War On Drugs
If you’re in favor of the War on Drugs, you probably think our trillion dollar crackdown is aimed at the top drug pushers and kingpins. Not a chance. No government program in our history has ever had as many unintended consequences as the War on Some Drugs.
What’s the most common category of drug-law felons? Women with children. Many of these women are drug dealers’ wives or girlfriends who played little or no role in any crime. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is all it takes to get caught up in a sweep. When these prisoners can’t or won’t roll over on their husbands/boyfriends, they get the kind of sentence usually reserved for murderers and rapists.
One side effect of these long sentences: mothers being cut off from their children. The children’s lives are often ruined by this separation. (Hey, all you “Family Values” types, here’s a cause for you.)
Drug treatment programs have repeatedly been shown to be more effective, and less costly, than incarceration. When children are involved, the combined cost of incarceration and placing the children in a foster home is seven times the cost of a drug rehab program. If you’re a fiscal conservative, think of all the tax dollars being wasted here.
But, for the hateful bigots who would rather demonize all drug users, it just feels good to lock ‘em all up and throw the key away.
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The cause of protecting bloggers from government control has been mostly publicized by conservative bloggers. Just to show that this is a crucial issue for both sides: Democratic Senator Harry Reid has introduced a bill to exempt all internet communication from campaign finance laws.
Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! Hands off the Internet!
What’s the most common category of drug-law felons? Women with children. Many of these women are drug dealers’ wives or girlfriends who played little or no role in any crime. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is all it takes to get caught up in a sweep. When these prisoners can’t or won’t roll over on their husbands/boyfriends, they get the kind of sentence usually reserved for murderers and rapists.
One side effect of these long sentences: mothers being cut off from their children. The children’s lives are often ruined by this separation. (Hey, all you “Family Values” types, here’s a cause for you.)
Drug treatment programs have repeatedly been shown to be more effective, and less costly, than incarceration. When children are involved, the combined cost of incarceration and placing the children in a foster home is seven times the cost of a drug rehab program. If you’re a fiscal conservative, think of all the tax dollars being wasted here.
But, for the hateful bigots who would rather demonize all drug users, it just feels good to lock ‘em all up and throw the key away.
****************************************************
The cause of protecting bloggers from government control has been mostly publicized by conservative bloggers. Just to show that this is a crucial issue for both sides: Democratic Senator Harry Reid has introduced a bill to exempt all internet communication from campaign finance laws.
Give ‘Em Hell, Harry! Hands off the Internet!
posted by Tom Harper @ 12:24 AM
3 Comments:
I posted my take on the war on drugs here:
http://4commonsensenow.blogspot.com/2005/02/ending-war-on-drugs.html
Stop by and take a read, if you like. In it, I advocate for an end to this insidious poison on our people.
I just now read your post, Ken. Excellent. This idea seems to be shared by lots of people (from all political viewpoints).
Unfortunately the Powers That Be want these insane laws to remain (for the reasons you described).
j.m.: Good quote from Lincoln. The War on Drugs has to be the most expensive boondoggle our government has ever undertaken.
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