Steve

Baseball manager Ozzie Guillen on Sean Penn and a couple other hot button topics. Interesting and even funny. http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/news/Graham_Bensinger_InDepth/26116817#news/Graham_Bensinger_InDepth/26116817

Shoulda put this in sports but... Amazing this kid is 14 and 6'10". I had a friend in my neighborhood who was about 6'4 in middle school and he topped out at 7' after HS. One of those sad stories of a guy who never developed his talent. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1246973 It's pretty hard not to notice Stephen Zimmerman in any setting. He's 6-foot-10, wears a size 19 shoe and towers above everyone in any room he enters. But here's the most astounding part of Zimmerman's story: He's only 14 years old and just finished the eighth grade. Zimmerman had already reached the 4-foot mark by the time he turned 4. At 11, he became a 6-footer and was dunking a basketball two years later. Now at 14, he's 6-10 and - get this - supposedly not done growing yet (doctors predict he'll stop between 7-1 and 7-2). So, no, Zimmerman certainly won't be a typical freshman walking the halls this fall at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. But Bishop Gorman isn't the typical high school, either. Gorman could be the top-ranked basketball team in the nation with four elite D-I prospects, including the No. 1 player in the 2012 class, Shabazz Muhammad. And the newest addition to this roster of stars already is emerging as one of the most intriguing. UNLV, UCLA, Kansas and national champion Connecticut already offered scholarships, Zimmerman says, and the NBA is certainly not out of the question The amazing thing is....no, that he's a good white player...haha...sorry, I had to, it was too inviting but this part of the article. was this: he is also attempting to buck a trend that has been increasing in recent years. The United States doesn't generate big guys as much these days. The proof was in this past draft as five of the top seven players selected were 6-9 or taller, yet none of them hailed from this country. Those picks were Enes Kanter (Turkey), Tristan Thompson (Canada), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Jan Vesely (Czech Republic) and Bismack Biyombo (Congo). When the hell did we stop growing tall basketball players? Have you seen the size of the average teenager nowadays? I'm talking the girls!

To be fair to the right. They do believe in high sppeed internet and high speed rail lines and infrastructure and such. I think the main difference is how they want it done, which is primarly by the free market. I think there is room for the free market with respect to bidding and innovation but not to be relied on to initiate and do the projects. The fact is that a lot of government projects are badly run and its not usual for them to have massive over expenditures above the predicted cost. The problem is the money grab when these projects are done by the government. We need infrastructure and I do agree its best from a planned, government way for the most part. It must be done right. Too many no bid contracts (as in the case of the Iraq war) and union interference for some things such as who can do what, etc.

Re-addressing the infrastructure part. Maybe the pols don't think its a 'sexy' enough sell to the American people. It can be told and sold to the American voter as us re-investing in ourselves. The jobs, materials, benfit would be all ours. The thing is its necessary. Its not even a choice anymore. I recall some talk radio show topic once where this guy was saying how many thousands...yes thousands of tunnels, bridges, dams, rail lines, etc. wouldn't and didn't pass inspection but are still being used because there is no choice. I know for a fact my own hometown Philly has some subway lines over some overpasses, bridges, etc that are a matter of when not if before something happens. The local papers were doing exposes on it when I was a kid so I'm actually amazed there hasn't been a tragedy by now (I pray to God it doesn't happen). The hundreds of thousands if not millions of blue collar jobs these projects would create. Jobs that would go on for months and years. Not only the repair jobs but the highway, high speed rail lines, subways, etc, that needs to be built. Plenty of middle class jobs. Engineers, etc. Low and no skilled jobs. Someone is needed to wave those orange flags to tell drivers not to drive here or there. Clean up, someone has to pick up debris. Its such a friggin' no brainer.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Legendary-NFL-defender-Bubba-Smith-passes-away-a?urn=nfl-wp4511 Legendary NFL defender Bubba Smith passes away at age 66 Former NFL defensive end and longtime television and movie actor Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Wednesday. Coroner's reports have not yet been released, but according to the Los Angeles Times, it is believed that Smith died of natural causes. Smith attended Michigan State, where he was one of the most dominant collegiate defensive linemen of all time. He won All-America honors in 1965 and 1966, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Selected first overall in the 1967 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, Smith soon became, along with Deacon Jones, one of the first truly modern-style pass-rushers and sack artists. He played long before sacks were first tabulated as an official NFL statistic in 1982, but he was known from the start of his professional career to be nearly impossible to block. He played for three teams — the Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers, appeared in two Pro Bowls and was named First-Team All-Pro in 1971. Smith played in two Super Bowls — Super Bowl III, which the Colts lost to the New York Jets in an enormous upset, and Super Bowl V, which the Colts won with a last-second field goal against the Dallas Cowboys. Smith retired after the 1976 season, having played in 111 regular-season games. After his football career ended, Smith became perhaps even more well-known as an actor. He struck gold in the "Police Academy" series of movies, playing the hyper-strong Moses Hightower and providing a series of riotous slapstick scenes.

Very astute prediction kamui. I'd suggest its already started down that road. Spening on infrastructure seems a no brainer for me. I think in education there should be a social shift in thinking to trade and tech schools that teach plumbing, electrician related jobs, carpentry, car repair, computer programming, etc. We've made a college degree easier to get and there's now a glut. There are many people nowadays who didn't learn a trade because society said get a college degree. A BS is like a HS diploma now. One of my brothers didn't go to college, joined the Navy, learned a trade, got fairly high clearance and makes as much as any upper middle class person. If we invested in infrastructure historically blue collar jobs would be needed. What is more valuable. One more sociology, history or english major or a trained electrician? As far as health care, I've long said, we need to break the stranglehold the AMA, HMOs, big Pharma, etc. have on the Congress before anything meaningful can happen. I have become a liberal of sorts. Its painful to admit it. However, I find myself taking more and more liberal positions. My far right brother thinks so. We not only shared the same room for 17 years but a similar ideology although I was more Libertarian (which as the joke says is a Republican that wants to smoke pot). A century ago liberals were called progressives. I do agree with HH in that liberals have caused some messes. However, many advances in our society has been due to progressives. Whether its a woman's right to vote, killing Jim Crow laws, allowing gays a life, ending slavery, have all been from the progressives of the day. It can and does go too far. Quotas when affirmtive action started out, attempts to end our right to bear arms, etc. However, progress as a society has been via progressives and its the conservatives of that day that fought against it.

Clinton did not engineer nor was he responsible for the '90s economy fueled by the tech boom. He did the smart thing though and got the hell out of the way. Reagan's famous tax cut didn't fuel the '80s either. Then fed chief Volcker was responsible for setting the chain of events that led to the boom. I think Bill would do a decent job now actually. He's smart as a whip intellectually and would care less about the powers that be. He's already paid.

To be fair to Dubya, there were signals that the tech boom was over by the time Clinton was leaving. 911 didn't help either. The economy would have slowed down no matter what, even if Clinton got a 3rd term. That said, the Republicans worsened it. I don't think the Dems would have squandered it as well but not as much. For sure, there wouldn't be two wars fought. As for Begala or Fox News, if its facts its facts. If Hitler said 1+1=2, just because he's Hitler doesn't make that fact wrong. When I say faacts I mean irrefutable. Often times when these pundits sprout things its either without its full context or their own side have done the same. There is no balance. If Bagala's information is irrefutable then it doesn't matter which party he supports. Rove on Fox News would spout some of the most biased info that was hypocritical in its full context. The daily show would highlight them. No one calls him on it though. It amazes me that the media uses people with a clear bias for expert opiion and we collectively go along with it. There are plenty of people in academia who are objective and have made a great effort to remove themselves from the political process of having to choose a party publicly. The top brass of te military had a tradition of keeping their political affiliations personal although they are mostly thought to be Republican in terms of voting record. They saw it as their duty to be as netural as possible publicly so they could serve any president.

Hey HH, I thought you'd be happy to hear him criticize Obama. I'd have to guess that he was an Obama supporter. Criticizing someone you voted for (if he did) is, for me at least, a truer barometer of a President's shortcomings. Its tough to remove bias from objectivity if you didn't vote for a guy. Again, my main criticism of him isn't that the things Republicans warned us about his shortcomings came to fruition (inexperience, not the intellectual he seems to be, far left liberal), but that he seems to have become part of the establishment. He was definitely an outsider when he started his campaign. The signs happened after he won Iowa and a couple other primaries. The political winds changed and he was starting to get money from the monied elite power brokers (Wall Street, etc.) and essentially became their man. I think he's governe with that in mind. I'm disappointed in that. I don't think any of the warnings about his shortcomings have happened at all.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mom-convicted-son-jaywalking-death-never-end-151356884.html Mom convicted in son’s jaywalking death: ‘This will never end for me’ A Marietta, Ga., mom who was convicted of jaywalking after her 4-year-old son was run over and killed in a hit-and-run said on the Today Show that the worst part of going to jail would be the separation from her two remaining kids. Raquel Nelson was convicted of homicide by vehicle and reckless conduct by a jury and faces sentencing tomorrow. She can receive up to a three-year jail sentence, six times the stretch that Jerry Guy--who admitted to drinking before running over Nelson's son, A.J.--served. "I think to come after me so much harder than they did him is a slap in the face because this will never end for me," she said. "It's three years away from the two that I have left." Nelson also said that the jury had "never been in my shoes," because each of them answered that they had never taken public transportation before. Nelson, who doesn't have a car, was three-tenths of a mile away from the nearest crosswalk when her bus dropped her off at the stop across the street from her apartment with her three children. She decided to cross with her kids rather than remain outside any later at night, she said. (You can read more about her case here.) "We are just hoping as a family that [the judge] is compassionate and lets my niece remain with her other children," Nelson's aunt Loretta Williams said. Nearly 75,000 have signed an online petition in support of Nelson. You know, my first reaction was 'Bad mom, go to jail you stupid bitch'. But after some thought, I don't want her to go jail. If she was constantly abusing her kids like we often read, then yea, but this was just a bad judgment and it ended up bad. I'm not a parent. But I've seen some of the best parents take risks. Some small, some not so small. If you have raised kids you know that anything can happen no matter how careful you are and sometimes you do cut corners. I feel her kids are better off with her than foster care somewhere. For her 'crime', let her off with probation. She seems an otherwise good mom. She's got to be in a lot of guilt over the death. She has to live with than and that's punishment enough. Am I getting soft in my old age?

Okay, found the 'add reply' button, needed to figure this new format out. ;-) http://finance.yahoo.com/news/A-Mr-Nader-Is-Calling-and-He-nytimes-3446500735.html A Mr. Nader Is Calling, and He Wants a Refund In March, Mr. Nader was scheduled to give a press conference and speech in Knoxville, Tenn. He’d bought two round-trip tickets — one for him, one for an associate — from Washington, on US Airways, for $1,380 apiece. On the day of the event, the forecasts were for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, and Mr. Nader decided that it was possible his flight would be canceled. So he opted to jump in his car and drive. He made his engagements in time and incurred two $150 cancellation fees from US Airways. But he didn’t get the rest of his money back. Instead, the airline offered credits that could not be transferred and had to be used within a year. Otherwise, they would be forfeited. Suffice it to say, this did not please Mr. Nader. “Could any dictatorship be more efficient?†he asked the Haggler. “The airlines have been pursuing this forfeiture thing for a decade now. It’s like printing money.†I posted this article more about Nader himself. I never used to like him. Thouhgt he was too anti business and anti capitalism and feared if he was ever elected no companies could make money. I've gone through a metamorphasis over the years. I used to be a Gordon Gecko 'Greed is Good' type and now I've become totally distrustful of Corporate America. I want them to make money and hire people, etc. I dont want to see an environment where a business can't prosper, innovate. That still remains. However, I do think that companies are fcking us at every chance they get. I think there is a disconnect with the consumer and there is no respect for the average customer. I think the CEOs are like the President and politicians in that they are so far removed from the average person and don't live lives anything similar to us that we are viewed as sheep to them. I really do. Maybe I'm wrong. But its how I feel. What really pisses me off is for years companies have been nickel and diming us to death and we bailed them out so that they can keep doing the same thing. Banking fees are enormous. My brother works for a bank and I knew a banking analyst at a financial firm I worked for. Analyzing the industry he said made him loathe banks. ATM fees are a big one. ATM fees he told me years ago were way out of whack. The banks lied and said it was needed for maintenence, etc. Complete BS in terms of the amount charged. Credit unions had free atm use between each other. I was part of one. I could go to a different credit union and either get money freely or it was a pittance. Banks have been trying to drive credit unions out business for years. The sad thing is credit unions are a tiny part of banking. Banks own the market but want a total monopoly. Anyway, the fees for overdraft, etc. is way, way more than the cost. Airlines are just as bad. They charge for this and that and then want a bailout and go back to doing the same thing. Nowadays charging for checked in luggage amongst other things. Frequent flier programs have been reduced where they now take away your hard earned miles if you don't use it in time. Some supermarkets make you pay extra for bags. Cell phone companies charge little fees for all kinds of crap. You ever see your bill. The tax and fees are highway robbery. The FCC has charges for stuff that are outdated and outmoded still. Toll roads on the east coast were once for paying for the highways. They've been tolls for since the country was founded, these highways have been paid for many times over on the turnpikes on the east coast. Everyone is in your pocket. Public parks, state and national parks charging for stuff that were once free. There is not much the average american family can do any more without spending an arm and leg or being 'fee'd' to death. You fly anywhere, the checked in luggage fees for you and your 2 kids are like the cost of another ticket. A day out at Disneyland is outrageous. Sorry, I got off track. What do you all think about Nader? I like him now. Completely different from Paul but in those two you get two people who aren't bought and paid for by the big money.

Not sure how to just post a new topic, it quotes the previous? Anyhoo, i'll just delete it. http://autos.yahoo.com/news/range-anxiety-reducer--aaa-unveils-mobile-ev-charging-trucks-.html Range Anxiety Reducer: AAA Unveils Mobile EV Charging Trucks As most of you know I'd like to move away or greatly reduce our need for oil and away from an oil based economy and certainly an oil based transportation society for a couple reasons. First, it would marginalize the middle east. I think if remove the need for oil we would eliminate a need to be involved politically and militarily in the region. Also, I admit I'd love see the Saudis and the rest f'ked in terms of money. hehehe... Also, although I'm not a green guy per se, it would be good for the environment. For something like electric cars, if we move that way, and to remove the fear of not being able to recharge, I would allow businesses like gas stations, hotels, etc. to amorize the cost of installing one at their business. I would also have certain government places be a recharging zone be it libraries, city, state or fed offices in their parking lots, public parking structures. Certainly have rest stops along highways install them. Have recharging kiosks on the GPS systems so we all know where they are. Identify areas without them and the state and federal governments work on ways to provide areas without them recharging kiosks. Make it a goal to have a refueling kiosk every 20 or 25 miles or whatever is deemed needed. New jobs will spring from this as well.

The answer doesn't make sense. I just wish Mr. and Mrs. voter would be interested.

Wow, these many pages of Scottish stuff. Here's one more... http://www.newsamericasnow.com/jamaican-goes-from-%e2%80%9ci-do%e2%80%9d-to-%e2%80%9ci-don%e2%80%99t%e2%80%9d-after-arriving-in-scotland/ Weds. July 20, 2011: A 24-year-old Jamaican woman went from “I Do†to “I Don’t†within minutes of getting into the home of her Scottish husband. Patrice Chambers, according to the Daily Mail, dumped Johnny Gannon, her 57-year-old charity worker husband, within 20 minutes of walking into his flat in Perth, Scotland. Gannon said he spent £5,000 to bring his new bride to Scotland and now is broken hearted. He claims as soon as his wife arrived in Perth, she sent him out to buy pot noodles but as he returned she grabbed her bags and told him she was leaving. She then s flagged down a car and caught a train and was gone. Gannon married Chambers in Jamaica earlier this year and said he believes his new wife fled to Bristol to meet a Jamaican boyfriend with whom she had organized the scheme. “I was looking forward to spending the rest of my life with Patrice but I think she had planned all along to do this,†he told the Daily Mirror. “My relationship with her wasn’t something I’d done by mail order. I’ve known her for two years and it seemed very much like the real thing to me. She has used me and I feel humiliated. I had a vision of happiness laid out. I feel like a bit of a fool.â€

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-press-statement-2200-gmt-220257502.html Obama slams Republicans for rejecting 'fair deal' US President Barack Obama confirmed Friday that tough budget negotiations with his Republican foes had collapsed and said he was willing to take sole responsibility for raising the debt ceiling. Obama slammed his Republican foes for walking away from an "extraordinarily fair" deal and called new talks with congressional leaders on Saturday at 11:00 am (1500 GMT), adding he was "confident" that the nation would not default on its debt. The president was speaking after Republican House Speaker John Boehner announced he was pulling out of talks with the White House on averting an early August debt default and would work with the Senate to reach a deal. "I have decided to end discussions with the White House and begin conversations with the leaders of the Senate in an effort to find a path forward," Boehner said in a letter to members of the House of Representatives. ....Boehner and Obama were at odds on a range of issues, but a key sticking point was the White House's push for increasing tax revenues from the rich and wealthy corporations, something Republicans fiercely opposed. I don't read much political stuff anymore because frankly its depressing. How much of this is political posturing? My Dem friends say that Obama is compromsing on cuts but the Republicans are not compromising on raising taxes primarily for the rich and corporations. Conservative friends are saying Obaama is using the bully pulpit and not playing fair. Who is right?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43848297/ns/us_news-life/?gt1=43001 The end of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. The cynic in me says that its no coincidence that its coming so close to the election. I recall reading an article where Gays as well as non Gays who were saying they were gay trying to get out of going to Iraq and the officer would sit there and say 'I'm gonna tear this up. No one has to know and you can still serve and you can be honorably discharged'. It was when they were desperate for people. Funny how a need overcomes people's prejudices? However, I think Obama is timing this to help his campaign. He's a politician (unfortunately I thought we were getting something else). He's not as bad as some claim but he's not done as well as I expected. Not because he's not capable. He's just become an insider. Interesting thing with him and Bush was that their detractors were saying if they were elected to expect such and such and neither panned out. For Dubya it was his intellect. It wasn't his lack of intellect that made him unpopular. It wasn't even making bad decisions based on not being smart enough. Obama was seen as inexperienced and that the job would overwhelm him. That hasn't been the case at all. If anything he's similar to JFK in that he has a very intelligent mind. Obama, to me, has governed centrist on things he shouldn't have and taken on battles at an inopportune time (National Health care) and spending unnecessary political captial on something the nation wasn't gonna sign on to at the time. He's too centrist on things he didn't have to be.

http://news.yahoo.com/plan-offers-hope-progress-debt-talks-010404623.html Gang of Six" provides hope for debt talks The ambitious new plan, unveiled by a group of senators known as the "Gang of Six," offers a ray of hope in an increasingly grim standoff that has threatened the United States' top-notch credit rating. Its not the story itself but I wanted to know who coined the phrase 'Gang of Six'? Its not helpful when members are being labeled with this and that. Just saying.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/24-Small-Towns-May-Lose-Air-nytimes-3674165086.html?x=0&.v= 24 Small Towns May Lose Air Service Rural America, already struggling to recover from the recession and the flight of its young people, is about to take another blow: the loss of its airline service. That was underscored last week when Delta Air Lines announced that it “can no longer afford†to continue service at 24 small airports. The carrier says it is losing a total of $14 million a year on flights from places like Thief River Falls, a city of 8,600 in northwest Minnesota that fills only 12 percent of the seats, or Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, where Delta’s two daily flights are on average less than half full. Nationally, all major airlines have been reducing and sometimes eliminating flights altogether in small cities, as the industry concentrates much of its service in 29 major hubs, which now account for 70 percent of all passenger traffic, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Delta’s announcement was especially acute because the airline operates in most of the small airports that receive a total of almost $200 million in federal subsidies to maintain air service under the Essential Air Service program. The subsidies are scheduled to expire in 2013 unless revived by Congress. Delta acquired many of those small-city markets in the Midwest when it merged with Northwest Airlines. Two things, first I think this is another reason we need high speed rail intra and interstate. Second, I'm hoping the 'free market' does its thing and someone moves into those markets. Maybe make an 'enterprise zone' of sorts for airlines who operate in those areas similar to the subsidies but instead of subsidies, allow the costs of operation to be partially written off.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/victim-wants-white-supremacist-attacker-spared-death-penalty-203223143.html The only survivor of white supremacist Mark Stroman's bloody rampage after Sept 11, 2001 is asking that his attacker be spared the death penalty Wednesday for his crimes. In the weeks after 9/11, Stroman raided Dallas-area gas stations in search of Muslims to kill. He shot and killed Hindu immigrant Vasudev Patel, thinking he was Muslim, and Waqar Hasan, a father of four from Pakistan, while they were still behind their convenience store counters. Rais Bhuyian, then 26 years old, was luckier. Stroman asked him where he was from, but before Bhuyian could answer, he shot him the face with a shotgun. Bhuyian played dead, recovered, and is now blind in one eye. Surprisingly, Bhuyian has since started a wide-ranging campaign to get his attacker off Death Row, arguing that his death would not solve anything. Wow. Hats off to him. I'd like to think I would have the heart to forgive but I am not so sure. I would like to though.

And that was what I was addressing. The sad thing is the corporate farms are trying to get rid of the small farmer and we (our tax dollars) are helping them.

http://news.yahoo.com/bachmann-criticizes-black-farmer-settlement-225727223.html Bachmann criticizes black farmer settlement I slightly recall the case and frankly, I don't know enough about it to say the money isn't merited. Its over a billion dollars. What I would say is that, the government needs to address something much bigger and that are the subsidies going to corporate farms as an ongoing corporate welfare that goes on. Bachman must be trying to win points with the fringe of the party. I get that. Get the 'angry white guy' vote. Its been done with the issue of social welfare. I have no problem with cutting social welfare and its been cut massively during the Clinton years. What I find hypocritical is the lack of concern for corporate welfare and tens somes times hudnreds of billions going to companies that don't need the money. Companies that oftentimes don't even hire american workers and relocate factories, etc. overseas.

Funny thing is a good number of America's early settlers were convicts as well. Indentured servants were common and that is known as well. We like to glorify our history and maintain that they were all Pilgrims seeking religious freedom. Only in some states (Penna, Mass, Rh. Isl being the more famous). They were the religioius nutcases of the day. The 'scientologists' of England if you will. I like our history because we were castoffs and outcasts. Aussie's get a tag on them but frankly I'd be proud of that. They made a great country out of convicts, many of whom were just poor folks who got railroaded by the court system or got sentences that were way over the top for the 'crime' committed or didn't really committ any crime at all than the crime of being poor and defenseless. I read a story once that the reason why Aussies and Americans were tough as people was because they were settled by the hardiest of people. People who survived a long voyage in the worst of accomodations for weeks on end. Survived disease, and a hard, hard life. The result of this Darwinian, only the fit survive, are a 'race' of hardy, tough, innovative folks. Specifically to America, for the immigrants from Europe and the UK to survive that long voyage were not good ones and as well as after they arrived. Even moreso with blacks from Africa who survived even worse conditions onboard for a longer voyage and then enslaved under similar harsh conditions as their northern immigrant brethren. The result: A great, wonderfully stubborn and proud people.

Decriminalization is a big step for a lot of folks. Too big. In the interim I think what we can do is modify punishment. Instead of sending people caught with slightly over personal use of pot or coke or whatever to prison is to put those folks under house arrest. There are many people who otherwise were employed and contributing members of society who are now in prison. We ended up with hundreds of thousands of folks who were making..lets say..on average of 30k a year, just to pull a number out of the air, and contributing to the economy to people who now cost on average of 60k a year to the taxpayer to house and feed. The person with too much pot loses their job and ends up costing Mr. and Mrs Taxpayer 60k to house and feed and when the get out they can't get the same job back because they now have a criminal record. My idea, until we decriminalize is instead of sending them to jail, let them still be contributing members of society and have them be on house arrest for 12 hours each work day and 16 hours on the weekends. Lets say the are free from 8AM to 8PM. Allows them to keep their job, then for a number of time, 2 months, 3 months, whatever they wear an ankle braclet. Trust me, you restrict someone to their home and it becomes a pain in the ass. They come in for a pee test once a week, and any violation can mean an extension of house arrest or make them pick up trash on the highway or tutor kids or whatever. Make them contribute. I would also allow them to have the record expunged after a period of time so they can still get a good job. I grew up in a neighborhood that was known as a heroin neighborhood. Things got bad when it changed to crack. Why? You can function on heroin. At least many people can, it depends on your body chemistry but there were people in our neighborhood that had and maintained a mortgage, a job and were recreational, often weekly users of heroin. Its very possible. Many jazz artists were hooked on heroin for years and functioned. Entertainers and some rock stars. The thing with crack is that you can't function while on it. Everyone I've seen on it were completely out of it. They could not maintain any job or function in society at all while on it. When the neighborhood changed to crack in the '80s, break ins skyrocketed. We never had break ins before. Heroin had a code. I'm not saying heroin is good mind you, just that the guys who dealt it, only sold to adults and didn't sell on street corners. There was a house you went to buy. Crack was being sold by kids, often to kids and sold in the open on the corners. Because you can function on heroin you can keep a job so you can feed your habit. On crack, you could not hold down a job so you had to steal. First from your own family then after they kicked you out, you stole from neighbors or anyone you could find. Also, I think you will find that after decriminalization that there will still be a social stigma and that there will be an unofficial ban. Employers do drug testing now. More will do drug testing after decriminalization. I think that will be the check against using. If you want to get a job you better be clean.

Wow. I didn't know this about Portugal prior to reading this article. http://breakthematrix.com/health/ten-years-decriminalization-drug-abuse-portugal/ Ten Years After Decriminalization, Drug Abuse Down by Half in Portugal Health experts in Portugal said Friday that Portugal’s decision 10 years ago to decriminalise drug use and treat addicts rather than punishing them is an experiment that has worked. “There is no doubt that the phenomenon of addiction is in decline in Portugal,†said Joao Goulao, President of the Institute of Drugs and Drugs Addiction, a press conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the law. The number of addicts considered “problematic†— those who repeatedly use “hard†drugs and intravenous users — had fallen by half since the early 1990s, when the figure was estimated at around 100,000 people, Goulao said. Other factors had also played their part however, Goulao, a medical doctor added. “This development can not only be attributed to decriminalisation but to a confluence of treatment and risk reduction policies.â€

Saw this on someone's wall post on Facebook: Don't like gay marriages? Don't get one. Don't like cigarettes? Don't smoke them. Don't like abortions? Don't have one. Don't like sex? Don't have it. Don't like drugs? Don't do them. Don't like porn? Don't watch it. Don't like alcohol? Don't drink it. Don't like guns? Don't buy one. Don't like your rights taken away? Don't take away someone else's.