Democrats and Republicans

First of all, let me explain why I'm discussing issues one-by-one. I intend to discuss current events, but I want to give this blog some background into how I view the world before I start discussing current events. I want to have a platform to work off of. Now onto Dems and Reps...

In recent years, Democrats have been labeled "Tax and spend liberals", and the label is, more or less, true. Democrats tend to tax the people and spend the money on broad-based social initiatives. They tax the rich and give to the poor. But when the label is applied by Republicans, it just doesn't make sense. Neo-conservatives have a strict policy of "Borrow and Spend". Neo-cons actually have a tendency to spend more money than the Dems while lowering our taxes. They borrow money from China, increasing our national debt. Our country is almost bankrupt because of the republicans. When presented with a choice between "tax and spend" and "borrow and spend", I will choose the former every time. Don't make my children pay for my policies!

Here's some proof:

http://www.calaborlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/deficits-by-president.jpg

Because that chart is politically motivated, I took the liberty of going to the treasury website, where they had a convenient Excel spreadsheet of government spending data. I created my own graph of national debt and deficit and public debt. The charts looked identical. What's more interesting is that the pattern followed for public debt. When republicans were in charge, the public was in more debt. But wait, why would the public need to borrow more money if they're paying less taxes?

I really don't know. I'm not an economist, but my hunch is that it's because the tax cuts are not going to the people who need them. The wealthy get tax cuts because the Reps think that will create jobs and increase pay to laborers. It doesn't. Wealthy business owners don't care about their employees. They care about their shareholders and strive to maximize profit.

-Please Heed the Call

Leaglization of Drugs and the Penal System

It was a war that started on the basis of racism. It was a war the was and is unconstitutional. It is the war on drugs. I won't go into why we should legalize drugs, because you can read it here:

http://www.totse.com/en/drugs/legal_issues_of_drug_use/12reasns.html

I just want to point out the financial benefit of legalization as well as the fact that it would free up our legal resources.

I question the sensibility of the US for imprisoning people on non-violent offenses. Our prison system was designed to be a system of punishment, not rehabilitation. Drug offenders need rehabilitation, not punishment. That is why they end up going back to prison (about 75% of them anyway). Simply rehabilitating them brings the odds of their return to the system down to 27%, it makes them have happier, better lives, and it saves us, as tax-payers a whole lot of money.

But then, I think that rehabilitation should be free, as all medical expenses. I have a hunch, that will take the need for police intervention at all down to near 0.

On the penal system:
http://realcostofprisons.org/blog/archives/2006/02/prison_economic.html

-Please Heed the Call