And now – for something completely different…….
Recently a leftist reader (who turned out to be very nice) sent me a series of emails in which we conversed on political matters. At the end of one such email, he said – “As far as conservatives go, you’re mildly bearable. But I don’t think I have enough weed left to get me through another conservative blog. “ So, in deference to my left-wing friend, all of the other leftist loons out there and the Ron Paul supporters – here is a very libertarian suggestion to help lower the budget deficit.
California’s budget impasse has passed the one-month mark, social services aren’t getting state-funded help they need to stay open, and other legislative priorities are being put off the table until the legislature can come to agreement.
One California resident thinks he has the answer: Legalize the growth and sales of marijuana.
Clifford Schaffer, who runs a marijuana advocacy Web site in his spare time from his day job as a computer programmer, says that California could easily clear up the $700 million budget gap still facing state lawmakers, and as a plus, the measure could even help improve national security. He has started a petition, and the number of those supporting his idea is growing rapidly.
Schaffer has “high” hopes that this measure could raise the necessary revenue to offset budgetary deficiencies in the state of California.
Citing a study that estimates gross U.S. spending on marijuana at roughly $10 billion a year, he said California could corner the market on taxes gleaned from a legalized marijuana trade, generating $1 billion in revenues. That money would stay within the state instead of going to foreign drug cartels.
Why be greedy and save all that revenue for California? The rest of the nation could benefit as well from this new source of tax dollars. I can already see Democrats in Congress licking their chops over a new target for tax legislation (or maybe they just have cottonmouth).
Granted, marijuana legalization isn’t a new concept. It’s an idea that’s been around for decades. But I’m starting to think that it is a concept whose time has finally come. After watching the Democrats operate for 8 months, I think it might now be a necessity.
Maybe legalizing pot will chill out some of the Dems in Congress and their angry liberal cheerleaders on the net. And the next time Patrick Kennedy (or any Democrat in Congress for that matter) does something really stupid – they won’t have to blame it on Ambien.
steveflesher
Philip
Mel Maguire
Mark Ciavola
Comments
I have never smoked a bud, but maybe that same logic can be used to tolerate Nancy Pelosi?
Yeah, drug users should indeed pay taxes on their purchases. Drug dealers should have to pay SE Tax and standard income tax as well.
And Jenn, I am not sure about tolerating Nancy. You would need something much more powerful than bud, haha
What a dilemma for an already lax judiciary. On one hand; use and possession won’t be criminal anymore; on the other tax evasion is a long presentation of evidence. One more law, taxation, added to a bundle of laws that won’t be considered important enough to be enforced. It will have the same effect as gun laws.
(Now here’s an example of legal irrelevancy; Massachusetts has such a hard interpretation of who should own a firearm; how come 500 firearms were taken from pupils of the Boston public schools? Those are only 500 of how many more still out there. And those are the one’s attending classes {not to be confused with learning anything})
OK, so let’s pretend that Massachusetts wants follow this idea of California, to re-cycle (state employees, largest employment block) payrolls. Who’d notice? What’s one more tax in Taxachusetts.
While serving as an admin. law judge on a 3-person board with 5 employees; 3 clerks were intermitently out for 30 – 60 days for re-hab (not to be referred to as absenteeism or sick time) during the year. One was out for 6 weeks for paternity leave (must have been a post-traumatic-passivity-syndrome experience). The remaining worker just admitted she was burnt out and retired.
But, we should probably legalize and tax dope. It may pay for disfunctional governement.
That was a lot of my thinking, Shawmut. Honestly a lot of the post was tongue-in-cheek, but we might as well legalize and tax it. Like the article says, it could possibly keep a lot of money from going south of the border. The AFL-CIO and farm workers unions should support this concept.
I’m loathe to suggest new taxes, but the sales tax from legal pot would be a users’ fee for stoners. And there might be the unintended benefit of helping a lot of leftists deal with reality sans the anger. From my standpoint, it’s a decent suggestion with multiple benefits.