So our poster here honors Democrats in his screen name. If you have a couple of moments I invite you to have a look at my ABOUT PAGE in the hope that that might ease your mind concerning the use of the name and avatar.
Libertarians like Nathanbedford…
I have always characterized myself as a conservative with a pesky libertarian streak.
the alternatives of wide open access to the most addictive drugs seems like a form of national suicide, and therefore unacceptable.
It seems to me that we are certainly in the throes of wide open access to the most addictive drugs. As suicidal as a national drug problem might be (think about alcoholism in Russia) it seems that we are risking tyranny, accepting corruption, undermining respect for the rule of law, squandering our treasury. But we are still committing national suicide because we are demonstrably unable to shut open access to the most addictive drugs. You're getting the worst of both worlds.
open borders
Who in the world around here is advocating for open borders?
nathanbedford:
"I have always characterized myself as a conservative with a pesky libertarian streak." Conservative and Libertarian values overlap in many places.
Anti-drug laws enforcement is not one of those.
So the necessary question becomes: in what places do your own Conservative values overcome Libertarian views?
nathanbedford: "But we are still committing national suicide because we are demonstrably unable to shut open access to the most addictive drugs.
You're getting the worst of both worlds."
Maybe.
So do this mental exercise: list the names of every country successful at reducing drug addiction following your Libertarian ideas.
A pretty short list, right?
Now list the countries successful at reducing drug addition using stronger law enforcement.
Still a short list, but not zero.
This exercise suggests the path to reduced addiction is stronger law enforcement, not less.
So their best practices should be noted, civil liberties issues engineered around.
nathanbedford: "Who in the world around here is advocating for open borders?"
Open to illegal drugs, right?
How many died at Pearl Harbor, was it 2,400?
How many died on 9/11/01, was it 3,000?
How many die these days from illegal drug overdoses, is it 70,000 per year?
In four years that's about the same numbers of Americans as died in combat, in all of WWII!
In what sense is that not a national emergency or form of national suicide?