Written by: Beck

New Jersey lawmakers want to cable television channels hosting poker shows to pay a special surcharge to help fund treatment of gambling addiction. And if the channels are unwilling to "voluntarily" contribute to government sponsored charities? Why then they'll just tax it out of them. Oh, wait, we're calling it a "surcharge" this time. Less scary that way.

Now a New Jersey lawmaker wants cable networks that feature gambling to help gambling addicts by giving money to treatment agencies. Assemblywoman Joan Voss, a Democrat, on Tuesday called for a surcharge on state cable providers if the networks don't cooperate.

[...] The surcharge, Voss said, would be imposed on cable providers who air poker tournaments, requiring them to collect the money from cable networks without passing on the charge to customers.

Makes perfect sense right? I especially like how these benighted politicians think they can decree that the charge won't be passed on to customers. News flash: customers provide all the revenue; therefore, the customers will be paying for your surcharge as well.

Rogier van Bakel of Nobody's Business makes an excellent point.

Hey lady, why stop at poker shows? ESPN could be made to pay into a healthcare fund for people with sports injuries. Maybe the Playboy Channel should start paying the therapy bills for sex addicts. And since mob shows could push the gullible into a life of crime, why don't we order HBO to send a check to the Crime Victims Fund for every new episode of The Sopranos?

It's young people's "easy access" to televised vice that concerns Ms. Voss — so logically, other low-threshold media might be next in line for some serious regulatin'. How about magazines and the Internet? They're everywhere, I tell you! Determined lawmakers like Ms. Voss can surely join hands to make Modern Drunkard magazine pay for the treatment of alcoholics. Cigar Aficionado will then have to compensate stogie-lovers who get emphysema. And because sites like nascarconnections and thatsracin.com arguably don't promote safe driving, why don't we tell them to pony up for the treatment of car-crash victims?

I would suggest that perhaps the motivation behind this surcharge has something to do with the fact that New Jersey is the largest center of casino gambling East of the Mississippi. But much as I enjoy trips down to Atlantic City, I don't think I can blame any of my gambling losses on ESPN.

Here, I have a suggestion. How about instead, the state pay for gambling addiction treatment out of some of the huge bevy of fees and taxes they charge casinos?

Don't miss my other recent New Jersey posts here and here.

(Hat tip: Vice Squad)