Poker Perambulation

The serial melodrama that includes the UIGEA continues to play out at the Doha meetings. The US is seeking to settle the problem it’s anti-gambling stance is costing the country. Not only is the cost in civil liberty but it is going to cost a bunch and I mean a bunch that even the Bobby’s room gang would go “WOW!” about.

This all started with Mr. Born Again Morality Bush. Being a weak fellow in his shallow youth, he finally found God. I wasn’t aware God was lost but evidently that’s been the case and a huge posse — including George — had to go out and find him. George learned how to talk to God and came down from the mountain top with two CD’s. Unfortunately, George made them out of stone and God didn’t give George the CD player those puppies need. So, George decided to wing it.

While we use UIGEA for all this, every loss of our liberty to date is from interpretation of The Wire Act of 1961. The UIGEA remains a stumper for those charged with it’s implementation. They can’t do it without serious impact on every citizen’s civil liberties.

So, after running off them there foreigners, those insulted folks went to the EU courts to seek redress from the World Trade Organization. They were just following the actions of tiny Antigua-Barbuda who’s attorney, Mark Mendel, had prevail in WTO arbitration and is seeking 3.4-billion in annual compensation. The US is actually trying to settle here but is offering a paltry $500,000. Notice the paltry adjective? That perspective is from someone who’s spending someone else’s money – yours and mine.

The EU who’s legitimate business suffered billions in losses in a single day of trading are also seeking compensation. And, the US is trying to settle that and offering goods and services to the EU in compensation. The EU is reviewing this but considers the offer to also be inadequate. They are asking for 4-Billion in annual compensation. The EU has been granted an extension to October 22 to review the offer.

Should the penalties be the (7.4B) full amount, it will cost each man, women and child in the US just under $25 every year — from here on out!  Plus, the EU says original damage was 100-Billion and there’s about 300M of us– you do the math.

So, how can all this be taking place with no oversight by congress? Lets remember they are responsible for appropriations. Well, these offers aren’t for payment in money. They are for payment in kind. We build warehouses and such to carry on the business of government and this is what is being offered. Of course that might run us short but it is easy to get congress to build more. They love to do that – especially if the construction is in their district.

So, there you have it. You are getting protected. And they aren’t even throwing in the Vaseline.

ADDENDUM:

The big excuse for much of this is the problem gamblers. There are many areas where we have problem citizens. Problem drug users are out there too and just might be a much larger part of the population. Of course we also need to protect the children who might fall under the evil spell of poker.

There is a recent study of gambling by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. They found that gambling was on the decline in the problem categories before all this. Yes, we are again protecting ourselves from a problem that doesn’t exist.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 4:16 am and is filed under Journal, poker legislation. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.