They tell us we are not allowed to spend money on a skilled game we love, from our own home, on our own computer. But it is ok to go to Downtown Detroit or the nearest casino and give as much money away that we want. Also it is ok to lose our whole life savings in the stock market where a huge chance is being taken. They say online poker is illegal because it is NOT a game of skill. It is clearly a game of skill. That is why thousands of people make a consistent living from it year after year. You could not do that, year after year, if skill did not outway the luck factor. I had the same job for 11 years making a nice living. I would come home and enjoy playing online poker. After about 5 years I put in thousands of hours of playing, studying the internet, and reading books. I was now a consistent winner. Then I lost my job due to the slow economy. Six months later my wife was laid off from her job of 7 years. When I couldn't find a job that paid much money, I started playing poker 80 hours a week. About 15 of those hours I spent studying. I got to the point where I was actually able to pay my bills, spend money and help the world go round. Then without notice the US Justice Department took my right away. I believe they are going to regulate and legalize it at some point. But they should have had that plan in place before they shut it down. There were many americans like me, feeding their families from online poker, and then one day they were left with no way of making an income in a very tough economy. If I am making an income from something, I will gladly pay taxes like all americans should. But please do not tell me what I can do from a computer, from my own home, with my own money! I hope many other americans feel the same way I feel, and will sign this petition to legalize online poker. Even if you don't want to play. You should have the right to be able to.