Posted on 02/27/2005 2:55:24 PM PST by 82Marine89
"We hold that all individuals have the right to excersise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.
I left them quickly after it became apparent liberal Democrats were joining in droves (when the writing was on the wall that the White House was lost).
Prior to that the subjects listed in the article were open to honest discussion and debate. After the scum influx they were verbotten.
I do agree with Hodar that the WOD is a terrible waste of our money that only benefits those who gain riches and careers from it - the entire private prison industry couldn't survive without it. While legalizing all of them is out of the question taking the profit margin out of marijuana would immediately pay off in reduced incarcerations and otherwise salvagable lives. Allowing the provenly harmful substances alcohol and tobacco, albeit controlled, just wreaks of hypocrisy. This is why our kids roll their eyes at us when we lecture them.
Prior to legal efforts to control them drug use had little appeal to the average citizen, affecting far less a percentage than we have now. From Harry Aslinger's time to now, it was always about ego and power rather than the public good. Follow the money.
Yeah, I kunda agree w/ you that today's GOP is like the Democratic Party of 70 yrs ago: you hardly ever hear Republicans question the constitutionality (or better yet, the LACK THEREOF) of FDR's big-government programs...or those of LBJ's Great Society, let alone abolish them. They said back in 1994 that they wanted to eliminate the Dept. of Education, but once they took control of Congress, that idea was flushed down the toilet.
A smaller government party my aSS.
That sites no good either. It starts out with some positive statistics but it ends up on your side.
I hope it happems...I'd love to see it!
But there are other parties out there, such as the Constitution Party & the Independent American Party, both of which I have a great deal of respect for.
If they came, they'd be called RINO's themselves.
I'd suggest taking a closer look at your link .....
The link goes on to show the falacy of the data you support.
My personal view is to legalize EVERYTHING. Make it cheap, sell it at Wal-Mart to anyone over 18/21. This will have a two-fold impact.
First off, the current drug users will have a heyday. They will find themselves available to afford their drug of choice, and will either Overdose (self-correcting problem), or will live through this phase and then want to get free. At this time, the money we save on the WoD can be used to help subsidize their Drug Recovery program (I'd suggest an 80/20 split; nothing is ever free).
Secondly, kiddies will see their friends die, the Gangsta's will be out of business, as you can't compete with Free Enterprize. Drugs will become 'un-cool'.
This policy worked prior to the USA having an Anti-Drug policy and law enforcement division. Coke used to have Cocaine in it. Drug users were held in disdain, and society did prosper. By making it illegal, we have created a demand that simply wasn't there before (historically speaking).
What you don't seem to realize is.....when prohibition was ended people could now purchase safe, regulated, taxed, quality controlled alcoholic products. The criminal element was driven out and the habit was controlled legally.
I have never taken illegal drugs or had the desire to do so..but if I were to do so....I would want to make my purchase legally at Sav-On instead of relying on the quality control of the Bloods or the Crips! I would also appreciate the drop in crime necessary to sustain an illegal drug habit. If folks can buy their stuff at the drug store at resonable prices they won't have to break and enter to steal "your" stuff to get "their" stuff.
An earliar post mentioned the dismal record of the "War on Drugs" and the attendant restrictions of liberty it has caused. It reminds me of the "War on Poverty" and the huge successes we have seen in that area. You know....we ought to start a government program called the "War on Food" to insure no one ever goes hungry again. It is human nature to find a way to fill a market....and if that market is illegal the prices will be high. If drugs are legal your pusher is now out of business.
AKA, the I want government to make everyone behave the way I want them to behave coalition.
I hear you, libertyman.
We'll see what happens within the next 4 years, but I don't see why they *deserve* my vote if it keeps up...
Believe it or not, most Americans simply do not agree with the (L)'s on those issues. That's not my problem.
Come back, Fred Thompson!
I believe there are two options for the war on drugs. One is give up and legalize them. The other option is to make their use so prohibitive that people will choose not to use them. From my observations, that would require the death penalty without exception for the first possession charge. I dont think you can sell the death penalty for drug possession, so I would vote for legalization.
"Do the (L)'s want to privatize the military too?"
Not exactly. Although the 2000 Libertarian presidential candidate thought the proper way to respond to 9/11 was to issue Letters of Marque and Reprisal.
Some Libertarians do call for the elimination of all courts and police and fire departments. If you have a legal dispute or want police or fire protection, you should contract with a private provider.
Hilarious!
Do you realize that even a small split, where say just 1 out of 10 Republicans walk, that it is the Democrats and no one else that will benefit? If just a splinter of a splinter of Republicans walk wholesale, the Democrats will win a huge majority and the presidency.
Thanks for the info. I actually agree in concept that, generally speaking, private ownership is better than government ownership of certain resources, but the (L)'s are a lot more "extreme" in that respect than I am. Using your earlier example, a public transportation system just makes good sense.
It depends.... I get the sense that there are really three main groupings of political beliefs these days: A moral conservative grouping, a left-wing/green grouping, and a centrist, moderate/libertarian grouping. The moral conservatives are about 35-40%; the left-wing/greens are about 15-20%, and the center is about 40-50%.
The Democrats stay close by keeping the left-wing greens, black voters who are moral conservatives, and centrists who are more scared of moral conservatives than the left.
However, if there was a split in the GOP, the black moral conservatives could leave the Dems (especially if the conservatives took some other name than "Repblican") and the moderate Dems could well join the centrist party. We'd have, at least for a little while, a party system that represented most Americans without any faction able to pin down anything more than a bare majority.
Makes a lot of sense.
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