MONDAY, APRIL 11, 1988 - 1:30 p.m.
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS BACKUP FILE WAS CORRUPTED AND ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF TEXT SURVIVED. REFERENCE WILL HAVE TO BE MADE TO THE VOLUME CONTAINING THE ORIGINAL TEXT
In effect it proclaims that gambling is not a necessary evil but an inherently good thing. It does this while telling its citizens that if they are to be good Americans, they should work hard, save their money and shun all get rich quick schemes. Is this not ridiculous? Does it really make sense for the government to insist that no one has a right to work for a penny less than the minimum wage and for the government then to encourage us all to blow one week’s wages at the betting cage? Does it really make sense for the government to enact a mountain of legislation from securities and exchange commission registration to the labelling of consumer products, which protects people from unwise expectations while urging them to make the unwisest expenditure, that is a gambling bet?
I could go on. There are irrelevant paragraphs, but perhaps it is better not to read at length. I can always provide the Member who are interested with a copy of what I was about to read. If they are very interested they can advise me, and I will provide the quote. That will make this debate go just one iota faster.
The policy of the government actually sanctioning gambling and the goverment actually getting involved in business is crucial. The Member for Riverdale South spoke about volunteers. She spoke about the government’s initiatives. When she was spewing the venom that she so characteristically does, she talked about the government’s initiative on the healthy environment for voluntary agencies.
I would like to go back to that one more time because it is important to tie in the reason as to why it is so important to give a proper underpining of all of these policies to the Member for Riverdale South. She obviously does not understand the government’s real motive. She is telling people what she feels the government motive is, and she is wrong. I want to make it abundantly clear by going through these basis and the underpinnings of these policies to achieve that.