US proposes violent games tax

Originally posted by Agent_USA_Supporter
I figured after Sandy Hook they would target the Video Games that isn't surprising its an attack on the Freedom of Speech.

They have an uphill battle if they want to target speech in regards to video games. The 9th Circuit of Appeals already has weighed in on California's attempt to limit video games. Taxing them, for sake of taxing, will meet a stiff resistance in my opinion.

reply to post by ownbestenemy


No, if they want the tax they will get it. Hollywood will be ignored. The star actors calling for a stop to violence as they shoot 50 people in their next film will be ignored. Movies can't be the problem because they're used as propaganda... like Hitler did. Video games, anything that involves free speech, that's the bad guy! Not the fact that 7 out of 10 americans are on mind numbing hallucinogens. Nope. Video games did it.

Originally posted by Imsodone
reply to post by ownbestenemy

 

No, if they want the tax they will get it. Hollywood will be ignored. The star actors calling for a stop to violence as they shoot 50 people in their next film will be ignored. Movies can't be the problem because they're used as propaganda... like Hitler did. Video games, anything that involves free speech, that's the bad guy! Not the fact that 7 out of 10 americans are on mind numbing hallucinogens. Nope. Video games did it.

edit on 18-1-2013 by Imsodone because: (no reason given)

I understand where you are coming from, I do, but the Federal government will have an uphill battle in this regard. For example: cigarettes and alcohol can actually have a detrimental effect and while I disagree with the argument, the excise tax in place does have some footing. As for video games or Hollywood, how can you distinguish the two? You lament about Hollywood but then say video games should get a pass?

I agree with you in the sense that video games are not the cause (but also believe that violent movies/books/plays are also not the cause) but cannot see how you can be so upset about the one and not the other.

Games don't cause people to turn violent. I think those who propose these tax laws probably never played a video game in their lives!

I play Gears of war a couple of nights a week and its probably one of the most violent games on the market. I've never felt the urge to pick up a weapon and kill someone after it.

The problem with America is lot people settle their grievances with a gun, the rest of the world people to use their hands to sort their problems out.

Originally posted by Backfire
The problem with America is lot people settle their grievances with a gun, the rest of the world people to use their hands to sort their problems out.

Stop thinking that America is personified in some cheesy Spaghetti Western film; even those are inaccurate to the culture. The majority of the United States doesn't pull a gun at a dispute regardless of what the media or Hollywood portray.....

reply to post by ownbestenemy


I'm upset over the hypocrisy, nothing more. If you're going to label video games bad, then hollywood and the music industry should follow suit. Especially as Beyonce calls for Americans to be disarmed while she's married to a thug rapper that promotes gun violence in his songs.

In Perth, Australia, we pay an average of $10 for an "imperial" pint of beer. (That is $10.50US for 1.20 american pints) due to our heavy taxes on alcohol.

Now, have a read of the alcohol related hospitalisations of our state (western australia).

www.dao.health.wa.gov.au...

Between 2005 and 2009, we cost ourselves a total of $379,689,476.83 due to alcohol related hospitalisations.

I know what we need! MORE TAX! That'll do the trick! Until no one has money, because we'll still drink. It's like speed cameras in this state. 75 dollar fine for doing under 10 k's over the limit and no demerit point loss. Yet people still do 65 in a 60 zone.

It solves nothing

Originally posted by Imsodone
reply to post by ownbestenemy

 

I'm upset over the hypocrisy, nothing more. If you're going to label video games bad, then hollywood and the music industry should follow suit. Especially as Beyonce calls for Americans to be disarmed while she's married to a thug rapper that promotes gun violence in his songs.

Agreed but the most egregious is the pharmaceuticals involved in nearly ever case. The media, the politicos, utilize what will get the most emotional draw of support; like it or not. Beyonce, Governor Cuomo, President Obama, etc will call for citizens to act a certain way but when we demand their protection also follow suit they have an exemption in place because of their "importance". I feel for you, I really do.

By the way, I am not sure if you understood that I was being quite facetious in my remarks earlier or if you are using "you" as a more general term....

So paying 5$ extra all the time will Prevent crime?

Yeah right, it will increase incidents of crime.

I want to solve problems and prevent crime, ban the US Govt.

Originally posted by ownbestenemy

Originally posted by Backfire
The problem with America is lot people settle their grievances with a gun, the rest of the world people to use their hands to sort their problems out.

Stop thinking that America is personified in some cheesy Spaghetti Western film; even those are inaccurate to the culture. The majority of the United States doesn't pull a gun at a dispute regardless of what the media or Hollywood portray.....

The media is only reporting the crime. You have young man been able to access guns very easily. The fact this kind of violent events happen only rarely everywhere else, is a testimony you're culture is out of control when comes to gun violence.

Originally posted by Thecakeisalie


It was only a matter of time. Politicians seem to think that taxes are the answer to all our problems, whether it be alcohol, Fast food, etc. Now gamers are expected to cop the flak, one person does something terrible and the rest of the law abiding citizens have to pay for it.

I'm really tired of video games getting the blame every time a lunatic decides to run amok with a firearm. Tens of millions of violent video games are sold each and every year, and how many shootings happen every year?

Not to mention politicians only assume that video games are the catalyst. So how do you explain massacres before the invention of gaming? movies and music of course. So with that logic i guess we should blame vaudeville for Jack the ripper going on a rampage.

The fact remains. People are killing people with guns, not with copies of call of Duty.



www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Now you know how we gun owners feel.

reply to post by Backfire


Death happens daily regardless of media culture. It so happens that American media dominates and it sells. Villages get massacred in Africa and only garner attention if the media finds it relevant. Deaths in the UK, Germany or elsewhere just don't catch the imagination of the news.

I am not trying to paint some rosy picture that it is sunshine and rainbows here, but to think death, mayhem, wickedness, evil, whatever, only occurs here because that is what the media presents is being very narrow minded and viewing the world through whatever prism you hold.

reply to post by Thecakeisalie




HAHAHAHAHA OH YESS! hahah oh god yes

History is repeating itself almost to the T ...the police state the ridiculous taxation of everything...


Whats next? Foreign soldiers living in our homes too?


Lmao and the people are just assuming the position and taking it right up the cornhole!

Lol More give us More...we"LL never fight back

Hers an idea why don't we take all the money they send overseas and use that to fund their crazy ideas. That should be the first place they have to chip away from to get any funding for their little pet projects. A simple solution really.

reply to post by xxdaniel21


I'm from down under as well. We both know taxes don't solve the problems, it's just a chance for them to fill their wallets. Hell the Howard government wanted to tax rainwater

Outcry over tax on rain

The truth is that TPTB don't care,as long as money keeps rolling in the gov't won't do squat. Which is why cigarettes aren't banned, and why the gun control laws won't pass U.S congress, because gun sales increases tax revenue.

So what would these taxes go towards? How would this help prevent violent massacres in the future? Smells like another excuse to pickpocket us I think.

This is also implying that many people even *buy* video games anymore. I've been stealing them off the internet for close to ten years now. They'll never see a penny of taxes from people like me. It's pointless.

I know this one is going to tick off a lot of people, but has anyone ever taken the time to consider that these mass shooters are gamers and if you put yourself in their shoes for a moment...the shooting scene is like one of these shoot 'em up video games...they are walking through the scene just plucking off victims one by one whether it be Norway, Sandy Hook, Oregon Mall, Giffords, Aurora, Red Lake. Think about it! How can games not be to blame for most of these shootings, not all, but most?

To hell with the tax, let's get rid of them altogether. What ever happened to a good old fashioned game of Mario? My three kids are just babies yet, but I can assure you we won't have modern day video games in this house.

Originally posted by Thecakeisalie
reply to post by xxdaniel21

 

The truth is that TPTB don't care,as long as money keeps rolling in the gov't won't do squat. Which is why cigarettes aren't banned, and why the gun control laws won't pass U.S congress, because gun sales increases tax revenue.

edit on 18-1-2013 by Thecakeisalie because: syntax error

It's also why in my state, we will never see demerit point fines for people doing between 0 and 10 over. Because we want the majority of speeders to keep their licenses , so they can pay for more speeding fines.
It won't work if no one's on the roads :/ or behaving themselves because they're on one point. No, we need them with 12 points, and hundreds of "traffic infringements".

Tell me, where's the logic in that? I can have 20 small traffic infringements and still be on 12 points? Technically that's still a clean driving record! for someone who can't sit under the speed limit!

Ha Ha I wonder how many people here are anti-gun and for taxing and banning them here but are up in arms because they may get taxed on a video game.

reply to post by Thecakeisalie


Tax is nothing more than Extortion.... the only difference is that Taxing is done Legally through paperwork!!!

The more you/me/we gain, the more they take away in Taxes!

Every year they say, we save on this, we save on that and then they bring in a new Tax which takes those Savings you were making.

Not to mention Energy Hike Rises and Interest Rates!!