Doc over in Doc’s Political Parlor made a common sense point about legislatures liberalizing gambling.
Does the ‘everybody else is doing it’ argument strike you as the oddest argument in favor of expanding legalized gambling? That sure didn’t work with our mommas when we were growing up.
He continues
We should do it because our neighbors are doing it? You know what mom would say about that, ‘If everybody jumped off of a cliff, would you want to do it too?’
This simple piece of common sense blows holes through much of what the UK Government is doing to liberalize gambling at the moment.
The UK Government’s view appears to be that lots of people want to gamble, and it’s happening everywhere, therefore the UK people should get a piece of the action through taxes which is (sort off) fair enough.
However, actively promoting gambling through the Gambling Act 2005 is quite another thing. The direct consequence of their actions is that more people will end up gambling and that will hurt more people which is obviously a bad thing.
In effect, the UK Government have said that lots of people are gambling therefore it should be encouraged.
Cyber bullying is in the news today in the UK where teachers are being humiliated by pupils while their friends take mobile phone pictures of them which are then put on the Internet. Lots of youngsters seem to think these images of skirt lifting and trouser pulling down are great.
No doubt measures will be taken to try to put an end to these unpleasant, if popular, activities. So why shouldn’t we be making at least the same amount of effort with gambling?
Perhaps it all comes down to the confused state of morality these days.
The problem is that deity based religions are no longer convincing for many, yet little effort seems to have been made by Governments to identify alternative morality structures to which people can turn for guidance on their actions.
Laws of the land may provide a frame of reference for the ordinary man but where is the frame of reference for the legislaters?
Many would regard the morality of Governmental promotion of gambling as being highly questionable.
Sources of morality is the hot topic that needs to be addressed but, unfortunately, it is being avoided.
Like the ’causes of crime’ it is a problem that won’t go away.
Bye for now
Rob
(Rob Hopcott – online author and firm believer morality can exist outside religion, if we only look.)
