USA WAR ON DRUGS

[Ferre]

I have to agree with you Tom, politix can be changed by the people IN IT!! It's such a pitty politicians don't want to "get out of the closet" (or how ya say that) and be honest about their own drugs consumption,..they are no differend then us in their habits,.....just more hypocrite about it!

(xcuus my English folks, I'm Dutch, hope ya understand what I mean here)

[Gruntus]

I agree with most of what Urbanhog and just about the rest of you have to say on this subject. Let the USA sort out their own mess - this was a view I held VERY stronly upon returning from my last trip to that country and nothing has changed it.

 

Yes, we should vote (why not set up a poll on these boards to see how many actually did last election ?) and I'm happy to say I went Green for the first time because of their stance on many issues, cannabis included. Mostly I believe that this country needs moral leadership first, economic and other issues secondly and they felt like the party most likely ..

 

Finally, it is everyone's responsibility to advocate for change in their lives. I feel like a one man campaign for cannabis in Adelaide because I know NO ONE else who smokes (who said it was a social drug ?). I mean, I'd like to share but nobody I socialise with is into it - or admits to it. Not only do I smoke openly at parties, pubs and parklands I'm happy to explain my choice to anybody who wants to know. Mostly I just feel like a social outcast though ..

[boe~pimp]

i see what your all saying, but on the subject of the greens, they're mj policy isn't bad at all, just a pitty all their others are fucked up, if they were in control you wouldn't be able to pull a fucking tree uprooting through your loungeroom floor, i once believed in a medium of control, but theres no such thing, it's either one extreme or another, however i still do believe in the vote, as in-effective as it is.

~Boe~

[!#gr33nh0rn3t420#!]

Being from the US and having family in Australia,I see both sides of this debate. First, though, I have to make an effort to dispel the myth that all Yanks are smelly and fat. Just because our politicians that you see on TV get to make millions of dollars by sitting on their asses all day doesn't mean the majority of us don't bust our asses just to make ends meet.

 

Next, the George Bush subject. As much as people critisize him and say he's some big power monger, would people rather we have a Slick Willie(Bill Clinton) type of president who just sits around with his thumb up his ass when terrorists attack the US and their allied nations. I personnally think Bush is doing this job a hell of a lot better than most people could. Do you think it's easy to handle terrorism, corporate scandals, international relations, a stock market crash, and do the every day things he has to do to keep this country running? I know I wouldn't want to have to be the one responsible for all of that stuff. The US is always put in a catch 22 in situations like this. We're critisized if the government helps other countries by people saying that we're running around trying to police the world, and we're critisized if the government doesn't do anything by people saying that we're a bunch of greedy, fat, pigs that don't want to use the money out of their big fat wallets to help anyone. I'm not saying our government doesn't stick it's nose in where it doesn't belong from time to time, but the good majority of the time when it does it's with the intention of making this world a better place.

 

Now finally to adress the subject of the "War on Drugs."

I think this is one area where the laws in the US need some serious revision.It's easier for a person to find some weed in US cities by far than it is for a person under 18 to buy a pack of cigarettes.I would say at least 80% of people in this country have at least tried bud once, and about 30% toke up every chance they get.Then you have the 20% that probably would toke up every chance they got, but their employer drug tests them on a regular basis. I don't see a problem with crack, heroin, and junk like that being illegal in the US, but other than making you a little bit lazy, weed doesn't have any real negative side effects.I also don't think the US has any right to tell other countries that they can't grow/sell drugs.If the US government doesn't like drugs in the country, they should put more patrols on our borders, not try to regulate things around the world.About half of the people incarcerated in our jails are in for possesion charges ,and all of the money it takes to feed, clothe, and bathe those people comes out of the pockets of the hard working American, not the fat government employee who doesn't have to pay taxes.LEGALIZE IT!!!

[notgail]

We are now one of the lowest taxed developed nations and can no longer defend ourselves, provide free education to our kids or care for our sick in the way they deserveGreen Finned Demon -

 

Sorry Green Finned Demon but need to clear this up about Lowest Taxed developed nation?? - This show aired on TodayTonight last week - Lucky Country? I love Aust and will always feel lucky to have been born here - but our pollies have been using this term to Suck us all in AND rip us off - especially since GST and our so called lowering of income taxes. We are one of the Highest taxed nations and what are our representatives doing with our money? Having lived in Canberra for 5 years I could tell you more than a few true stories about waste. This is a myth about being among lowest taxed and simply not true. We pay a high price tag every time we pull out our wallet. We certainly don't need to raise ours taxes even more. Please! 0.60c in the dollar? What we going to use to buy food.

Below is part of story that aired on Today Tonight.

 

"The Government says they're cracking down on high rollers but their tax rate is just five cents more in the dollar than a worker on $50,000.

 

You could earn $1 million a year and still only pay 47 cents in the dollar.

 

Aussie Home Loans CEO, John Symond, believes our high tax rate only encourages tax evaders and Australia boasts more than its fair share.

 

In the past year more than 20 of our wealthiest taxpayers were caught dodging tax to the tune of nearly $1 billion.

 

"There's an element there who will do it illegally and that's no good because it means you and I are paying more tax - the honest workers out there," Mr Symond said.

 

Millionaire entrepreneur Gerry Harvey says no matter how much you earn, we have one of the highest tax rates in the world.

 

"The problem is the government gets so much in tax and the government runs itself so badly," he said.

 

"A lot pay a lot less and especially in income tax we are quite high, at 50 cents in the dollar."

 

So how do we compare to other countries?

 

Based on the highest tax bracket Australia is a shocker.

 

If you earn $60,000 here you are taxed at a rate of 47 per cent.

In Hong Kong you'll pay just 17 per cent to the tax man on a salary of more than $24,000.

The top rate in Singapore is 26 per cent but only if you earn more than $40,000.

In the US the top tax rate is 38.6 per cent once you earn $500,000 or more.

In the UK it's 40 per cent for those who earn $80,000 or more.

Peter McDonald, national director of the Australian Taxpayers' Association, says it's a war on taxpayers and even low-income workers are being attacked.

 

If you earn the average wage of $47,000 the government still wants your money - to the tune of almost $14,000.

 

"The last three years of tax reform have really all been about raising more revenue from Australian citizens and delivering it into the government coffers," he said.

 

"The tax system certainly treats everybody as a cash cow. Our tax rates are such - and the way our system is designed is such - that everybody is being forced into higher and higher tax brackets all the time." "

 

Quote from show 18/11/02 TodayTonight Taxing Times

[boulder]

A standing ovation for notgail.

 

Most Australians dont seem to care that we are one of the highest taxed nations in the world + one of the highest governed nations.

I have just paid my car insurance, one column = stamp duty and the next has GST, a little bit of double dipping or more commonly known as legal Theft.

By the time the Federal Government, State Government and Local Government are through relieving you of your hard earned salary the taxes amount to more than 47%. Sorry folks i've had a bad day at the office.

[pipeman]

i agree, us australians are taxed relatively high compared with the rest of the world. What is even worse is that in the US interest on your personal home loan is tax deductable!

[notgail]

Thanks Boulder - don't worry about having a bad day - every time I think about the bullshit we are fed by pollies to cover they're "fat" arses, I get hot and WHY shouldn't we. Trouble is what can we do about it. Get rid of one greedy and in steps another.

[dexo]

how bout we have a "fat barsted billionare tax" where we tax packer 90% of his quarterly coporate earnings. thats sure to give the government alot more spare change!

 

other taxes considered were: the midget gimp PM tax, the gold-digging phillipino hooker tax, the ex-patriot i make millions abroad tax, the corrupt cops tax, the kiwis on the dole tax... thou none of theise could = fat barsted billionare tax

[garywmeyerhoff]

Yes, the War on Drugs is coming from the United States of America, but it is having a major impact all over the world.

 

Australia is implementing many of the policies of the US Government. Our federal government is under constant pressure from the US government to be "tough on drugs" A perfect example of this is the heroin trial in canberra. The ACT govt wanted to establish this, but one fone call from the yankees to John Howard and it was off.

 

The war on drugs is alive and well in Australia -

 

Sniffer dogs in NSW, and I mean everywhere.....

 

Drug House laws in the Northern Territory....

 

Asset confiscation laws in most states and territories of Australia... yes, they can take our houses, boats and cars too....

 

Forced drug treatment (drug courts)......

 

Needle/Programs closing down and not being replaced....

 

and we are starting to incarcerate more people than ever before... plus we have private prisons, just like the yankees....

 

and we have a right wing looney as our Drug Czar.....Brian Watters

 

and the fed government has introduced legislation last week to remove "addiction" from the disability discrimination act

 

and if you are not aware, the federal Government has rewritten australia's drug policy and have removed any reference to harm reduction.

 

they have done the same with the 4th national hep c strategy - removed all reference to harm reduction.

 

our federal government drug policy was harm minimisation - this means

 

1. Supply reduction (90% of money spent by government) - police, customs etc

 

2. Demand reduction (9% of money) - treatment, education etc

 

3. Harm reduction (1%) of money - working with users to reduce the harm associated with their drug use (although as far as I am concerned, we should be working to reduce the harm caused by the drug laws)

 

now the federal government has a new term, they got from the swedish

 

Harm prevention

 

this also has three limbs

 

1. Eradication of drug use from society

 

2. Get the people who are on drugs, off drugs

 

3. And make sure no new people start using drugs

 

so, we are up shit creek without a paddle, and now is the time for us to organise against this.

 

and they are not really distinguishing between "soft" and "hard" drugs anymore, even though this is a bunch of bullshit anyway.... in my opinion, alcohol and tobacco are the hard drugs and gunja, heroin, wiz etc are the soft ones. I've seen more harm from alcohol than any other drug, and I have seen more people die from tobacco than any other drug.

 

all over australia, they are running the line that "the gunja of today is stronger than it was 20 years ago".... They are also saying that aboriginal people can't handle their cannabis... I heard this direct from the mouth of Major Brian Watters in 2000. In the NT they are running hard on this argument.

 

we talk about softening cannabis laws... to me this is bullshit, and not the end goal...

 

if they decriminalise cannabis, which they have around the place:

 

they can still kick your door down with a drug warrant,

 

they can still take your assets,

 

they can still take your kids off you... etc etc etc

 

there really is no change except it takes the pressure off the government to actually reform all drug laws substantially, like repealing the various misuse of drugs acts for a start.

 

I believe that cannabis users and users of other illicit drugs need to work together.... why?

 

because most people who use other illicit drugs also use cannabis

 

because we are all effected by the same laws

 

because we are stronger united than working apart

 

and because, if you support prohibition of other drugs, you are condemning hundreds of thousands of people to a life of misery. You may not like it, but lots of people are using drugs other than gunja, the UN just reported that Australia has the second highest rate of stimulant use in the world.

 

We also need to be aware what is happening around the world... drug users are in the same boat all over the world, and we are all feeling the impact of the USA breathing down our government's necks.

 

Look at what has happened in Thailand this year, 3000 users murdered, in the same year that the USA, Australia and Thailand set up a joint police anti drug facility in Northern Thailand.

 

Users around the world need to unite and support eachother. We need coordinated campaigns against US drug policy and active campaigns at our local levels.

 

And remember, the war on drugs doesn't just effect drug users, it effects colombian coca farmers, communities in asia that have been growing opium for years and years, and the familes of the users whose lives are shattered by govt policy.

 

I have raved on a bit here, but basically, these are a few issues that we need to discuss, but we can't leave the action too late.

 

The US war on drugs is our business! :angry:

 

And.. the most important point.. the war on drugs is a class war and a race war.

Edited December 6, 2003 by garywmeyerhoff