Are Legislators Making A Maze To Walk Ten Feet?

  In fellow classmate Helene Laurice Ohouo's blog, A Journey..., post The H.B 1125 Bill covers the topic of same-sex marriage and how it's regulation in Oklahoma is affected by the previously mentioned legislative suggestion. The beginning is an analysis of differing sides of the argument, the middle is a commentary of how legislative solutions can be more problematic than the problems they are trying to solve, and the end is a criticism of bill H.b 1125. She argues that it violates the first amendment, deeming it unconstitutional, and even say's that anti-LGBT officials disapprove of the bill. I agree with her disagreement in the way that, with differing sides opposing each other and each side trying to win, they negate benefits possibly created through working as a team. This goes for many issues in our society today. Things shouldn't be a matter of you versus I, it should be a matter of you and I. We exist together, let us work together, let us grow together.

Wars and Drugs Don't Mix

  As a kid, I was told by my parents, and every adult figure who had any input on the subject, things like, "Drugs are bad!" and "Say no to drugs!" As a teenager, I was told by my peers, and every adolescent who had anything to say about the matter, things like, "Drugs are good," "Research (drug)," and "Come hit this." So I tried drugs, and I'm still conflicted on the morality of substance use. The way I see it, drugs can be both good and bad; many chemical substances have their pros and cons, appropriate times and situations for proper use, and long term benefits and risks. The way I see it, drugs are meant to be used, not abused. Regardless of my personal opinion on the drugs themselves, I stand firmly against the current United States drugs laws. 

  The war on drugs has not decreased drugs use, despite spending more money, (Serena Dai, A Chart That Says the War on Drugs Isn't Working, thewire.com) and the illegal status of drugs means that criminals control drug distribution. I opt that we fully legalize almost all drugs, place age restrictions on use, even though teenagers will still use them, and turn to a policy of education rather than criminalization. In many urban areas, the only things you need in order to purchase drugs are money and knowing the right person. That person doesn't need to be qualified, he doesn't need to be informed, and he doesn't need to sell you quality drugs; as long as he's making enough money to get more, he'll sell you what he's got. If licensed, educated, and informed professionals were in charge of dispensing drugs, people could acquire drugs in more responsible, adult way. In order to be eligible to purchase a certain drug, citizens should be required to take a specific class informing them of Everything they need to know about using the drugs, with different courses required for different drugs. More educated users means more educated use. Drug purity would be pharmaceutical grade, decreasing the likelihood of overdosing due to underestimating/overestimating the potency of a chemical substance. By increasing the availability of access to the vast majority of people, it would decrease dependability on the supply of gangs, cartels, and organized criminal syndicates. 

  The current illegal status of drugs means that drugs users are labelled as criminals by the law of the United States government. This criminal status can lead to violence, organized crime, and overflowing prisons, costing the tax-payers money and putting their safety at risk. The futuristic possibility of drugs being legal might lead to peace and understanding between users and non-users, as drug use can create a societal stigma of shame, (such as when drunks look down on pot smokers, or pot smokers look down upon drunks, both of which happen), the development of a more open minded and consciously connected culture, spiritual growth, the creation of new industries which will bring about an increase in job opportunities, scientific exploration of medically and psychologically applicable drug uses, reduced risks of drug use, increased benefits of drug use, and an unforeseeable amount of other possible goodness to come. These payoffs can stimulate the economy, putting more money in the tax-payers pockets to do a surge in government income. More importantly, it will benefit the well being of the American people, and hopefully, one day, the world.

Work Together To Achieve Success For The Good Of The Whole

     John Fund's article for The National Review Online, Liberals Are the New McCarthyites-and They're Proud of It, is a critical analysis of mud-slinging tactics implemented in the strategies of those who are supposed to be political leaders. Specifically, Fund criticized democratic party leader Harry Reid for his accusation that Mitt Romney skipped out on paying taxes for the past ten years, an accusation unsupported by any evidence and upon researching, can be found as false. Such actions are comparable to the anti-communist, fear-based tactics of 1947-1957 U.S. senator Joseph McCarthy, who used his publicity and authority to ruin the careers of many politicians and political opponents he accused of being communist sympathizers. 

     John Fund has more than twenty years of experience writing for the Wall Street Journal, and has published articles in magazines such as Esquire, Reader's Digest, Reason, The New Republic, and The National Review. He has co-written several books, collaborated with Rush Limbaugh on another, and published a book of his own, Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy. Presently, he writes for the National-Affairs column of National Review Online. With this extensive history in the American political system, he has knowledge on the subject, but being in such a system can also influence political bias. As a conservative, he generalizes liberals into an entire group and accuses the group of such tactics, when it was the actions of the party leader, not every liberal. I, for one, side with liberals in many aspects regarding political policy, but I think the two party system is dividing America and efforts should be focused on working together to achieve success. When distracted by what is wrong with another, one loses sight of what is right with both.