So my Congressman, "Quico" Canseco, a former banker, had this to say to my plea to legalize online poker (to view it better, just click on the pic and it should pop out for easier reading):
Really, Quico?
Sigh. Lots of other, wiser, bloggers have opined at just how futile it is to write letters to representatives. And while I do tend to agree, I'm also of a mind that if you don't ask, you don't get. Plus, if you've read my blog since its inception, you know I like to write me some letters.
All total, I wrote to Kay Bailey Hutchison, John Cornyn, Governer Rick Perry, Quico Canseco, Jeff Wentworth, and Lyle Larson. I've played poker with at least one of these individuals on several occasions in private, local games here in town (I'm curious if they'll be at the game Saturday). So far, only Kay Bailey and Quico have responded. That's pretty lame, but I guess it's not surprising.
@PokerGrump had a great article (here), in which he says:
The only way to get the freedom to play poker genuinely secure in the long term is to achieve a broad consensus not about poker specifically, but on the general principle that we will be a truly free society, meaning one in which we do not seek to control each other's conduct. With the caveat that there be no use of fraud or force, people should be free to expend their money, time, and energy however the hell they choose to.But how do we get to that point? @PokerGrump's solution is to "elect people who agree that individual liberty is the paramount value, to be restricted as little as possible consistent with ordered society."
Would that it were that easy.
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It really is incredibly hard to be optimistic at this point in any kind of short term time frame.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a letter to my congress person, Jan Schakowsky, here in the people's republic of Rogers Park in Chicago, which is well known to be one of the most liberal districts in the US. She wrote back that she supports my position regarding legalization and taxation, but of course the problem is she and most other people in the House and the Senate are not actively working to forward this position.
I think you're right about any sort of short term resolution, Laoch. And that's so frustrating! At least Jan was somewhat agreeable. I kinda felt like ol' Quico was lecturing me. Ugh.
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