Kitty Says Moo

In one of his recent TV ads, Senator Obama promises that if elected, he will “slow the development of future combat systems.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl32Y7wDVDs). Maybe he thinks having better weapons is, I don’t know, unfair?

And on the other side, Sen. Clinton promises if elected she will freeze all variable rate mortgages for 5 years, and allow the government to renegotiate the terms of other loans. That should certainly take care of this glut of home financing we’re seeing right now.

I just learned that William F. Buckley died today. Although usually referred to as a conservative, many of his views would be more properly described as libertarian. He did not share many of the socially conservative views of a Mike Huckabee, or an Ann Coulter. He was greatly opposed to the bipartisan “War on drugs”, for example.

And that got me thinking- none of the candidates have said a word about the “war on drugs.” Between elections this used to be a real hot-button issue among activists on the left- how so many people are rotting in jail for the possession of something that hurt no one but themselves, and something that should be a personal choice. Moreover, the prohibition on drugs has created much of the criminal enterprise surrounding it, by raising the price of drugs as well as the desperation of those who distribute them.

So you’d think that liberals and conservatives alike would be looking for an alternative to draconian punishments for drug use and sale, and yet every four years the debate gets very, very, quiet. None of the major contenders for the presidency is saying anything about changing the severe penalties that were enacted under Bill Clinton. The only sane voice I’ve read this year on drug laws is that of Ron Paul- and when Ron Paul is the sole sane voice in a debate, well, that’s a pretty scary thought in and of itself.