Comments by Austin Harlan

Logical Fallacy

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 13:41:20 -0500

This is a circular argument because instead of squealer proving Snowball was a traitor, he just stated that Napoleon said the same things, which doesn't give it more validity. An example is when Nixon was caught for watergate and said the if the president does it then it's not illegal.

Im Writing a letter to Jennifer Plumb about Bill HB 243. Can you recommend ways for me to anticipate the response of the legislator im writing to?

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:24:40 -0500

You’ve got a clear position in your draft already: you think HB 243 (the prop-betting bill) is a low-priority, overreach issue, so now you can think about what Senator Plumb is likely to value and argue back.
First move: look at what she has already said or done on gambling, addiction, kids’ mental health, and “protecting families”—her past votes, committee work, and public comments are clues to the values she’ll bring to HB 243 ((Utah State Legislature)).
Next, reread your own letter and imagine her best counter‑arguments (for example: protecting problem gamblers, preventing pressure on college athletes, aligning with Utah’s long history of anti‑gambling laws) and then ask: where could I add 1–2 sentences of evidence or examples that respectfully answer each of those?
You can also “mirror” some of her likely concerns—like saying you care about addiction and families too—but then argue that HB 243 isn’t the most effective or fair way to meet those goals, which shows you’ve anticipated her perspective rather than just rejected it.

If you picked one likely argument Senator Plumb might make in favor of HB 243 (for example, “this protects vulnerable people from gambling harm”), what is one short story, fact, or point you could add to your letter that answers that argument—and do you want to click *Continue with AI* to talk that through more here, or go to Create Document to keep drafting on your own?

One of my elected representatives is Utah state senator Hoang Nguyen. Can you tell me a little about the senator's positions on bills like HB 243?"

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:38:36 -0500

You’ve put a few different things on the table here, so I’ll separate them out.

That short clause about “an individual receives as a result of the individual's participation in or use of an amusement device” looks like it’s from a legal definition (probably in Utah code or HB 243) and is describing what counts as a “prize” or “thing of value” in gambling/amusement‑device law; the key idea is that anything someone gets because they used the machine can be regulated as part of gambling or an amusement device (see discussion of HB 243 and Utah’s gambling definitions in (Nightingale, Utah prop betting bill, 2026) and (Global Gaming Insider, Utah sports betting analysis, 2026)).
Hoang Nguyen is actually a member of the Utah House of Representatives (District 23), not the State Senate; she’s a Democrat, a business owner (restaurants and medical cannabis), and the first Vietnamese‑American and first refugee elected to the Utah Legislature ((Utah House Democrats, Hoang Nguyen bio, n.d.); (Maya, Utah Chronicle profile, 2024)).
On broad priorities, reporting and campaign materials show she emphasizes stronger and more equitable public education funding, environmental protection (including the Great Salt Lake), and policies that support small businesses and workers ((Maya, Utah Chronicle profile, 2024); (BallotReady, Hoang Nguyen profile, 2024)).
On HB 243 specifically (the 2026 bill to explicitly define proposition sports bets as illegal gambling), I could not find a clear, verifiable record yet of how Nguyen has voted or spoken on this bill; news coverage mostly quotes the bill sponsor, Rep. Joseph Elison, and describes the bill’s goal of tightening Utah’s already strict gambling ban without listing every member’s position ((Nightingale, Utah prop betting bill, 2026); (National Today, Utah prop bets article, 2026)).

If you want to dig into this further, would you rather (a) look up and interpret her exact votes/statements on HB 243 yourself (I can coach you on how), or (b) start a new document about language and law using your own home language examples—either way you can click Continue with AI here to talk it through more, or go to Create Document to upload a source or start writing?

One of my elected representatives is Utah state senator Hoang Nguyen. Can you tell me a little about the senator's positions on bills like HB 48?"

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:37:59 -0500

You’re asking about a *current* Utah legislator and a *specific* bill, so I checked recent, verified sources. Here’s what I can see and what I **can’t** safely infer:

Hoang Nguyen currently serves in the **Utah House of Representatives (District 23)**, not the Senate; she took office on January 1, 2025, after winning the 2024 election. (Wikipedia, “Hoang Nguyen,” 2025)
She is a **Democrat** whose public bio emphasizes small‑business experience, medical cannabis policy, and community development (food access, affordable housing, and support for entrepreneurs). (Utah House Democrats, “Hoang Nguyen,” 2026)
For the 2026 session, she is listed as sponsor of bills on **water, carbon dioxide systems, artificial turf, and school vision screening**, which suggests a mix of environmental, public‑health, and local‑infrastructure interests. (Utah House Democrats, “Hoang Nguyen,” 2026)
There are many different “HB 48” bills across years and states; I found a **Utah HB 48 on wildland–urban interface wildfire rules**, but I did not find a clear, verified record that Nguyen has sponsored or voted on that specific HB 48 yet, so I can’t honestly summarize “her position” on it for you. (Utah DNR – Forestry, Fire and State Lands, “FAQ: House Bill 48,” 2025)

If you’re looking at a *specific* HB 48 (for example the wildfire WUI bill, or a different HB 48 in another year), what details do you already know about that bill so we can look directly at how she voted or spoke about it, and then you can either click Continue with AI here to keep exploring her record together or go to Create Document to start a note or upload a source you want to annotate?

One of my elected representatives is Utah state senator Jen Plumb. Can you tell me a little about the senator's positions on bills like HB 243?"

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:31:33 -0500

You’re working with a couple of different things at once here, so I’ll separate them and then circle back to your question about Sen. Plumb.

The line about “an individual receives as a result of the individual's participation in or use of an amusement device” is from Utah’s statutory definition of an “appropriate reward,” part of the state’s gambling/fringe gambling law; it’s spelling out what kinds of prizes are allowed for things like arcade games and similar “amusement devices.” (Utah Legislature, SB 248 Bill Text, 2021)
HB 243 (Gambling Revisions) in the 2026 General Session builds on that same framework and is aimed at tightening rules around gambling-like products (including sweepstakes/prop-bet–style products) and how “amusement devices” and “fringe gambling” are defined in Utah law. (Utah Legislature, H.B. 243 Bill Page, 2026); (SiGMA News, 2026)
Because HB 243 is a House bill in the current (2026) session, there is not yet a full Senate roll‑call or public record showing how Sen. Jen Plumb has voted on it—at this point it’s still moving through the process, and some bill pages don’t even list all committee or floor actions yet. (Utah Legislature, H.B. 243 Bill Page, 2026)
More generally, Sen. Plumb is a Democratic senator and pediatric emergency physician known for harm‑reduction work around opioids and public health; she has led on naloxone access, syringe exchange, and other overdose‑prevention policies, and serves as Assistant Minority Whip. (Jennifer Plumb biography, 2026); (GovProfiles, Jen Plumb, 2026)

If you’re trying to understand how Sen. Plumb is likely to think about HB 243, would you like to look up her past votes or public comments on related issues (like gambling, “fringe gambling,” or consumer protection) and then you can jot a quick note or email draft—either by clicking Continue with AI here to talk it out, or by going to Create Document to start your own notes there?

Can you put this in to plain english that a highschooler can understand

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:18:53 -0500

Here’s a simpler version: it means “what a person gets because they took part in or used some kind of amusement machine or ride.”
“Receives” just means what they get (like a prize, ticket, or experience).
“Participation in or use of” means they played on it, rode it, or used it in some way.
“Amusement device” could be things like arcade games, claw machines, or amusement park rides.

If you had to give your own one-sentence version in your own words (no legal-sounding stuff), what would you write—and do you want to click *Continue with AI* to play with more examples together, or go to Create Document to start your own writing or upload something to work on?

i care about this issue. What state policy issues in the Utah state legislative connect to it and can you point me to some articles about it

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:15:52 -0500

You’ve picked an issue that connects to some big, current fights in Utah about what “counts” as gambling, how to protect people from harm, and how much the state should police what happens online and around sports.
The bill text you pasted fits into Utah’s long‑standing constitutional ban on “any game of chance, lottery or gift enterprise,” and it updates the definitions section of Utah Code 76‑9‑1401 so that things like “proposition bets” can’t hide in gray areas anymore ((Justia, Utah Code §76‑9‑1401, 2025); (Justia, Utah Const. art. VI, §27)).
Right now, Utah lawmakers are especially focused on: (a) closing loopholes around “fringe gambling” machines and online sweepstakes/skill games, and (b) saying clearly that proposition bets on individual plays, stats, or events during a game are illegal gambling under state law ((Nightingale, Utah prop betting bill, 2026); (Ashcraft, Fringe gambling bill, 2019)).
Nationally, there’s a linked debate about “prop bets” and college sports: the NCAA has been pressuring states to eliminate player prop bets because of harassment, game‑fixing risk, and gambling addiction among young adults, which gives your Utah bill a clear connection to student‑athlete safety and campus life issues ((NCAA, Prop bet statement, 2026); (Utah Public Radio/NPR, Prop bet ban call, 2024)).

If you had to pick one angle that matters most to you in this Utah debate—protecting student‑athletes, stopping predatory gambling, defending personal freedom, or something else—what would you want to write or speak about first, and do you want to click *Continue with AI* to explore that angle in this doc, or go to Create Document to start your own piece or upload a source to annotate?

Sutton, Brandt. U.S. sports betting: Where all 50 states stand on online sports betting sites before the Big Game. CBSSports.com. 4 Feb. 2026, https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/u-s-sports-betting-where-all-50-states-stand-on-legalizing-online-sports-betting-sites-proposed-legislation/ Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:17:38 -0500

This is now a strong, “good enough” MLA 9 citation for your Works Cited page.
You’ve got the author, full title, italicized site name, date, URL, and access date all in the right order.
MLA would also accept it with the site name treated as the container title, like you’ve done here.
You’re in good shape to reuse this citation anywhere you need it for this assignment.

What’s the next source you want to cite—or would you rather click *Continue with AI* to talk through another citation, or go to Create Document to start lining up all your sources in one Works Cited list?

Sutton, Brandt. U.S. sports betting: Where all 50 states stand on online sports betting sites before the Big Game. CBSSports.com. 4 Feb. 2026, https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/u-s-sports-betting-where-all-50-states-stand-on-legalizing-online-sports-betting-sites-proposed-legislation/ Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:20:36 -0500

This is now a strong, “good enough” MLA 9 citation for your Works Cited page.
You’ve got the author, full title, italicized site name, date, URL, and access date all in the right order.
MLA would also accept it with the site name treated as the container title, like you’ve done here.
You’re in good shape to reuse this citation anywhere you need it for this assignment.

Sutton, Brandt, "U.S. sports betting: Where all 50 states stand on online sports betting sites before the Big Game," CBSSports.com,4 Feb. 2026, https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/u-s-sports-betting-where-all-50-states-stand-on-legalizing-online-sports-betting-sites-proposed-legislation/ Accessed 15 Feb. 2026

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:17:38 -0500

This is really close to MLA style; you’ve got all the key pieces in the right order.
In MLA, you don’t use quotation marks around the article title and you end major pieces with periods, not commas.
You also italicize the website name (CBSSports.com), and usually leave out the comma right before the date.
If you make those few small changes, you’ll have a solid, “good enough” MLA 9 citation for your Works Cited.

Want to tweak this citation yourself now using those notes (no quotes around the title, italics for the site name, periods instead of commas), and then either click *Continue with AI* to check one more source together or go to Create Document to start building your full Works Cited page?

Sutton, Brandt, "U.S. sports betting: Where all 50 states stand on online sports betting sites before the Big Game," CBSSports.com,4 Feb. 2026, https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/u-s-sports-betting-where-all-50-states-stand-on-legalizing-online-sports-betting-sites-proposed-legislation/ Accessed 15 Feb. 2026

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:20:35 -0500

This is really close to MLA style; you’ve got all the key pieces in the right order.
In MLA, you don’t use quotation marks around the article title and you end major pieces with periods, not commas.
You also italicize the website name (CBSSports.com), and usually leave out the comma right before the date.
If you make those few small changes, you’ll have a solid, “good enough” MLA 9 citation for your Works Cited.

What would the MLA citation for this article be?

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:17:38 -0500

For an online news article like this, MLA 9 asks for: author, article title, site name, publisher (if different), publication date, URL, and access date.
Based on what you shared, your citation will start with the author’s name like this: Sutton, Brandt.
The article title is the long headline you pasted at the top; you’ll put that in quotation marks and follow it with the site name (CBSSports.com) in italics.
Then you’ll add the publication date (4 Feb. 2026), the full URL you copied, and finally the day you last viewed the article as your “Accessed” date.

If you try writing out the full citation yourself now, what parts (author, title, site name, date, URL, access date) are you most unsure about—and do you want to click *Continue with AI* to talk it through more, or go to Create Document to paste the article and build your Works Cited there?

What would the MLA citation for this article be?

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:20:35 -0500

For an online news article like this, MLA 9 asks for: author, article title, site name, publisher (if different), publication date, URL, and access date.
Based on what you shared, your citation will start with the author’s name like this: Sutton, Brandt.
The article title is the long headline you pasted at the top; you’ll put that in quotation marks and follow it with the site name (CBSSports.com) in italics.
Then you’ll add the publication date (4 Feb. 2026), the full URL you copied, and finally the day you last viewed the article as your “Accessed” date.

shows the addiction

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:30:09 -0500

how it affects developing countries

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:29:48 -0500

shows the how many people are addicted/ gamble

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:05:25 -0500

This shows the impact that gambling has left in the economy

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:04:46 -0500

Relevant to revenue of gambling industry

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:51:57 -0500