Image
File
(Aton
Start transmission
Human interaction is simply irreplaceable
Saya, a Japanese robotic teacher
By Grace B. Neptuno
rom the country that brought beer
Fees machines and raw seafood
delicacies into our lives, enter Saya,
a Japanese elementary school teacher that
takes attendance, speaks several different
languages and makes that tight frowning
face characteristic of anyone who works
with children all day. What’s the catch, you
ask? She’s a freaking robot!
Saya is just one among many service
robots now becoming commonplace within
Japanese culture. Mitsubishi’s robotic
nurses are being developed to minimize
the social costs of caring for the increasing
number of elderly in Japan. This kind of
emotionally impotent weirdness is not
limited to Japan alone.
In England, the University of Warwick
has begun a $2.7 million (£1.5 million)
project called iWARD to design their own
robot nurse with a target operational date
of 2020. In true Pop Idol spirit, Canada just
had to have its own version. University of
interaction that the elderly and children
need most. Imagine poor Grandpa Jack and
his robotic elderly care-worker during a
game of chess;
Jack: “Black pawn to e4, your move
E-bert.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Uh, yeah, I said it’s your
move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Right, go ahead and move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
While the idea of re-booting the
instructor to get a few more minutes of arts
and crafts time may sound appealing, it is a
human teacher that can prevent belligerence
from students hopefully ensuring they
develop, among other principles of conduct,
a sense of cooperation. Without the
uniqueness of human social interactions
with students, we run the risk of creating
children either running giddy with their own
ill-conceived sense of right and wrong, or
children who retreat to an underground lair
to secretly worship a giant dormant nuclear
Manitoba missile.
professor § “Jo replace nurses and care workers with robots’ It
Jacky undermines the value of human interaction.” | is not
Baltes has just this
developed writer’s
his own robot, “Archie,” in the hopes that
it may one day be sophisticated enough to
assist in household tasks such as chopping
vegetables, changing diapers and greeting
guests so that suburban moms can /inally
relax. That’s right. There isn’t a vision
more calming than an encased integrated
circuitry of copper wires and silicone giving
my two year old raspberries on her belly.
While it’s true that machines operating
according to their designed computer
programs have long existed in our lives,
in the way of dishwashers, microwaves
and not too long ago, the disturbingly
adorable Roomba vacuum. These machines
still function within safe and enclosed
parameters and if needed, are terminable via
an off switch. A robot, once sophisticated
enough, is not so easy to turn off. Even Data
had his bad positronic brain days.
Aside from the possible physical
dangers that large walking toasters might
pose, to replace nurses and care workers
with robots undermines the value of human
6
intent to convey a billboard-toting “end-
of-the-world-is-nigh” sentiment about how
dangerously close robots are to infiltrating
human culture, but to also call attention
to what philosopher Daisaku Ikeda once
termed, “The Virtual Disconnect.” The
social gap between humans is widening.
The connection that, at one time could
be made, simply by smiling or saying
“hello” could go the way of the mini-disc if
robots overrun positions where the ability
to respond spontaneously is crucial to
human interaction. The human desire for
companionship and emotional and social
interaction shorts out. It becomes artificial.
So I suggest putting down your iPhone
and unplugging your Wii. Play tennis with a
real person. Share an impromptu story with
your students, instructors or colleagues. Go
visit your Grandpa and never, under any
circumstances, allow a Tickle Me Elmo into
your home.
Get your bodies moving
Exercise during the school year doesn’t take much
By Shoshana Berman
out of whack. Your body will be doing
little more than sitting, even though
you will be working on the computer,
reading a book, taking notes in a lecture
and (hopefully, more than occasionally)
eating some nourishing food. Meanwhile,
your brain will be processing information
like a rat zipping through a maze to get the
kibble at the end of the line. Still, as far as
your body knows, you’re just lazing around
on your butt. That’s a body and brain out of
balance. Get your body moving and create
an efficient brain—both of which lead to a
calm mind ready to learn.
I: school, your body/brain balance is
Running is cheap. You can do it
anywhere, anytime, alone or with friends.
You can get a lot of thinking done on a
run, and when your body’s moving, the
thinking is better. A lot of marathon training
happens when people are in school. You’d
be surprised. If running’s not for you, find
something that lasts at least half an hour,
three times a week. Do something that gets
your heart beating fast, leaves you slightly
out of breath, and makes you break out in
a sweat.
And, yeah, wild crazy sex counts, if
you really think can keep up at that pace for
thirty minutes, you braggart.
Increased betting limits not a big deal
By Garth McLennan
he Liberal government has taken a
Te of much deserved flak over the
past few weeks. The HST, frequent
lying, the BC Rail case, the HST, the fudge
budget, obscene pay raises for top level
politicians, the HST, spiralling Olympic
costs, massive across-the-board health
care funding cuts and the HST are a few
latest reasons for which Premier Gordon
Campbell has been vilified.
However, there is something that
Campbell is taking heat for that is clearly
getting blown out of proportion. I speak
here of the furor caused over the massive
increases to the limits of on-line gambling
through the British Columbia Lottery
Corporation (BCLC).
For those who don’t know, the
Liberals have dramatically raised the
amount British Columbians can gamble
through the BCLC’s Play Now website.
There has been an 8300 per cent increase
from $120 maximum per week to $10,000.
Now, the hardcore anti-gambling faction
has decried this decision as pure evil
that will undoubtedly destroy countless
families. They have also said that when
Campbell was elected for the first time
eight years ago, it was on a promise that
online gambling would be stamped out, or
at the very least be heavily regulated and
controlled.
That second part is true. Campbell did
indeed make promises to control online
gambling. However, on the running list
of broken vows by Campbell, this is a
long way from the most important. I’m
not saying that Campbell should ever lie
to the public; but really, after eight years,
it might be time for a change for online
gambling anyways.
As for this being capable of breaking
apart families, sure, the potential is there.
However, that is true of any vice. I mean, a
person can drink or spend as much as they
want. Besides, if someone is truly addicted
to gambling, they can very easily walk into
any one of the beautiful casinos throughout
B.C. and blow the family nest egg with no
limit whatsoever. I know that isn’t a nice
image, but it’s the truth. There are a lot
of gambling options out there for people,
and the BCLC website is only a very, very
small part.
What my position really comes
down to is that B.C. isn’t a nanny state.
I know there are people who want
virtually everything to be government
regulated but I believe that people should
be allowed a good measure of freedom
to make their own decisions and live
with the consequences. Obviously there
are exceptions to this position that I
wholeheartedly agree with, such as
smoking and drug enforcement laws, but
if people want to gamble, then they should
be allowed to gamble.
Edited Text
(Aton
Start transmission
Human interaction is simply irreplaceable
Saya, a Japanese robotic teacher
By Grace B. Neptuno
rom the country that brought beer
Fees machines and raw seafood
delicacies into our lives, enter Saya,
a Japanese elementary school teacher that
takes attendance, speaks several different
languages and makes that tight frowning
face characteristic of anyone who works
with children all day. What’s the catch, you
ask? She’s a freaking robot!
Saya is just one among many service
robots now becoming commonplace within
Japanese culture. Mitsubishi’s robotic
nurses are being developed to minimize
the social costs of caring for the increasing
number of elderly in Japan. This kind of
emotionally impotent weirdness is not
limited to Japan alone.
In England, the University of Warwick
has begun a $2.7 million (£1.5 million)
project called iWARD to design their own
robot nurse with a target operational date
of 2020. In true Pop Idol spirit, Canada just
had to have its own version. University of
interaction that the elderly and children
need most. Imagine poor Grandpa Jack and
his robotic elderly care-worker during a
game of chess;
Jack: “Black pawn to e4, your move
E-bert.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Uh, yeah, I said it’s your
move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Right, go ahead and move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
While the idea of re-booting the
instructor to get a few more minutes of arts
and crafts time may sound appealing, it is a
human teacher that can prevent belligerence
from students hopefully ensuring they
develop, among other principles of conduct,
a sense of cooperation. Without the
uniqueness of human social interactions
with students, we run the risk of creating
children either running giddy with their own
ill-conceived sense of right and wrong, or
children who retreat to an underground lair
to secretly worship a giant dormant nuclear
Manitoba missile.
professor § “Jo replace nurses and care workers with robots’ It
Jacky undermines the value of human interaction.” | is not
Baltes has just this
developed writer’s
his own robot, “Archie,” in the hopes that
it may one day be sophisticated enough to
assist in household tasks such as chopping
vegetables, changing diapers and greeting
guests so that suburban moms can /inally
relax. That’s right. There isn’t a vision
more calming than an encased integrated
circuitry of copper wires and silicone giving
my two year old raspberries on her belly.
While it’s true that machines operating
according to their designed computer
programs have long existed in our lives,
in the way of dishwashers, microwaves
and not too long ago, the disturbingly
adorable Roomba vacuum. These machines
still function within safe and enclosed
parameters and if needed, are terminable via
an off switch. A robot, once sophisticated
enough, is not so easy to turn off. Even Data
had his bad positronic brain days.
Aside from the possible physical
dangers that large walking toasters might
pose, to replace nurses and care workers
with robots undermines the value of human
6
intent to convey a billboard-toting “end-
of-the-world-is-nigh” sentiment about how
dangerously close robots are to infiltrating
human culture, but to also call attention
to what philosopher Daisaku Ikeda once
termed, “The Virtual Disconnect.” The
social gap between humans is widening.
The connection that, at one time could
be made, simply by smiling or saying
“hello” could go the way of the mini-disc if
robots overrun positions where the ability
to respond spontaneously is crucial to
human interaction. The human desire for
companionship and emotional and social
interaction shorts out. It becomes artificial.
So I suggest putting down your iPhone
and unplugging your Wii. Play tennis with a
real person. Share an impromptu story with
your students, instructors or colleagues. Go
visit your Grandpa and never, under any
circumstances, allow a Tickle Me Elmo into
your home.
Get your bodies moving
Exercise during the school year doesn’t take much
By Shoshana Berman
out of whack. Your body will be doing
little more than sitting, even though
you will be working on the computer,
reading a book, taking notes in a lecture
and (hopefully, more than occasionally)
eating some nourishing food. Meanwhile,
your brain will be processing information
like a rat zipping through a maze to get the
kibble at the end of the line. Still, as far as
your body knows, you’re just lazing around
on your butt. That’s a body and brain out of
balance. Get your body moving and create
an efficient brain—both of which lead to a
calm mind ready to learn.
I: school, your body/brain balance is
Running is cheap. You can do it
anywhere, anytime, alone or with friends.
You can get a lot of thinking done on a
run, and when your body’s moving, the
thinking is better. A lot of marathon training
happens when people are in school. You’d
be surprised. If running’s not for you, find
something that lasts at least half an hour,
three times a week. Do something that gets
your heart beating fast, leaves you slightly
out of breath, and makes you break out in
a sweat.
And, yeah, wild crazy sex counts, if
you really think can keep up at that pace for
thirty minutes, you braggart.
Increased betting limits not a big deal
By Garth McLennan
he Liberal government has taken a
Te of much deserved flak over the
past few weeks. The HST, frequent
lying, the BC Rail case, the HST, the fudge
budget, obscene pay raises for top level
politicians, the HST, spiralling Olympic
costs, massive across-the-board health
care funding cuts and the HST are a few
latest reasons for which Premier Gordon
Campbell has been vilified.
However, there is something that
Campbell is taking heat for that is clearly
getting blown out of proportion. I speak
here of the furor caused over the massive
increases to the limits of on-line gambling
through the British Columbia Lottery
Corporation (BCLC).
For those who don’t know, the
Liberals have dramatically raised the
amount British Columbians can gamble
through the BCLC’s Play Now website.
There has been an 8300 per cent increase
from $120 maximum per week to $10,000.
Now, the hardcore anti-gambling faction
has decried this decision as pure evil
that will undoubtedly destroy countless
families. They have also said that when
Campbell was elected for the first time
eight years ago, it was on a promise that
online gambling would be stamped out, or
at the very least be heavily regulated and
controlled.
That second part is true. Campbell did
indeed make promises to control online
gambling. However, on the running list
of broken vows by Campbell, this is a
long way from the most important. I’m
not saying that Campbell should ever lie
to the public; but really, after eight years,
it might be time for a change for online
gambling anyways.
As for this being capable of breaking
apart families, sure, the potential is there.
However, that is true of any vice. I mean, a
person can drink or spend as much as they
want. Besides, if someone is truly addicted
to gambling, they can very easily walk into
any one of the beautiful casinos throughout
B.C. and blow the family nest egg with no
limit whatsoever. I know that isn’t a nice
image, but it’s the truth. There are a lot
of gambling options out there for people,
and the BCLC website is only a very, very
small part.
What my position really comes
down to is that B.C. isn’t a nanny state.
I know there are people who want
virtually everything to be government
regulated but I believe that people should
be allowed a good measure of freedom
to make their own decisions and live
with the consequences. Obviously there
are exceptions to this position that I
wholeheartedly agree with, such as
smoking and drug enforcement laws, but
if people want to gamble, then they should
be allowed to gamble.
(Aton
Start transmission
Human interaction is simply irreplaceable
Saya, a Japanese robotic teacher
By Grace B. Neptuno
rom the country that brought beer
Fees machines and raw seafood
delicacies into our lives, enter Saya,
a Japanese elementary school teacher that
takes attendance, speaks several different
languages and makes that tight frowning
face characteristic of anyone who works
with children all day. What’s the catch, you
ask? She’s a freaking robot!
Saya is just one among many service
robots now becoming commonplace within
Japanese culture. Mitsubishi’s robotic
nurses are being developed to minimize
the social costs of caring for the increasing
number of elderly in Japan. This kind of
emotionally impotent weirdness is not
limited to Japan alone.
In England, the University of Warwick
has begun a $2.7 million (£1.5 million)
project called iWARD to design their own
robot nurse with a target operational date
of 2020. In true Pop Idol spirit, Canada just
had to have its own version. University of
interaction that the elderly and children
need most. Imagine poor Grandpa Jack and
his robotic elderly care-worker during a
game of chess;
Jack: “Black pawn to e4, your move
E-bert.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Uh, yeah, I said it’s your
move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Right, go ahead and move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
While the idea of re-booting the
instructor to get a few more minutes of arts
and crafts time may sound appealing, it is a
human teacher that can prevent belligerence
from students hopefully ensuring they
develop, among other principles of conduct,
a sense of cooperation. Without the
uniqueness of human social interactions
with students, we run the risk of creating
children either running giddy with their own
ill-conceived sense of right and wrong, or
children who retreat to an underground lair
to secretly worship a giant dormant nuclear
Manitoba missile.
professor § “Jo replace nurses and care workers with robots’ It
Jacky undermines the value of human interaction.” | is not
Baltes has just this
developed writer’s
his own robot, “Archie,” in the hopes that
it may one day be sophisticated enough to
assist in household tasks such as chopping
vegetables, changing diapers and greeting
guests so that suburban moms can /inally
relax. That’s right. There isn’t a vision
more calming than an encased integrated
circuitry of copper wires and silicone giving
my two year old raspberries on her belly.
While it’s true that machines operating
according to their designed computer
programs have long existed in our lives,
in the way of dishwashers, microwaves
and not too long ago, the disturbingly
adorable Roomba vacuum. These machines
still function within safe and enclosed
parameters and if needed, are terminable via
an off switch. A robot, once sophisticated
enough, is not so easy to turn off. Even Data
had his bad positronic brain days.
Aside from the possible physical
dangers that large walking toasters might
pose, to replace nurses and care workers
with robots undermines the value of human
6
intent to convey a billboard-toting “end-
of-the-world-is-nigh” sentiment about how
dangerously close robots are to infiltrating
human culture, but to also call attention
to what philosopher Daisaku Ikeda once
termed, “The Virtual Disconnect.” The
social gap between humans is widening.
The connection that, at one time could
be made, simply by smiling or saying
“hello” could go the way of the mini-disc if
robots overrun positions where the ability
to respond spontaneously is crucial to
human interaction. The human desire for
companionship and emotional and social
interaction shorts out. It becomes artificial.
So I suggest putting down your iPhone
and unplugging your Wii. Play tennis with a
real person. Share an impromptu story with
your students, instructors or colleagues. Go
visit your Grandpa and never, under any
circumstances, allow a Tickle Me Elmo into
your home.
Get your bodies moving
Exercise during the school year doesn’t take much
By Shoshana Berman
out of whack. Your body will be doing
little more than sitting, even though
you will be working on the computer,
reading a book, taking notes in a lecture
and (hopefully, more than occasionally)
eating some nourishing food. Meanwhile,
your brain will be processing information
like a rat zipping through a maze to get the
kibble at the end of the line. Still, as far as
your body knows, you’re just lazing around
on your butt. That’s a body and brain out of
balance. Get your body moving and create
an efficient brain—both of which lead to a
calm mind ready to learn.
I: school, your body/brain balance is
Running is cheap. You can do it
anywhere, anytime, alone or with friends.
You can get a lot of thinking done on a
run, and when your body’s moving, the
thinking is better. A lot of marathon training
happens when people are in school. You’d
be surprised. If running’s not for you, find
something that lasts at least half an hour,
three times a week. Do something that gets
your heart beating fast, leaves you slightly
out of breath, and makes you break out in
a sweat.
And, yeah, wild crazy sex counts, if
you really think can keep up at that pace for
thirty minutes, you braggart.
Increased betting limits not a big deal
By Garth McLennan
he Liberal government has taken a
Te of much deserved flak over the
past few weeks. The HST, frequent
lying, the BC Rail case, the HST, the fudge
budget, obscene pay raises for top level
politicians, the HST, spiralling Olympic
costs, massive across-the-board health
care funding cuts and the HST are a few
latest reasons for which Premier Gordon
Campbell has been vilified.
However, there is something that
Campbell is taking heat for that is clearly
getting blown out of proportion. I speak
here of the furor caused over the massive
increases to the limits of on-line gambling
through the British Columbia Lottery
Corporation (BCLC).
For those who don’t know, the
Liberals have dramatically raised the
amount British Columbians can gamble
through the BCLC’s Play Now website.
There has been an 8300 per cent increase
from $120 maximum per week to $10,000.
Now, the hardcore anti-gambling faction
has decried this decision as pure evil
that will undoubtedly destroy countless
families. They have also said that when
Campbell was elected for the first time
eight years ago, it was on a promise that
online gambling would be stamped out, or
at the very least be heavily regulated and
controlled.
That second part is true. Campbell did
indeed make promises to control online
gambling. However, on the running list
of broken vows by Campbell, this is a
long way from the most important. I’m
not saying that Campbell should ever lie
to the public; but really, after eight years,
it might be time for a change for online
gambling anyways.
As for this being capable of breaking
apart families, sure, the potential is there.
However, that is true of any vice. I mean, a
person can drink or spend as much as they
want. Besides, if someone is truly addicted
to gambling, they can very easily walk into
any one of the beautiful casinos throughout
B.C. and blow the family nest egg with no
limit whatsoever. I know that isn’t a nice
image, but it’s the truth. There are a lot
of gambling options out there for people,
and the BCLC website is only a very, very
small part.
What my position really comes
down to is that B.C. isn’t a nanny state.
I know there are people who want
virtually everything to be government
regulated but I believe that people should
be allowed a good measure of freedom
to make their own decisions and live
with the consequences. Obviously there
are exceptions to this position that I
wholeheartedly agree with, such as
smoking and drug enforcement laws, but
if people want to gamble, then they should
be allowed to gamble.
(Aton
Start transmission
Human interaction is simply irreplaceable
Saya, a Japanese robotic teacher
By Grace B. Neptuno
rom the country that brought beer
Fees machines and raw seafood
delicacies into our lives, enter Saya,
a Japanese elementary school teacher that
takes attendance, speaks several different
languages and makes that tight frowning
face characteristic of anyone who works
with children all day. What’s the catch, you
ask? She’s a freaking robot!
Saya is just one among many service
robots now becoming commonplace within
Japanese culture. Mitsubishi’s robotic
nurses are being developed to minimize
the social costs of caring for the increasing
number of elderly in Japan. This kind of
emotionally impotent weirdness is not
limited to Japan alone.
In England, the University of Warwick
has begun a $2.7 million (£1.5 million)
project called iWARD to design their own
robot nurse with a target operational date
of 2020. In true Pop Idol spirit, Canada just
had to have its own version. University of
interaction that the elderly and children
need most. Imagine poor Grandpa Jack and
his robotic elderly care-worker during a
game of chess;
Jack: “Black pawn to e4, your move
E-bert.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Uh, yeah, I said it’s your
move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
Jack: “Right, go ahead and move.”
E-bert: “By your command.”
While the idea of re-booting the
instructor to get a few more minutes of arts
and crafts time may sound appealing, it is a
human teacher that can prevent belligerence
from students hopefully ensuring they
develop, among other principles of conduct,
a sense of cooperation. Without the
uniqueness of human social interactions
with students, we run the risk of creating
children either running giddy with their own
ill-conceived sense of right and wrong, or
children who retreat to an underground lair
to secretly worship a giant dormant nuclear
Manitoba missile.
professor § “Jo replace nurses and care workers with robots’ It
Jacky undermines the value of human interaction.” | is not
Baltes has just this
developed writer’s
his own robot, “Archie,” in the hopes that
it may one day be sophisticated enough to
assist in household tasks such as chopping
vegetables, changing diapers and greeting
guests so that suburban moms can /inally
relax. That’s right. There isn’t a vision
more calming than an encased integrated
circuitry of copper wires and silicone giving
my two year old raspberries on her belly.
While it’s true that machines operating
according to their designed computer
programs have long existed in our lives,
in the way of dishwashers, microwaves
and not too long ago, the disturbingly
adorable Roomba vacuum. These machines
still function within safe and enclosed
parameters and if needed, are terminable via
an off switch. A robot, once sophisticated
enough, is not so easy to turn off. Even Data
had his bad positronic brain days.
Aside from the possible physical
dangers that large walking toasters might
pose, to replace nurses and care workers
with robots undermines the value of human
6
intent to convey a billboard-toting “end-
of-the-world-is-nigh” sentiment about how
dangerously close robots are to infiltrating
human culture, but to also call attention
to what philosopher Daisaku Ikeda once
termed, “The Virtual Disconnect.” The
social gap between humans is widening.
The connection that, at one time could
be made, simply by smiling or saying
“hello” could go the way of the mini-disc if
robots overrun positions where the ability
to respond spontaneously is crucial to
human interaction. The human desire for
companionship and emotional and social
interaction shorts out. It becomes artificial.
So I suggest putting down your iPhone
and unplugging your Wii. Play tennis with a
real person. Share an impromptu story with
your students, instructors or colleagues. Go
visit your Grandpa and never, under any
circumstances, allow a Tickle Me Elmo into
your home.
Get your bodies moving
Exercise during the school year doesn’t take much
By Shoshana Berman
out of whack. Your body will be doing
little more than sitting, even though
you will be working on the computer,
reading a book, taking notes in a lecture
and (hopefully, more than occasionally)
eating some nourishing food. Meanwhile,
your brain will be processing information
like a rat zipping through a maze to get the
kibble at the end of the line. Still, as far as
your body knows, you’re just lazing around
on your butt. That’s a body and brain out of
balance. Get your body moving and create
an efficient brain—both of which lead to a
calm mind ready to learn.
I: school, your body/brain balance is
Running is cheap. You can do it
anywhere, anytime, alone or with friends.
You can get a lot of thinking done on a
run, and when your body’s moving, the
thinking is better. A lot of marathon training
happens when people are in school. You’d
be surprised. If running’s not for you, find
something that lasts at least half an hour,
three times a week. Do something that gets
your heart beating fast, leaves you slightly
out of breath, and makes you break out in
a sweat.
And, yeah, wild crazy sex counts, if
you really think can keep up at that pace for
thirty minutes, you braggart.
Increased betting limits not a big deal
By Garth McLennan
he Liberal government has taken a
Te of much deserved flak over the
past few weeks. The HST, frequent
lying, the BC Rail case, the HST, the fudge
budget, obscene pay raises for top level
politicians, the HST, spiralling Olympic
costs, massive across-the-board health
care funding cuts and the HST are a few
latest reasons for which Premier Gordon
Campbell has been vilified.
However, there is something that
Campbell is taking heat for that is clearly
getting blown out of proportion. I speak
here of the furor caused over the massive
increases to the limits of on-line gambling
through the British Columbia Lottery
Corporation (BCLC).
For those who don’t know, the
Liberals have dramatically raised the
amount British Columbians can gamble
through the BCLC’s Play Now website.
There has been an 8300 per cent increase
from $120 maximum per week to $10,000.
Now, the hardcore anti-gambling faction
has decried this decision as pure evil
that will undoubtedly destroy countless
families. They have also said that when
Campbell was elected for the first time
eight years ago, it was on a promise that
online gambling would be stamped out, or
at the very least be heavily regulated and
controlled.
That second part is true. Campbell did
indeed make promises to control online
gambling. However, on the running list
of broken vows by Campbell, this is a
long way from the most important. I’m
not saying that Campbell should ever lie
to the public; but really, after eight years,
it might be time for a change for online
gambling anyways.
As for this being capable of breaking
apart families, sure, the potential is there.
However, that is true of any vice. I mean, a
person can drink or spend as much as they
want. Besides, if someone is truly addicted
to gambling, they can very easily walk into
any one of the beautiful casinos throughout
B.C. and blow the family nest egg with no
limit whatsoever. I know that isn’t a nice
image, but it’s the truth. There are a lot
of gambling options out there for people,
and the BCLC website is only a very, very
small part.
What my position really comes
down to is that B.C. isn’t a nanny state.
I know there are people who want
virtually everything to be government
regulated but I believe that people should
be allowed a good measure of freedom
to make their own decisions and live
with the consequences. Obviously there
are exceptions to this position that I
wholeheartedly agree with, such as
smoking and drug enforcement laws, but
if people want to gamble, then they should
be allowed to gamble.