rappo
09-18-2009, 10:18 PM
Let me start off by saying that I don't smoke marijuana and don't do any other drugs, not even prescription drugs - this is so that you can know the following isn't just because I want to get high legally or something. I know there's another thread about legalizing drugs but I think that's a little silly since this world would obviously be an awful place if all drugs were legal. This is just a more specific application for California.
The state of California currently has a deficit of somewhere around $24 billion, while the city of Los Angeles alone is out about $280 million. A state budget is a hard thing to balance - hell, they made a balancer available online so everybody could see how hard it is: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-statebudget-fl,0,95571.htmlstory. The choices are specifically "evil" probably to make you sympathize with the state government. I don't really sympathize, and definitely don't condone all the things they're currently doing to try and minimize the deficit - cutting summer school from public universities, forcing city employees to take "furloughs," essentially several days per month you're not allowed to come into work and thus not make any money for that day, etc. I think the state government is beating around the bush and that they'll hopefully come around to the near-solution to our deficit: legalizing marijuana. I say near-solution because it won't bring us back to an even footing very soon, but it will definitely help.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has shown interest in pursuing the legalization of marijuana, but things never seem to get off the ground. There are still those skeptics holding it back - they have somewhat valid points, but there really are no better solutions in my opinion. Cutting funding for education and forcing city workers to lower wages don't really make sense to me - they are effectively taking the tools away from people to earn money and spend it in the state and boosting the economy.
It's been estimated that legalizing marijuana will bring $1.4 billion in revenue to the state each year. We're probably in the negative revenue region at the moment - anything positive is good! Marijuana production is already estimated to be the top industry in California even while it's illegal, and legalizing it would broaden the scope of who it can be sold to, resulting in even higher profits. Unfortunately the people in power are stuck-up, old folks that were raised with hippies who think that California will slow to a turtle's pace if people can legally smoke weed.
Since I don't think the state government will budge on the issue, I'm glad that people are taking it into their own hands. Apparently about 56% of state voters would already be in favor of legalization, and hopefully in next years' state elections we can put it to the test:
One group is preparing to place a statewide initiative for the November 2010 ballot that would regulate and tax the sale of marijuana for Californians 21 years of age and older. Tellingly, the group spearheading the measure calls itself TaxCannabis2010.org, stressing the revenue advantages of marijuana legalization. The group hopes to collect the required 650,000 voter signatures by January to place the measure on the ballot.
I'm tired of seeing social services and community projects cut because of a deficit. California has always been a progressive state, and I'm hoping that the destruction of government-backed services doesn't continue. A lot of conservatives like to blame the deficit on this "socialism" when in fact the main portion of the deficit was brought about by the economic-conservative idea of free market (http://www.gtagaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t= 118077).
Most opponents of legalizing marijuana say that we don't need another harmful drug in the hands of our citizens. I agree, but they're smoking it anyway and the state isn't getting anything out of it. In fact we're WASTING money on marijuana users by sending them to publicly funded jails. It's also far less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, two drugs that are most likely allowed solely for the profits they bring... why not throw marijuana into the mix as well? I think it's all culture and the way that our legislators have been brought up. There is no scientific evidence to support the legality of tobacco and the ban of marijuana - it's all social code. That's why I'm hoping the ballot does include the bill next November so that California's people can decide for themselves. If they do in fact the majority doesn't want it legalized, so be it - at least we'll get the chance to vote!
Aaand that's about it, I probably left out some things but oh well. Thoughts? Concerns? Do share...
The state of California currently has a deficit of somewhere around $24 billion, while the city of Los Angeles alone is out about $280 million. A state budget is a hard thing to balance - hell, they made a balancer available online so everybody could see how hard it is: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-statebudget-fl,0,95571.htmlstory. The choices are specifically "evil" probably to make you sympathize with the state government. I don't really sympathize, and definitely don't condone all the things they're currently doing to try and minimize the deficit - cutting summer school from public universities, forcing city employees to take "furloughs," essentially several days per month you're not allowed to come into work and thus not make any money for that day, etc. I think the state government is beating around the bush and that they'll hopefully come around to the near-solution to our deficit: legalizing marijuana. I say near-solution because it won't bring us back to an even footing very soon, but it will definitely help.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has shown interest in pursuing the legalization of marijuana, but things never seem to get off the ground. There are still those skeptics holding it back - they have somewhat valid points, but there really are no better solutions in my opinion. Cutting funding for education and forcing city workers to lower wages don't really make sense to me - they are effectively taking the tools away from people to earn money and spend it in the state and boosting the economy.
It's been estimated that legalizing marijuana will bring $1.4 billion in revenue to the state each year. We're probably in the negative revenue region at the moment - anything positive is good! Marijuana production is already estimated to be the top industry in California even while it's illegal, and legalizing it would broaden the scope of who it can be sold to, resulting in even higher profits. Unfortunately the people in power are stuck-up, old folks that were raised with hippies who think that California will slow to a turtle's pace if people can legally smoke weed.
Since I don't think the state government will budge on the issue, I'm glad that people are taking it into their own hands. Apparently about 56% of state voters would already be in favor of legalization, and hopefully in next years' state elections we can put it to the test:
One group is preparing to place a statewide initiative for the November 2010 ballot that would regulate and tax the sale of marijuana for Californians 21 years of age and older. Tellingly, the group spearheading the measure calls itself TaxCannabis2010.org, stressing the revenue advantages of marijuana legalization. The group hopes to collect the required 650,000 voter signatures by January to place the measure on the ballot.
I'm tired of seeing social services and community projects cut because of a deficit. California has always been a progressive state, and I'm hoping that the destruction of government-backed services doesn't continue. A lot of conservatives like to blame the deficit on this "socialism" when in fact the main portion of the deficit was brought about by the economic-conservative idea of free market (http://www.gtagaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t= 118077).
Most opponents of legalizing marijuana say that we don't need another harmful drug in the hands of our citizens. I agree, but they're smoking it anyway and the state isn't getting anything out of it. In fact we're WASTING money on marijuana users by sending them to publicly funded jails. It's also far less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, two drugs that are most likely allowed solely for the profits they bring... why not throw marijuana into the mix as well? I think it's all culture and the way that our legislators have been brought up. There is no scientific evidence to support the legality of tobacco and the ban of marijuana - it's all social code. That's why I'm hoping the ballot does include the bill next November so that California's people can decide for themselves. If they do in fact the majority doesn't want it legalized, so be it - at least we'll get the chance to vote!
Aaand that's about it, I probably left out some things but oh well. Thoughts? Concerns? Do share...