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Pot Legalized
| August 30th, 2014 at 3:29:35 PM permalink | |
| Beethoven Member since: Apr 27, 2014 Threads: 18 Posts: 640 | Funny, you have time to write a novel whenever you reply to me, so surely you have time to read my posts. lol Translation: "I didn't make any effort to read and understand what you said, so I'll just make personal attacks instead." *eyeroll* When did I ever say they should be "grouped as one"? Seriously, where do you people come up with this stuff???? Do you just pull it out of you-know-where? lol Again, where do you come up with this stuff???? When did I ever say that pot smokers were automatically anti-gun? You been taking a few puffs yourself? lol... Well, since there is zero evidence of that occurring (except in your own head), of course it can. Nice attempt at shifting the subject. You just had your very own argument applied in favor of other drugs.....yet you're not willing to accept it? Kinda proves that it's a weak argument to begin with, huh? Of course you did. Thank you very much. That's a great example of "begging the question". You're arguing that marijuana should be legal because "the people of those states voted that way"??? *facepalm* Fixed That quote is possibly the "dumbest thing I've read" because you obviously failed to grasp the underlying point. I didn't use that article as an argument against pot. I know this may be difficult for you to grasp, but the reason I posted that link was to show that stupid liberals pass stupid laws that only create more problems for themselves (which the article proves). I'm not surprised you would think that because, once more, you failed to grasp the entire point of linking to that article. Just like above, I posted that link to show that stupid liberals pass stupid laws that only create more problems for themselves. You sure about that? You've written 3 novels...er, I mean, posts..........which is more than (I believe) any other member here has written on the subject. I'd say you're pretty darn passionate. Boron Boron Boron rhymes with moron, moron, moron |
| August 30th, 2014 at 3:40:32 PM permalink | |
| Beethoven Member since: Apr 27, 2014 Threads: 18 Posts: 640 | You do.....what? Read minds?? *facepalm* I don't have to worry at all because pot's not legal here. Duh. Well now you're arguing against yourself. First you stated that you want marijuana legal so that it will be easier for potheads to get jobs. Now you're saying that you don't care if employers continue to screen out potheads. Make up your mind, please. All this concern over 0.05% of prisoners???????????? *facepalm* ...yet in your last post, you said it was!?!?! You may not follow the "party" line, but you sure do follow the classic "liberal" line, that's for certain. Boron Boron Boron rhymes with moron, moron, moron |
| August 30th, 2014 at 4:01:20 PM permalink | |
| beachbumbabs Member since: Sep 3, 2013 Threads: 6 Posts: 1600 |
Generally speaking, I agree. The specific case of pot, though, is different, to me, anyway. It's widespread and not stopping any time soon, and it's smoked by a hell of a lot of people who have no money to defend themselves when they get popped for it, which means the taxpayer pays for their defense, as well as their incarceration if guilty. We now have the highest prison population per capita of any major nation, and a lot of that is due to non-violent pot smokers under mandatory sentencing. (don't have numbers, sorry). We are spending beaucoup bux on both the War on Drugs, much of which is pot interception and confiscation, and the cost of having all those prisoners. If we stopped enforcement, confiscation, and prosecution on pot, legalized and regulated the quality, and taxed the sales instead, it would be a triple financial win; we wouldn't be spending all that public money against it, and it would be a revenue enhancer, perhaps directly funding the War on Drugs that actually cause serious problems, like meth, coke, and heroin and opiates. Businesses that don't want pot smokers could still have their drug policies; that's a separate issue, like alcohol consumption before piloting or whatever. So I just don't see how an economic argument doesn't fall clearly on the side of legalization. Never doubt a small group of concerned citizens can change the world; it's the only thing ever has |
| August 30th, 2014 at 4:04:37 PM permalink | |
| Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25011 |
Nope. In CO and WA even more people are growing pot illegally and competing with legal pot. The stuff they grow is as good as the legal stuff and a lot cheaper. Big black market thing going on now. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
| August 30th, 2014 at 5:56:36 PM permalink | |
| scotty71 Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1 Posts: 28 |
I manage private investment pools for wealthy people. I read the mind of the herd and make my clients a lot of money. My personal tax liabilities all in run me about 100k a year. Not inclusive of the employment taxes and salary I pay staff. Sure I'd like to pay less taxes but more importantly I'd rather see it spent more wisely.
No my point was a person who might have gotten arrested for pot for legit (medical) purposes or otherwise would have a legal strike against them and employment could harder to come by.
Lets do some math BLS estimates there are 1.5MM people in prison, if .5% not .05% are there for possession issues (not trafficking) that would be appx 75,000 people. At a cost of 28,000 a year on avg you see a cost of 5.7MM a day for housing MJ possession detainees. Thats 200MM of tax dollars that could be spent n better ways, not including court, admin and the societal costs of being put in prison to begin with. .
No, read it again I said it is a part of the cash economy that is costing us money unnecessarily and if it was legalized could be captured in places other than sales tax as it is spent in the underground economy.
I'm comfortable agreeing with liberals on some issues (gasp) |
| August 30th, 2014 at 6:21:40 PM permalink | |
| Beethoven Member since: Apr 27, 2014 Threads: 18 Posts: 640 | OK Kreskin....lol Cool...so we'll send all the potheads your way so you can employ them. lol You liberals are great at doing things on paper, yet they never work out in real life. As I said twice already, NONE of what you just claimed has occurred in WA or CO. So it IS about tax dollars then? Make up your mind. Anyone reading your posts knew that already. Boron Boron Boron rhymes with moron, moron, moron |
| August 30th, 2014 at 7:22:56 PM permalink | |
| scotty71 Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1 Posts: 28 |
I've recently come back to the WOV sites after a bit of an absence and the ones that I have read label people as smart or dumb given whether you agree with them. I read more and feel dumber for it, you dont support arguments or counter arguments with evidence.
sorry. evidence cant be presented in a soundbite. I'm sure that I am more passionate about the the fact that the war on drugs has failed and this is the first step in reversing a course that will ultimately divert resources to more useful proposes for society as a whole. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100603847.html From the NYT:the Justice Department, that Colombian and Mexican cartels reap $18 billion to $39 billion from drug sales in the United States each year. (That range alone should give you pause.) Still, even if you take the lowest available numbers, Sinaloa emerges as a titanic player in the global black market. In the sober reckoning of the RAND Corporation, for instance, the gross revenue that all Mexican cartels derive from exporting drugs to the United States amounts to only $6.6 billion. By most estimates, though, Sinaloa has achieved a market share of at least 40 percent and perhaps as much as 60 percent, which means that Chapo Guzmán’s organization would appear to enjoy annual revenues of some $3 billion — comparable in terms of earnings to Netflix or, for that matter, to Facebook. The drug war in Mexico has claimed more than 50,000 lives since 2006. But what tends to get lost amid coverage of this epic bloodletting is just how effective the drug business has become. A close study of the Sinaloa cartel, based on thousands of pages of trial records and dozens of interviews with convicted drug traffickers and current and former officials in Mexico and the United States, reveals an operation that is global (it is active in more than a dozen countries) yet also very nimble and, above all, staggeringly complex. Sinaloa didn’t merely survive the recession — it has thrived in recent years. And after prevailing in some recent mass-casualty clashes, it now controls more territory along the border than ever. FYI: the northern border is our souther border;( |
| August 30th, 2014 at 7:52:19 PM permalink | |
| AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18213 |
Even without numbers, what do you consider "a lot?" I find it hard to believe many people go to the can for just smoking the stuff. The President is a fink. |
| August 30th, 2014 at 8:07:12 PM permalink | |
| Beethoven Member since: Apr 27, 2014 Threads: 18 Posts: 640 | Huh?? Apparently there's a reading comprehension issue here. When did I ever say that anyone here was "dumb" because they don't agree with me? It IS making a point. It's not my fault that you can't see the obvious. Um...do you even know what you're quoting here? lol... I repeat, where did I ever say "liberals and conservative are grouped as one"? (Hint: You'll never find such a quote) Again, it looks like that "reading comprehension" thing is coming back into play. Do you even read things that you quote???? I said: "...pot supporters (many of whom support gun control)..." Seriously, do you know what the word "many" means? I never said ALL pot smokers support gun control (which is what you had claimed). *facepalm* ...and your point is???? BTW, just so you know, you're actually arguing against yourself now. If the War on Drugs has failed so miserably (as you have claimed), then how come you don't support the legalization of meth, cocaine, etc.?? (You're like most liberals who just want to arbitrarily pick and choose whatever suits your fancy) Again, what does this prove?? By your logic, if we legalize everything, our incarceration rate could be ZERO. lol... Once more, please make up your mind. Do you want to legalize meth, cocaine, etc. or not?? Because doing so would really put the cartels out of business! (But again, you don't seem to like your OWN argument when it's applied to other drugs. *facepalm*) You also said this: "I may have spoken out of turn a little early" Once again, thank you very much. ;) Um...liberals OVERWHELMINGLY support the legalization of marijuana. Even Stevie Wonder can see that. *facepalm* And yes, people who pass a law and then complain about its effects are stupid people. I didn't say that it could. All I said was that you're pretty darn passionate about this issue (even though you claim not to be), and your latest post proves it even further. I'll try a 4th time: How come none of this has happened in WA or CO? I don't know what a 5-year-old article is supposed to prove, but in any case, you didn't read the whole thing: "Mexican traffickers are changing their business model to improve their product and streamline delivery..." Anyone who thinks that the Mexican cartels are just going to pack it up and leave is an incredibly naive person. LOL...you're arguing against yourself again. :D The above quote provides even more evidence why we should legalize ALL drugs in order to get rid of the cartels for good! lol Boron Boron Boron rhymes with moron, moron, moron |
| August 30th, 2014 at 8:33:06 PM permalink | |
| zippyboy Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 2 Posts: 665 | Boy this thread is getting members involved, or a few members anyway. Passionate indeed on both sides.
I live in WA, and I smoke weed at night when I have nowhere to go, and nothing to do. It helps me sleep. Bob's statement is true. WA tacks on a 33% tax which goes into the state's coffers, which the scofflaws don't pay, but their weed is just as good. They just don't have the fancy packaging or laboratory THC testing percentage results. When I've been in line at the pot store, it's a lot of out-of-state tourists and squares who can't find it elseways. People who still say "lid". lol I can post more photos of my purchases if anyone's interested. And if Beethoven won't mock me for doing so. He seems to be the modern day Carrie Nation against cannabis. |