Posted on 10/13/2013 6:45:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
I’m a very straight-laced guy. Some would even say boring. I’ve never done drugs, for instance.
But not because they’re illegal. I’ve never done drugs for the reason that I’ve never smoked cigarettes. Just doesn’t seem like a smart thing to do. And I encourage friends and family to have the same approach.
"Why Are So Many Violent Criminals Walking Free?" | LearnLiberty
But this isn’t about cost-benefit analysis. Watch this powerful video from Reason TV about how one family has been victimized by drug prohibition.
Riverside Cop Tricks Autistic Teen into Buying Pot
Now ask yourself what purpose it served to have local cops basically entrap that unfortunate kid? If you come up with an answer, you have a very creative imagination.
Also keep in mind that the War on Drugs is the reason why politicians imposed costly and ineffective anti-money laundering laws. As well as disgusting and reprehensible asset forfeiture laws.
One misguided government policy leading to two other bad policies. That’s Mitchell’s Law on steroids!
P.S. Drugs do impose costs, but they’re mostly incurred by moronic users. Though there sometimes are collateral victims, such as kids whose parents allow their lives to get messed up. That’s why it would be nice if drugs somehow didn’t exist. Heck, the same things could be said about booze. Or tobacco. But they do exist. The libertarian position isn’t that these things are good. Instead, our position is that prohibition does more harm than good.
P.P.S. Just in case you think I’m an outlier, I invite you to read the thoughts of John McCain, John Stossel, Mona Charen, Gary Johnson, Pat Robertson, Cory Booker, and Richard Branson.
Absolutely untrue. A big percentage of the people who are generationally poor have substance abuse problems. We have the welfare state -- in part -- because irresponsible people would be dying in the street if taxpayers were not forced to pay for their lifestyle.
Step 1: Stop government charity. All of it. EBT, Housing, Healthcare -- government should be paying people who work for the government, but should never provide charity.
Step 2: Legalize drugs and tell people: If you and your kids start dying in alleys, that's your own damn fault.
I would support those 2 steps, in that order.
Many of these folks are not able to function well enough to do any job I can think of. They would do more damage at work than they do by just being a big drag on the country.
They are issued a box of chalk at police academy graduation and told they are ONLY capable of draw outlines of the dead at crime scenes and not preventing victimizations or same.
I agree with you on both steps.
Do you have a solution?
I’m not convinced that I have the solution, but the best I can think of is to pick a big, empty state (Wyoming?) and announce that beans and rice and cheese, and some minimal shelter, is available there for those who will not work. I’d provide running water, but I’m not sure electricity is needed. The unproductive people can be sent there, if they so choose (I’m not proposing Nazi-era cattlecars full of people being sent to camps).
Food and shelter would be provided, but not very attractively. Other than that, you’re on your own. If you want to stay in Detroit, be my guest. If you cannot be productive, then your life will be short.
The alternative is to put a gun to MY head and force me to pay for their stuff. And that is the first and only time in this post that I have raised the topic of violence. As it see it, violence is the solution offered by the do-gooders. They want to tax me, and will use violence to make that happen.
The “War on Drugs” generates billions in federal grant dollars to state and local law enforcement agencies. The result is an overemphasis on drug enforcement and a resistance to liberalizing drug statutes. The “War on Drugs” has been a main factor in the militarization of local police departments over the last 30 years.
When this all began with the Nixon Administration a federal grant dollar was divided with 25 cents going to interdiction and enforcement and 75 cents going to treatment and education. Over the years that ratio has reversed with interdiction/enforcement getting the lion’s share.
As a general rule, cops can’t act. they can only react.
They can not for example cordon off several blocks odf Chicago and gather up all the Trayvons and take their guns. That would be illegal search and seizure. They can only act by investigating the shooting. murders.
To beg for action is to beg for loss of freedom
Especially now that NH is LOST!
I'm much more comfortable with people walking around with guns -- strangers will tend to be polite. We just need a broad understanding of such things as Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground. Initiation of Force is a bad thing, once someone initiates, then they should become fair game for any citizen.
Oxymoron alert! Government handouts are NOT charity. The word "charity" implies something done out of love, not out of the drive for political power (which is what entitlement programs are really for).
There are uncountable billions of tons of big rocks out west that could be busted up into gravel to be used in road building.
Set up tent cities for them and and hand them a sledgehammer.
I never did understand how FreeState made that choice of NH over WY. They claimed the numbers worked but never made allowances for culture, IMO.
Good stuff.
The power needs to go back to the people instead of the government.
Back in the day of the beat cop, when the officer walked the streets, talked to merchants, and knew when there was something out of place, that was positive, proactive law enforcement.
Now they huddle in their Bearcats until 3:00 a.m. when they conduct no knock raids on people who bought one too many sunlamps :/
It does indeed, and the quicker the better
“The “War on Drugs” generates billions in federal grant dollars to state and local law enforcement agencies. The result is an overemphasis on drug enforcement and a resistance to liberalizing drug statutes. The “War on Drugs” has been a main factor in the militarization of local police departments over the last 30 years.”
The two biggest opponents to drug legalization are, in order:
-The cartels
-Governmental authorities
Why? Too. Damn. Much. Money. To. Be. Made. They are both in this for the same reason. Money. Legalize them and the money starts flowing toward legit biz organizations rather than directly toward the illegal crime syndicates and the various governmental agencies. Can’t have that, no, too much is already invested in keeping the status quo and narrative.
Finally, siding for the beautiful state of Wyoming. Those derelicts need to be handled by the cities that create them. No trash dumping in another state!!
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