4 ms·

This is alarming. Gambling laws in the US are antiquated and intellectually dishonest. It is unfortunate the Wire Act of 1961 was written more to stop organized

by sheraz 14y ago

This is alarming. Gambling laws in the US are antiquated and intellectually dishonest. It is unfortunate the Wire Act of 1961 was written more to stop organized crime than it was to actually help regulate gambling. The language in this piece of legislation is so broad and poorly defined that states often reach conflicting conclusions. One hopes this guy can afford suitable counsel and get out of this without too much trouble. I sincerely hope a future victory will set a more business-friendly precedent.

wissler 14y ago
Most laws are intellectually dishonest. Creating a legal code that is so big that it's impossible to know what it is and thus, to be able follow it, is intellectually dishonest. Really, the fundamental basis of our legal system is intellectually dishonest.
- eriksank 14y ago
  Look. It is our own fault, since we are not doing anything about it. They will never, ever respect us, unless they seriously fear us.
  - jacquesm 14y ago
    Who are 'they'?
    - eriksank 14y ago
      Who else but the politicians and their servants? We can let them erode our position further and further and further, or we could also finally start putting a stop to that. As all of us know, respect is ultimately based on the fear for reprisals. Where is the respect?
      - betterunix 14y ago
        Politicians are the servants. Not of the general public, of course, but of the new aristocracy that has arisen in this country. Politicians now serve the interests of the ruling class, with the exception of minor parties.
        nacker 14y ago
        When are people going to realize that Alex Jones is not crazy, and was shouting about all of this 15 years ago? It is sheer snobbery that has prevented a lot of people from understanding him.
        noarchy 14y ago
        Has it ever been different? At the moment that the US was founded, it was ruled by and for the landed aristocracy. I'm pretty sure that if any of the "minor parties" that you mentioned got near having a share of power, they would by that point be similarly-corrupted, beyond repair. ...or am I just too cynical for my own good?
      - angersock 14y ago
        Fucking hell, folks--these aren't some mystical cabal of people that go up to the country club and swirl scotch and pee on the poors. These people come home the same way we do, to families, dogs, etc. Don't try to treat them--and don't give them the credit--as being some mysterious malignant body.
        pyre 14y ago
        As it is, the thing most politicians fear is losing re-election. That fear comes less from people scrutinizing their actions while in office, and more about getting funding for the campaign so they can churn out sound-bites that the general populous can digest and (falsely) feel like they are participating in the political process.
        DennisP 14y ago
        Yes they have families and dogs. But it's pretty much one group of people who are on corporate boards, in high-level appointed government positions, and working as lobbyists. Each person may rotate among all these areas, and most of them came up through the same prep schools and Ivy Leagues. These people have a lot of political influence. For details, see the famous book Who Rules America, written by a sociologist who did a census of the people in all these positions and analyzed the results. Five or six editions have come out by now as he's continued his research and updated the results. (Most elected politicians, meanwhile, just want to stay out of trouble and get reelected with minimum fuss, whatever that takes. Fortunately that gives grassroots organizations a way to pressure them.)
        krichman 14y ago
        Of course not, but only because the poors aren't allowed in their country clubs.
noarchy 14y ago
Many states are also running gambling monopolies, in the form of lotteries. As with the liquor monopolies that many of these same states run, competition isn't desired. Asking a politician to give up a revenue stream is a difficult task, though not impossible.

by sheraz 14y ago

wissler 14y ago

Most laws are intellectually dishonest. Creating a legal code that is so big that it's impossible to know what it is and thus, to be able follow it, is intellectually dishonest. Really, the fundamental basis of our legal system is intellectually dishonest.

eriksank 14y ago
Look. It is our own fault, since we are not doing anything about it. They will never, ever respect us, unless they seriously fear us.
- jacquesm 14y ago
  Who are 'they'?
  - eriksank 14y ago
    Who else but the politicians and their servants? We can let them erode our position further and further and further, or we could also finally start putting a stop to that. As all of us know, respect is ultimately based on the fear for reprisals. Where is the respect?
    - betterunix 14y ago
      Politicians are the servants. Not of the general public, of course, but of the new aristocracy that has arisen in this country. Politicians now serve the interests of the ruling class, with the exception of minor parties.
      - nacker 14y ago
        When are people going to realize that Alex Jones is not crazy, and was shouting about all of this 15 years ago? It is sheer snobbery that has prevented a lot of people from understanding him.
      - noarchy 14y ago
        Has it ever been different? At the moment that the US was founded, it was ruled by and for the landed aristocracy. I'm pretty sure that if any of the "minor parties" that you mentioned got near having a share of power, they would by that point be similarly-corrupted, beyond repair. ...or am I just too cynical for my own good?
    - angersock 14y ago
      Fucking hell, folks--these aren't some mystical cabal of people that go up to the country club and swirl scotch and pee on the poors. These people come home the same way we do, to families, dogs, etc. Don't try to treat them--and don't give them the credit--as being some mysterious malignant body.
      - pyre 14y ago
        As it is, the thing most politicians fear is losing re-election. That fear comes less from people scrutinizing their actions while in office, and more about getting funding for the campaign so they can churn out sound-bites that the general populous can digest and (falsely) feel like they are participating in the political process.
      - DennisP 14y ago
        Yes they have families and dogs. But it's pretty much one group of people who are on corporate boards, in high-level appointed government positions, and working as lobbyists. Each person may rotate among all these areas, and most of them came up through the same prep schools and Ivy Leagues. These people have a lot of political influence. For details, see the famous book Who Rules America, written by a sociologist who did a census of the people in all these positions and analyzed the results. Five or six editions have come out by now as he's continued his research and updated the results. (Most elected politicians, meanwhile, just want to stay out of trouble and get reelected with minimum fuss, whatever that takes. Fortunately that gives grassroots organizations a way to pressure them.)
      - krichman 14y ago
        Of course not, but only because the poors aren't allowed in their country clubs.

noarchy 14y ago

Many states are also running gambling monopolies, in the form of lotteries. As with the liquor monopolies that many of these same states run, competition isn't desired. Asking a politician to give up a revenue stream is a difficult task, though not impossible.