So is the war on poverty. What do we do about that? While we’re at it, Harry Reid says the War in Iraq is LOST. What are we doing still there? In addition, we no longer fight “terrorists” so why are we still in the mid-east?
Point is, every time some dumb-assed politician speaks, we don’t have to consider what he says as truthful.
I disagree. The war on poverty is over, and we won.
The "war on poverty" metaphor worked when there were millions of Americans without basic shelter, running water, sanitation and electricity, and malnutrition was commonplace. Today, America's "poor" have decent housing, most with cars and color TV, and their primary nutritional problem is obesity.
The problems today are caused by a lack of family and community, caused in no small measure by the government programs that were designed to -- and succeeded in -- solving yesterday's problems. The solution is not more of the same.
The War on (some) Drugs is a different animal, and was wrong-headed from the beginning. Addiction is first and foremost a public health problem, not a criminal justice problem. Treatment is far from perfect, but it's a damn sight more effective than imprisonment, and at a fraction of the cost.
Instead of attacking the demand side of the equation, the neoprohibitionists have spent more than half a century focusing solely on the supply. After untold trillions of dollars spent and lives ruined by thoughtless "zero tolerance" policies and mandatory sentences, the drug warriors are still getting bitch-slapped by the Invisible Hand. There is no reason to believe that any amount of money, manpower or legislation will fill that bottomless pit, and yet we keep shoveling.
Good questions.
The answer is we should give up on all of that adventurism. The money to wage these "wars" isn't there anymore.
Our next "war" has to be against the imperial congress, supreme court and executive branches of the federal government.
They have to be dragged back to what they are allowed to do by the Constitution.