Wisconsin Lawmaker Proposes Game Tax to Fund Juvenile Offender Program

December 21, 2007 -
A Wisconsin lawmaker wants to ensure that non-violent, youthful offenders are processed in juvenile, not adult court.

The idea makes sense, but State Senator Jon Erpenbach's plan to fund rehabilitation programs for those found delinquent is controversial.

As reported by the Wisconsin Radio Network, Erpenbach, a Democrat, wants to add a special one-percent sales tax for video games and game consoles. The surcharge would be in addition to Wisconsin's current five-percent sales tax.

State Representative Steve Nass (R), however, has questioned the logic of tying video games to juvenile crime and wonders why games should be singled out for a tax increase.

GP: Although we really like the idea of keeping non-violent juvenile offenders out the adult system (seems like a no-brainer), it is difficult to see Sen. Erpenbach's logic here in regard to the video game tax. Is he presuming a relationship between games and youth crime? No data supports that. More likely, he is equating video games with toys (and thus with children), as so many non-gamers of his generation are wont to do.

Comments

Wow this game tax is a great idea now lets make a:
1.rap music tax to fund drug rehab clinics....

2.and lets tax mexican restaurants to support welfare...

3.and or a gas tax for Iraq war or war on terror...

4.or non-citizen tax to support jails...

5.a tax on bibles to support those that have been harmed by cults???

6.how about a condom tax to support aids victims(cause supposedly their existance in itself makes people have sex more...)

7.how about a politician tax to support the families of dead prostitutes?


I could come up with more moronic ideas...

To everyone above that says he isn't anti-games you are crazy...

He isn't trying to make a statement he just knows for a fact that games make children break the law, to him it is a poven fact...
Why do I assume this? Because sin taxes are passed on things that are proven to cause damage to society...

What he is says is that games are as dangerous to society as tobacco is for your lungs...

He also assumes that games are for kids... average age of a gamer is 33 so I guess kids now includes people up to and maybe over 40 years old...




THIS POLITICIAN IS THE WORST KIND OF ANTI-GAMES ADVOCATE he isn't treating it as a new thing to be passed or proven he is treating games as a proven evil that must be stopped...
The worst thing for anyone to do is to pass the idea that games are evil is a natural thing which shouldn't be discussed any more when it is actually the opposite of that.....

[...] Wisconsin Lawmaker Proposes Game Tax to Fund Juvenile Offender Program [GamePolitics] [...]

He should tax soda pop instea

Actually, a few states have special soda taxes, and others have proposed them as well.

Thought it was Gary Sherman (Assembly, D-Port Wing) or Bob Jauch (Senate, D-Poplar) when I saw the headline (because I thought only they could be that idiotic).
 
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TechnogeekIf the developer were male there wouldn't have been a "conversation" in the first place.10/19/2014 - 2:27am
Montetrolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm
MontePapa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm
Papa MidnightMonte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm
AvalongodI think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm
Avalongod@Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm
WonderkarpZippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm
MonteSeirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm
MonteWe have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm
ZippyDSMleeWonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm
MaskedPixelantehttp://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm
Matthew Wilsonthe sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm
MechaTama31So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am
MonteI feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am
quiknkoldand we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkoldThe whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkoldI thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm
Matthew Wilsonwhile he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm
Papa MidnightThat was a damn good read offered by Jeff Gertsmann.10/17/2014 - 7:17pm
Matthew Wilsonhttp://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ deferentially a nice write up.10/17/2014 - 6:44pm
 

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