Hindsight is 20/20?

It has been 75 years since Prohibition was repealed in the US. And what have we learned since then? Apparently, nothing.


In the 1930s we had a struggling economy comparable to today’s. Americans were not allowed to purchase alcohol legally. This did not stop Americans from buying alcohol, it only stopped them from buying it through legal and regulated channels. This caused the alcohol to be made with poor standards of quality and the makers/distributors to go untaxed. People went blind from alcohol made cheaply from wood, caused criminal organizations to gain wealth and power, and gave absolutely nothing back to the American people.


Today, our economy is in peril once again and as the Bush administration is on their way out, they had a chance to show that we have learned from our mistakes. Instead, they pushed through the UIEGA, which attempts to ban online gambling. However, it does nothing but mirror the above image. While legalizing and regulating online gambling would not only bring in tax dollars that currently go directly to foreign nations, but the government could better protect the US citizens that gamble online.


It would also allow US companies to participate in the cash cow that is online gambling. This brings new jobs to a country that is suffering from record unemployment rates. It brings tax dollars to fund new programs to help Americans. How much, you ask? Current estimates say that this is currently and $8-10 billion dollar industry in the US. That is after some companies have stopped accepting US players. Taxed at 10%, we could see $1 billion in tax revenue.


This does not fix our economy much like the repeal of alcohol prohibition did not. But it helps. Not only that, it does what the opposition says it wants to do, protect Americans.