I ran out of grounds again. Yes, pathetic. I indulged myself and stopped into the local convenient store for a cup of overpriced Joe only to learn that my neighbor, who wanted to go fight in Iraq, got denied by the National Reserves because 16 years ago, when he was 18, he purchased 5 ounces of marijuana from a police officer (which made his crime a double felony). The clerk chimed in that on her parent’s 60 acre farm, her brother used to grow pot by the barn and her mother never understood why no one mowed the grass by the barn. Her mother would pay her $10 to mow it; her brother would then pay her $20 to not mow it. So, indirectly, she was making a killing off of pot. She also had a good laugh when her child came home from school declaring she had learned that smoking pot will make you hallucinate (what are the schools teaching these kids! Oh right, Newspeak). I had to rant my belief that we will pay for an illegal war by 1) reducing government infrastructure costs (ie. release 800,000 prisoners), 2) increase gross national product via larger work force (ie. 800,000 new employees to the workforce), 3) increase income tax revenues (ie. 800,000 new employees with taxable income instead of using taxes to support them in prisons), and 4) sell a high demand product which is already in demand, all ready in a supply chain, all ready being manufactured and heavily tax it (ie. make marijuana legal). I’m not saying I support people running out and getting stoned off their butts; we are talking about a substance less harmful than beer. In my conspiracy mindedness, I’m documenting, that what you will see in the next 5 to 10 years, was predicted right here! My neighbor suggested I should run for congress. Somehow I don’t think I’d get far on the "Dude! Make it legal man." campaign.
In short, I bought a cup of coffee and learned that my neighbor and the store clerk toke it up.
This neighbor should not be confused with the neighbor we suspect is actually a “farmer”.
Just as you suggest, “Dude! Make it legal man.” would not make a great campaign slogan, it would be used as a “mock” campaign slogan for the opponent of any lawmaker that attempted to make the legalization moves you suggest.
Thus, as I said when you first revealed this “theory” Ain’t gonna happen.
Mark my words! Just as Prohibition was lifted during the Great Depression so shall we see a change in marijuana laws during the coming financial crisis of the United States. Granted, I’m not advocating it by any means (at the University I was President of Students for a Smoke-free Campus and helped get smoking out of the buildings–and made my friends mad). I just see it as an inevitable trend just like we will see a trend toward more telecommuting. There will be tough battles ahead as first it will be legalized for medical reasons and then more generally. The corporate world will have battles with employees and their personal choices at home much like employers are trying to get their insurance rates down by convincing employees to not smoke cigarettes.
Hey, I bought two of the BIG Maxwell House coffee cans at Wal~Mart yesterday for $4 a piece. That will be enough coffee until at least Super Tuesday, February 5 for only $8.66
I’ve come to enjoy the Folgers. I’m driving Cathy nuts because I am enjoying collecting the empty plastic containers. I tell her I am using them for storing nails and organizing loose stuff in the garage but I’m secretly building my own pontoon boat.