Gambling Elimination Act

[Imperium Anglorum]

The World Assembly,

Condemning the state promotion of gambling as a revenue stream as a con by the bourgeoisie to steal the wages of workers by enticing them with the possibility of great rewards that are never forthcoming,

Committing to the dustbin of history this government reliance of gambling, which effectively serves as a regressive tax, which when used to fund public programmes, is little more than a façade to hide the systematic plundering of the working man's wages by a self-serving elite attempting to lower its own taxes and avoid their responsibility to provide for others,

Crushing the Assembly's obscene immoral inaction on this front, as casinos and other institutions of gambling are easily rigged so corrupt officials and oligarchs can steal from the populace and launder their ill-gotten gains, and

Preventing states from allowing themselves or others to lie to their populaces about the nature of gambling as anything other than a bourgeois conspiracy to impoverish the proletarian so to bind him to wage slavery to the capitalist classes, forcing him to sell his labour to pay off his 'debts', and extracting his labour and attachment to his family so to profit off his misery, hereby:

1. Bans all forms of gambling, advertisements thereof, and institutions in which it is conducted, in all member nations; clarifies that gambling is defined as a wagering scheme in which the expected real return on input capital is negative for persons making the wagers;

2. Requires all member nations to issue pamphlets and documents giving notice for these regulations and confiscate the assets of any institutions which refuse to comply to these requirements, and

3. Prohibits any government under the jurisdiction of member nations from failing to take action to shut down casinos, lotteries, and other institutions of gambling.

[Araraukar]

"Support."

[Imperium Anglorum]

My characters would never vote for this, they're all liberals who are fine with gambling because people choose to do it. So I'm going to use a puppet to do all the arguments here. (EDIT: And poof! Laurent-Perrier!)

Anyway, I intended to submit this if Reducing Problem Gambling is repealed.

[Separatist Peoples]

"Opposed. We are not our brothers' keepers, and we see no reason not to win the shirts off their backs with a set of dice."

[Kenmoria]

"Full opposition, gambling provides a good source of jobs and money to the economy. It is fine if people wish to spend their money that way."

[Yohannes]

IC: Question, realistically, how is this meant to be international law? I don't know the all-encompassing world authority known as the World Assembly now has the authority to tell me whether or not I should gamble my wife's hard-earned money down the street? Thank you.

[Laurent-Perrier]

A blink later, the IA delegation has changed into a bunch of socialist Frenchies!

ELISE ZOLA: We condemn in harshest terms some of the reactionary statements here. They are indicative of a regressive attempt to support the capitalists in stealing the proceeds of the proletarian from their fingers by deceiving them with false promises. It is an attempt to rouse the petite-bourgoisie into defending their institutions, when all unblinded by the call of profit can see they are built upon the backs of the proletarian, on the backs of their labour, weighing them down as little but 'inputs' into the capitalist 'production function'!

[Laurent-Perrier]

IC: Question, realistically, how is this meant to be international law? I don't know the all-encompassing world authority known as the World Assembly now has the authority to tell me whether or not I should gamble my wife's hard-earned money down the street? Thank you.

OOC: There are no restrictions on what the WA can do because it has plenary authority.

[Araraukar]

Now, this is going to be OOC.

OOC *cough*:

If we are going to have an IC-OOC distinction (itself probably pretty pointless), OOC actions cannot exist within the in-character universe.

But I'd support a gambling ban both OOCly and ICly anyway...

[Bananaistan]

OOC: If this is OOC, what's the point?

[Laurent-Perrier]

Now, this is going to be OOC.

OOC *cough*:

If we are going to have an IC-OOC distinction (itself probably pretty pointless), OOC actions cannot exist within the in-character universe.

But I'd support a gambling ban both OOCly and ICly anyway...

I was going to edit that, because I procured this puppet

[Araraukar]

I was going to edit that, because I procured this puppet

OOC: So this means you won't complain from now on if I do this same with my accounts on my proposals?

[Ferret Civilization]

OOC: Just sitting here imagining a hard arse case were the government would have to shut down their schools cause they are institutions full of kids making stupid wagers with each other in the forms of "Wanna bet" in which may or may not be proven the winning side has 'bourgeoisie' with their bully enforcers, heh. It's for the children of course.

Though my real piece of input, need to fix up that #3 Prohibits cause... That 'Fail' in the middle of it really throws off just what is being prohibited to the layman.

[Imperium Anglorum]

I was going to edit that, because I procured this puppet

OOC: So this means you won't complain from now on if I do this same with my accounts on my proposals?

I will happily continue to complain if you respond to OOC actions with in character responses, which is the context of that discussion.

[Araraukar]

OOC: So this means you won't complain from now on if I do this same with my accounts on my proposals?

I will happily continue to complain if you respond to OOC actions with in character responses, which is the context of that discussion.

OOC: ...are you trying to say that I should edit my IC "Support" in this thread's 2nd post into an OOC comment, or what, because that's the only IC thing I've posted on this thread.

I mean, you can't be referring to any other thread, since I did say "from now on"...

OOC EDIT: As long as it's a gambling ban, you'll continue to have my support both ICly and OOCly.

[New Mushroom Kingdom]

(OOC: Couldn't this be seen as a Game Mechanics violation as member nations would still have census-recognized gambling industries afterwards...unless those include illegal gambling too)

[Imperium Anglorum]

(OOC: Couldn't this be seen as a Game Mechanics violation as member nations would still have census-recognized gambling industries afterwards...unless those include illegal gambling too)

Yea, and WA nations still have some of their deaths come as disappearances even if the WA already banned forced disappearances. And my country has a policy that says that religious worship is prohibited. But that's illegal under Charter of Civil Rights.

And your nation has a policy that says that only state controlled media are permitted. But that violates Freedom of Expression. And so too your nation bans protests. But that too violates WA law. And you ban divorce, violating Right to a Lawful Divorce. So now what?

[New Mushroom Kingdom]

(OOC: Couldn't this be seen as a Game Mechanics violation as member nations would still have census-recognized gambling industries afterwards...unless those include illegal gambling too)

Yea, and WA nations still have some of their deaths come as disappearances even if the WA already banned forced disappearances. And my country has a policy that says that religious worship is prohibited. But that's illegal under Charter of Civil Rights.

And your nation has a policy that says that only state controlled media are permitted. But that violates Freedom of Expression. And so too your nation bans protests. But that too violates WA law. And you ban divorce, violating Right to a Lawful Divorce. So now what?

I guess I see/saw a violation with respect to the specific industries, versus concepts or laws that are not easily alterable due to how the categories work. (I do wonder though, does the category for outlawing gambling actually eliminate the industry, or just reduce it like normal? Increases in civil/political freedoms can easily be seen as a result of the new WA-granted freedoms, but it'd be harder if a resolution claiming to entirely prohibit gambling only visibly reduces it.)

[The Greater Siriusian Domain]

Teran Saber: "Not an international issue. Opposed."

[Sierra Lyricalia]

The two Lyrical ambassadors read through the draft. Leo looks as though he is about to blow a gasket; Steph simply appears mildly nauseous. As he rises, papers crumpling up in his fist without any apparent intent, she puts a hand on his arm. A pause. He nods reluctantly, and turns to leave the chamber without a word. Steph stands up to address the chamber.

"Hilarious as it would be to watch the Assembly debate and scuttle such a firebrand-red stream of rhetoric, I have to register opposition to this damned bolshie scheme. I think it's fair to-"

"YOU JOYLESS DAMNED OFFICIOUS MARTINETS!" Leo shouts from the door, having stuck his head back in to take this last parting shot. "Next up is a prohibition on alcohol - mark my words! When Puritans get thwarted at destroying all vestiges of happiness, they quickly become socialists. Anyone interested in how people actually live their lives may join me in the bar for some billiards, perhaps a round of poker later on. Jackanapes!" The door thuds softly, but solidly, behind him.

Steph clears her throat. "I think it's fair to say that depriving a worker of her right to do as she pleases with the fruit of her labor is nearly as bad as taking it from her as 'profit' in the first place. A society truly concerned for the welfare of its workers wouldn't stop them from gambling, it would cap the casinos' profit margins and use the proceeds to help fund - yes - social programs that have an actual chance to help people; rather than preach at them and drive the inveterates into the black market, where their money goes to gangsters instead of job training or social help."

"It's therefore clear the impetus behind this is not to aid workers in retaining their hard-earned wages - which most have little problem doing, by the way - and more to squawk at them, fingers wagging, about how their recreational habits are stupid and wrong."

"Opposed."

Steph sits down... then stands back up real quick.

"Um, unless you limit it to slot machines only. There's no excuse for those fucking things."

[Jabberwocky]

Our Leader and Mimsy Borogove, Sherlock Quixote, suggests that morality cannot be legislated. If citizens are forbidden to gamble openly, they will continue to do so furtively.

[Imperial Polk County]

Drane smiles. "Oh, bless your little heart. I'll bet you a thousand bucks this never sees the voting floor."

[Edreland]

Forbes raises his eyebrow. "Completely opposed. I must agree with Mr. Drane. This bill represents an egregious overreach. Reason dictates that it must be struck down immediately."

[Bears Armed]

1. Bans all forms of gambling, advertisements thereof, and institutions in which it is conducted, in all member nations; clarifies that gambling is defined as a wagering scheme in which the expected real return on input capital is negative for persons making the wagers;

OOC
1/ So if everybody involved in making a wager expects to win, for some reason (no matter how misguidedly), that wager would still be allowed?
2/ Doesn't this effectively ban not only Gambling but also Insurance?

[Masurbia]

What category is this?