Posted on 07/18/2012 10:17:07 AM PDT by Kaslin
I’ve already confessed to man-crushes on Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, and (or course) the Gipper, but it’s time for me to cross partisan and racial boundaries and announce my man-crush on Cory Booker.
From the Huffington Post, here’s what the Newark Mayor had to say about the failed War on Drugs.
Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker took to Reddit Sunday to criticize the war on drugs, saying it was ineffective and “represents big overgrown government at its worst.” “The so-called War on Drugs has not succeeded in making significant reductions in drug use, drug arrests or violence,” the Democrat wrote during the Reddit “ask me anything” chat. “We are pouring huge amounts of our public resources into this current effort that are bleeding our public treasury and unnecessarily undermining human potential.” Booker then called drug arrests a “game.” “My police in Newark are involved in an almost ridiculous game of arresting the same people over and over again and when you talk to these men they have little belief that there is help or hope for them to break out of this cycle,” he wrote.
At the risk of stating the obvious, this doesn’t mean that anyone should use drugs. I’ve led a very boring life, for instance, and have never tried any illegal drugs.
But Mayor Booker is right. Like Ron Paul, Pat Robertson, Richard Branson, and Gary Johnson, he’s figured out that the Drug War is mostly a vehicle to expand the size and power of government. It’s why we have fascist asset forfeiture laws and costly money laundering laws.
Oh, and by the way, the Drug War has totally failed in stopping illegal drug use. Though it has enriched organized crime, so big government isn’t the only beneficiary.
To learn more about the failed War on Drugs, I’d recommend this video and this video. But mostly, I suggest you read these two horrific stories.
P.S. As you can see from this post, there actually are political jokes about money laundering laws. I haven’t run across any about the Drug War, but I’ll be sure to post them if they show up in my inbox.
P.P.S. Here’s a very funny video featuring Cory Booker and Chris Christie. Kudos to both of them for having senses of humor.
I’ve run across very few good cartoons about Keynesian economics. If my aging memory is correct, I’ve only posted two of them.
But at least they’re both very good. We have one involving Obama, sharks, and a lifeboat, and another one involving an overburdened jockey.
Now we have a third cartoon to add to the collection.
To provide a bit of additional background, the cartoon is channeling Bastiat’s broken-window insight that make-work projects don’t create prosperity, as explained in this short video narrated by Tom Palmer.
I make similar points in this post mocking Krugman’s wish for an alien invasion and this post explaining why Obama’s green energy programs lead to net job destruction.
P.S. This Wizard of Id parody is the best cartoon about economics, but it teaches about labor markets rather than Keynesianism.
That assumes there is truth there to begin with.
Assumed only for the sake of discussion. In fact, it's largely hysterical nonsense.
Now how’d I know you’d show up here?
Just like humblegunner is on every blog-pimp thread, you are always on every anti-drug thread with your pro-dope propaganda.
By 1900, about one American in 200 was either a cocaine or opium addict.
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/demand/speakout/06so.htm
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...the Office of National Drug Control Policy pegs the current number of cocaine addicts at around 3.6 million people.
http://www.thecyn.com/cocaine-rehab/cocaine-addiction-united-states.html
"For example, numbers like heroin addiction. You can find numbers that go from 255,000 up to the one I'm currently using, 980,000, if I remember the last time we updated it, and those are all valid scientific studies." --Drug Czar Mcaffrey
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/symposium/panelmccaffrey.html
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Adding the ONDCP numbers for cocaine and heroin addiction together yields an addiction rate of about 1.5%. So after a century of increasingly aggressive prohibition, our own government is telling us that addiction has gone from 0.5% in 1900 to 1.5% in 2000.
It already is illegal for children to use alcohol, so it is controlled. Alcohol does not impair the brain or damage it, if used moderately—in fact, alcohol can be beneficial. Drugs that damage the brain and impair logic and reason and ethical behavior need to be discouraged. Temperance needs to be encouraged. I drank beer when nursing my children :). Wine can also be healthy in moderation. I never had an alcohol problem and only got “drunk” once when in college (and learned my lesson).
Education is the most effective way (in Free societies)-—but we have immoral media which has powerful access to children brainwashing them into thinking the cool and beautiful and wealthy all do drugs. Media makes evil behavior “cool” and desirable—when in fact, it destroys all constructive relationships-—so one becomes dependent on government.
The Truth of doing drugs is obscured. The Truth when revealed—the ugliness—like in the Montana Ads for Meth-—reduced drug use by teenagers in half (or more). Seeing the Truth and education is the most desirable—instead of “laws” but we have the promotion of drugs and irresponsible behavior being promoted in Glee and MTV 24/7 to our youth to destroy Virtue—the only thing which creates responsible human beings.
We need no laws if the people are Virtuous. Virtue is necessary for a Free Republic.....known by all Wise people since Plato.
Our legal system and media mocks Virtue and marginalizes responsible behavior and glorifies dysfunctional acts—even rewards the behavior with taxpayer money—even celebrates evil (to corrupt the children) and takes pride in it.
Promoting Vice by government will destroy Civil society......Justice is a Virtue and only Just Laws can elicit a great cohesive society. Unjust laws will create a totalitarian one. (Cicero).
To correct society—I would get back to the original intent and meaning of the Constitution. We have too many laws and regulations—most are unconstitutional and created the “drug problem” since we have a welfare state and people are not responsible for anything.
People have to be forced to do their Duty and experience the results of their actions. If we had no socialism—people wouldn’t have time or resources to do drugs in the first place. Those stupid enough to indulge in drugs would eliminate themselves and their progeny from the gene pool.
Looking at the posts, yours look more like propaganda.
Alcohol most definitely does impair the brain, even at levels as low as 0.010% BAC.
So much bovine excrement, so little time.
I'm not "pro-dope" - I'm pro-freedom.
We should take the same approach with other drugs.
Let’s see, I can have a giant fascist government that tramples all over my Constitutional rights via the War on Drugs or I can put up with a few losers getting high. Hmmmmm? What to do, what to do, what do to /s
You have identified a problem, but you offer no solution.
One of the hallmarks of liberalism is in the way they go about solving problems.
“Let’s implement solution ‘A’ and hope for a good result...”
“Oh crap! We got the opposite result! That must mean that we haven’t done ENOUGH ‘A’!”
“The results are worse than last time! We must do even more ‘A’ to get a good result...”
And they never realize that solution ‘A’ was the wrong thing to do.
The WOD has proven ineffective, expensive and WRONG in all ways. I am not saying that we throw in the towel, but I am saying that we have to admit that it’s time to try different tactics.
At this point, the Libertarians are right. The WOD has been so disastrous, that it’d be better to legalize drugs than keep going down the same path we’ve been on. Personally, I believe that we need to either give up or act like grown ups, admit that solution ‘A’ was not a good solution and go back to the drawing board.
This is one area where Conservatives act like wrong-headed liberals every time.
Like aspartame? Like birth control pills? (Look how it is contaminating MY water supply). Like aspirin? Like chocolate? Like coffee? Like vaccines? What is your point?????? Does everything (except illicit drugs) have some positive aspects and that is why we allow it even though it can be deadly like WATER?
Let me decide as long as I am not driving drunk—but, oh yes, we have laws which don’t allow that and abuse of alcohol already.
The impact on the brain is conjecture at 0.01% and wine and beer has beneficial effects that can be proven to balance any negative.
There is no comparison between the brain effect by alcohol and other drugs like marijuana which have no “good” effects on the body-—and meth/crack, heroine, etc. No positive effects whatsoever and does tons of damage to the body.
Addicts are emotionally damaged people who can’t control anything—much less alcohol. It is not a problem of alcohol—it is a character problem. Alcohol has been around since all of history and has been used in positive ways. The thing is -—the other illicit drugs damage the brain structure and injure lungs, health, etc. and have no positive effect—it is apples and oranges.
Alcohol has been used responsibly by millions of people. The other drugs can’t—never are—they destroy all constructive relationships. My father made wine and drank some a lot and died very old, owning his own business, and had perfect health until his death. He never had Alzheimers either and died in his own home at almost 88.
Don’t tell me it “impairs the brain at low levels-—scientist don’t even know what the aspirin does and they continue to lie about vaccines and autism and sodomy—things which are damaging to the future of society. (so they REALLY REALLY CARE about alcohol).
Look at what government sanctioned for the brains of children —pushed millions of boys on this drug-—far worse than alcohol.
http://www.amazon.com/Talking-Back-Ritalin-Doctors-Stimulants/dp/0738205443
My solution is to return to the intent and meaning of the Constitution—just like a Libertarian except for one thing. Social issues. For Justice (Rule of Law), we have to have Virtuous people—all the Founders stated that-—so since men can not be virtuous (or “angels) we need laws that promote “Virtue” only-—Just Law can never promote vice and be constitutional.
We are designed to be Ruled by Law (Just Law).
We can not allow drug use without dismantling the welfare system which protects and supports the drug addicts. We need them to suffer the consequences of their actions. Then we will get less of it. That is true freedom where you don’t make slaves and caretakers of the producers which punishes Virtue and rewards the Vice in our socialist set-up now. (Unconstitutional).
Government handouts—which promote sloth, dependency, and envy and is theft from the producers and reward for evil behavior—cannot exist in a Just/free/U.S. Constitutional government. Drug Laws are not necessary if we allow the drug addicts to die in the ditch because they are too busy pursuing pleasures, rather than supporting themselves and their families.
Charity is just that—can only be the free gift of those that have—never forced—which is all government is.
I would also restore everyones 2nd Amendment Rights and give people complete power to use it to protect all private property with very little questions asked.
The only reason we have a problem today is because of the Leviathan and our lack of freedom and the existing socialism which rewards evil behavior and punishes the productive.
I’m sorry but you are going to have to do much better than that.
Please continue your research, your facts on alcohol and MJ are incorrect.
You are all over the place making unsupported and conflicting claims.
Your personal anecdotes are nice but carry no weight in this discussion, much like any I could share.
Mj has been around for all of history as well and looking at the balance of actual evidence there is no comparison as to the harm done. Not even close.
Considering the numbers involved I’m certain that someone somewhere throughout all of history has used MJ responsibly and in the same manner as alcohol.
So I guess we ought to recriminalize the drug alcohol until we dismantle the welfare system - right?
Thanks for digging up the facts, Ken!
No, that can't be proven - the balance depends on how a given individual values the benefits and harms. If I decide the harms outweigh the benefits and don't drink (and I don't drink or use any illegal drugs, by the way), I shouldn't impose my choice on you. It's called liberty.
There is no comparison between the brain effect by alcohol and other drugs like marijuana which have no “good” effects on the body
Marijuana has a number of established health benefits.
the other illicit drugs damage the brain structure and injure lungs, health, etc. and have no positive effect
In a free society, we allow adults to decide that the positive effect of pleasure is worth negative health effects.
Alcohol has been used responsibly by millions of people. The other drugs can’t—never are—they destroy all constructive relationships.
6% of Americans used marijuana in the past year but not in the past month - how is that not responsible use? (source: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10ResultsTables/NSDUHTables2010R/HTM/Sect1peTabs1to46.htm#Tab1.1B)
"alcohol exerts its effects via binding sites on target molecules just like all other drugs we know about." - Gregg Homanics, professor of anesthesiology, pharmacology, and chemical biology at the University of Pittsburgh - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615161756.htm
Are you talking about “smoking” marijuana.....no damage to lungs??????? Heart? Brain??? THC does nothing negative???? Ya, right. No other toxins in the joint??”””
I was in speech class at a community college in San Jose over a decade ago with an ex-marijuana addict (so he hoped) (age 19)-—who had completed a rehab program for marijuana addiction. He went into detail why it should remain illegal with his long list—he was addicted in high school and it destroyed his education. He talked about how it destroyed all incentive to do anything, even graduate.
When I was at UO in Eugene and at a “party” where they were passing around joints-—I was astounded by the stupidity of these people (I did not become intoxicated—I didn’t even smoke cigarettes at that time)-—They were so incredibly boring and stupid, but they thought they were brilliant and “creative” and so funny. (I graduated with an Art degree).
Their reality was severely warped—not creative— and it was the worst “party” (of many) I had ever attended Simply boring. The narcissism of drug users and their self-hatred, nihilism, and abuse of their bodies is really quite sad.
My sister did drugs (from marijuana to everything) along with her boyfriend/husband-—they were both dead by 21. I am not real fond of drugs—alcohol was never a problem for my family and I had a very large family. Like I say, alcohol can be used in mature, positive ways—as I and my parents have done. All my brothers only drank alcohol and they all owned their own businesses and had good lives and fine children, so far. My other sister is a nurse and only drank. She worked in the Psych ward and saw all the damage from drugs—not alcohol—but LSD, etc. She was quite affected by a young, handsome boy whose mind was ruined at age 20 by drugs (not alcohol).
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/glamour_couple_drug_hell_descent_CqIgH04jYzA5HGFuLjBsIM
As I indicated earlier your personal stories carry zero weight. Perhaps you could address the verifiable information in this thread.
You obviously have failed to avail yourself of any factual information.
I bet you believe you are brilliant as well...
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