One of the greatest things about the US is that unlike other countries which are unable to have any impact on the political process, we are fortunate enough to be able to openly criticize and oppose decisions that are made by the government.  Although there is never going to be an issue that everyone agrees on (even when an issue seems very clear cut, there will always be someone who disagrees for one reason or another), the great thing about our country is that we are able to have ongoing dialogs with each other and our political leaders.  Things may not always turn out in our favor (actually, chances are very good that there will definitely be times when things don't go your way), but the important thing is that we all have the opportunity to make our voice heard at anytime that we want.

As a recent example of the political freedom that is present in the United States, we don't even have to look outside of the world of poker.  As anyone with even the slightest interest in poker knows, online poker (and online gambling in general) has been the subject of a lot of controversy and disputes over the last couple of years.  Because this issue has been heating up once again, the Poker Players Alliance recently made a decision to take a stand against politicians in Washington DC.  They decided that the most effective way for them to accomplish this was by launching a print campaign in several of the most prominent political publications in the United States.  The stance of their print campaign was that instead of banning online poker, the United States government should be focused on regulating this industry.  This has long been the position that they have held on this issue, and when you take the time to listen to their reasoning, it seems like a much more logical solution than simply banning online poker.

The publications that the PPA campaign appeared in were The Hill, The Politico and Roll Call.  The full page ad, which featured the headline of "It's time for straight talk," appeared in each of these publications on separate days (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, in the order that the publications were listed).  In addition to the headline, the ad contained a picture of a royal flush, along with several paragraphs explaining why the PPA feels that regulation is a more sensible solution than prohibition.

Although this campaign was obviously not cheap, if it helps to move policymakers towards regulation instead of prohibition, it will be worth every dime that was spent.