Among other things I'm thinking about this summer, I've been mulling over the following:
Marijuana: Maybe it would be best if it was made legal. Surveys show that the large majority of people would not turn in thier friends for growing or using it. Why even have such a toothless law that almost eveyone ignores? Current philosophy behind our anti drug laws are "its just plain wrong and should not be tolerated at all". Sometimes when an idea doesn't work, we need to go to a "second best" solution.
Yes, we would pick up more users. But by making it legal to posess and to smoke, governments could collect badly needed taxes. Some of the taxes could go to treatment programs and the rest could be well spent on an unending list of local and state needs. But best of all it would reduce the crime surrounding marijuana now. Some studies claim that marijuana is not a "gateway drug" to heavier drugs?
Health care reform: The majority of people who object to health care reform; "socialized medicine" (there is an emotional laden term) are those who already have health care, have adequate income and some luxuries and are practicing Christians. Look at the political cartoon in the 26 July Oregonian Opinion section. The unemployed, the poor, and others who need it seem to have little voice here. Next time you hear an objection to universal health, care ask the person to imagine he has lost his job and to look on the web for private health care. It is beyond me how people who profess to be Christian can object to sharing some wealth. "Socialism" is the knee jerk response. They don't know what socialism is. They conveniently ignore that we "free market" Americans enjoy all kinds of socialistic programs; unemployment insurance, subsidies to corporations, to farmers, to airlines, highways, schools, libriaries, military just to name a few.
I strongly favaor "universal health care" (a fairly rational description) although I'm not sure the current Obama package is the answer. And I doubt that it will be passed by Congress this year. I suspect the CBO estimate that it will cost about $1.7 billion? over the next few years is "in the ball park". Neverthe less, Obama should keep fighting for health care reform.
Rational thinking about the Obama economic stimulus package and other issues: It appears to have become my purpose in life to promote clear thinking about Federal policy, especially the bailout package. Here is my position; You have a right, even a duty, to rationally disagree with Obama and his people.
You do not have a right to circualte lies, racist cartoons, sophmoric, over simplified posts and angry rants and ridicule which appeal to the lowest among us. Those of you who object to Obama policy in this manner undermine America and promote hate. (See above; I said that you have a right and duty to disagree based on facts and data.)
Few of you who object to the Obama econ stimulus package don't konw anything about economics. If I ask you what your soluiton is, you have no answer. I will explain.
There are two textbook ways to deal with a recession.
The first is for the government to spend money to jump start the economy. Who else is gonna spend money? People don't have so much money in a recession. That is what Bernanke/Obama/Summers are trying to do; to go into debt hoping the economy will recover allowing the debt to be paid off. If it works we will be OK. If it doesn't we are gonna be in trouble.
The second text book solution is to cut taxes and regulations to help business recover. This is called "supply side" economic stimulus. It is what the Republicans have been doing for years. It hasn't worked and it creates big national debt. Cutting taxes mania appropriatily began with Reagan. It was the right thing to do then. But it has created a generatrion of government haters and anti tax activists who have carried it far beyond a logical point.
There are other minor theories about how to deal with a recession. I hope someone, some day, soon comes up with an alternative solution.
Stange how everyone has an economic opinion but doesn't know much about economics. It would be like me telling you how to do your job, about which I know nothing.
Other than trying to help people think rationally (like this post), I am enjoying summer off school. I've worked on my car a little, worked on the house, rode my m'cycle ( it has a flat tire I gotta get fixed), been to France, read a lot, slept too much and ate too much.
In Peace and Rationality
Grand-pere Le grump
