I know, it's been an extremely long time since I've posted anything. Now, even though I have many more things going on that I could post about, I decided to tackle the National Debt, and the ensuing U.S. default that will occur in August.
I constantly hear (even before this crisis) how one side wants to cut programs and give tax cuts. While the other side does not want to do away with social programs. Obviously, if you are reading this, you know where I stand in the political spectrum, and since it's my blog, I don't have to be politically correct. So, the Republicans want to cut everything and continue to give tax cuts to their rich buddies and corporations (look at their track record, they don't give a shit about the "little guy"). The Democrats seem for the most part to want to help everyone succeed. For instance when Clinton was in office, everyone fared better, rich and poor alike. Bush came into office, gave tax cuts to the wealthy, went on two off the books wars, which took away the surpluses from the Clinton years and put the country into debt. Then after he racked up all this debt, he left office, and now it's obviously Obama's fault that we're in the situation we are. I don't think that's the case, but that is the way the debate has been framed. Obviously, one way to get out of part of the debt is to go back to the tax rates of the Clinton years, but Republicans want to have nothing to do with that. Because it would be silly to bring in additional revenue.
Digression: I find it amusing that Republicans want to run the country like a business, but fail at the most basic point that in order to run a successful business, your revenues have to outweigh your expenses. Additionally, one can only cut a certain amount of expenses before it starts to become a burden. E.O.D.
So, without the option of additional income tax revenue, because the ultra rich and corporations need to keep their tax breaks, while the rest of the country struggles, the Republicans only option is to cut every social program in the U.S., including Medicare, Public Education, and public safety (firefighters, police, etc.)
Therefore, my proposal is simple, and I wish politicians wouldn't be so fucking scared to do this. We should legalize marijuana. I will say, I do not smoke it, so it won't affect me in any way. I have smoked before, but that was years ago, I never liked the feeling of being stoned, so I just don't do it.
According to some estimates, the marijuana industry is anywhere between a $10 billion to $120 billion a year industry. If the government legalized it, first and foremost, it would mean additional tax revenues coming in (great for Democrats) and it would mean that the lower and middle income earners would probably be burdened with most of the taxes (great for the Republicans). This would also cut down on the need for some police officers, or at least help by not having to prosecute for petty drug possession offenses (there, we just cut some public safety expense). Additionally, the tax rate could be high, like that of cigarettes or alcohol. Moreover, if marijuana was legalized, the government could also make it illegal to grow your own (much like making your own alcohol now).
I just don't see how this isn't a win all around, and why all politicians are so afraid to just look at the obvious and just get it done. We're not talking about cocaine, or heroin, or any of the "harder" drugs. This is something that could be easily regulated, has not shown to cause as many problems as alcohol (accidents, fights, etc.), and could also be a boon for other industries, like the snack industry.
I just need to figure out which one politician would be for something like this and get a petition going. Maybe Dennis Kucinich. Who's with me?
