COW finalizes Tax increase

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ben McCoy on June 16, 2010 at 10:27am

Yes - and quite an eye-opening discussion last night concerning the video sweepstakes establishments in town. Very different liberal sentiments abound on city council concerning this - from O'Grady, who wants to control their "ridiculous profits" by allowing owners only to break even and recoup their investment - to Sparks, who thinks only a "godless heathen" would allow these establishments to "prey" on the poor and hapless.

Folks - this is a big deal. No government entity - especially a city council - has any authority to regulate business in this regard, simply because it is of a distasteful variety to their personal sensibilities. If O'Grady has his way, these business owners, who have played by the rules (remember, the state of NC has deemed these establishments legal) made their investments, hired a workforce, and feed their families with the money they make; will have to come before the mighty Wilmington City Council, present their financial statements, and forced to shut their doors after they have broke even. They will not be allowed to operate as every other business does - to succeed and make a profit.

Whether or not you have any inclination toward these businesses or not, this should alarm you. I have never been in one of these places, and never will; and if they all disappeared of their own doing tomorrow, I wouldn't even blink an eye. But this is an outright infringement on personal liberty, and it should enrage every single citizen who has any concern for their own rights, and any concern for the government denying them from you at will.

There will be much more to this. Please get involved and join the fight for liberty. We cannot afford to ignore this - next time, it WILL be you personally that has their rights revoked.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ben McCoy on June 16, 2010 at 1:23pm

Watch the comments at the meeting: http://wilmington.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=20&clip_...

My comments about the sweepstakes parlors are about from 1:31:15 to 1:34:08. Russ was right after me.

While you're at it - get a load of the guy after Russ at 1:35:54 - who says "the reason we have government is to regulate behavior". A minute later, he says that they have to regulate these places because "we're all going to have to fight it out in the streets".

Finally - here's the zinger: Around 1:38:20 or so he says "that's your job - to regulate the way people live. If they don't like it, move out of the city... we do not live in free capitalism, we live in regulated capitalism."

Wow. What an idiotic asshat.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by BOMB THROWER on June 16, 2010 at 1:48pm

The one other glaring problem was the distance between each "parlor". If there were to be multiple within a certain distance, there could only be one, so who decides which business closes?
You can bet yout bottom dollar the one that contributes to campaigns will stay open.

Ben McCoy said:

Watch the comments at the meeting: http://wilmington.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=20&clip_...

My comments about the sweepstakes parlors are about from 1:31:15 to 1:34:08. Russ was right after me.

While you're at it - get a load of the guy after Russ at 1:35:54 - who says "the reason we have government is to regulate behavior". A minute later, he says that they have to regulate these places because "we're all going to have to fight it out in the streets".

Finally - here's the zinger: Around 1:38:20 or so he says "that's your job - to regulate the way people live. If they don't like it, move out of the city... we do not live in free capitalism, we live in regulated capitalism."

Wow. What an idiotic asshat.

• ▶ Reply