes Opinion Article: Why Republicans Should Favor Legalized Internet Gambling - Poker Legislation

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Forbes Opinion Article: Why Republicans Should Favor Legalized Internet Gambling

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08-12-2010 , 06:53 PM

PokerXanadu

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Why Republicans Should Favor Legalized Internet Gambling

Quote:

Why Republicans Should Favor Legalized Internet Gambling

Michelle Minton, 08.12.10, 04:42 PM EDT

Private convictions are no reason to abandon ideals of limited government, individual rights and personal responsibility.

The House Financial Services Committee recently approved the Internet Gambling, Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act introduced by Chairman Barney Frank. If passed and signed by President Obama, this bill would legalize Internet gambling and set up a framework for licensing and regulating the activity.

While the bill had a good amount of bipartisan support, much of the voting came down along party lines--with almost all of the opposition vocalized by Republicans. Of the 26 Republican members present at the hearing, 18 voted against the bill with one, Ron Paul, who reportedly supports decriminalizing Internet gambling, voting "present." This is an absurd scenario. If Republicans really believe in lower taxes, smaller government and free markets, they should favor legalizing online gambling. At the very least, they should oppose federal efforts to ban the activity.
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This one could have been written by TE!

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08-12-2010 , 07:14 PM

Fermion5

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good conclusion paragraph

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08-12-2010 , 07:34 PM

t_roy

veteran

Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2,123

Um yea except Republicans are not as the article describes. They're talking about conservatives. Maybe republicans used to be conservatives but unfortunately most of them aren't any longer. The worst part is that this leaves us with the choice to pick the lesser of two evils when voting IMO.

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08-12-2010 , 07:46 PM

glassman

journeyman

Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 281

Thats why we lost control of the house and senate.

I know TE

<------Politics

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08-12-2010 , 08:42 PM

niss

Wood

Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 17,048

What a good article, but even better is to see how the mainstream press seems to really be taking up the issue, and pretty much uniformly taking our side.

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08-12-2010 , 09:21 PM

tangled

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Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,795

The guy thumps Bacchus but good!

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08-12-2010 , 09:25 PM

DrewOnTilt

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Quote:

Rep. Spencer Bachus, the chief proponent of a ban on Internet gambling, has signed ATR's Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which enjoins signatories to oppose any and all tax increases. Bachus has declared that "high taxes stifle economic growth, burdening families and job-creating businesses." Yet, he pontificates about the social ills that legalized net gambling would herald, without consideration for the millions of jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenue that it would likely bring to the U.S. And then there is the additional spending: American government and businesses would need to spend millions of dollars trying to stop or prosecute individuals willingly gambling online.

Many of these Republicans who want to ban Internet gambling are the same ones who decry the Democrats' policies for pushing America toward socialism. Yet, when it comes to activities they don't like, they make the argument that government must intervene in private economic activities and personal lives for the sake of the "public good." Rep. Bachus, for example, says he wants to ban gambling because of the fear that adults can "click the mouse and lose their house." Seeking to protect adults from their own decisions is paternalism of the worst kind.

Moreover, Bachus doesn't seem as concerned about financial risk in other types of activities in which he himself engages. In 2007 he made numerous short-term trades on the stock market, betting that the market would drop, earning about $160,000 off the wager. According to his 2007 congressional financial disclosure, on Dec. 10 of that year Bachus earned $15,000 from an investment he'd held for only two weeks.

Somebody call the police. Bachus just got raped.

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08-12-2010 , 09:38 PM

dangerfish

old hand

Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,971

If someone clicks a mouse and looses their house I can pretty much guarantee house was destined to be lost so if anything he can at least have some fun doing it.

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08-13-2010 , 05:23 AM

PokerXanadu

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Here is the digg link (from TE):

DIGG: http://digg.com/political_opinion/Fo...g_Online_Poker

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08-13-2010 , 05:27 AM

#10

jmillerdls

veteran

Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,485

This article is too logical. I've been making this same argument for years.

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08-13-2010 , 10:40 AM

#11

Grasshopp3r

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Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 4,276

dugg and added comment. Hypocrisy is a powerful thing.

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08-13-2010 , 11:34 AM

#12

JeffreyS

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Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 57

Terrific article!

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08-13-2010 , 01:15 PM

#13

Grasshopp3r

WRGPT 16 Champion

Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 4,276

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangled

The guy thumps Bacchus but good!

The author is Michelle Minton. She thumps him.

Also, it is important to note that most journalists are not above incorporating prior articles, especially when it is eloquent and cogent. Whenever TE circulates something for comments, it is important to know that it could have wider impacts as the research for others.

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08-13-2010 , 08:01 PM

#14

Rich Muny

Former PPA VP

Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 28,237

Quote:

Originally Posted by PokerXanadu

Here is the digg link (from TE):

DIGG: http://digg.com/political_opinion/Fo...g_Online_Poker

Thanks for posting the link. We were voted to the front page of Digg!

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08-13-2010 , 10:45 PM

#15

LirvA

banned

Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 43,568

What's with Ron Paul's vote?

I thought he supported HR 2267?

edit: nm just read this post

Quote:

Ron Paul still supports us. He was willing to vote for the regulation contained in the initial bill but found some amendments to cross the line for him in terms of his belief in Constitutional limitations. Even with this, he still voted present rather than no.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...6&postcount=18

what amendments?

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08-14-2010 , 06:02 AM

#16

PokerXanadu

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TheEngineer

Thanks for posting the link. We were voted to the front page of Digg!

I got your back, bro.

I figured you were busy mining the depths of your intellect for your 10K post.

Feel free to add the digg link to the OP.

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08-14-2010 , 10:24 AM

#17

Mordan

grinder

Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 625

Quote:

Originally Posted by LirvA

What's with Ron Paul's vote?

I thought he supported HR 2267?

edit: nm just read this post

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...6&postcount=18

what amendments?

from what I understand/have heard Paul say is that he is for online gambling, but not for the taxing of it.

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08-14-2010 , 04:00 PM

#18

Rich Muny

Former PPA VP

Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 28,237

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mordan

from what I understand/have heard Paul say is that he is for online gambling, but not for the taxing of it.

True, but that wasn't the problem with this bill. He was planning to support this one and oppose the separate (McDermott) tax bill.

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08-14-2010 , 04:04 PM

#19

Rich Muny

Former PPA VP

Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 28,237

Quote:

Originally Posted by PokerXanadu

I got your back, bro.

I figured you were busy mining the depths of your intellect for your 10K post.

Most appreciated.

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08-14-2010 , 09:17 PM

#20

inspectorgadget

adept

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 978

http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/c...online_gaming/

Don't forget about Reddit guys, it's only getting more and more popular everyday. Probably doesn't matter too much tho since I pretty much cross post everything myself already. If you do have a reddit acct plz upvote.

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