12 Months, $3 Billion
Barack Obama is in Montana today — where he’ll be cavorting with Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)*, who is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and therefore has to come up with ways to fund any major health care reform. A daunting challenge to be sure, but a good time to float the possibility of floating Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) online poker bill as a potential source of much-needed revenue.
An op-ed in today’s Missoulian — titled “Fund reform with Net poker tax” — does exactly that:
Instead of raising taxes during an economic slump to pay for these programs, what if Baucus and his colleagues could collect revenue that’s currently going to other countries from an industry that’s ready and willing to be taxed?
That industry is Internet poker, and Baucus can help make this a reality by supporting his colleague from New Jersey, Sen. Bob Menendez, who recently introduced a bill to license and regulate online games of skill such as Internet poker.
According to recent economic studies, tax revenue from licensing will add billions to the U.S. Treasury. Projections have shown that as much as $3 billion annually could be raised through Internet poker, which can be used to help fund key domestic priorities, like health care.
If the Dems are serious about passing Obamacare, then they should have a hard time turning their back on a few billion to pay for it annually. Of course, as we know, politics is seldom about what makes sense.
* Not to be confused with the strongly anti-poker Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL).
David Alexander says:
August 14th, 2009 at 6:38pm
Yikes….
I don’t want that health care passed
regardless….
Talk about the beginning of the end…
You Crazy…
It’s just another Tax on small business..
And a way for the governement to get their
hands on more money to create an even…
“bigger government”…
Yikes…
DanM says:
August 14th, 2009 at 7:59pm
ah, see david, i abandoned my principles long ago — amazing how much easier life becomes when you don’t give a fugk, lol.
IF health care’s gonna pass, it’s gonna pass with or without poker. Likewise for if it doesn’t. Poker doesn’t matter. But if attaching our (MY) issue to a cause in one local to reach an influential senator … then by all means, bring it.
btw, if i recall, you are a Ron Paul-ish lib. But right now, so long as the likes of Hannity, Glen Beck, and Limbaugh leading the opposition, I don’t think your philosophical issues on the matter stand a chance. I have a feeling there are lots of economic-conservative-social-liberals out there like me who actually enjoy seeing these guys (and their followers!) go crazy miserable.
DanM says:
August 14th, 2009 at 8:06pm
and not to make it about health care, but i had to share an example of what is hurting your cause:
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