Sunday Editorial Roundup: Hillary's Other Bill & Minnesota Fine-the-Buyer Law
This Sunday's editorial roundup focuses on legislative happenings in Minnesota and Washington, D.C.
In the Gopher State, the video game industry has filed suit to block implementation of a new state law that would fine underage game buyers $25. On Capitol Hill, the Senate is considering Hillary Clinton's Family Entertainment Protection Act ( FEPA).
Let's start with the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune, where columnist John Reinan writes, "The Legislature wanted to protect Minnesota kids from violent, sex-filled video games. So it went after the kids... Even the law's chief sponsor thinks it won't be enforced. But... the game business fought back with the fury of a mutant zombie in Resident Evil... Video games are as much a part of today's childhood as hi-fis and comic books were in previous generations, and it's doubtful that kids are being warped by them, said several metro teens."
The Mankato Free Press was critical of the Minnesota statute, saying "The law is almost certain to be overturned. It should be... Game makers and retailers... argue the law is an unconstitutional restriction of free speech and that video games are as much an artistic expression as film, music and literature. It's a good argument, and one that is presiding in court cases across the country.
Whether it's trying to pull objectionable books from school library shelves or keeping video games from minors, the government is inherently ill-prepared to deal with it... Making sure kids rent and buy video games appropriate for their maturity level must lie with parents, not government. "
However, the Austin Daily Herald takes a different view: "It's good that the state is making it more difficult for minors to obtain these violent video games... When the parent responsibility to protect their child from these games fails, it's left up to the state. We hope Minnesota's new video game law set to that effect in three weeks isn't overturned by a judge. We hope the state wins this game."
An op-ed penned by Brian Glidden of the Competitive Enterprise Institute for the Hawaii Reporter trashes the Family Entertainment Protection Act currently under review in the U.S. Senate. Glidden writes:
"Why is government trying to be our parent again? ...The gaming industry has already created an effective self-regulatory system...
Particularly in an environment in which computer gaming companies have taken it upon themselves to inform their customers of what they are buying, the creator's rights to freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution should be protected from political interference.
The Clinton/Lieberman bill would take away from parents the ability to decide what is appropriate for their child. Contrary to the rhetoric circulated by the bill's supporters, government making decisions for parents is not empowerment; it is micromanaging of the lives of Americans...
Parents, not video games, raise children. Video games, like movies, music, and novels, represent an escape from reality. Parents have the opportunity and responsibility to teach children fundamentals about fact and fairy tale, right and wrong, good and evil. Without these fundamentals, children will fail the test of life even if video games were banned altogether...
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