Resolved: Betting. Betting is not permitted for any purpose, including but not limited to fun, charity, or for the sake of argument

[Measure_for_Measure]

Thanks for the replies everyone. At some point I’d like to discuss alternative language for the rules, but not quite yet.

For fun I looked up past betting on this message board. Back in 2012, I offered Bricker a bet on Obama v Romney. Click through for his reply.

Is there much chance Obama won't be the next US president?

You sound confident, Bricker. Very confident. Will you extend me odds? I get 2 units if Obama wins, you get 1 unit if Romney does. Heh. …I suppose I’d be taking on some counterparty risk. ETA: Nitpick: Actually Gore won the election in 2000: Bush was appointed by the Supreme Court. Double nitpick: well, I suppose it depends upon the terms of the original prediction. Triple: Not gonna win this fork with Bricker…

Here someone pit someone else for not accepting a bet.

"Why I don't think OMG ABC believes his own bullshit"

Because OMG a Black Conservative consistently refuses to put his money where his mouth is. I actually am not interested in betting him money that Obama will win the election. I’m interested in shaming him (and risking shaming myself) by offering to bet that the loser will put something embarrassing in his sig line, something along the lines of “I was embarrassingly wrong about the 2012 election, pretending to have confidence in an outcome that did not happen” and there’s been a remarkable lack …

Things quickly calmed down after I posted my thoughts. (LOL no)

@measure_for_measure

OMG hems and haws. I think he’s full of horse pucky – but so are most people when asked to back their opinions with something tangible, even if it’s of rather symbolic importance. In other words, most bold pronouncements in real life and on political television are BS. Not all though. Nate Silver pointed out that the predictions on the McLaughlin Group are equivalent to coin tossing. And some pundits (Dick Morris, IIRC) are worse (though a few are better - Clarence Page, for example). "Why I don't think OMG ABC believes his own bullshit" - #41 by Measure_for_Measure

Again, if the board wants to ban haranguing, they should ban haranguing. I had a perfectly civil betting discussion with Bricker back in 2012.