I climbed Everest. I run triathlons. I fell fifty feet while paragliding and lived. Why would my pot use concern you?
So far, Gary Johnson will be the most pot-friendly candidate for the next presidential election. Now if we can just get Jared Polis to run for Vice President! The legalization Train Goes On!
Fox News has learned the former Governor of New Mexico will announce his candidacy, for President of the United States in late April. Johnson insiders say he will bypass the exploratory stage, announce his candidacy and immediately travel to New Hampshire sometime after tax day, April 15. Johnson is a strong supporter of legalizing marijuana and gay marriage. Strategists say his libertarian approach to GOP politics may prove very popular in the Granite State, whose motto is “Live Free or Die.”
When asked in a wide ranging interview with Fox News what he thinks is the most important issue facing America today, the answer is immediate, “I think it’s the fact that we’re bankrupt, that we’re borrowing 43 cents out of every dollar that we’re spending.”
He does not see his stand on issues like marijuana legalization as detriments to a potential GOP nominee. “It’s just one in a series of cost-benefits. What are we spending our money on and what are we getting for the money we’re spending. Half of the money we’re spending on the courts and law enforcement and prisons is drug related. And what are we getting for that? Well, we’re arresting 1.8-million people a year in this country, which is just staggering when you considering the population of New Mexico is 1.8-million.”
As for gay rights, “I support gay unions, and yeah, I think this country is first and foremost about liberty and freedom and the personal responsibility that goes along with that, and I can’t imagine denying rights to gay couples that want to experience the American dream just like everybody else.”
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“ … we’re arresting 1.8-million people a year in this country, which is just staggering when you considering the population of New Mexico is 1.8-million.”
Great sound bite/quote from Mr Johnson. As always, being able to take staggering numbers and equate them into something easily quantifiable is what is needed to help demonstrate the absurdity of these things. Especially with the continuing push on deciding where we need to spend our communal monies being the forefront of every conversation. Cutting food programs or cutting drug courts? Seems easy enough to see which is really for the greater good.
I’ve had this argument with various anti-freedom lovers over the number of arrests and imprisonment numbers. They love to spout local numbers in response stating it is not a significant impact. They refuse to engage in talking about the national overview because it is “not relevant.” They love to claim there is a cost benefit to sweeping “lesser” people into prisons. I’ve yet to see any of the last four communities I’ve lived in being overly prosperous for the level of arrests and law enforcement costs. Especially since the focus has become more and more about drug enforcement and traffic control. And sadly now, I see the budgets for drug enforcement staying the same while other programs for things like domestic violence and child endangerment investigation, etc. are being cut out completely. The only cost benefit of this enforcement is asset forfeiture being a revenue stream to help maintain a failed program.
This next election cycle will most definitely have a focus on financial reform, and I think we can all agree on one program that can be cut pretty heavily.
Even is Mr Johnson doesn’t win, I most certainly hope he carries this message to the forefront of the next election cycle.
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