He's Making Sense

I can't tell you how much admitting that Bob Barr is making sense hurts my fundamental psyche but I can't refuse to admit that this statement about the "War on Drugs" makes absolute sense and reflects my thinking 100%. He will never have me as a supporter but I can't escape agreeing with him. I think this is twice in less than a week. My head might explode.

In his own words:

For years, I served as a federal prosecutor and member of the House of Representatives defending the federal pursuit of the drug prohibition.

Today, I can reflect on my efforts and see no progress in stopping the widespread use of drugs. I’ll even argue that America’s drug problem is larger today than it was when Richard Nixon first coined the phrase, “War on Drugs,” in 1972.

America’s drug problem is only compounded by the vast amounts of money directed at this ongoing battle. In 2005, more than $12 billion dollars was spent on federal drug enforcement efforts while another $30 billion was spent to incarcerate non-violent drug offenders.

The result of spending all of those taxpayer’s dollars? We now have a huge incarceration tab for non-violent drug offenders and, at most, a 30% interception rate of hard drugs. We are also now plagued with the meth labs that are popping up like poisonous mushrooms across the country.

While it is clear the War on Drugs has been a failure, it is not enough to simply acknowledge that reality. We need to look for solutions that deal with the drug problem without costly and intrusive government agencies, and instead allow for private industry and organizations to put forward solutions that address the real problems.

Bob Barr will never atone for all his sins in my book but I must admit that Barr has been making more and more sense over the last few years. Maybe this libertarian thing has something to say for it? If Dear Bob keeps refining his position and doesn't piss off the most extreme wingnuts then he has a good chance of taking enough of the fundamentalist vote to guarantee a Democratic victory in Novemeber...Go Bob!