What Won't They Tax?

NJ Lawmakers Want To Tax Poker Shows: ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (AP)
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Editor's Note: Alton Blair is a contributor to the Effect, his views are his own.

N.J. lawmakers can flop my nuts! (trust me, it's a poker term)
What is this? I check my email and very few emails get me excited, but this one does. I can't believe this is an issue. I am a poker player, and not because I saw it on T.V. Can playing poker ruin your life? Sure if you have the intelligence of a 4 year old. I know it's been a long time since I was 4, but I don't remember playing No Limit hold'em until I was an adult. Let’s say a 16 year old starts to play poker at a beginning levels ($3-$6) Good luck, because you need at least $100 to play. Where is a 16 year old getting the $100 per session to play? Poker is not gambling it’s a skill like golf. If television broadcasted an old lady at a slot machine playing I'm betting the ratings would be very low. I don't seeTiger Woods chipping in for tee times and a set of clubs when they show golf on television. I am so sick of everybody turning everything into an addiction. "I'm addicted to fast food"…“I'm addicted to shopping"..."I'm addicted to sex"…well put the burger down, cancel your credit cards, and put the porn down. Let's use common sense people, if your child wants to play poker let him/her and they will get a dose of reality in their life. If you spend all your moneygambling sorry that's how life works. If adults are getting addicted to poker… well you're an adult and you know if you gamble your mortgage away you won't have a house to live in anymore. I don't feel sorry for anybody addicted to gambling, because common sense says if I risk money I owe to someone else and I lose I must pay the price. That's what’s wrong with this country the democrats want to blame everybody else for their mistakes. Can I go kill somebody and blame it on a murder show I saw on television? No, so until I can kill without repercussions liberals need to mind their own business and stay the hell away from me.

Alton Blair