Looks Like a Fog Won't Clear

November 12, 2012:  The Legalization of Marijuana

Along with the re-election of President Obama, Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 last Tuesday, making Colorado the first state to legalize marijuana for the recreational use for adults.  How will this course of action play out?  Will it be a positive experience?  Will it allow other states to follow in its footsteps?

According to CNN, “legalization could save U.S. taxpayers the $10 billion spent each year on enforcing marijuana prohibition, and eliminate the criminal cases against more than 750,00 people arrested per year for possession.”  These benefits really could make a difference-imagine if all the states passed this law and saved $10 billion!  Plus, with fewer criminal cases involved with the possession of marijuana, more serious cases can be given more time and have more available resources to be dealt with.

Since many people still dealt with marijuana behind closed doors without it being legal (reminiscent of the times of Prohibition), Amendment 64 may only make easier what has already been done.  Citizens of Colorado can now enjoy the drug sans the sketchy deals and threat of the law.  However, with its nontoxic nature and the fact that it cannot cause death by overdose, marijuana won’t be overly dangerous, and as stated above, more than just its users will benefit from the amendment.

Although it seems to be a dramatic change, I don’t feel that Amendment 64 will really alter that much in the country.  I find it highly unlikely that every citizen of age in Colorado will suddenly jump on the opportunity to use marijuana legally.  Instead, the amendment probably will only allow those who used the drug in secret to now use it freely.  Maybe the rest of the country should follow suit and allow the concealment of marijuana to disappear...

Note: I am in no way advocating the use of drugs.

Re-election Provides Many Reactions

November 11, 2012: Political Reactions to the Re-election of President Obama

The news is in!  President Barack Obama has been re-elected for his second term!  Although a close (or maybe not so close? check out http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/ for those election forecasts) race, Obama earned 303 electoral votes in comparison to Mitt Romney's 206, leading to his victory.

In a country with varied views on practically every issue, there have been a multitude of reactions to Obama's re-election.  With my curiosity, I came across this article from ABC news.  Here, they provide a range of statements from political figures.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Mitt Romney:  As the other presidential candidate, it was obvious that a statement was needed from Mitt Romney.  In this article, he gives the typical congratulations to Obama.  I can't help but wonder what he really feels beneath those words.  He must be extremely disappointed, but I'm happy to see that he does not abandon respect and class simply because he lost and must no longer campaign.

Sarah Palin:  Although Palin does not outright speak about Obama or Romney, her disapproval of Obama's re-election is evident in her words.  Her main concern is the economy, insinuating that Obama will only bring more debt.  Maybe Obama really hasn't helped the economy in the past four years, but he is not the sole cause.  I sense Palin feels some bitterness over the results...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:  McConnell says a line I could not express better: "The voters have not endorsed the failures or excesses of the president's first term, they have simply given him more time to finish the job they asked him to do together with a Congress that restored balance to Washington after two years of one-party control."  In the debates leading up to the election, many citizens argued that Obama had not done what he promised during his presidency.  However, now he has more time to continue his efforts in bettering the country.  Being president is not a simple task, and McConnell can easily realize this.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell:  McDonnell speaks another few of my favorite words of the article: "And we are bound together by something far more important than politics and policy: we are Americans, and this is a great country. The campaign is now over. It is time for us to heal and face our tremendous challenges. We will only be able to surmount those challenges by working together."  The election is now over, and there are many issues to be addressed.  If anything is to get done to improve this country, political leaders must come together and work as partners.  McDonnell, like many other politicians, does not always agree with the President and Vice President, but he understands that they must overcome their differences to work through the problems of the nation.  His words are extremely admirable.

No one knows for sure how the next four years will play out.  There may be great change, gradual change, or no change at all.  Despite the issues present in our country, citizens must unite and work with our re-elected president.  I raise my glass (of water) and wish the best of luck to President Obama.