Utah Vs. Violent Videogames…Taxpayers Lose
I believe it is in everybody’s best interest if retailers and rental stores keep underage customers from buying or renting video games and movies that are made for adults. I also think many of the most violent games on the market are sickening and deserving of as much criticism as parents and others in our community can heap upon them.
All of that said this plan from members of the Utah Legislature to make it a criminal offense for retailers to sell or rent these games to minors is just unbelievably stupid. Every year these Republican jokers come up with a new way to squander taxpayer money in pointless court fights in order to win votes from Utah’s numberless hosts of well intentioned but uninformed social conservatives.
This legislation is sure to lose when it is inevitably challenged in the courts as is typical of most Republican issue legislation.
Judges in several states, including Minnesota, Illinois, California and Louisiana, have blocked similar laws on grounds that there’s little evidence violent video games are harmful to children and the statutes restrict First Amendment rights.
In July, U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum issued a permanent injunction to halt the implementation of a Minnesota law that would have penalized minors for purchasing adult-themed games.
“There is no showing whatsoever that video games, in the absence of other violent media, cause even the slightest injury to children,” U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum wrote.
Hogue expects the video game industry to sue should his bill pass. But he thinks his bill will stand up in court.
Representative Hogue and all the other Republicans who are sure to join with him in this crusade are pushing this bill which, if passed, will surely go straight to court costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. The bill does not ban minors from possessing these games or parents from buying them for their kids so it doesn’t really do any good but it will still cost Utahns when it is inevitably challenged in court.
The saddest thing about all of this is that most Utahns will love the legislature for doing this to them. The principle of standing up to the evil video game industry is more important to Republican voters and politicians than the fact that this legislation will do absolutely no good even if upheld and will cost Utah taxpayers tons of legal fees.
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I agree 100% with your take on the games.
Here’s a philosophical question for you. When should the state legislature follow the people and when should they deviate? Obviously you are ticked off because this bill will do nothing and it will cost taxpayers some money to defend. Is the money the problem? Should these nutjob Representative not stand up to video game makers, even if their constitutents want them to?
Comment by Daniel — September 19, 2006 @ 12:51 pm
Daniel,
That would make for a great blog post. I’d love to see some studies about how Utahns feel about this topic and how much tax money they think it would be worth to pursue this or other “moral” legislation that is doomed to being reversed in court.
I’ll do some research. Since the Republicans seem to come up with a new moral issue to push in the legislature every year I’d be surprised if the subject hasn’t been studied in the past.
Comment by Jeremy Manning — September 20, 2006 @ 3:59 pm
Agreed. While I agree that the nature of violence in all media is more harmful to children than we now realize, I believe that an attempt to legislate such behaviors will cause more harm than good, not only because of the time and expenses, but because of misrepresentation that is handed to the public that such a thing can be legislated, or upheld by government. While I may not condone the behaviors of others conccerning video games, it is ridiculous to think that a state government in this nation would be able to enforce that one.
Why not spend this money on something a little less trivial, like building a jail big enough to house all of the men in colorado city who have had forcible relations with a minor.
Comment by cody — September 21, 2006 @ 12:18 pm
I agree that it’s stupid to make it illegal to sell certain media to minors. Just like it’s stupid to make it illegal to sell alcohol or tobacco products to minors– they get it anyway, most of the time.
However, I violenty disagree with the quoted statement that video games do not harm children. I have actually done quite a bit of research on this topic and the research mostly says otherwise…
there are a few studies that find absolutely no traceable negative effects of violent media.
BUt statistics can be made to say just about anything.
Common sense=How can that sort of violence NOT be harming kids?
Comment by Sare — September 21, 2006 @ 12:36 pm