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Bingo. Tax dollars. A pack of cigarettes would cost about $.25 without all the taxes, a bottle of whiskey about a buck, because of the container. But, so what? Who cares about your girlfriends aneurysm? Who cares that my dad died at 53? Who cares that the drunk asshole killed your ole lady and kids on the way home from the store? As long as the big wigs, politicians, lawmakers and rich motherfuckers who have extracted *billions* of dollars from the death and misery of millions get to keep that golf game on Wednesday afternoon, and get to keep making their billions, what's the problem? Shut the fuck up, have a drink and a smoke. So, let all us voters decide that we want to pull our heads out of the sand (or our ass' may be more realistic) and make *all* drugs illegal, including alcohol and tobacco. I have no idea how much money the government takes in off these two poisons, but its a major chunk of change. Where will this lost tax income come from? You can bet your ass the lawmakers and representatives aint going to start eating at McDonalds or packing a brown bag to work (like those of us who pay their salary do) for lunch. They aren't going to cut their pay, they aren't going to fire the limo driver, and go to work on the bus or drive a Toyota. They aren't going to wear Levi's and a flannel shirt to work either. They will do as they have always done, and take the money out of *public* school and police budgets, making us dumb assholes who dared to cross them sorry we ever doubted their power. This country isn't run by voters anymore, its run by lobby's, big money corporations, the Bar Association, and corrupt power mongers like those currently running our country and writing *more* ineffective and impotent laws. They look out the window (of an office paid for by the death and misery of millions), see a kid selling nickels of cocaine (his mom was a crack whore, his dad is a junkie, he has *no* future, and no one cares) on the corner, by God, he wants something done about this drug problem!!!! As he sips his snifter of brandy and pulls a long one off his cigar. For instance, go among your friends and find ten people who voted for Bill Clinton. Good Luck. I have been trying to find ten people who voted for him since he was elected the first time. Now, lets turn this over. What happens if we *really* pull our heads out, legalize *all* drugs, tax them like alcohol and tobacco, and make people personally responsible for their actions? You drive under the influence, jail. You allow kids to have access, jail. You use dope in front or around kids, jail. You hurt or cause to be hurt, anyone, jail. Shit, in about a month, you wouldn't be able to find any cocaine, as there would be no money in growing, making and smuggling the shit into the US. The *only* reason there is so much money in cocaine, and people are getting killed behind it, is *because* its illegal. The obviously predictable result would be that we put about half of the Bar Association out on the street (A wonderful plan in my book!), we reduce the money *blown* on court houses, jails and prisons by half or more, and Crocket and Tubbs have to find another job, along with about 90% of the rest of the DEA and narcotics police, who's jobs, while noble, amount to a fart in a hurricane. The money *blown* by law enforcement organizations on the War on Drugs would be turned to deal with the real criminals, and we would have room in our prisons to *keep* child molesters, rapists, murderers, etc locked up forever, where they belong. *This* is why we have prisons. For assholes, not for people with a horrible health and social problem. America is simply trying to lock its drug problem away in a closet, rather than look at it, and deal with it. Its really hard to get a confirmed hypocrite (tobacco and alcohol users) and liar (if you think you can smoke without penalty, you are lying to yourself) to look at himself as a problem. The other obviously predictable result would be that the smart dopers at the top of the food chain (the ones the cops never get near) would simply be out of business. No raids, no shooting, no long drawn out trials costing the taxpayers millions. Simply out of business. Find a job asshole. Now you have to contribute, not rape. We would have enormous amounts of money to be used for *education* not incarceration. Wouldn't that be a mind blower? Imagine just taking 1/4 of the money used to imprison people, and putting it into public school. A computer at every desk. Lunches kids can actually eat. Now, bolster that with 1/4 of the tax dollars brought in by marijuana tax alone. I think our kids would be scoring a *lot* higher on the SAT's worldwide, and they would be better prepared to *not* use drugs of any kind, and certainly not have to turn to dope sales to survive. We could afford to send a lot of the more motivated students to college, rather than to the Federal Penitentiary, and as we all know, its a lot cheaper to send a kid to college for 6 years, than it is to send them to prison for 6. To me, its a no brainer. People who want to get high, will, no matter what. I mean, just because they make it legal tomorrow, I am not going to run out and go get me an armful of heroin! If they make it legal tomorrow, I am not going to run out and go get a nose full of cocaine. There are a lot of people right here who don't drink and don't smoke tobacco, even though it is perfectly legal. Why? For the same reason that drug use wont be running amok if its legalized. People who want to get high do, and those who don't, don't. Its a matter of education and personal choice. And, its really just that simple. If you choose to go sit in a stairwell, and OD on Heroin, hey, we'll buy you a pine box and an 6x6 with the money generated from drug taxes, and be glad to be completely rid of another dead end loser. It wont cost us the salary of the Narc squad, it wont cost us $30,000 a year to lock the junkie up, feed and clothe him, so he can sit in jail and get high, which is what he was doing before we arrested him anyway. The only difference, since we arrested him for simple possession, is that now he has a home, food, and a clean bed to sleep in while he gets high. Provided to him by the good, working, peeing in a jar, bullshit law abiding taxpayers. How about we let tax money from drugs pay for dealing with the drug problem? Legalize the shit, and tax it. Or, abolish it *all*, alcohol and tobacco *especially* (these two kill and maim more than all the other drugs combined, but *they* are legal????) and get ready to hire more cops, lawyers, judges, lawmakers and fill our country with prisons. Jeez, what a tough decision. Scott ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted Phelps" <tphelps@ph*.co*> To: <polarbea@sa*.ne*>; "Joel Markwell" <joeldm@mi*.co*> Cc: "Techdiver" <techdiver@aq*.co*>; "Cavers" <cavers@cavers.com> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2000 1:11 PM Subject: RE: Smoking & Smokeless > The obvious answer to your question is that Government, state, federal and > in some cases counties and cities makes far more money in taxes than do the > tobacco companies. The money that the govt. brings in from "sin" taxes is > far in excess of the subsidies paid to tobacco farmers. I have no argument > with your comments about tobacco companies, but it's your friendly federal > and state governments who will scream the loudest if everybody stops smoking > cigarettes. > > Ted Phelps
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