Posted on 10/06/2006 10:08:53 PM PDT by balch3
WASHINGTON (BP)--Before it wrapped up business in late September, Congress passed an important new law to make it easier to crack down on illegal Internet gambling. I believe that America needs this law because Internet gambling presents a serious and growing problem that existing laws don’t address. The new law passed because members of the pro-family movement -- including a great many Southern Baptists -- brought the issue to the attention of both Democrats and Republicans.
Internet gambling has grown out of control. Although four major federal laws and hundreds of state policies already make it illegal to gamble on the Internet, enforcement has proven almost impossible. Since all significant gambling websites operate outside of the United States, they lie beyond the reach of federal or state regulators.
This hurts families. Although Internet gambling did not have a prominent place on either party’s radar screen just a few years ago, its explosive growth and potential for damaging families made it a very important issue to me and many others in Congress.
In fact, online casino websites have the potential to turn every personal computer in the country into a miniature version of the Las Vegas Strip. Rigorous state enforcement means that brick and mortar casinos make a good faith effort to keep minors away from gambling. The same isn’t so for online casinos: A website can’t tell whether someone is 13 or 35. The existence of Internet gambling, moreover, makes a mockery of laws in states that forbid all gambling. Experts who testified before Congress agreed social trouble has increased as a result: People who gamble online are almost twice as likely to become problem gamblers as those who gamble in other places. Problem gambling destroys lives and families.
The new law, which President Bush will sign this month, makes it much more difficult to send money to Internet gambling sites. Internet casinos that want to accept credit cards, Internet bank transfers, or any other illegal gambling payments will find themselves blocked. It’s important that people in the pro-family movement remain vigilant to be sure that the regulations implementing this law accomplish all that Congress intended. The government also will be able to ensure that website operators don’t provide links to gambling websites. Finally, anybody who violates the Internet gambling law can have all gambling licenses revoked: Thus, any land or river-based casino operator that opens a gambling website could see all of its casinos shut down.
Some believe that Congress should have gone even further in amending and strengthening current laws, but the enforcement tools provided by this legislation are an essential step towards ensuring that we uphold the current law and punish those who break it.
We already have evidence that the law will work. Although the president has not yet signed the bill, shares in the United Kingdom’s largest online gambling companies have dropped more than 50 percent on the news of Congress’ action. At least one major online casino has decided to pull out of the U.S. market altogether and others likely will follow suit. Internet casinos, which made a fortune violating existing laws, bet against Congress taking them on. Thanks to citizens concerned about America’s families, their bets didn’t pay off. --30-- Sen. Bill Frist, R.-Tenn., is majority leader of the U.S. Sena
"It’s important that people in the pro-family movement remain vigilant...."
Crumbs for folks....
Sharia
That is pretty scary but we are moving down a pretty steep hill. I think the slope is gone.
All I know is that he will not get my support in 08. In fact, I'll take my poker winnings (or losings ;) ) and send checks to each of his challengers and then send a copy of the check to him with a letter explaining why.
You got it!
I don't know the solution to this problem.
The results of 2004 make the same point though Bush was riding higher in the polls.
The stock market also tears countless dollars from the hands of working families. Perhaps we should ban that as well. After all, it's gambling.
Exactly. To say that this is about "virtues" from either side of the aisle is a pant-load.
"Cigarettes first, gambling second, wonder what will be next? "
Transfat
The solution is for the Church to remain above the slime that is politics and concentrate on converting people to their belief through moral persuasion. To expect piety from politicians and salvation from Washington goes contrary to common sense...
I posted this article here 6 years ago...
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39f7ad0d0b86.htm
"Acknowledging the limits of the law is indispensable to preserving the recognition of a moral order beyond it. Conversely, relieving legality of the burden of moral rightness is also indispensable to its preservation. The legal and the moral must remain distinct if they are to perform their roles of supporting and facilitating one another."
Before the government deposited checks in mailboxes, the parishes were the dispensers of charity. But that charity was conditional: one had to be contrite to receive it. Personal contact with people who cared, and brooked little BS...fool them once....
The mailman holds no one to any moral standard. All that is necessary to recieve government largess is poverty, real or feigned; there is no incentive to amend; there is every reason to remain in comfortable misery; there is no one to hold the mirror, and say "guilty". If you don't take the money, someone else will. [Did you know that being an ex-con automatically qualifies you for state welfare in my 1/50th? The health benefits include unlimited drug rehab....adjust the maintenance dosage every couple months 50 bags to four...see you in a few months. Private insurance....3 days...one time. It pays to be a jackoff reprobate.]
The parishes have fallen apart: that which made them socially necessary has been rendered moot by professional helpers in the gummint. [poverty is a disease of unequal distribution of wealth...not the result of incorrect morals and attitudes and lifestyles.....guilt is perverse!]
The churches will flourish when they are necessary, and that will be not very soon.
Tennessee, Virginia, N.Y, and the other 47 States.
Of course "BILL," I really believe you and the other BS artists when you use (Sadly, the DimicRATS'usual) that old ploy: "Its for the Chillen."
I can just imagine some 13 or 15 year old with a their own Credit Card with hundreds (or thousands) of dollar limits (OR BETTER YET, USING BANK MONEY TRANSFERS?) gambling "their" savings away?
Yeah right!!!
Go back to Tenn., Mr. Frist. I'm sure you are/were a great doctor; you have been a TERRRIBLE leader in the Senate.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT $$$$$$ and the inability of States' (and Feds) to get their grubby little hands on their "share" in the form of taxes.
The same thing applies for the purchase of tobacco products online, which is now nearly impossible to do, thanks to the N.Y. State-Gov-wanna-be-idiot-liberal-A-Hole Elliot "SPRITZER."
None of this has anything to do with the "Chillen."
And believe me, as soon as all these Pols figure out a way to "save the Chillens" by taxing ALL INTERNET ONLINE PURCHASES, they will trot that one out in order to force all of us to render unto Ceaser what (they perceive)is due.
Sadly Frist and other Pubs have caved on this--as in so many other issues.
By the way, I've NEVER gambled online--not so much as a dime, although I do enjoy Vegas every once in a while which is much more exiting and fun and I have no doubt that all Casinos throughout the US, were firmly behind this bill as online gambling no doubt hurt their bottom lines.....
Personally I could care less if online gambling is allowed or barred. My only bitch is that Frist and the rest are a bunch of Hypocrites and are unwilling to admit the real reason they opposed this, rather than use that piss-poor excuse: "Its for the Chillen!!!"
Churches generally are seen as necessary when people become interested in the salvation of souls.
But the lotteries are "for the children."
Of course and so was the HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of extortion money the states got from the tobacco companies in the settlements.
Anyone care to inquire as to where that $$$$ actually went?
The same place as all of our FICA contributions go when it reaches Washington--"The General Funds" and it disappears faster than the pols can say "Sucker!"
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