Yes, I'm in favor of ending the war on drugs at the federal level. It's just another criminal matter best left to the state and local authorities (with the possible exception of smuggling and interstate racketeering, etc.m which would still be federal matters).As such, you should probably ignore most of my #432 (I hadn't seen your #428 at the time of composition).
Personally, I consider the entire War on Drugs (Federal AND State) to be little more than a de facto New Jim Crow Segregationism -- "White Kids who smoke dope in the suburbs can get a slap on the wrist and go to Yale; Black Kids who smoke dope in the 'Hood can get a Criminal Record, enjoy some homosexual rape in Prison, and work at Burger King the rest of their lives."
But at least, if it ain't a Federal Case, you can always move to another State, be productive, and make a new life for yourself. It ain't perfect, but at least it's Federalism. I can agree with that.
I still have some disagreements with George W. Bush.
...the Billion$ for the Bush-Kennedy "education bill", the Billion$ for the "farm bill", the Billion$ of "steel tariffs" (screw you, Detroit!), the Billion$ for "faith-based socialism", the Billion$ for "tripled foreign aid" -- the whole bag. Remember this -- every single Dollar taken out of a Taxpayer's pocket, is a Dollar which that Taxpayer might have spent to purchase better Health Insurance for his children. Federal Spending actually kills real human beings.
It's easy to forget, Federal Spending actually kills real human beings. But you're self-employed yourself, and so is my own Mother -- so you know this. The Dollar that the Federal Government takes away today is the very same Dollar that the home-schooling father would have spent on his daughter's asthma medicine tomorrow.
Since 1965, the Federal Government has wasted over $6 Trillion Dollars on "Anti-Poverty Programs" -- enough to CUT EVERY POOR PERSON IN AMERICA (Man, Woman, Child, and Infant) A CHECK for $150,000 Dollars and simply say, "Here's $150 Grand of Other People's Money! You're NO LONGER POOR!!"
(Don't even get me started on adjusting that sum for inflation; I'd have to buy you a beer, so as we could both cry in our mugs)
And still the "War on Poverty" Rages. Still they keep exacting Tribute, subsidizing Poverty, encouraging Failure... and nothing changes.
9-11 is a Rare Case. It is an extremely rare case when the Federal Government acts in the Best Interest of its People.
Generally speaking, the Federal Government is not the Friend of the Citizenry. Generally speaking, the Federal Government is the implacable enemy of the Citizenry.
Under Bush, under Clinton, under the whole bloody lot.
As Deficits grow (and newborn children inherit $100,000 of Debt on their first birthday)... never forget.
Yes, and on and on the spiral spins. The Democrats take us deeper and deeper into the slime pits of hell and when the Republicans manage to get in, they never have the strength to do much about it. Slow it down a bit (sometimes) is about all they've been able to muster, even under one of the best that's come along in a long, long while, Ronald Reagan. Well, I'm not expecting any miracles, but we do have a rare opportunity here. We have a very popular president (possibly a Reagan in the making) and we have a Republican majority in both houses. Now is not the time to go weak-kneed and wobbly and turn it all back to the socialist Democrats. We need to give Bush a filibuster proof Senate and an unbeatable majority in the House. It's the only way we can possibly hope to break the cycle and end the spiral.