Mica Sims, a libertarian blogger in Kentucky, is waving the white flag on the gambling legislation, just as the legislation has died a quiet death. She argues that we should put the issue on the ballot, she says. Why? Because she's "honestly sick of this issue."
Hmmm.
We're supposed to pass legislation because libertarian bloggers with an apparent lack of fortitude get tired of an issue?
Oh, and her phrasing is very interesting: We need to "put it to the people," she says. Well, the people will certainly have it "put to them" by the gambling industry when they start lining their already formidable pocket books with it.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
4 comments:
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Shouldn't a libertarian by default have no problem with the legalization of gambling? It's just the good old, infallible free market at work, after all.
ReplyDeleteLet the record note that Ms. Sims apparently moderates and censors comments on her blog. When I tried to correct her errant assumption on ratification versus referendum, it was not posted. I even used the Constitution to defend my position, the Holy Writ of libertarians.
ReplyDeleteCensorship isn't very libertarian, now is it?
Singring,
ReplyDeleteYou would be right, only in the case of the amendment the libertarians are so excited about, it is expected to grant exclusive rights to one particularly industry and limit the number of licenses that can be give. Hardly free market principles.
In August 1996, federal legislation created the national Gambling Impact Study Commission to examine the social and economic impacts of gambling in the United States.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main difficulties in addressing the issue of gambling's economic impacts is the dearth of truly objective, unbiased research.