Motion for a Recess

Barr Lines Up with Libertarians

Bob Barr, once the ardent Republican representative from Georgia and currently the Libertarian Party’s candidate for President, has finally come to terms with one of his many controversial positions – the War on Drugs. It was Barr who was a vocal supporter and policy-maker for the War on Drugs and repeatedly defended his position. He repeatedly blocked any medical marijuana legalization initiatives started in D.C. by claiming:

There is no legitimate use whatsoever for marijuana. This is not medicine. This is bogus witchcraft. It has no place in medicine, no place in pain relief…

But now the Libertarian, who is increasingly viewed by many Republicans as to what Nader is to the Democrats, has reversed his position on marijuana and the War on Drugs. I’m glad that he can finally admit to his failures and move on from there. Whereas some politicians hide behind statements or subtly make changes to fit the political arena, I think Barr made a wise decision by admitting outright that he was wrong and his policy was a complete failure.

…when government attempts to solve our societal problems, it tends to create even more of them, often increasing the size and depth of the original problem. A perfect example of this is the federal War on Drugs.

Good job, Barr. Although I don’t support you, I do greatly respect you and your (new) views.

The ‘Spite’ Vote

Last week, Clinton finally conceded the Democratic nomination to Obama after a grueling primary season. She proved to be a tenacious and somewhat ironic ‘comeback’ candidate who proved pundits and others wrong with her continued support and wins in the many latter primary states. But the math finally became obvious and the Clinton spin team ran out of gas. She unequivocally backed Obama in her concession speech on Saturday; a speech which left critics wondering, had the same content and tone been used throughout the primary season, she might have built her base with more support to clinch the nomination.

Her speech was meant to unify the badly bruised and seemingly divided Democratic party. Some supporters immediately backed Obama, others did so reluctantly. But a few others decided that instead of not voting at all, they would back John McCain. The same McCain that promotes policies counter to those of Clinton (and Obama, since they nearly have the same policies sans healthcare). The same McCain who, at least in this Senate, has one of the most conservative voting records. To me that makes absolute zero sense. That tells me that those ardent Clinton supporters were not really supporting her for her policies. It’s fine that they won’t vote for Obama but when you go a complete 180 and support someone who is the complete opposite, that is just ludicrous.

The Co-Chairs of University of Iowa Students for Hillary also released a memo today indicating that they would vote for McCain. They advocated the rest of the group’s members to do the same:

We do not agree with him [McCain] on everything, and this is why we urge you to strongly support Democrats up for re-election to congress. He served our country, he is right on immigration, right on global warming, and he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have banned Marriage Equality.

I guess since they agree on these three issues, that makes him a good alternative to Hillary. Interesting deduction, people.

Learn to Love High Gas Prices

In a previous post, I advocated increasing taxes on gasoline to wean our country off oil and start spurring up interest in public transportation or alternative sources of energy. At the time, Hillary Clinton and John McCain were pushing for their own (failed) gas tax holiday plan. Most economists and policy wonks (as well as any person who possesses logic) thought it was a joke. Nonetheless, it seemed that calling for a higher gas tax would incense Americans who are already struggling with higher food costs. But as gas prices are on the rise, more and more people are recognizing the need for higher gas prices.
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