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2019-Whenever Misc. Grab Bag Thread

cmon3 said:
Voting for something sure to hurt the most vulnerable citizens is morally not easy to justify.
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Not convinced the world can work that way. People still drove an hour or more, weekly, to play the lottery in Virginia. People who smoke weed are not going to NOT do it because it's illegal in this state. And online gambling has opened up a semi legal world of gambling to millions who only had access though a greasy backdoor. I don't condone, not participate in any of it. Don't plan to....other than the random powerball ticket with friends. But I don't think having a lottery is bankrupting poor people. Like I said about gambling, those who already do it, are doing it online through easy to jump hurdles. I don't think the state grabbing their share of taxes from it changes anything. Just my opinion though.
 
cmon3 said:
Voting for something sure to hurt the most vulnerable citizens is morally not easy to justify.
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I understand and respect your argument, but most studies on this subject have shown that the vast majority of money that goes into legal sorts betting in states that have added legal sports books was money that was already been spent in that market. In other words, you're largely doing two things when you legalize sports betting in your state ... allowing those who leave the state to bet to stay home to do so and moving illegal betting into a regulated legal environment.
 
It seems that the idea that it’s not a good thing to do but since some people are doing it anyway we want to get revenue for it sits crossways in my thinking. If we legalize it more people will do it.

Put it like this. If it was a good thing to do it would already be legal right? We recognize that it’s a vice. But if we get enough money for it we’ll say it’s ok to do. Why not drugs? Why not prostitution? We can also make money on those and they’re also detrimental to our society.

I understand y’all’s thinking on it and I respect that. It won’t impact me and people ARE doing it anyway.
 
Here's the better for society argument...

When you tax and regulate a "vice," that vice hurts fewer people and benefits society as a whole. It's why there is an argument for legalizing most drugs and prostitution. If someone is going to have sex with a prostitute, wouldn't it be better if that prostitute was licensed, tested regularly for STDs, works for a company that provides benefits, etc.? When you want to buy weed, isn't it better to do so from a dispensary where you have much less of a chance of being ripped off, having the weed laced with fentanyl, etc.?

It's why raising the drinking age from 18 to 21 was a terrible idea. When the age was 18, most 18- to 20-year-olds drank in bars where their behavior was more easily regulated. Now, they still drink, but in unsupervised gatherings that has led to an epidemic of binge drinking.
 
HeyKurtz said:
Here's the better for society argument...

When you tax and regulate a "vice," that vice hurts fewer people and benefits society as a whole. It's why there is an argument for legalizing most drugs and prostitution. If someone is going to have sex with a prostitute, wouldn't it be better if that prostitute was licensed, tested regularly for STDs, works for a company that provides benefits, etc.? When you want to buy weed, isn't it better to do so from a dispensary where you have much less of a chance of being ripped off, having the weed laced with fentanyl, etc.?

It's why raising the drinking age from 18 to 21 was a terrible idea. When the age was 18, most 18- to 20-year-olds drank in bars where their behavior was more easily regulated. Now, they still drink, but in unsupervised gatherings that has led to an epidemic of binge drinking.
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I disagree to some extent. If you make it legal more people will do it than if it’s not legal.

if that number stayed the same then you have a valid point.

If everyone did drugs then yes it would be better to legalize and regulate them. But everyone doesn’t. If you legalize them more people will use them -thus you are creating problems for people who otherwise wouldn’t have problems.

You are basically using an end’s justify the means morality. Gambling is not good but since many people gamble we can make it legal and tax and regulate it. The problem is the message is now that an authority is saying gambling is now good. I get the upside of revenue and regulation.
 
Gambling and gaming is not just a nebulous evil entity controlled by a few people. It's a business, one that provides employment for hundreds of thousands of people across the country. It's a form of entertainment for tens of millions of people.

We don't ban alcohol because some people abuse it. We regulate, control, and tax it. When we tried to ban alcohol it became pretty much like sports betting is in North Carolina today. People still drank, but it was unregulated, uncontrolled, unlicensed and untaxed booze being distributed by unsavories.

I think you are overestimating how many people will partake in something just because it becomes legalized. I don't think that has exactly proven out in states that have legalized recreational weed. I also think you are streching things by saying making something legal is endorsing it as 'good'.
 
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I used to be against legalizing weed. But now I'm for it. It's everywhere. It's being sold and used right out in the open, everywhere you go. I smell it EVERY DAY. I'm pretty positive some "vape" shops are selling it. I know people who've told me they have it shipped here from other states. They absolutely have zero chance of ever slowing down the illegal usage. It's higher now than it's ever been. If it was controlled, taxed and treated like alcohol, I think it would benefit most people. Police would only need be concerned with people driving under the influence. Not possession. Not that police care about drugs anyhow. But I'd rather people buy it from a licensed dispensary than smugglers, dealers, and other states.
 
And some people grow their own and distill their own...Bootlegging is a crime because the state isn't making taxes off the product. I'd put some locally distilled spirits up against anything in the ABC store for smoothness & drinkability, also knockdown power...though flavor, not as much. Some here have sampled what I'm talking about

More weed is grown regionally than some realize. There's not as much money in government coffers for spotter plane fuel right now, though satellite imagery is pretty effective and has taken up some spotting duties. No taxes are collected off the product at all.

I guess my point is, just like gambling, it's going to be done if the state gets their piece or not. North Carolina entered the lottery because so much cash was flowing out of state that they weren't getting a piece of. Think about revenue and taxes from alcohol sales alone in North Carolina and how much hurt the state budget might feel without it. People are going to find a way to do what they choose to do. Regardless if it's good for citizen's health or not, the state should offer some avenue to do what the residents are going to do anyway to reap some tax money off it. Not saying open fentanyl dispenseries are the way to go, but just like alcohol and the lottery, set limits, hours, regulations, & make money off it.

Jim
 
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Pucking Lamplighter said:
And some people grow their own and distill their own...Bootlegging is a crime because the state isn't making taxes off the product. I'd put some locally distilled spirits up against anything in the ABC store for smoothness & drinkability, also knockdown power...though flavor, not as much. Some here have sampled what I'm talking about

More weed is grown regionally than some realize. There's not as much money in government coffers for spotter plane fuel right now, thought satellite imagery is pretty effective and has taken up some spotting duties. No taxes are collected off the product at all.

I guess my point is, just like gambling, it's going to be done if the state gets their piece or not. North Carolina entered the lottery because so much cash was flowing out of state that they weren't getting a piece of. Think about revenue and taxes from alcohol sales alone in North Carolina and how much hurt the state budget might feel without it. People are going to find a way to do what they choose to do. Regardless if it's good for citizen's health or not, the state should offer some avenue to do what the residents are going to do anyway to reap some tax money off it. Not saying open fentanyl dispenseries are the way to go, but just like alcohol and the lottery, set limits, hours, regulations, & make money off it.

Jim
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Hey Jim...for Exhibit A example I fondly remember the Peach variety! For Exhibit B, the business card left behind by Barney Fife atop one of those plants!!! And for Exhibit C...I'll lay down $1000 that Roddy is back behind the bench for the Canes next year!
 
I've had the great good fortune to see some badminton played in Malaysia (though not at that level) and they're WAY more than serious about it than anyone in this country is...it's virtually got a religious following. That video definitely captures the intensity, dedication, and skill of badminton players going for it...and that was just one point! Thanks for posting.

It's fun that different parts of the world have sports they concentrate on and others they pretty much ignore. Examples like Water polo is king in Singapore, Rugby rules in Fiji & New Zealand, Baseball & Sumo Wrestling are tops in Japan, Cricket in India & the Caribbean nations, Football (soccer) throughout Latin America & Europe, Hockey & lacrosse in Canada, Rugby and Australian rules football in Australia. So, what's considered a pivotal global event depends on what pert of the world you're standing in.

Jim
 
NoMich said:
This is the most incredible badminton match you'll ever see

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A far cry from the epic family battles of my youth in my back yard in western NC. And nobody in the clip ended up with the telltale waffle pattern on their butt after a brotherly match devolved into chaos 😂 Good times
 
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