End Drug Violence

Want to end drug violence?  I’ve got an idea on how you can wipe out virtually all drug violence, and get it done almost overnight.  Legalize drugs.  The ONLY reason that illegal drugs are valuable is because they are illegal. If you can go down to the local CVS to get a vial of coke, or some pot then there is no reason to find some street dealer to buy from. There is no reason for that street dealer to claim territory to sell his drug.  No reason for him to contest that territory with a rival dealer.

The drug cartels go away too, if we’re growing fields of poppy in Kansas then there is no reason for people to buy opium from the drug lords in the middle east. They suddenly can’t afford to maintain their domination over local populaces. No reason to buy vast amounts of coke from some Columbian cartel when I can just get it delivered from Amazon.com. There’s suddenly no reason to smuggle drugs up from Mexico or down from Canada, no risk getting caught and shot.  No cops getting shot kicking in stash house doors, or busting street dealers.

Drug prohibition is just as backwards and ignorant as alcohol prohibition was.  I can only hope that someday we figure that out about drug prohibition and stop flushing money and lives down the drain.

Ron Paul is predictable, and I LOVE it.

I consider Ron Paul to be one of the most predictable candidates ever to run for President, and I love that about him. If you were to give me any scenario or possible legislation, I think I can predict with 80-90% accuracy what his position on the subject would be. Can you say that about your candidate? I can’t describe how refreshing that is, and how much it helps when campaigning on his behalf.

I am not saying that I can predict what Dr. Paul’s personal feelings on the subject might be, but the great thing is that I don’t have to. All I need is a copy of the Constitution and I can determine what his position will be. Because he understands the basic tenet of liberty, that just because I would choose a certain way does not mean that I have any right to make you choose that way. The Constitution spells out exactly what powers the federal government has. In most instances where I don’t guess correctly it’ll probably be because he has some other Constitution reason I had not thought of to say so.

That is just another of the reasons that I have chosen to participate to this much greater degree in the electoral process. Every election I have been aware of I was hoping someone would be saying the things that Ron Paul is saying now. But they never would. I’m looking for complete and total honesty and openness. Like the live ticker on his site showing how much he has raised. Like his willingness to state what his true position is and how the Constitution brought him to that position. You will often hear the other candidates embracing the Constitution on a topic when it lines up with the popular position. But when the Constitution gets in the way of their popular position it’s suddenly out of date and quaint. You don’t get that response from Ron Paul.

Ron Paul is odd, and I like it!

Ron Paul seems odd up there on stage during the debates. Something just seems off compared to the other candidates. That is because Ron Paul is actually answering the questions, few though they may be, that are being asked. He seems to be struggling to find the right words, that’s because he is actually thinking about his answer, and not just giving his 30-90 second sound bite on a particular subject.

Take for example the question in the recent debate: “What are the names of the top three federal programs you would reduce in size in order to decrease spending?” Thompson responds by talking about Social Security. Cooper asks “So of the top three you would say Social Security?” Thompson responds “No. I didn’t say that.” Well then what the hell were you talking about? The question was asking for three programs to reduce. Ron Paul’s answer: “I would like to change Washington, and we could by cutting three programs, such as the Department of Education — Ronald Reagan used to talk about that — Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security is the biggest bureaucracy we ever had.” Now you may not like that answer, but he’s at least answering the question.

So when you are watching next time and wondering what seems so out of place about Ron Paul. The answer is that he’s thinking, processing your question and telling you what he thinks, and why he thinks that. He does not just segue into one of the 30-90 second prepared answers that all of the other guys give. It’s easy to appear to know what you are talking about when you’ve got your talking points memorized and screened and parsed by campaign staff to ensure there isn’t anything in there that might alienate anyone. They make sure to talk a lot, but don’t say anything, and for sure don’t answer any actual questions.

Ron Paul is odd, and that is for sure what I am looking for from my Presidential Candidate. I want someone who differs in nature from the ordinary politician. I want someone who will do their best to enforce The Constitution on the federal government. Someone who is going to take that oath, the only one required for office, to “uphold and defend The Constitution of the United States of America” seriously. So I say hooray for oddness, Go Ron Paul!