Change We Will GET

[badbullgator]

I have a good friend that has a daughter hooked on meth. He has done everything to help her to get off. She has been arrested more then 10 times and her last is the first time she is facing any serious jail time. The longest she has done is 1 month. She was facing 10 years but has worked a plea that once again requires no jail time, but the judge could still give her some. The point is very few people are in jail for drug minor drug offenses. You were either dealing or have such a long history (addict) that it may the only way off.

I disagree on this point, few minor offenders in jail and as you point out your friends daughter (and I can only assume since he is your friend he is a good guy) is HOOKED on meth. Hooked is something that you can and should take personal responcibility for. Hooked can be treated and is a health issue not a legal issue. Stealing to get money for drugs is a legal issue. Doing drugs is a personal issue you must be responcible for

By the way, my friend hopes she gets some time so that it may keep her away from the stuff long enough that she can finally kick it.

That may be one of the funniest statements of all time

I will say it again no matter what substance it is, it's about personal responsibility and that is the difference between and conservative and liberal. A liberal will usually blame the system, the law, society, economic status, lack of treatment or the persons childhood. Most conservatives will put the blame squarely on the individual.

Here you are right and wrong. I agree you must take responcibility for your own actions and that is the point. Laws made by the government place personal responcibility in the hands of law enforcment and not the individual. To make it illegal to have or do drugs is the government taking responcibility for you and trying to keep you from being responcible for yourself. The consequences of drug use are evident and if you truely believed that you must be responcible for yourself you would not need laws to "help" you with that responcibility

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[Vicki Worthington]

Once the tax cuts on income brackets--now 25% is highest I think--and capital gains (everyone whose pension plans/IRAs/403b/401K is tied to mutual fund investments) runs out, you will all forget the "sin tax"!

We have been brainwashed that only the rich benefit from reduced income taxes and removal of taxes on dividends. Well, I'm sure as heck not rich and I don't want to pay the taxes that will result from expiration of these tax breaks!

The middle class has never been the "poverty level". IMO the poverty level has been indexed for inflation, but the middle class has not. That's why you're considered "rich" if you earn $65K annually!

It's time people stood on their own two feet! It's time Government provided for the things that benefit ALL Americans and kept its nose out of those issues that only benefit a select few or some special interest group or another.

The industrial base in this country has eroded to nearly nothing over the last several decades. Why, because we have allowed industry to expatriate incomes to avoid taxes, we have denied reciprocity for our goods in developed European countries while opening our doors without restriction to their cheap labor markets. We have driven American industry nearly out of existance with open-door policies on imports. Industries that existed domestically even 10 years ago are now extinct--most scientific equipment and laboratory equipment must be purchased from outside the country because there is no domestic market.

We need to wake up! It's not Democrates or Republicans. As long as the politicians have all of us arguing over which party and which personality, we we never be focused on which ISSUE.

Do you know that the stimulus bill once contained a provision that all moneys awarded as contracts and grants from the stimulus package must employ only U.S. Citizens or Legal Aliens? Well, if you see it now, it does not. The Senate Democrates together with 3 Republicans had it removed. Now why would they do this? To assure that they court the next wave of voters come re-election time!

[code3retrievers]

"That may be one of the funniest statements of all time"

You may find it funny but my friend does not. He has tried to get his daughter into every treatment program and more. His daughter is genius level IQ with two degrees, she came from a morally sound and economically advantaged background. She tried meth one time and was hooked. Her statement not mine.

She has been using for the past 8 years and can not shake the habit. So even though you find it funny, I find it sad. His daughters habit has destroyed her life. She can not longer function with out getting high.

He has given up hope on his daughter and would just like her to live long enough that she may come up with the courage to get her self off. So with her in jail he hopes she may have more difficulty finding the stuff and may be forced to enter a treatment program.

I am a Fire fighter and see the affects of drug use everyday, including alcohol. Personally I would like to see it all band but my libertarian streak does not allow me to do so.

If you want to smoke and kill your self feel free. Same with alcohol just don't expect me to foot the bill for your treatment.

[Richard Halstead]

This question sounds as though Jabba the Hut had written the title.

[badbullgator]

"That may be one of the funniest statements of all time"

You may find it funny but my friend does not. He has tried to get his daughter into every treatment program and more. His daughter is genius level IQ with two degrees, she came from a morally sound and economically advantaged background. She tried meth one time and was hooked. Her statement not mine.

ANd this proves my point of health issue not legal issue. It can happen to anyone and if you chose to take that road (with a genius IQ no less) that is your choice and the goberment does not need to protect you from yourself. Remember you are the one preaching personal resoponcibility, yet hoping (or at least your friend is) that the legal system take responcibility. BTW- the reason I find it funny is becasue very few people "get straight" in jail. I worked for many years in drug programs and very, very few ever came out of jail any better than they went in. Genius IQ with a good family....rehab will work, but she has to be responcible for following through

She has been using for the past 8 years and can not shake the habit. So even though you find it funny, I find it sad. His daughters habit has destroyed her life. She can not longer function with out getting high.

You missed my point, I don't find her. or anyones addiction funny, I find it funny that people think prison will take care of the problem, but I do understand the desperation

He has given up hope on his daughter and would just like her to live long enough that she may come up with the courage to get her self off. So with her in jail he hopes she may have more difficulty finding the stuff and may be forced to enter a treatment program.

Well I wish them both the best, but you know the old saying "birds of a feather..." it is just a big cage of birds just like one another and it gives them lots more contacts when they get out. JAIL/PRISON DOES NOT REHAB, IT ONLY HOUSES.

I am a Fire fighter and see the affects of drug use everyday, including alcohol. Personally I would like to see it all band but my libertarian streak does not allow me to do so.

Well thanks for your service, my father was a fireman as well. So you reluctantly agree with freedom of choice? Let people decide if they want to be productive or a junkie or if they are able to use drugs recreationaly just as people do with alcohol. If a crime is commeted while they are using drugs OR alcohol then punish them for that crime as you would with anything else. Legal to have a gun, not legal to carry it into a courthouse. Keep the gun where it is legal no problem, take it where it is not and there is a problem

If you want to smoke and kill your self feel free. Same with alcohol just don't expect me to foot the bill for your treatment.

So it is OK with alcohol which is just as addictive, feel free..., but any thing else is out....your libertarian streak is pretty thin.

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[Hoosier]

BBG I probably know 100 drywallers and plasterers and everyone of them want drugs to be legal. What's the deal with that?

[badbullgator]

BBG I probably know 100 drywallers and plasterers and everyone of them want drugs to be legal. What's the deal with that?

I don't know if you know it or not, but I use to own a drywall and plastering company..... Funny thing is that getting workers during the heyday was tough becasue there was plenty of work to go around. My buddy also had a drywall/plastering company and he decided he would start drug testing before hiring people......that lasted for about 6 months because as soon as they found out it was a drug free work place they went somewhere else.
don't aks, don't tell in this case.

BTW- if you humped drywall all day you would drink and do drugs too

[Hoosier]

I don't know if you know it or not, but I use to own a drywall and plastering company..... Funny thing is that getting workers during the heyday was tough becasue there was plenty of work to go around. My buddy also had a drywall/plastering company and he decided he would start drug testing before hiring people......that lasted for about 6 months because as soon as they found out it was a drug free work place they went somewhere else.
don't aks, don't tell in this case.

BTW- if you humped drywall all day you would drink and do drugs too

Was in the drywall and steel stud framing business for 20 years

[Richard Halstead]

When I was in college my roommate and I sanded drywall. That was in the days when the drywall plaster had asbestos fibers for strength aound 1969-70.

[Hew]

I don't know if you know it or not, but I use to own a drywall and plastering company..... Funny thing is that getting workers during the heyday was tough becasue there was plenty of work to go around. My buddy also had a drywall/plastering company and he decided he would start drug testing before hiring people......that lasted for about 6 months because as soon as they found out it was a drug free work place they went somewhere else.
don't aks, don't tell in this case.

BTW- if you humped drywall all day you would drink and do drugs too

I didn't know that about you. Neat. You look more like a drywaller than a scientist. I bet you could tote four 12 footers at a time.