Clinton planning federal tax on games?

Clinton planning federal tax on games?

July 22nd, 2006, 12:13 Posted By: wraggster

News from Gamespot

Source: The ever-popular gaming blog Kotaku.

The official story: Calls left with Clinton's press office had not been returned as of press time.

What we heard: It's no secret that Hilary Clinton is considering a presidential bid in 2008. It's also no secret that the junior Senator from New York has been trying to scrape off the "liberal" label conservatives have slapped onto her by adopting a center-right stance on a variety of issues, including the war in Iraq.

Clinton also tried to up her family-values cred with a hard-line response to the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" scandal. In the wake of the game being pulled from store shelves after sex minigames were discovered buried in its code, the senator called for federal legislation that would make selling M- or AO-rated games to minors a federal crime. Later, she joined fellow senator Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) in calling for the Centers for Disease Control to investigate the "impact of electronic media use" on minors.

But while the Federal Trade Commission has formally ended its investigation into San Andreas publisher Take-Two Interactive, rumor has it that Clinton isn't done taking potshots at gaming. Today, Kotaku editor Brian D. Crecente obtained an e-mail sent out by Clinton's office looking for "volunteers for a new anti-violence in video games initiative."

By "volunteers," Clinton apparently means individuals willing to be a "concerned parent" at a press conference. Naturally, the parents will be "concerned" about the hazards games present to their children. According to Kotaku, they should also be willing to voice their concerns to the press to help sway public opinion in favor of a new measure Clinton reportedly wants to introduce--a federal game tax akin to taxes states levy on cigarettes. Proceeds from the tax would fund a program for troubled minors.

So is the report legit? GameSpot spoke with Crecente, who, unlike o-so-many blog proprietors, is a professional, legitimate journalist working for the Rocky Mountain News. Though he would not share the e-mail for fear of revealing his source, he swore it was "very reliable."

But even without concrete proof, one thing is abundantly clear: Clinton is waging a public crusade against games. At a recent speech in front of the Kaiser Family Foundation, she accused modern society of performing a "massive experiment" on millions of children by exposing them to games, electronic media, and omnipresent advertising. "At the rate that technology is advancing, people will be implanting chips in our children to advertise directly into their brains and tell them what kind of products to buy," Clinton warned, according to the New York Daily News.

Bogus or not bogus?: Given Crecente's reputation, this rumor is more credible than most. Unfortunately, that means gamers can expect their favorite pastime to become a political punching bag when the 2008 presidential campaign heats up next year.

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