Obamacare vs Legalized Marijuana?

Boy times do change. According to an NPR article this morning, support for the legalization of marijuana has grown from 12% in 1969 to 50% in 2011. In 1969 84% of Americans were against this measure. 84%!! Our county at the time was resemblent of the current "Bible Belt States", that is, they were God fearing men who listened to very passionate, impressionable people tell them what to do. Those individuals didn't always have the greater good of the people in mind. Control the person, and you can control their actions and behavior, was the thinking at the time, and in a lot of cases, the same way today. So how did we get to this 50% approval rating? Not with the Federal Governments help! Can you start to see the disconnect between the people of our country and our government? One phrase comes to mind. "Out of touch". The government no longer has the pulse of the American people. They haven't for some time. A report was recently released that listed marijuana as dangerous as heroin? Really?? Please show me statistics that can prove that marijuana kills as many people as heroin. I don't condone drug use, but can see it as a potential tax windfall for our county. It would slow the drug trade from Mexico, put our people to work and not those south of the border, and maybe; just maybe, help reduce our out of control and ever growing Washington spending spree. A post on NPR really sums it up. The post states, "50 Percent of Americans Say U.S. Should Legalize Pot, and the other 50 percent sat down and thought about it over a couple of drinks and decided that people should be able to handle life without the crutch of a drug". How true that rings. It's okay to drink because it's legal? Do me a favor. Someone pull the stats of DUI, alcohol and marijuana related crimes. I think the results pretty much point to the fact that the wrong substance is legal. God intended us to plant with the intent that the ground would provide. Last time I checked, I can't go to the garden and pour a drink from a flower! So what is the holdup. I have seen it's benefits firsthand as I watched a loved one lose a battle with cancer. The marijuana made her quality of life much better. Why take medicine that can damage the liver and other organs when we have a medicine that will prevent these side effects? The Federal Government and big banks are making windfall profits from the processing of the drug money. Marijuana accounts for a huge sum of that money, and no one wants to lose a revenue source like that. So why not tax it and provide it safely to those who desire it? Keeps the money stream legal and could open up a new, explosive economic kick in the ass! Our nation is falling apart before our eyes, yet we still turn away precious revenue streams. For those detractors let me say this, people are going to do it if you like it or not. If you don't like it move to another country. You can see just how well Socialism is working for them. One dead in Greek riots just yesterday. The question is, do you want to be part of the continuing economic problems in this county, or part of the answer? Our jails are filled with inmates who have marijuana convictions. How much would that save nationwide? I'm not including violent offenders, but there are instances where we are creating our own problem. Which brings me to another point. Do you realize that more people in this county support legalizing marijuana than they do Obamacare? Citizens and businesses can't afford to pay for health care. If put into place, this country will not resemble itself in 10 years. We don't have the money to pay for it. Here's an idea, use the tax money from sale of legalized marijuana to help offset some of the costs associated with healthcare. It will never happen, trust me when I say this. Businesses had to trim the fat because of this administration's policies. Jobs were lost by the hundreds of thousands and many of those are still out of work. When the business world scaled back, they realized they could be more profitable with less people. Owners rolled their sleeves up and went to work instead of having a body fill a position that the owner was more qualified to do. Nancy Pelosi started the downfall with the rise of minimum wage. I agreed that the minimum wage needed to be raised, but not at breaking point we were at economically when it passed. Skeleton crews replaced full scale laborers. The same companies are still hoarding their profits because of the uncertainty. All of this and the Democrats are still pushing for higher minimum wage? Out of touch, out of mind! I'm not saying in anyway that the legalization of marijuana would solve our problems, but let's think outside the box for once. The protesters have one big thing right. They see our government as old men and women out of touch with their constituents, Maybe the time has come to cap the age our politicians can work until, because I hazard a guess that my beliefs don't mirror a 75 year old politicians. We live in a fast, technologically driven environment and people should be more informed than ever, but it looks like our government is still living in the 1950's and 60's. P.S. Those days are long gone and forgotten, unless that is, you are one of those 70-90 year old politicians trying to cling to glory days of what society was like in their youth! They better start looking at old 8mm videos because the world they knew, and the world we know will never again look like a rerun of "Leave it to Beaver"!

Wall Street protesters get star power? My snapshot of the problem.

It never fails. Have a protest and watch how many celebs turn out to support the movement. Alec Baldwin is the latest quasi-celeb to throw their assumed political weight around. Folks, actors, like politicians get paid to act. Alec Baldwin doesn't care that the "Big Banks and Wall Street" took bailout money that was supposed to go help the average citizen. We all know how that went, hence the tipping point we are at today. I'm not bashing an individuals right to protest, just the motives. I agree with some of what the protesters are saying. Some are credible, educated individuals who can disseminate what they hear and make a sound decision based on the facts. Others are just jumping on the bandwagon to see how far the ride will take them. Alec Baldwin ring a bell? The political system in this country is broken. That's old news. What is being done to fix it? I personally agree and disagree with both parties ideas on how to get the county back on track. Should people making more $$$$ be required to foot the bill? Yes and no. Yes, there is a monetary figure that even the super wealthy can live lavishly on and still help the flailing economy. At the same time, all legal Americans need to quit complaining and waiting for handouts. Jobs are scarce, I know, but we need to swallow our pride a little and look for work that makes ends meet in the short term. Impossible you say? Tough, but not non-existent. A $20 minimum wage is a pipe dream. One can't sell .99 items and stay in business at that rate. A person should be paid what they are worth, not just because they are a body filling a position. The latter breeds laziness! The kids protesting need to worry about educating themselves to survive, not survive off the government. And please tell them that appearance does make a difference in winning or losing out on a possible job! Let me restate, I agree with some of their platforms as unorganized as the are, but we need to use this opportunity to make lasting, meaningful change. Not the kind of change we have seen the last 3 years. Big business and banks are hoarding war chests of money because they don't know what the future of health care, immigration and taxation exactly is. As much as he has stated to the contrary, President Obama's stance on these issues is what is keeping recovery from happening more rapidly. I'm not against the President in any way. To be honest, I don't think either party has a great candidate. Is there a way to really fix the problem? Illegal immigration is killing our heath care and prisons systems. We are taking care of people who are not natural citizens before we take care of our own, and that is fundamentally wrong! If an American went to Mexico, do you think they would roll out the red carpet, give us loans, translators and benefits? The answer is a resounding "no"! Let's get Americans back to work and quit trying to be every nations' friend. We sent money to Haiti for disaster relief. Know where we got the money? Borrowed it from China. How much did China send? Zero!! Our nation needs to care for our own sick, starving and homeless before we cater to other nations'. Most of them take our handouts, but harbor great animosity toward our people. Ever been to Egypt? They tell you to say you are Australian or Canadian. Has the saying, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" ever been more appropriate? How do we plan on repaying China when it comes asking, and our country is broke? Let Mr. Baldwin decide which state we give them. There are other problems that need to be addressed; immigrants receiving better tax rates on business loans for one, but that is for another blog. To take a quote from the great Jack Nicholson, "This country needs an enema"! Whose shoe will be big enough to do the job?!