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Hey there John
thanks for returning the mail, I'm embarrassed to say it but I have yet to vote. stoners don't get to the voting booths as often as they would like unfortunately. " awwww damn I thought it was super thursday!" Do you recommend signing the letters????? what kind of repercussions might be headed my way if I do? HippieHippie,
Stoners not voting and keeping quiet is what has brought us to this sad state of affairs we now live in. We must make a stand before the government locks us all up. Many drugs penalties have been made into felonies in the past decade, which means, upon conviction you lose you right to vote. That is how they keep us out of the loop. As for signing letters I actually wouldn't expect any repercussions, but a letter with a signature holds greater esteem to politicians, because when they support your issue they ask for money. The truth being you can expect anything from people in power, the wrong word and your letter goes into a FBI or DEA file, as for hunting you down it is possible but not likely. the best response is to make sure that other people in your area write also, lots of letters, get more attention, and do not forget your local newspapers, while most will not print anonymous letters if they receive several it could lead to a story so mention the web page too. Personally I have been doing the page and letter thing for over two years now with no repercussions at all, just a polite letter (auto respond) from the White House, because the president does not know about computers or e-mail (Scary huh) Myself, I plan to remain anonymous until someone outs me (I have left a trail) then I hope to hit the talk show circuit and bring this whole issue to a national focus, but in the mean time we are just ants working toward a common cause.
I understand that the current minimum wage is low and it would be very hard for someone to support a family on it but minimum wage is there for a starting point. Please explain how there would be a gain if minimum wage was increased to $10.00 / hr. $7.00 value meals would go up to $9.00...the cost of everything produced by minimum wage labor would go up so there would be no net gain. More money on a paycheck would merely end up being spent on the increased cost of goods. That's why it's important for people to have more than minimum skills and education. Educated people are having a hard time finding employment but their chances are better than those who drop out in the 9th grade and can't spell CAT if you spot them the "C" and the "T". Employers pay FUTA, SUTA, and W.C. premiums based upon "gross payroll" so increasing the minimum wage drives up their cost and ultimately ends up reducing the numbers of workers and requiring the remaining workers to "produce more" . Many people that rant against the profit businesses make don't understand the difference between "gross" and "net" profit... I do. I also think that CEO's who make 50 - 100 million a year could reduce their salaries to 25 million and use the money to pay better wages in many cases.
In business there has to be give and take on both sides by management and labor and over the past decade or two both have dug their heels in and only wanted to "take". I know this as I have over 15 years experience in employee placement in large manufacturing facilities. Once I got management to sit down with labor and each side to look at the realities of the numbers we were able to implement programs that resulted in better wages and in increased production and quality. It's not rocket science but it is very hard to get the two groups to come together and actually listen to each other.
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I could go off on a long radical rant, explaining why money isn't even real anymore,
Money is a medium for bartering, that is why sea shells shiny stones were the first monies.
John's take on money
As for our education system,
As far as 9th grade education and college grad's the difference has shrunk to say the least...
I proposed in 1995 that As part of education reform, scaling minimum wage to education level.
Well, here is where I'll start picking up labels. Our "system" tells us as kids that anyone can do anything and that rates right up there with the tooth fairy and Easter bunny. The truth is and always has been, that half the jobs out there don't pay a real living wage. These jobs usually don't require a college education and are usually filled by people who are working there way through college. Half these people work those same types of jobs the rest of their lives. The country is currently boasting 90% of kids going to college.
Why? so half of them can work minimum wage and spend their lives paying for an education that gave them nothing in return. I do say nothing. I have spent all of my life in an around college towns and the level of education has dropped to a pitiful low. "The people" had fits when kids were leaving grade school without being able to read or do simple math and then "the people" had fits when kids were graduating from High school without being able to read or do simple math.
Now we have people are graduating from college who can't read, make change for a dollar or even calculate taxes in their head. We have College grads who don't have the education that I had when I finished sixth grade. Is this what we deserve for $40,000 education? Those same grads are expecting $50,000 a year jobs for their worthless piece of paper. .. People are going $40,000 in debt before they start their adult life and end up having to work 2 or 3 jobs just to get by... Now instead of two income families we have four income families who still can't get by, and have no time to teach their children basic math and reading skills, the cycle continues and there is no end in sight.Looking at a different side of the story I don't often eat out anymore but recent travels have taken me back to the drive troughs. Ten times in a row at ten different restaurants I have ordered a cheeseburger plain. Just Cheese too simple?
All ten times the order was cooked wrong, Two of the ten times the recook was also made wrong. Twice I was given the wrong change, once she forgot to give me the change. Average visit. 12- 20 minutes for overcooked garbage food. People keep saying that people that stupid don't deserve any more money. I wholeheartedly agree, `fire the idiots and pay a decent wage", and perhaps someone who can understand English and count and actually do the job might apply.We have thrown enough money at trying to get people to be something they are not, I believe the earlier someone takes their station in life the happier they will be. Poverty is the natural downside, to the rich getting richer. Socialism is the answer to poverty, because if everybody is poor then we are all equal...
A current example of wage scaling would be (written in 1995 current inflation adjustment) For those without a high school education $6.00 per hour minimum For those with a high School education $7.50 per hour minimum For those with community college (2 years) or vocational education training $10.00 per hour min For those with a full four year College education $8.00 per hour minimum Masters $12.00 Doctorate $15.00This would make those doing the hiring more likely to hire to match the training needed for a specific job. As far as opportunity and getting rich, there are two kinds of money, old money that comes from your parents and new money that comes from hard work and fresh ideas. There is no direct correlation of education to financial status. This campaign I have proposed the most radical Rule... The goodwill bill, in which the government recognizes that people has intrinsic values...
But the simplest statement to affect reality is that companies can raise their prices, people can't. Inflation is a natural part of Capitalism, Only those who are cash fat are hurt by inflation ie: rich people. The lower class will always be spinning their wheels... Everything of any real value, will rise with inflation.
The net gain comes when every person has an equal chance to live, regardless of economic stature of their parents.
John,
I read the law story, as you must have heard by now the Supreme Court has ruled that traffic stops do not amount to reasonable cause for searching a vehicle, Free speech exercise also does not constitute probable cause, I have refused searches in the past and if in my home town I will always refuse a search, I spent 45 minutes arguing with a cop on why I would not let him search about two years ago. I have been let go all times, except in South Carolina where I went through a ROADBLOCK and they strung out everything in my truck, I mean everything, refused to put anything back and ordered me to leave with my truck disheveled, Now I understand the value of cooperating with police but here in Jacksonville, If we cooperate with the cops who are violating federal and state law, we would not have any medical marijuana ballot initiatives. If you are arrested for not providing consent to a search, a good civil rights attorney will have a field day with the case. I would have refused the search in your case, I would have gotten out, locked the door, and rolled up the window and put the keys in my pocket. My lawyers are laying in wait for one of us to get arrested for doing that. Cannabis Action Network is 4-0 over the past 3 years in Federal court in Florida, fixing to be 5-0 and if Jax beach refuses us a permit we will sue them for violating last year's judgement against them.
The constitution says nothing about consenting to an unreasonable invasion of my privacy just to cooperate with laws enforcement. It does say that I am to be secure in my personal effects against searches unless there is probable cause to obtain a warrant. Let them get a warrant, they will look pretty stupid wasting their time for nothing, and when I sue them for an unreasonable search they will support our organization.
Scott Bledsoe
Cannabis Action Network
Scott,
You must realize by now, that I play all the games by my own rules. Both the cop involved knew that what was going on was not a traffic stop, just an effective tactic for keeping my from attending the rally that day and exercising my freedom of speech. I realized that I would be not be attending the rally as soon as the flashing lights came on. Attending the rally being my pressing objective at the point, I decided why not engage the officer in a little political debating? I had nothing to lose but time... As for allowing the search, I have noticed over the years the more willing you are to let them search the less intrusive the search is, and if they want to search they will make up a reason for doing so if they have to..
In making myself high profile, last year I realized that I would have many confrontations with officers in the upcoming days. My first rule is cooperate with who ever has the gun, you can only sue them if you are alive to do so. I decided that knowing the laws was most important Then I set out to let the officers know the I know the laws and my rights, while being polite beyond social reason, which has become a trademark for me. This gives them absolutely no reason to beat me up or arrest me. By maintaining this mind set, I hope to avoid pain and arrest. Now the truth is that an overzealous or crooked cop isn't going to care, how polite or how right I am, and beat or arrest me anyway... I've been there before, It will happen again. Then comes the lawsuit and I'll have a proven public record of being polite and cooperative, preserved on video tape and witnessed by hundreds of people. You see the truth is I like being around those more hard line activists, that yell at or get in the face of the police, because it makes me look moderate.. The radical becomes the voice of reason... Just my takeJohn,
You have some very interesting things to say. I was particularly impressed by your discourse on the value of money. Reality does seem to be based upon current beliefs. Have you considered that negatively charged thoughts and beliefs will express themselves in negative actions and a negative environment. Sehlis
Dear Sehlis,
You have your freedom what else could possibly matter. Negatively charged thoughts hmmm kind of like trying to figure out the difference between bad and good... after all its all relative. We need the negative to balance things out, all the good doesn't mean anything if you have nothing bad to compare it with.John,
I am a 29-year-old quadriplegic. I had a diving accident in 1985. I started smoking marijuana two years after my accident. It helped calm my muscle spasms, nausea, lack of appetite, stress, insomnia and, most important, controlled my chronic abdominal pain better than prescription narcotics. So many suffering Americans would benefit from the legalization of medical marijuana. I am not talking about using it for recreational. I also do not believe that it is a stepping stone to harder, more destructive drugs. If a licensed physician believes marijuana will help a patient better than other perception drugs with fewer side effects, then it should be an option. How can a plant that grows naturally out of the ground without having to be processed be perceived as bad or illegal? Should medical patients have to suffer because the average American is misinformed about marijuana's uses and real effects? It is time to ease people's suffering. I am just a college student trying to make the most of my life with what I have left. I should not have to suffer for the rest of my life because of an accident. This could happen to anyone at any time: mother, father, brother, sister, a child. Would you want to see a loved one suffer through chemotherapy treatments, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, paralysis or one of many other ailments that could be best alleviated through the legalized use of medical marijuana? Please be compassionate and understanding while considering this small letter from nobody special who suffers because medical marijuana is not available in Texas or most of the United States. Please show pity to the suffering.
