Warren bagged $700G-plus in past two years
Friday, January 13th, 2012U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren earned more than 0,000 in 2010 and 2011, including 9,000 in salary for…
Posts Tagged ‘Years’
Libertarian Party: 40 Years Is Enough – End the Drug War
Monday, June 20th, 2011Libertarian Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2011
Contact: Wes Benedict, Executive Director
E-mail: wes.benedict@lp.org
Phone: 202-333-0008 ext. 222
Libertarian Party: 40 years is enough – end the Drug War
WASHINGTON – June 17, 2011 is the 40th anniversary of America’s War on Drugs. Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle issued the following statement today:
“On June 17, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a ‘War on Drugs,’ which has become a relentless violation of the lives and property of Americans, including many who have never taken illegal drugs. These violations continue under President Barack Obama, an admitted former cocaine user who has shown no hesitation in throwing people into prison — a punishment he might have suffered had he been caught. Moreover, although promising to respect medical marijuana use in states where voters have approved it, the Obama administration has already conducted close to 100 raids on patients, growers, and compassion centers in those states.
“America’s first experiment in prohibition involved alcohol, and is widely recognized as a failure. Approved in 1919, Prohibition I led to a steady rise in both alcohol usage and violent crime. The murder rate rose 50% between 1919 and 1933, peaking at 9.7 murders per 100,000 population in 1933, when the country finally decided enough was enough. Immediately after the repeal of Prohibition I, gangsterism went into a swift decline, with all of the major gangs disappearing within 18 months, and the murder rate dropping every single year for more than a decade.
“Prohibition II — the War on Drugs — has been another tragedy. We applaud the efforts of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization of current and former police, prosecutors, judges, DEA agents, and others, which issued a 20-page report this month detailing the tragic results of this misguided crusade, entitled ‘Ending the Drug War: a Dream Deferred.’
“In their report, LEAP documented some of the measurable costs: over a million people arrested each year, a trillion dollars spent, and drug gangsterism at a level that dwarfs its alcohol equivalent and which has led to a bloodbath in Mexico that is spilling over into the United States. Not because of drugs, but because of drug laws. And over 120 million Americans have used illicit drugs: only the most deluded observer believes the laws have curbed drug abuse, and only the cruelest believes that 40% of the American population belongs in prison. No wonder 67% of police chiefs say the War on Drugs is a failure.
“Ultimately, of course, this tragedy is the result of our government’s refusal to allow people to engage in peaceful choices as to what they consume. Even if drug use were to rise upon a return to the American tradition of tolerance that existed before the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act, our streets would be safer, innocent people would not have their homes raided and pets killed by narcotics agents entering the wrong house, victims of asset forfeiture laws wouldn’t have their houses and other assets seized without due process, and resources would be freed to spend on improving peoples’ lives instead of destroying them.
“Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drug use, including substances classified as hard drugs. As a Cato Report entitled ‘Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies’ showed, drug use dropped over the next several years and the Portuguese now use marijuana at lower levels than Americans use cocaine.
“It only took Americans 14 years to realize the insanity of Prohibition I. Both practical considerations and simple human decency demand that our government end Prohibition II now.”
The Libertarian Party platform includes the following:
1.0 Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual’s right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.
1.2 Personal Privacy
Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records. Only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.
The LP is America’s third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website.
I am the lawyer imprisoned for 27 years for my outspoken democratic beliefs against apartheid. I became the fi?
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011Mimi asks the question: I am the lawyer imprisoned for 27 years for my outspoken democratic beliefs against apartheid. I became the first elected president of South Africa in an all race election. A. F.W. de Klerk B.Nelson Mandela C.Mohandas Gandhi D.Shaka Zulu What is the name of the political organization that fought apartheid in [...]
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Chuck Turner Sentenced to Three Years
Thursday, January 27th, 2011According to Boston.com:
A federal judge today sentenced Chuck Turner to three years behind bars for accepting a ,000 bribe, a stinging rebuke to the former Boston city councilor.
US District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock rejected an appeal for leniency by defense attorneys, who had asked that the 70-year-old civil rights crusader receive probation and be [...]
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On this day 50 years ago in Camelot . . .
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009Marking the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s election by one of the closest margins in history, Mayor Thomas…
Poll: Overwhelming Majority of Rally-Goers Likely to Vote Democratic Tues., But Not as Excited as 2 Years Ago
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009An overwhelming majority of the people who rallied with comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on Saturday are likely to vote Democratic in Tuesday’s elections, but only one-in-four is more enthusiastic about voting this year compared to 2008, according to USAction’s Straw Poll of rally participants conducted by Lake Research Partners.
While 86 percent of those surveyed plan on voting Democratic for Tuesday’s crucial midterm elections, another 8 percent said they are undecided with 1 percent planning to vote Republican. The remaining 5 percent say they are unlikely to vote – although the straw poll was conducted before the end of the rally when calls for civic participation were given full voice, according to an announcement of the poll results.
“As campaigns focus on mobilization nationwide, the survey data suggests that such efforts are extraordinarily important,” said pollster Celinda Lake.
Some 200,000 or more people descended on the ground by the Capitol Saturday to participate in the celebrity-fueled “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear,” organized by comedians Stewart and Colbert. Stewart’s overall goal for the rally appeared to be one of fostering greater civility and participation in voting — not necessarily a straight partisan message.
Voters surveyed at the rally reported only moderate enthusiasm for Tuesday’s election – only one-in-four (25 percent) said they are more enthusiastic about voting this cycle than they were in 2008, while a plurality (39 percent) said they are less enthusiastic and 36 percent saying their level of enthusiasm hasn’t changed.
Democrats will be defending their congressional majorities Tuesday in what has been a persistently strong anti-incumbent sentiment among many Americans, and a concerted effort by conservative tea party activists to gain power, so as to block President Obama’s initiatives.
Many pundits believe Republicans likely will take control of at least congressional chamber as a result of Tuesday’s voting.
“Tuesday’s election isn’t about witches or manning up. It’s about real issues that matter to the future of our country,” says USAction President William McNary, referring to two catch phrases used by tea party-backed candidates this year.
“Our survey was designed to find out what they care about,” says McNary. “This election is about jobs, health care, the economy, poverty, war and many other issues effecting Americans. We want to find out what is truly driving people this election season.”
A plurality (41 percent) say the president’s No. 1 priority ought to be improving the jobs situation, more than double the number who selected any of other issue option. Second tier priorities include quality education (18 percent), energy and the environment (17 percent), ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (13 percent) and improving health care (11 percent.)
About 87 percent of this audience believes the Obama administration should prioritize “investing in programs that put people back to work” as opposed to “focusing on cutting spending instead” (13 percent.) In this regard, rally attendees appear to side heavily with the vast majority of economists when it comes to the proper course of action for reducing unemployment.
Most of the people who participated in the poll were supportive of Obama and want his administration to focus aggressively on a jobs creation agenda. An overwhelming majority (90 percent) approved of the president, including more than half (56 percent) who approve of him strongly. In contrast, only 10 percent disapproves of the president (2 percent strongly.)
The USAction Straw Poll was conducted by text message on cell phones. Participants texted SANITY or FEAR to 228466 (ACTION) and received a short survey about their views on Obama, Tuesday’s election, and which issues they think are most important for the country.
The publisher of the news site On The Hill, Scott Nance has covered Congress and the federal government for more than a decade.