Following the Obamacare ruling that upheld perhaps the most
unconstitutional legislation in U.S. history, the Delaware General Assembly has
begun its mad dash to pass as much legislation as it can in the last few days
of session. First up, Senator DeLuca pushes legislation to legalize internet
gambling.
Senator DeLuca says that we should allow internet gambling
because “it’s already available, it’s just illegal”. And when you put it
that way, who could argue with the logic? Well until you apply that same
logic to prostitution, crack cocaine and heroin. I mean prostitutes,
crack cocaine and heroin are already available, so why not make them legal?
Think gambling doesn’t measure up? Well ask the millions of people
affected each year by the disease of problem gambling if they think that their
addiction is not as bad as a drug. The bill passed the Senate 14-6 and it
doesn’t just allow internet gambling but expands table gaming outside of the 3
racinos that the state was promised gambling would remain at. Full
disclosure, I am running against Senator DeLuca in the 11th
District. I can promise you this, I would not vote for this kind of bill
as it sets a unique precedent and endangers our elderly, children and
families. It also will no doubt detract from the casino revenues that our
state relies on to balance its budget. Speaking of budgets…
Delaware State Senate voted 16-4 to pass a $3.6 billion
budget that was boosted by a pay raise for government workers that will cost
taxpayers $21 million. $10 million more was added by the legislature as a
boost to retiree healthcare and pension benefits. The final bill
breakdown includes $1.2 billion on public schools and over $1 billion for
health and social services (which will more than triple next year when the
Democrats pass their single payer healthcare bill). Once again, the
single party rule in Dover has spent more money than we can afford and has
failed to deal with the major problems of growing government, failing schools
and rising healthcare costs (especially now that Obamacare has been
upheld). If we don’t act in November, 2013 will be the end of Delaware as
we know it. Our budget will explode, jobs will disintegrate and we will
become a wasteland in the image of Detroit. Support your local opposition
candidates in November.
Alcohol kills people....would you outlaw that. Would you attempt to do away with casinos in the entire state?
ReplyDeleteI see no problem to allow internet gambling, doing away with that killed jobs for people. You have people who made a living playing poker online.
By your argument, people make a living selling crack to kids...why outlaw that? It's a ridiculous argument Mr. Machurek...Look, I'm not anti-gambling, I'm of the mindset that the government ought not support a life destroying, habit forming and destructive drug (be it alcohol, tobacco or gambling) on the one hand through public partnered entities and then spending millions trying to cure the addictions. Whether it's through taxes or direct revenue sharing, government has no place in the venture EXCEPT where it pertains to minors. We ought to be protecting our minors and restricting internet gambling is more than reasonable.
ReplyDeleteSo if the internet gambling was done by a private company you would be ok with that? As long as the government was not involved in the internet gambling, would that be acceptable?
ReplyDeleteThe problem with HB333 is not internet gambling, but the manner in which is it regulated. It is centralized under the Delaware Lottery. This is just the state trying to make sure it gets a piece of the action by monopolizing internet gambling, and cutting a check from the proceeds to the horse racing industry.
ReplyDeleteThere will still be internet gambling that takes place in the free market of the internet, Delaware will just be getting a piece of the action in its own corporatist domain.
As usual Machurek, you are so hopped up with Libertarian thought that you fail to see the reality of the culture today. In theory, the idea of a free market implies that the consumer retains all the responsibility for the use of the product or service (unless that responsibility is accepted by the manufacturer of the product or provider of the service) and there would be no need what-so-ever for government involvement. On that level, I agree with you. What we have TODAY, however, is a government centered capitalist system that pits consumer versus manufacturer and uses the government as the referee. Furthermore, the government assumes the responsibility of the consumer in just about any and all cases. Case in point, gambling. The service provider, the casino (or online gambling house) makes available the opportunity for adults to place bets on one thing or another (be it sporting event outcomes, card games, etc.). The service provider accepts the responsibility to pay out the winnings to the winners and receives its own cut. The service provider SHOULD also be responsible for the advertising, marketing and distribution of its services to the public. Unfortunately, the government has stuck its greedy little hands into this area and incentivized gambling. In essence, as Will says, HB333 puts the government "stamp of approval" on gambling. I mean if you ask the average person on the street, "Does the Delaware state government support gambling?" the answer is yes, as if it is sanctioned as a positive and constructive event by the State of Delaware. The consumers, SHOULD accept the responsibility to know when to cut themselves off and not gamble more than they can afford. However, the government has usurped that responsibility and now turns to the service providers and the taxpayers and says, "You must pay to rehabilitate these poor (degenerate gamblers) individuals who just got in over their heads and gambled away their kids futures." And of course, we (taxpayers) end up stuck with the bill not only to fund the advertising, construction and operation of the casinos (because let's face it, their lobbyists are paid well for a reason) but also to rehabilitate those who take their gambling far beyond the pale. Our society does not ALLOW the most important part of the "free market" which is the freedom to fail. Without that freedom to fail and have to atone for your mistakes, you lose the responsibility piece that should be keeping the engine moving. If there's no consequence for doing the right thing, why do it? It's the same reason I think that the argument for the legalization of currently illegal drugs is simply misguided. I certainly understand the freedom aspect but until we can hold individuals accountable for their own actions, it's anathema to freedom and liberty to force those who don't gamble, to pay for those who do.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree the government should be out of regulating gambling and well just about everything. I couldn't agree more then when you said "The consumers, SHOULD accept the responsibility to know when to cut themselves off and not gamble more than they can afford."
ReplyDeleteMy main question just was would you be ok with internet gambling so long as it wasn't government control?
Not as our society and government stand today Machurek. Assuming that we could return to a society based on individual responsibility and not nanny state control, I would think that gambling would just be one of those things people have to choose their own path on without the government involved one way or another. This of course, is absolutely contingent upon the idea that people are responsible for their own actions...it's the same problem I have with the decriminalization of drugs...in today's society, that action legalizes an activity that then leads to abuse and subsequently to us (taxpayers)paying for the abusers to be rehabilitated. We first must change the culture, to value individual liberty and display personal responsibility THEN we can move forward on the decriminalization.
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