Online poker industry in trouble and strife

Playing poker or the market?

The US authorities have a thing about online gambling. They don't like it. So they've set about telling Americans that having a punt on a poker game is not only bad for the brain, it's ILLEGAL! Now they have unveiled an indictment against the owners of three of the world's biggest poker websites, throwing the young industry into turmoil.

This holier-than-thou attitude though only extends to gamblers identified as "online gamblers". It does not include those gambling down on Wall Street. In fact, they can do it with fake money. Online poker players have to use their own money or face up to debts incurred by their own actions. No bailout for these guys. No quantatative easing for poker games low on the chips.

How different it is for the Federal Reserve, which could be compared to a legalised casino. No restraints there. I'd like to see the American government get a grip. Legalise the online gambling. Tax it properly through corporate and personal taxation. Likewise, tell the banks that their gambling activities will be brought under proper scrutiny, fairly taxed and accounted for.

Two sets of gamblers, happy to gamble away their money. Just don't ask us to bail you out when the odds don't work in your favour.

Ron Paul's 'Audit the Fed' bill gathering steam

This piece comes from CQ Politics about Ron Paul's efforts to stop the political fudging about how much America is in debt. Dr.Paul has a large number of cosponsors, 244 right now. It's amazing that the authorities in both Washington and Brussels seem to be scared stiff of having audits. The public on both sides want transparency, but it's like wading through custard. What makes them so difficult? Surely not the ending of the gravy trains?

Ron Paul on the bailout - a bit more

Ron Paul is maintaining the good work in keeping tabs on various characters, Ben Bernanke being one of them. Here's Ron Paul's latest message (which I've just seen!).



I like this piece - "An essential element of a healthy free market, is that both success and failure must be permitted to happen when they are earned. But instead with a bailout, the rewards are reversed – the proceeds from successful entities are given to failing ones. How this is supposed to be good for our economy is beyond me." It's beyond a great many of us, but these fiscal phonies are really in some kind of dream world.

Here is Ron Paul painting a mental picture for Ben Bernanke. I'm surprised the Federal Reserve Chairman sleeps at night seeing as he's counting all those noughts on the end of the dollar sign!

Ron Paul speaks out

More from Ron Paul on the bail-out bail-out!

Congress is oblivious to it all says Ron Paul

Listen to this! Ron Paul outlines what's wrong with the present situation. Makes a whole load of sense, I think. No wonder those morons want him sidelined!

Ron Paul on the Global Financial Crisis 9/18/08

Americans dissatisfied with economy by 4 to 1!

The United States used to be the Land of Opportunity. Not anymore, it seems. Four-fifths apparently think their future lies between the average and the dire. According to a New York Times/CBS News poll, 81 percent of respondents said they believed that “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,” up from 69 percent a year ago and 35 percent in early 2003. That's an acceleration of pessimistic thought beyond imagination!

Only 19 percent it must be assumed think life is OK. Could these be those that make up the Bush administration, Ben Bernanke and his Fed Friends, Wall Street "analysts" and sub-prime lenders? After all, they all have some reason to keep up the pretence that all is fine in the garden.

Just think. Walk down any street in any town in America and four out of five people you meet are of the opinion the country is on "the wrong track"! I remember Casey Jones being a tad upset if his trains got on the wrong track. Imminent collision was a strong possibility.

Sandi Heller, who works at the University of Colorado and is also studying for a master’s degree in business there, sums in up very well. “What I learned from economics is that the market is not always going to be a happy place. If the government steps in to help out, that will facilitate more of it happening.” She added, “There are a million and one better ways for the government to spend that money.” Precisely. But will they ever learn?

I really hope Americans seize the opportunity this November, not only to vote in a President that has some grasp of the impending problems, but also take back their democracy from the self-serving elite who have denied them ballot access, proper primary elections and a media that doesn't skew opinion and scramble the facts!

Ron Paul says "There's not a whole lot of democracy in this country!"

Ron Paul speaks to Glenn Beck about the future. No third run, but a great description of the mess that the cosy relationship between the Fed and the Bankers has got us into.

Is America a democratic country? Well, free speech is allowed, but trying to put your views into action, well that's another matter. Why is it so damn difficult to get on a ballot in the USA? Why is voting registration such a mess? Why are the primaries/caucuses increasingly being seen as a banana republic's system? Can Americans be so cool, calm and collected about having the expression of their democratic rights traduced in such a way?

All Ron Paul has done in this campaign is to highlight the banality of the American monetary policy and the lack of democratic accountability. For just doing that, he has been marginalised and almost ostracised!

America may be the Land of the Free but it sure isn't the Land of Democracy!