The Z Spot

How many nine year old lives is a drug addict’s life worth?

This is an example of the (non-monitary, well, at least if you don’t count police and other expenses) costs of our “War on Drugs.” A nine year old girl was shot because her father was selling marijuana. How many people would have died had the pot he was selling been legal?

Pharmacists and liquor store owners don’t shoot each other over territory. They compete in a healthy and legal marketplace. How many nine year olds’ lives is saving a potential addict from addiction worth?

That is, of course, assuming that criminalization of drugs reduces addiction. To the contrary, any comparison of European (especially Dutch) statistics on addiction with those of the U.S. will show that prohibition increases addiction. Our “War on Drugs” has sparked drug wars, both between armed guerillas around the world and between our own children across the country, which have had very real casualties. It’s time we take a look at the true effects of our policies on drugs.

I was surprised to read a tidbit from a while back that Ross Miller, our Secretary of State here in Nevada, filed charges with ACORN. Especially since he is a Democrat.

You know the organization is “bending” some rules when the party they are supporting by doing so goes after them. There are also several congressional leaders trying to stop ACORN from partnering with the Census Bureau in 2010. Quite frankly, the thought is just scary. Especially since team Obama, for the first time in a while, has not authorized a Bipartisan Census Monitoring Board. Apparently we don’t need bipartisan monitoring when we have ACORN involved.

On the other hand, both Miller and Catherine Cortez-Masto, the Attorney General here in Nevada, are considering running for Governor, as is Rory Reid, Harry Reid’s son. Obviously, the ties between Obama and Reid are becoming obvious as Obama recently appeared at a fundraiser for his reelection campaign.

Are these charges that Miller and Cortez-Masto filed to follow through on, or to discredit the Obama machine and the Reids before June 2010 when they will face a Reid in the Democratic primary? I guess we will find out soon enough.

I have pointed out several general examples of Obama’s campaign deceptions or hypocrisies once in office, but here’s a very specific example for you.

In July, 2007, Obama said, “The Justice Department going after sick individuals using this as a palliative instead of going after serious criminals makes no sense.” In August 2007 he said, “I would not have the Justice Department prosecuting and raiding medical marijuana users. It’s not a good use of our resources.”

Now, the Obama administration is encouraging a court to give a Californian convicted on federal marijuana charges for running a licensed medical marijuana business in California, an increased sentence. The man was sentenced to a year and a day, but the Obama administration was pushing for five years.

Can any Obama fans justify this one for me?

The Rasmussen Reports polling firm released data last Wednesday that 45% of the American public wants to cancel spending the remaining stimulus money. Will Washington listen? Probably not.

Remember that even people in favor of throwing good money after bad and bailing failing companies out objected to the lack of oversight of government spending. Well, that was actually when the big bad wolf known as Bush was in office. Now, it’s okay to leave total trust over our stimulus money, our terrorist suspects, our health care and everything else in Obama’s hands.

But really, why are we spending this money? Only 36% of Americans disagreed that the spending should be canceled. After it was supposed to keep the rise in unemployment to under 8%, we saw over 9%! We have a 26 year high in the unemployment rate, even with the supposed “help” we are providing.

Save us and our children the debt, and stop spending the stimulus money, please!

This is a great example of why Libertarians should have more say.

Even in an area which Libertarians generally accept as an appropriate realm for government intervention, crime and violence, private citizens are making more of a difference than years of police efforts. And, moreover, they made the decision to do so on their own, because, as Libertarians have long argued, ownership promotes action. Allowing private ownership of and rights over property creates a group of stakeholders who have more of an incentive than the government to ensure the property is well cared for. Even companies “think” like this, as witnessed by the owners of the Stratosphere, who continue to support efforts to “clean up” the neighborhood for their own “selfish” reasons.

Then there is the whole factor of why the neighborhood is bad in the first place, but we’ll save arguments about whether the “cost” of legalizing drugs and prostitution is outweighed by the benefits of getting pimps and gangs off of our streets for another post.

A health care mandate is a terrible idea.

People compare it to the auto insurance mandate which most states have. I tend to disagree, for a couple reasons.

First, auto insurance (or your lack thereof) affects other people. When you get in an accident without insurance and without the financial means to pay for the person you hit’s damage, that is a pain for both you and them. Even if they sue you for the money, if you don’t have the money to give them, they could now be out a car, with nothing they can do about it. While with our current system, the uninsured are treated, and the costs passed on to those who can pay, this is a whole different issue, and one that needs reform. If a doctor is able to turn away patients who cannot pay and who do not have insurance, nobody other than the uninsured is affected by their lack of insurance.

Second, enforceability. With auto insurance, police regularly patrol the roads, and when you are pulled over, they check for insurance. On the other hand, chances are that people without health insurance are not visiting medical providers unless they have an issue. Unless they are going to a government-run hospital, there is no way to enforce the mandate on them. The enforcement would require a new infrastructure to be set up, and also more than likely an inappropriate government involvement in private individuals’ medical and financial records, as well as those of medical providers.

Please, do whatever you can to stop the health insurance mandate.

Alright. Everyone fasten your seat belts and brace yourself for this. I’m really pleased with something Obama is doing.

Indicating a willingness to talk to Cuban leaders is a huge step in the right direction.

A) This is not the Cold War. We do not need to have an us vs. them attitude.
B) This is not the Cold War era. Modern technology makes it possible to send a text message or millions of dollars across the world in a split second. Doesn’t it seem futile to try to ignore a country 90 miles away?
C) This is not the Cold War era. The world is not polarized, and we don’t have meaningful support for our approach with the Cubans.
D) This is not the Cold War era. We are no longer the undisputed global hegemon. Other countries have economic and political capabilities. Economic and political sanctions by any nation, even the United States, become useless when B meets D.
E) There are a lot of Cubans within our borders. They have a right to communicate with, share money with, and visit with their relatives in their homeland just like someone from Mexico or Europe does. They also have a right to introduce their children and grandchildren to their homeland and its culture.
F) I’ve always been a fan of the free flow of people, goods, and ideas. Not going to get too much into this here.
G) Most importantly, decades later we are still pursuing a policy that obviously has not worked. We have yet to bring meaningful change to Cuba or the lives of its citizens. If we learn one thing from Iraq, it is that when you exert force and it doesn’t work, you have two options. Exert more force or back off. Exerting more force (as we learned in Iraq), can be politically dangerous. Stagnating with the same policies will continue to hurt the Cuban people more than it hurts Castro and company. It is time to walk away from our failed attempts to bring change through isolation.

So I’ve finally decided to take the leap. I’ve requested a new voter registration form, and I will be registering as a Libertarian.

There are a few reasons I’ve made this choice. When I originally registered to vote in Nevada, I did so as an independent. I thought it was the smartest move because it allows me to vote in either major party primary. I also didn’t see much significance in my party affiliation, since I am not really the straight ticket type of voter.

I thought about it a lot, and decided this was the wrong decision for a couple of reasons.

First of all, I have lost all faith in the two main parties and their leading politicians. Obama has failed to bring any change about thus far, and has made it quite clear he does not plan to do so, other than perhaps by socializing our health care system, which I strongly opposed. On the other hand, McCain seems to have accepted the fact that at his age, this Presidential election was his last shot at being a major political figure. Not only is he unlikely to run again, but he seems to have quieted down. He is not the clear leader of the Republican Party. Politically, that “honor” now falls to Bobby Jindal, or perhaps Sarah Palin. In the public eyes and ears, however, the socially conservative pundits from the radio, the television, and the internet are filling the void.

I can honestly say that both Democrats and Republicans now disappoint me to the extent that in my mind, a vote for either party, or a vote in either primary, does not count; and is not a vote I am fighting to cast. In the ways that affect my every day life, a vote for either candidate, or a vote in either primary, is basically the same.

Moreover, party affiliation does not restrict my ability to vote for a Republican or even Democratic candidate if by some twist of the fates I become so inclined, or, more likely, if the other candidate is so appalling that I decide to vote defensively.

On the other hand, voter registration is very important for “minor” parties as we call them here in the Silver State. First of all, it helps maintain and perhaps eventually improve, ballot access. More importantly, at least in the short term, it lends public legitimacy to traditionally margionalized political parties. Currently, the Libertarian party is the third largest party, with over 250,000 registered Libertarians nationwide. Imagine if, for instance, all of the 850,000+ people who support libertarian political causes through FreedomWorks were to actually join the Libertarian Party. Even if they continued voting Republican, because they still buy the lie that it is the lesser of two evils, more than tripling the Party’s membership would clearly make it stand out.

The Libertarian Party truly is on the rise, and I want to be involved in that rise. For instance, how many bloggers blog about “green” (the party, not just environmentally friendly) ideologies? How many blog about “libertarian” ideals? Well, I’m sick of being a “little l” libertarian. I’m going to put my money, and my actions, where my mouth is. As of next week, I’ll officially be a “Big L” Libertarian.

Finally, although I chose not to pursue it as a career, four years of studying politics and engaging in campus politics at Wisconsin leaves me with a constant itch. By joining a party, I can get involved in politics without giving up my career or putting it on hold(something I can’t afford to do at this time) to run for public office.

So I would encourage all of the libertarians out there to contact your local elections office and change your party affiliation.

So, today, I literally Stumbled upon a new website I had to share. Not only is the FreedomWorks site now in my blogrolls, I have also joined the organization, signed an online petition, and sent an e-mail to some Senators.

This organization does great things. It has over 850,000 members, which is pretty impressive, especially for a Libertarian-leaning organization. On their Act Now! page they rightly point out that the far left has historically dominated the grassroots organizational side of politics. Especially with the internet making grassroots communication and organization both easier and more important, it is time for the right to catch up. FreedomWorks is making an attempt to do just that.

I would urge any Libertarian, Republican, or fiscally conservative Democrat, to join in that effort today!

This is quite possibly the biggest and best example so far of Obama’s hypocrisy. For someone who promises change, all we can expect to change is the location and name of what’s going on.

Instead of holding them as enemy detainees, we will now be holding these prisoners in “prolonged detainment.” Within our own borders, instead of in Guantanamo.

Instead of military tribunals, they will be going through a sort of new tribunal which denies them many of the same rights as the current system. Not only that, but prosecutors will be able to decide what form of trial (military, civilian, or this new system), based on the sensitivity, and, get this, the strength, of the evidence against them.

Now, given the national security situation, and given the mess that Obama walked into, I’m sure that there are things that he now knows that a) we don’t, and b) he didn’t before he was President.

The honorable thing, however, if that is what has caused this course of action, would be to admit that there is information which is necessary to keep safe from the public view, which justify continuing on the course (minus the torture, of course), that the Bush administration was on.

Instead, Obama feels the need to maintain his image of “change,” prioritizing his political image over what’s best for the nation. Is that why we elected him President?