An eye opener if anything plus various other threads merged for lulz

In short, make it legal and tax the shit out of it, but not enough to make a black market a legitimate alternative, and then use that money to fund treatment and science-based education. This strategy has worked with tobacco. These drugs are pretty cheap to make, especially pot. As we all know, pot grows like a weed, pun intended. People are going to smoke tobacco or pot or use illicit drugs. The focus should be on harm reduction, while helping those who want to quit to do so.

People who commit crimes while under the influence are already treated accordingly under the law. One example is vehicular homicide while drunk. That's DUI homicide or whatever the specific name is in the applicable jurisdiction, and the punishments are more severe than standard vehicular homicide, unless I'm terribly mistaken. On point 2, I'd say regulate pot to the same degree as tobacco, and anything requiring a chemical process, I agree. For point 3, that's part of treating it as a public health, and not criminal justice, concern. To your final point, you'll never go to a concert again. People are always drunk and/or high at those things. lol

Only your own opinion matters to you.

I'm sorry. I was somewhat mistaken. Alaska, Arizona, and Montana have no laws outlining vehicular homicide, and the punishments vary by state. In Washington, vehicular homicide while DUI adds to the sentence, while in California, a vehicular homicide committed by a drunk driver could raise the offense from a level of manslaughter to second degree murder. As for the sentencing, justice should always be tempered with mercy in a way that protects the public, and the several states have addressed that in different ways. Frankly, I'd much rather see the imprisonment of a habitual drunk driver, especially one who has caused harm to others, than some dude who was holding just enough to get high. Too many Americans are involved with the justice system. Treatment for abusers and focusing on those who harm others should be the order of the day.

This is where Sweden is interesting. Instead of criminalizing prostitution, in which many women are involved through human trafficking and are often victims themselves, they chose to criminalize the purchase of sex, operation of brothels, and pimping. This is a rational response to the problem. Another is to make it legal but regulate and tax the shit out of it, as parts of Nevada have done, and ensure the workers have stringent protections. Sweden's theory is that the punishment should focus on the consumers and procurers, while Nevada's theory is that sunlight is the best disinfectant. As long as those involved are safe and do so of their own free will, it's fine. However, that is far too often not the case. As a result, I lean more towards the Swedish model, with the addendum that prostitutes be given the resources to get out and be safe.

Sorry. Maybe I am too idealistic.

Or you are too drunk to post in the right thread.

Obama is a defect of our stupid system of government.

All people are fucking stupid, proof found ITT. Thats the core reason to every single goddamn problem in the world; someone is being a fucking moron. Prove me wrong.

If you rely on mainstream teevee shows as source, well, reread your last sentence and come talk to us about fucking drones.

What the fuck is "teevee"?

Please kill yourself.

I think that even stating Liberals are bad and implying that all Dem voting people are "liberals" is stupid. No one is any one thing, and if any idiot decides prior to voting or reading up on the issues and only voting cause that person has an "R" or "D" infront of their name, is a complete moron.

BTW to even laugh at liberals after the GOP put up Romney as their canidate? Really?? The GOP hasnt put up a solid representation in years. I respected McCain as a nominee but then Palin? Then Romney? The man with a plan that is no plan? But then the GOP puts their efforts into just bashing and mocking and the Birther/Tea Partier bullshit?!?!?!?

WTF happened to the GOP.

Im personally a bit of both as Im sure most people are. I am liberal with the sciences and a progressive health care system. In which I mean stem cells and cheaper med costs and shutting down a good portion of the fucking pharm companies doing nothing but raping people on their meds. So that means, I have to vote liberal to hopefully get a full socialized health care system to lower costs for everyone and if thats an extra 3% in taxes for me but my premiums are lower, my health insurance is lower and the elderly and needy are getting proper health care......THEN FUCKING TAX ME.

Isnt that a christian value anyway? Which the republicans so pride themselves on? The good samaritan? The washing of ones feet, the clothing of ones back and the feeding of 100's with only a few meals.......

So, Im a conservative in family values voting "liberal" cause those are my family values......see the problem here.

The GOP needs to get off their fucking WASP racist ignorant asses and get back to who there were damn near 60 or even 70 years ago.

On a side note, if the GOP and fucktard republicans backed Ron Paul, you would of had a republican in the white house......

I have absolutely no interest or knowledge of American politics si I don't think I'm qualified to post in this thread....oh wait!

You had me until the end. If the GOP and fucktard republicans backed Ron Paul, they would have had a racist John Bircher lunatic who lives on the public dole instead of a guy who switched positions more than your average porn star and lives on the public dole. Then again, today's GOP is a manifestation of the John Birch Society. It's simple: Look at when this nation was its most prosperous. Look at the tax rates, look at the strength of unions, and hell, even look at our tariffs. Look at what those tax dollars bought: our modern infrastructure, public education, and because there was a strong disincentive to hoard wealth, great health care for the average worker. We've had 30 years of the GOP's failed "give the rich more money so they'll not be fucking douchebags" strategy. Do you know what it bought us? Third World levels of income inequality, a dead middle class, a major recession, and crumbling infrastructure. The Republicans may be proud they are the "party of Lincoln", but they haven't been true to that for many decades. Look at Lincoln's economic policies. Look up the American System, supported by Washington and several of his successors in direct opposition to "free trade". Look at why they opposed "free trade" and what the results were for the American economy.

Pronounce it out loud with your mouth if you need to. Teeee Veeee. Clear?

Pretty sure 612 is one of those whatcha call "pre-clears"

You laugh at the GOP presenting Romney as their candidate, and I can agree wholeheartedly with your assessment.

The problem is we elected a self confessed murderer as our president. He has asserted his right to kill whomever he chooses, and has actually done this repeatedly. So the US populace now thinks that not having the right to an abortion is worse than actually killing people.

hmmm...

I know what it was *intended* to be, Mod edit: no, pls . But what kind of fucking hick region spells it that way?

Outsider perspective:

Ummm what?

First off you brought up a very heavily debated subject than is more about an individual persons choice and not one of the federal governments. The government should not stipulate "morals" when it comes to the subject of abortion because it is heavily tied to religious views. The government can not oppose religious views and as far as "They" should be concerned, if it can not be counted in the census and is not born, it is not their problem.

I know this sounds cold but that is how the government should be run. Just so you know though with my "liberal democratic secular" statement.....I do not personally believe abortion should be used as a form of birth control. I am a father and my views have changed drastically from years ago when I was doing bio lab research in college. In the past 10 months, life as humans assume it, with their ignorant destruction of it, isnt life unless its conscience. Or human or whatever anyone seems to deem at the time for their own personal goals.

You want a "hands off" government not controlling its citizens. Not calling the moral or family value shots, then abortion for all intensive purposes should be legal. That is hands off. That is no government involvement. That is freedom of church and state.

BTW to so casually state that we voted in a murderer cause your hell bent on abortion is yet again another reason the country is becoming more liberal and democratic in their voting. Not everything is so black and white and just because you feel a certain way about it, does not mean that hes hitler or Mao or Stalin.....

Better to pull your head out of your ass and realize what true TRUE republicanism is about......and what our country was truely founded on. Not just tailoring a law cause you feel its a moral obligation, under a religious pretense.

Disagreed with this although its funny but I do not believe any party in the US should be compared to violent genocidical regiemes of the past.

Democratic or Republican......oh and fuck Romney. lol

one word - freemasons. Without these crack maggots the economy and system itself would
improve. The more time without freemasons under oath, the more justice and fairness and truth,
society learns.

Who wants jimmy savile protectors ruling their country?

lol freemasons

I take it from your other posts in other threads you have either A: been turned down by the Freemasons or B: been kicked out

We are now living through a very strange moment, we know that the idea of market stability has failed, but we cannot imagine any alternative. The original promise of the Californian ideology, was that the computers would liberate us from all the old forms of political control and we would become Randian heroes, in control of our own destiny. Instead today, we feel the opposite, that we are helpless components in a global system, a system that is controlled by a rigid logic that we are powerless to challenge, or to change.

~All Watch Over By Machines With Love And Grace

Only if you live your life obsessed with the internetz

Leik the getting out of unneccessary wars part.
As for taxes. Pffft! Screw the Income Rape (er, uh, "tax"). We pay out plenty in indirect taxes to pay for everything the government needs (except of course for wars and bailouts--but that was what the Income Tax had really been for to begin with, despite the propaganda that was used to sell it to the people). As for direct taxes like the Income Tax, either everyone pays the exact same percentage (no excuses) or there should be no income tax at all. But thanks to the 16th Amendment, the poor pay a higher percentage, and that will never change as long as taxes don't have to be proprotional because the one who make the tax policies will always want their bribes (er, I mean "lobby money") from their corporate overlords.

Yay on Lincoln's economic policies (especially his stroke of genius, the "greenback"). Boo on the writer's piss-poor attempt to connect Lincoln's sensible policies to Hamilton (who actually was trying to stir us toward the British system, private central bank is part of the British "free trade" system). Also, boo on his omitting that the private owners behind those central banks were the ones who actually wrecked the economy on purpose as a way to spite Jefferson and (later) Jackson, according the the very mouths of those horses that did it. (The Powers That Be always had a bad habit of leveling threats and bragging to loudly, even back then).

Well, when in Rome....

Cannot leik this enough.

Same region that spells 'caek.' That interweb place, you know.

Wow. So much fail in the second half. You have the standard deduction, which is income NOBODY pays taxes on. You also have various tax credits, which means that some who pay no taxes get money back from the government for just as long as it takes them to pay for rent, food, and clothing because if you're getting money back from the government, you're old, fucked, or both. Income tax can be very progressive, and in fact was for several decades beginning with WWII. Let's look at the period from 1946 until 1963. They had 24 income tax brackets, with the top bracket being 91% of all income above $200k in 1946 dollars, or about $2.38 million in today's currency. Instead, we have these rich morons bleating "SOCIALISM!!!" (which isn't a bad thing despite what they believe) with the top marginal tax rate being 35% of all income over about $380k. That's pretty fucked. What did those high marginal rates buy us? An education system that encouraged innovation, a very robust infrastructure, a strong, broad middle class, and we became a beacon of hope. A flat tax is one of the dumbest fucking ideas I've ever heard.

Maybe stop the wars?
Drones in the US also.

Stop the wars, raise tax rates to 1964 levels adjusted for inflation, and put the savings and added revenue into single-payer socialized health care, scientific research, infrastructure, education, and making NASA inspirational instead of insipid. Sounds like a good start.