New laws in New York include making game ratings mandatory

This is another mixed-bag story: The state of New York has just passed a flurry of new laws - some of them good, but some of them downright atrocious.

First, the good news: One of the good new laws makes it easier to fire teachers who are convicted of heinous sex crimes. Other good new laws would help fight abuse in residential programs by making it illegal for employees to kick, bite, or withhold food or water from detainees.

Apparently, it was legal until now to kick, bite, and starve people in residential programs and psychiatric institutions in New York. Shocking, yes. But I'm glad that the new laws outlaw these abuses.

Another good new law strengthens domestic violence protections.

But a bit of bad news has put a damper on my glee over these new laws: Another new piece of legislation puts the force of law behind the video game rating system - a system that is almost universally agreed to be stupid.

This new law requires retailers to display the "voluntary" rating system on every game - or face a fine. Not so "voluntary" now, is it?

I remember in the '90s, when the rating system began, how its apologists claimed endlessly that it was just voluntary and not a government mandate. I knew that was a load of bullshit and that sooner or later, the government was going to make it mandatory. Now the state of New York has.

And that's why there's a "Censorship Alert!" banner at the top of this entry.

Requiring the rating system clearly violates the First Amendment. If I owned a store that sold video games, do you honestly think I wouldn't ignore the new law? This is as bad as the now-gutted law in Indiana that forced bookstores to register with the sheriff if they sold magazines with a sex advice column.

So many good bills were signed into law in New York today, but this disgraceful video game legislation utterly ruins the mood. It's exactly like if you accidentally crush your foot with an RV while you're loading the vehicle up for your cross-country road trip you've spent 20 years planning.

(Source: http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS01/807220353)