Comments on: Brookings Institute Ponies Up A Whopper

By: citizenofmanassas

citizenofmanassas — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:31:48 +0000

Johnson,

What is not working is letting people off the hook with a slap on the wrist. If we made buying, selling, taking etc drugs such a risk, I’d venture to say there would be less of it. However, there are too many liberal judges, DA’s etc that want to take it easy on people and as a result, there are too many people willing to take the chance to make money because they realize the penalty of being caught is pretty low.

Midnight express(I think that is the name of the movie) shows what tough drug laws and penalties will do. Do you think little Johnny is going to try drugs if he realizes he will spend the rest of his life in jail if caught?

Making them legal or decriminalizing is not going to make it less likely people are going to not OD on them, not going to improve the health of addicts. That is where the social and medical costs come into it.

By: Johnson

Johnson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:58:10 +0000

Agree to disagree. But, we need to do something. Our current efforts are not working. Illegal drugs are the scourge of our planet, destroying us and entire countries from within.

By: citizenofmanassas

citizenofmanassas — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:39:04 +0000

Unless we can remove the drug gangs completely, I see no reason to “decriminalize” anything. The cost to society would be too great.

By: Johnson

Johnson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:28:51 +0000

I still think that decriminalizing drugs would remove enough profit from the sale of them to destabilize the market for them. Yes, there would still be a market. There will always be gangs of criminals who commit crimes to make money. Decriminalizing drugs would make it that much harder for criminals and terrorists to finance their activities.

An interesting aside-drug abusers would be denied a driver’s license, insurance or registration of a car until they could prove that they were clean for, say, 90 days. Indemnify employers from lawsuits involving discrimination for refusing to hire dopers.

By: citizenofmanassas

citizenofmanassas — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:18:02 +0000

Johnson,

How would your plan work? There would still be a market for drugs, which means there would still be drug dealers and gangs.

By: Johnson

Johnson — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:00:58 +0000

I don’t want to legalize drugs. I want to see them decriminalized. Possession, manufacture and distribution would remain illegal, but reduced to misdemeanor levels, enough so that they can be seized an destroyed. I am not a stoner nor do I support such behavior. I am not a drinker, nor do I support drunkeness, even though it’s legal for adults. It would be interesting to see what contraband the drug dealers would turn to.

By: citizenofmanassas

citizenofmanassas — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:01:30 +0000

I don’t think we would take much money from the drug dealers and we would in turn have to spend an untold amount of money on rehab, and other costs associated having those drugs legalized.

Cigarettes are still sold on the black market. Alcohol is still sold on the black market. Those drug dealers would just switch business and find something else to make money and would continue to sell drugs without the “tax” on them.

By: Johnson

Johnson — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:17:39 +0000

Citizen-Taking our money back from our enemies is the net plus. The Taliban grows poppies and processes heroin to finance terrorism worldwide. Chavez’s Venezuela, Mexico and several other drug producing/transit countries would collapse politically. Mexico’s drug war would run out of steam. The money is the key.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.2b0b8bd405048e19f36fa896834ca058.eb1&show_article=1

By: citizenofmanassas

citizenofmanassas — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:06:53 +0000

Johnson,

That is a hard question to answer regarding how many might start to use drugs if they were legal to use. However, I’d say the number would go up.

I just don’t see how making cocaine and other harder type drugs legal is a net plus for the Country.

By: me-n-u

me-n-u — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:31:05 +0000

Johnson I totally disagree with you on legalizing drugs. I think if that happens it will be easier for younger and younger kids to get ahold of them. Look at alcohol and cigarettes. Young people use them all of the time. They are legal but still illegal if you are under age.

I think legalizing drugs is telling our nation that they aren’t really bad for you. And I would bet my salary that more people will use them, not less.

By: Black Saint

Black Saint — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:09:27 +0000

Both parties have not only ignored our Constitution most have aided and abide in subverting it and the rule of Law. The massive Illegal Aliens invasion under mines both Article IV section IV of our Constitution against invasion and the rule of Law. Many if not most of our politicians should be arrested, given an fast but fair hearing then an public execution for treason!

By: Johnson

Johnson — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:48:30 +0000

Agreed that there will always be a black market. It would be interesting to see how many people stop/start using illicit narcotics if they are decriminalized. We can certainly look to the Prohibition era as a model. My point is that removing the illegalities to some extent will reduce the value of illicit narcotics to the point that they won’t be profitable enough to prop up governments or influence politicians. Imagine what would happen to the health care industry if prescriptions were no longer necessary in the U.S. The problem with drugs is that there is too much money involved, hence the corruption and violence.

By: citizenofmanassas

citizenofmanassas — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 04:33:40 +0000

Johnson,

There will always be a black market for goods, legal or otherwise.

We have become too soft on crime. Lets bring back the chain gangs, and poor prison conditions.

Jail sentences for just about any crime does not seem much of a deterrent, but we still sentence people.

By: Cynic

Cynic — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 04:29:22 +0000

Update - Fact: Police Rescind Good Samaritan’s Ticket

me-n-u - Thanks. We will need all the luck and help we can get.

Not my policy to communicate with elected officials, but I did on these two issues - the drivers license and In-State Tuition for illegals.
If I have not mentioned it before - I am opposed to them - also illegal aliens, those who hired them, and the traitor politicians who foisted this disaster upon us.

By: me-n-u

me-n-u — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Cynic, it still has to be voted on by your liberal elected officials. Do you really think that is going to happen?

And it only took eight years after 9-11 for them to try and do this? Wow, forward thinking Maryland!

Help Save Maryland and the illegal alien murders have put this issue on the front page. I really wish you all the best of luck in this. Keep the pressure on!

By: Cynic

Cynic — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:06:39 +0000

Anonymous,

What do you mean by “trail of Taco remnants all the way to Monkey county.”?

Please be aware that our ‘conservative’ Governor is supporting a bill, now making its way through our General Assembly, to require that only those legally in the Country can obtain a Maryland driver’s license. Am sure that this support of the bill by our Governor is very traumatic to not only the illegals, but also their liberal supporters.

But, if the illegals get their amnesty, passing the bill will mean nothing. That is what I think the illegals and their supporters are counting on - getting amnesty from the current U.S. Congress.

By: just_curious

just_curious — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 23:08:56 +0000

so true,

it’s pretty bad down south, and I truly feel for them. but to be honest, there is poverty in the world and we cant be giving handouts to everyone until we have straightened out our own country.

if the harpies want to give handouts so much, why dont they give them? I bet they dont give a single dime to anyone.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:45:15 +0000

Johnson said on 27 Feb 2009 at 2:03 pm: Flag comment

http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2009-02-26/article/32335?headline=City-Alarmed-by-Impounding-of-Cars-Owned-By-Illegal-Immigrants

Man, if we had this law, the illegals would fight to get out of Virginia!

The only thing you would see during the flight would be a trail of Taco remnants all the way to Monkey county.

By: Johnson

Johnson — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:47:02 +0000

citizenofmanassas-
Bearing in mind that I have been in law enforcement for the majority of my adult life, look at the drug problem from a fiscal point of view. How much are we spending to stem the flow of illegal drugs into our country? Is it working? Our prisons are full of drug offenders. Where does all the money go? Drug Cartels and terrorists. We are financing our own destruction. We lost the drug war years ago. If we take the money out of circulation, we hurt the bad guys. They will have to find other finances.

By: Johnson

Johnson — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:44:09 +0000

R.L.D.-
Granted.