Before I begin, let me make one thing painfully clear: I have never, nor do I ever intend to, smoke marijuana.
With that said, one can't help but find the recently publicized images of national hero Michael Phelps smoking marijuana interesting. Many Americans, especially those with impressionable young children, have scolded the Olympic god for the decision he made to light up at a party in South Carolina last November--although it's doubtful that the incident in question was Phelps' first (or last) dance with Mary Jane. Nevertheless, while this issue has called some to question why celebrities so often get off with a slap on the wrist for this type of offense, I find myself asking a different question: Why doesn't everyone get off for smoking pot?
The issue of legalizing marijuana is not a new one. Student movements ranging from the free-loving 1960s to my next door neighbor's red-eyed rants, have been commonplace on college campus all over the country. Media portrayals and representations of the drug like the film Pineapple Express encourage expanding the legal boundaries. Pot even has its own political party, united by the belief that America's Gateway Drug should be available to all--or at least adults (http://www.usmjparty.org/).
So what would be the main incentive for the United States government to reverse its policy after so many years? The answer is something that Uncle Sam appears to be a little short on these days: cash. That's right, the U.S. government could use the stuff to turn a profit, and based on the available data, it could be quite a hefty profit indeed. According to a 2006 ABC News story (http://a.abcnews.com/Business/story?id=2735017&page=1), marijuana is among the top three cash crops in thirty of fifty states. The article goes on to estimate that pot production in America, as of two years ago, stood at over $35 billion, and that is not a number prone to decreasing over time.
That's quite a chunk of change, considering that government officials are, at this moment, scrambling to write a check to the American people of almost $1 trillion. So where does the cannabis come in? Simply put, the American government could legalize marijuana, then tax the heck out of its revenues. Not only would this help Congress raise capital during this time of economic recession and deficit spending, but it could also help breathe life into private industry with what remains of sales profits of the drug. Why, the new weed farms that are sure to spring up are sure to produce more jobs for Americans. I'm even willing to wager that the increased restaurant traffic due to late-night munchies would provide fast food establishments with some sales boosts.
Naturally, the fact that pot will make us money is not, by itself, sufficient reason to legalize the stuff. The "gateway drug" argument is one often heard regarding this debate with people stating that if marijuana is legal, more people will try it and, so the argument goes, it will lead to more people trying harder drugs. On the surface, this argument seems to raise a valid concern, but let's us look at how the progression from marijuana to other drugs would take place in a legalized world. As the system exists today, marijuana serves as a gateway because it is perhaps the least offensive of illegal street drugs. When a person decides to take marijuana, they are breaking the law. But if this act was no longer illegal, than the people who preform would be law-abiding citizens. Marijuana serves as a gateway in large part because people who do it are already law-breakers, so doing it desensitizes them to breaking the law for the sake of illegal drugs. Take that away and much of marijuana's gateway influences will be taken away.
It is also interesting to note that there are other, already legal drugs on the market today that have a greater potential to cause harm to users than marijuana. For example, Salvia divinorum, of the sage family, induces effects similar to that of LSD, yet it is completely legal in 41 states (http://www.salviacenter.com/6.php). Sage. It's a natural plant that grows in the ground, much like pot. How can we keep naturally occurring illegal when we have so many legal, unnatural drugs to do oh so very unnatural things? Consider Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis. Legal? Yes. Natural? By no means.
Finally, let us consider an example that our grandparents set for us on legalization and black markets. The 1920s brought about a time of profound change in the United States, but perhaps the most interesting one was the inability to buy a drink legally. The consequences from this misguided attempt of preserving morals in the U.S. resulted in one of the most far-reaching black markets in American history. Finally, after just over a decade, the 21st Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and Americans could finally have a drink again. Not only were most people happier, but it ended the wide-reaching criminal networks that were smuggling alcohol into the U.S., thereby decreasing the amount of illegal activity. There has been speculation that legalizing pot would increase crime because many criminals and gangs are financed by drug sales. Yet what supporters of this theory fail to realize is that legalizing marijuana will reduce prices drastically because the process of acquiring it will be much simpler. This means that criminals will be cut out of the market because they will be unable to support themselves at such low prices and cutting this revenue will stop huge chunks of financing for gang activity and other criminal actions. If you're still unconvinced on this point, ask yourself when the last time you saw a bootlegger was.
So whereas Michael Phelps' poor party decision is likely to cost him thousands of dollars--Kellogg's announced yesterday that they will not renew their sponsorship of the swimmer that is set to end this month--legalizing marijuana could make millions, or even billions, of dollars for the United States, in addition to ending Prohibition-style black market financing. And while it does not seem as though the government is likely to change its stance any time soon, it would appear as though young people have no intention to change theirs either.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
On the Future of Our Country:
I am truly worried about the future of our country.
The reason is rather simple: I have no faith in my generation's ability to run a government, sustain a viable economy, and raise another generation of human beings do the same. This realization did not sneak up on me suddenly and reveal itself to me in a great moment of enlightenment. Rather, it has been a slow collection of observations about the character and ability of my peers. I will, however, admit that there was one moment a few months ago that jump-started my cause to pray for the future of America.
I was in a discussion section for a class I was taking called 'Geological Perspectives,' which came highly recommended to me as a class that was sure to fetch me an A. "Well sweet," I thought, "this should be simple." I didn't know how simple. The class of about 25 students was working on an assignment dealing with time calculations related to fossils. The rest of the group I was working with was rather confused about the exact calculations that needed to be made, so I was explained it to them. When they were done, they thought it would be best to ask our preceptor, "Just to be sure." That is when the fun began.
What exactly we were calculating has escaped me, but I do remember that with a quick bit of mental math, I had determined the answer was 1 million divided by four.
"No," said the preceptor. I was confused. "It's 1 billion divided by four thousand."
I was flabbergasted. "Yes," I replied, "isn't that the same thing?"
"Oh," she said with a look of surprise. "I guess." Then one of the other members of my group added his appreciation for my calculating skills.
"Wow," he said. "Good thing we've got Mr. Math Major over here."
Really? I mean, really? Now trust me, I've heard the complaints about the complexity of fractions and such, but this was just stupidity. To have both students and the people who are supposed to be teaching them be unable to grasp such a simple concept is mind boggling to me still today.
Of course, I realize that this fear I have is nothing new. I'm willing to bet that Adam and Eve feared the end of humanity when their children reached adolescence. Despite this, I still find discomfort in wondering what the future holds for the good ol' U.S. of A. We are allowing stupidity to flourish on a wide range of levels, dooming future generations to suffer the consequences (that is, if they'll even be able to realize how poorly off they are).
So what should we do about it? The future is not entirely bleak, with a recent world study finding that test scores in the U.S. are increasing (http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results07.asp). But this could be counteracted by budget cuts currently being made for all levels of education, all over the country due to the economic recession. For example, the state of Arizona just approved budget cuts of $142 million from their university system alone. If we don't want stupid kids, we should avoid stupid decisions like cutting funding to major universities.
More importantly, let's quit letting kids off easy. If little Johnny brings home poor grades, remind him that he will end up in the poorhouse. Get your kids to enjoy reading and show them that being intelligent will not only make their schooling and jobs more enjoyable, it will make their lives more enjoyable as well.
The problem that we see today is that fewer children are shown the joys of learning because there are fewer people to who understand how, meaning that before long, there will be no one else to show kids the way. And when our country reaches this point, it will no longer be our status as a global power that will be in danger, it will be our society as a whole.
The reason is rather simple: I have no faith in my generation's ability to run a government, sustain a viable economy, and raise another generation of human beings do the same. This realization did not sneak up on me suddenly and reveal itself to me in a great moment of enlightenment. Rather, it has been a slow collection of observations about the character and ability of my peers. I will, however, admit that there was one moment a few months ago that jump-started my cause to pray for the future of America.
I was in a discussion section for a class I was taking called 'Geological Perspectives,' which came highly recommended to me as a class that was sure to fetch me an A. "Well sweet," I thought, "this should be simple." I didn't know how simple. The class of about 25 students was working on an assignment dealing with time calculations related to fossils. The rest of the group I was working with was rather confused about the exact calculations that needed to be made, so I was explained it to them. When they were done, they thought it would be best to ask our preceptor, "Just to be sure." That is when the fun began.
What exactly we were calculating has escaped me, but I do remember that with a quick bit of mental math, I had determined the answer was 1 million divided by four.
"No," said the preceptor. I was confused. "It's 1 billion divided by four thousand."
I was flabbergasted. "Yes," I replied, "isn't that the same thing?"
"Oh," she said with a look of surprise. "I guess." Then one of the other members of my group added his appreciation for my calculating skills.
"Wow," he said. "Good thing we've got Mr. Math Major over here."
Really? I mean, really? Now trust me, I've heard the complaints about the complexity of fractions and such, but this was just stupidity. To have both students and the people who are supposed to be teaching them be unable to grasp such a simple concept is mind boggling to me still today.
Of course, I realize that this fear I have is nothing new. I'm willing to bet that Adam and Eve feared the end of humanity when their children reached adolescence. Despite this, I still find discomfort in wondering what the future holds for the good ol' U.S. of A. We are allowing stupidity to flourish on a wide range of levels, dooming future generations to suffer the consequences (that is, if they'll even be able to realize how poorly off they are).
So what should we do about it? The future is not entirely bleak, with a recent world study finding that test scores in the U.S. are increasing (http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results07.asp). But this could be counteracted by budget cuts currently being made for all levels of education, all over the country due to the economic recession. For example, the state of Arizona just approved budget cuts of $142 million from their university system alone. If we don't want stupid kids, we should avoid stupid decisions like cutting funding to major universities.
More importantly, let's quit letting kids off easy. If little Johnny brings home poor grades, remind him that he will end up in the poorhouse. Get your kids to enjoy reading and show them that being intelligent will not only make their schooling and jobs more enjoyable, it will make their lives more enjoyable as well.
The problem that we see today is that fewer children are shown the joys of learning because there are fewer people to who understand how, meaning that before long, there will be no one else to show kids the way. And when our country reaches this point, it will no longer be our status as a global power that will be in danger, it will be our society as a whole.
Woes of a College (Registered) Republican
This past November was my first election.
I, like so many other students this past year, went to the polls to do my civic duty: help select a new crop of leaders for the United States. However, despite the importance of local and state politicians, the choice that received the most media hype was whether Barack Obama or John McCain would emerge as our country's next president.
Now, I like to consider myself a well-informed, issue-educated student of politics, but arriving on a college campus for the first time only three months before the election gave me reason to believe that the vast majority of my peers did not share my view on the issues America is facing. Leaving my personal beliefs aside, I was surprised by the way my leftward-leaning amigos viewed their conservative counterparts. All around, there were signs, bumper stickers, and politically-active co-eds calling for change in Washington. Change, that is, from the nasty Republican Old Guard that hates poor people, women, and minorities and loves war, torture, and killing puppies.
It didn't take me long to realize that showing of the key chain purchased for me as a gift at the Republican National Committee headquarters was a very bad idea. Coming from a conservative household, the sudden thrust into liberal academia came as a sudden, yet expected, surprise. I knew that it wasn't popular to share a party affiliation with grandmothers, yokel farmers, and Bible bangers, but I would never have expected the animosity to be so prevalent.
My first real education in the political preferences of college students came at a voter registration rally the night of the first presidential debate. In an effort to attract students to register to vote as part of a campus initiative, a friend and I donned suits and Halloween masks to get people excited; his was an Obama mask, mine was McCain. People loved us. We posed for pictures (one of which landed on the cover of the university newspaper the following morning), talked with people who were registering, and danced to the music provided by the free concert hosted that night. We were a hit. But unfortunately, my friend Mr. Obama was pulled away for the night, leaving me and my girlfriend to brave the rest of the evening ourselves.
Bad idea. What had been a fun little show of political opposition with cooperation became a one man tribute to the senator from Arizona. Needless to say, I, by myself, was not a hit. I was surprised by the overwhelmingly poor reception that I as McCain received, but didn't fully begin to understand why for a few more days. It was while watching CNN that I realized why so many people view Republicans and ignorant fools: lots of Republicans are ignorant fools. This revelation was brought about watching a press conference in which Senator McCain fielded so many inappropriate questions about his opponent that he was practically forced to defend the man for fear of defamation by association.
What began as questions concerning domestic policy evolved--or, more appropriately, devolved--into accusations that Obama is secretly Muslim, among a list of other qualities. It was in this moment that I realized why I was so vilified for supporting a man like McCain. People saw those images of ignorance and jumped to the conclusion that all McCain supporters were like this, and jumped further to the belief that McCain himself felt the same way. Weeks later, when a Will Ferrell reprised his role as George W. Bush and, in the way that only W. can, that a vote for John McCain is a vote for George Bush, I believe far too many people took it seriously (I do, however, believe Tina Fey's Sarah Palin was spot on).
The reason I write this to urge people that not all Republicans are crazies intent on making America into an aristocracy and nuking the rest of the world into oblivion. There do exist conservatives like myself who believe that moderation is more important than pissing off "The Liberal." But what is more important is to realize that life political ideologies cannot be divided into two cut-and-dry camps. There are over three hundred million people in this country, meaning that our political system is influenced either directly or indirectly by over three hundred million different views of how things should be done. And even if a voter decides to register with a party, that does not dictate the way that person will vote. In some states, people are forced to register with a party if they desire to vote in primary elections (as is the case in my home state of Arizona and the reason why I decided against registering independent).
So as President Obama takes office with his promises of change, let us make a change ourselves to stop judging people on their party affiliation because, in the end, it my determine if your ballot is red or blue, but it won't determine the choices you make.
http://inessential.com/images/run_liberal_run.jpg
I, like so many other students this past year, went to the polls to do my civic duty: help select a new crop of leaders for the United States. However, despite the importance of local and state politicians, the choice that received the most media hype was whether Barack Obama or John McCain would emerge as our country's next president.
Now, I like to consider myself a well-informed, issue-educated student of politics, but arriving on a college campus for the first time only three months before the election gave me reason to believe that the vast majority of my peers did not share my view on the issues America is facing. Leaving my personal beliefs aside, I was surprised by the way my leftward-leaning amigos viewed their conservative counterparts. All around, there were signs, bumper stickers, and politically-active co-eds calling for change in Washington. Change, that is, from the nasty Republican Old Guard that hates poor people, women, and minorities and loves war, torture, and killing puppies.
It didn't take me long to realize that showing of the key chain purchased for me as a gift at the Republican National Committee headquarters was a very bad idea. Coming from a conservative household, the sudden thrust into liberal academia came as a sudden, yet expected, surprise. I knew that it wasn't popular to share a party affiliation with grandmothers, yokel farmers, and Bible bangers, but I would never have expected the animosity to be so prevalent.
My first real education in the political preferences of college students came at a voter registration rally the night of the first presidential debate. In an effort to attract students to register to vote as part of a campus initiative, a friend and I donned suits and Halloween masks to get people excited; his was an Obama mask, mine was McCain. People loved us. We posed for pictures (one of which landed on the cover of the university newspaper the following morning), talked with people who were registering, and danced to the music provided by the free concert hosted that night. We were a hit. But unfortunately, my friend Mr. Obama was pulled away for the night, leaving me and my girlfriend to brave the rest of the evening ourselves.
Bad idea. What had been a fun little show of political opposition with cooperation became a one man tribute to the senator from Arizona. Needless to say, I, by myself, was not a hit. I was surprised by the overwhelmingly poor reception that I as McCain received, but didn't fully begin to understand why for a few more days. It was while watching CNN that I realized why so many people view Republicans and ignorant fools: lots of Republicans are ignorant fools. This revelation was brought about watching a press conference in which Senator McCain fielded so many inappropriate questions about his opponent that he was practically forced to defend the man for fear of defamation by association.
What began as questions concerning domestic policy evolved--or, more appropriately, devolved--into accusations that Obama is secretly Muslim, among a list of other qualities. It was in this moment that I realized why I was so vilified for supporting a man like McCain. People saw those images of ignorance and jumped to the conclusion that all McCain supporters were like this, and jumped further to the belief that McCain himself felt the same way. Weeks later, when a Will Ferrell reprised his role as George W. Bush and, in the way that only W. can, that a vote for John McCain is a vote for George Bush, I believe far too many people took it seriously (I do, however, believe Tina Fey's Sarah Palin was spot on).
The reason I write this to urge people that not all Republicans are crazies intent on making America into an aristocracy and nuking the rest of the world into oblivion. There do exist conservatives like myself who believe that moderation is more important than pissing off "The Liberal." But what is more important is to realize that life political ideologies cannot be divided into two cut-and-dry camps. There are over three hundred million people in this country, meaning that our political system is influenced either directly or indirectly by over three hundred million different views of how things should be done. And even if a voter decides to register with a party, that does not dictate the way that person will vote. In some states, people are forced to register with a party if they desire to vote in primary elections (as is the case in my home state of Arizona and the reason why I decided against registering independent).
So as President Obama takes office with his promises of change, let us make a change ourselves to stop judging people on their party affiliation because, in the end, it my determine if your ballot is red or blue, but it won't determine the choices you make.
http://inessential.com/images/run_liberal_run.jpg
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