Online poker

I used to have a fun hobby. I would sit at home in the evening and play poker online with people from around the world. Sometimes I'd make a little money. Sometimes I'd lose a little money. But I had fun, in the safety of my home, playing a game that I enjoyed.

On April 15, 2011, Black Friday, the US government took this away from me.

How did they do this? Several years ago, the Republican controlled government passed some legislation making it illegal for financial institutions to transfer money related to gambling (leaving the issue of whether poker is considered gambling open). Several online poker companies stopped accepting US players at that time, but several continued to service the US and came up with mechanisms for US players to still deposit money in their accounts. then, on Black Friday, the Democratic controlled government enforced this law and shut down the 3 primary poker sites that US players could use. Thus ended my hobby, and for many professionals, their livelihood.

Why did they do this? I assume the Republicans passed the law because they're always trying to appear to morally conservative constituents. I have no idea why Democrats decided to enforce it. Perhaps it's stemming from their patronizing view of the public, that they need the government to protect people from things people are incapable of resisting on their own. The net result is that the US government, in a rare bipartisan show of power, shut down an industry, put people out of work, and reduced the pleasure of large numbers of Americans. The government did not benefit in any way. The public was hurt in many ways. It is pretty much evil for evil's sake.