http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-03-19-grassley-marijuana_N.htm?csp=34
Grassley's argument exemplifies the stupidity and close-mindedness we have come to expect from lawmakers, especially at the federal level, as they battle their rivals in a fight for the median voter. Their all too common weapon--worthless political rhetoric. Grassley is a federal Senator from Iowa complaining about how California handles its own state laws. Worse, he cites the "gateway drug" farce to support his worhless rhetoric! I describe this as Grassley's pretense of knowledge--a common trait among politicians who actually believe they can make the world a better place simply by writing laws. Like Grassley, FDR and Congress may have had honorable intentions when they banned cannabis in 1937 via tax legislation. However, there are un-intended consequences to all laws written by politicians because they aren't perfect--politicians just have a pretense that they are perfect. That's why it pays to follow rules when it comes to government--so please respect the Constitution Mr. Grassley.
Why doesn't this guy just worry about what's happening in Iowa and leave what happens in California to Californians--the same Californians who voted for Prop 215. Since Grassley works within the federal government system, his opinions on this matter are biased because feds don't think twice about expanding the federal government's influence on states. Our founding fathers warned against a tyrannical federal government so I choose to largely ignore Grassley's rhetoric and take comfort with the concept of state's rights.
As citizen financiers of the California state government, we have rights built into the Constitution to protect against the tyranny of a federal government monopoly. Citizens are less heterogeneous within state lines, and more hetergeneoeous at the federal government level which oversees all 50 states (depending on how the Consitution is interpreted); that is different states have different cultures. The writers of our Constitution incoporated an idea of states' rights so conservative Senators from Iowa can't patronize us while we live our lives in California.
In an apparant attempt to further confuse constituents, "the senator said Thursday that [Attorney General] Holder isn't doing health care reform any good" by not using federal taxes to infringe on the right's of California citizens to use medical marijuana. I do see a link between decriminializing cannabis and prison reform, but health care reform? When has marijuana ever caused a health care problem, besides a cough or two. Grassley doesn't detail how medincinal cannabis would strain any rare attempt at decent health care reform, but it's rhetoric--what would you expect. Something of value? Please, he is a politician in today's government. Both sides of the aisle are full of it (by "it" I mostly mean their arrogance). I struggle to see the link between the two, so I assume Grassley expects a sharp rise in health related ailments of hard drug use by users who wandered through the drug gateway via cannabis. Never mind that no study's prove this theory, or the fact that tens of millions of Americans have smoked cannabis.
Grassley, go back to the cornfileds of Iowa (not meant to be an insult) and stay the F&*$ out of California state policies.
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