Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Why I'm voting "no" on gambling

  

  The Arkansas Times blog has a good post by Max Brantley which offers plenty of info that should give those of any political view reason enough to oppose Nancy Todd's proposed gambling amendment.

  Of course religious conservatives would oppose it on moral grounds and would prefer to keep the "sin" of gambling at bay places like Mississippi (where guys are always selling their souls to Satan at the crossroads to play better blues music), our state's own den of iniquity known as Hot Springs, and Southland in West Memphis (which I don't even consider part of Arkansas, and grew up viewing mainly as a signpost on the way to the Beale Street Music Festival). Bleeding heart "libruls" will oppose it because of the way gambling draws in the poor and unfortunate among us, who don't have the sense to spend their money properly.

  My own reasons for opposing it fall into these two categories:

1.Free market lovers should oppose it because it would give Nancy Todd's Poker Palace a monopoly on gambling in the state which would be put into law.

2.I also think most people with any sort of pragmatism would realize that the restrictions in the law on the state to regulate gambling in any way at all would pose a problem.

Friday, May 11, 2012

North Carolina goes all Gandalf on gays

    Quick thoughts on North Carolina's new amendment. Let's be clear, we're not discussing a law to legalize gay marriage that was defeated, this was a constitutional amendment (!) against gay marriage in a state that already had anti-gay marriage laws on the books. This was a turf battle in which a metaphorical flag was planted in the ground and it said "hey homosexuals, you shall not pass!" My question, and the question that every person who is a Christian must come to terms with: In a political system in which the will of the people is determined through vote, should Christians use the law of the land to enforce God's will, or what they believe is God's will, on those who don't share their beliefs? If you say yes then I'd like an explanation as to what you think this accomplishes.