Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, on a proposed violet game tax in Oklahoma:
Before a 5-6 vote against moving forward with the bill, members of the subcommittee expressed skepticism at the idea of singling out video games in particular for causing bullying and obesity. “Why just video games? Why not French fries or rap music or movies?” Representative Pat Owenby (R) asked, according to minutes recorded by the Oklahoma Watchdog. “We could have a task force on a multitude of reasons children are obese,” Oklahoma City rep Mike Reynolds (R) added.
Hey, look at that! Oklahoma legislators got one right. That this bill was written in the first place is a farce.
Here’s an alternative idea: tax parents for obesity or bullying problems and stop looking for scapegoats to absolve us of the problems we create.