If a majority of us believe in decriminalization why are the drug laws still what they are?

So we can have a balanced and fair society; where enough care and compassion are given to the least able among us to allow them to join and participate in its creation.

Patrick; those that you speak of have intellect, not intelligence. If they were truly intelligent they would know that the greatest profits are made in the freest societies. All are enriched body, mind and soul.

We must be particularly vigilant when those who would be our leaders masquerade as mistake-proof and error-free; when they only seek to subvert and defile the very foundations that originally gave us freedom.

"...It is not a free market system, it is a rigged game." Elizabeth Warren; The Daily Show, April 26, 2011.

Why is this shocking? Capitalism is the best system in the world if the playing field is level. Unfortunately those that are in control have abused the system to the point of collapse. Check out what Elizabeth Warren has to say: "...It is not free enterprise...It is a rigged game..." ; the Daily Show, April 27, 2011. The problem is the revenue agencies are picking on the wrong people. Let the IBMs', the Microsofts' and IKEAs' of the world go under the microscope. They get away with murder while the small businessman is, once again, expected to pay the bill.

After Reagen, Thatcher and Mulroney hollowed out the center of Western Civilization and convinced the voters that they would be taken care of by some voodoo economics; there was nothing left except to put our hands in each others pockets. Yes, someone has to pay the bill. Yes, it's the corporations: Those ones that are profiting the most from our wage/slave system.

J. Carlton, don't you understand that the 'dumbing-down' of the education system is all part of the plan that started with the Evil Triumvirate (Regean, Mulroney and Thatcher)? As the taxes on the wealthy are decreased and the middle class is hollowed-out - even eliminated; there is no money left for health care or education - they are under attack, they must be cut. Just another step to the move to making Canada/ US and A/Mexico into a system of total plutocracy - and eventually dictatorship. Big Brother is really hitting home now.

and four stars to the comments.

The greatest Prime Minister in Canadian history put it this way: "The government has no place in the Nation's bedrooms." Canadian law makers need to learn and practise the Spooner quote as well.

Wow. I guess the opression that occurred during the Reagan/Bush years was so well packaged that no one noticed until the criminals had escaped. The crisis came and then you wanted change. Wow.

So set them free. Abolish the Federal Reserve; go back to the gold standard and enact laws that will imprison those that would seek to enslave a nation. Of course this would mean putting huge limitations on corporations. Gee what would happen then? There would be a short term of suffering, but if it was done right the playing field would be levelled and all could participate in capitalism at its best and all that it has promised.

How ironic that this should appear along with a quote from Reagan. Obama is a bush-league liar compared to Reagan.

Ronald Reagan was the conduit for the architects of the destruction of Democracy and Capitalism and (eventually) Western Civilization. I hope there is a special place in hell for him and his ilk.

This gives us deep insight into the core of the crusade by the ruling class in the US and A to turn their republic into a dictatorship. The establishment of the Federal Reserve was the first step. Steps towards this languished during some periods and given its ebb and flow dependent on the nation's barometer at the time. But never did it make greater strides during the Reagan/Bush years. The final nail in democracy's coffin came with George W. Now there's just a few loose ends to tie up. Obama has been ham-strung to the point of appearing as a lame-duck do-nothing president. The need of immediate magic-bullet solutions will not allow him to perform the repairs desperately needed to heal that fractured and wounded nation.

Thank you J. Carlton; but the egregious actions of Regan, Mulroney and both Bush Sr. and Jr. far outstrip any recent acts of Mr. Harper. He is only completing the actions that the Triumvirate of Evil (Regan, Mulroney and Thatcher) set in motion thirty years ago. I'm a little surprised that you're against this unification and the ipso facto establishment of the conservative dictatorship of our world. I thought this would be something you would be cheering.

I love Deming because I work in Quality. It's so sad that the US and A rejected Deming and Germany and Japan embraced it after WWII. There is your failure, and ours too. As Canadians we followed your pathetic lead to inevitable failure. Now look who is suffering. "When our duty to our selves overcomes our duty to our state; we lead our country on a short route to chaos." Sir Thomas Moore

This quote speaks diectly to a burning issue in our Provincial (read "State" for you US & As) Government. Our leaders have promised tranparency, but are delivering somethig radically different. As a result our liberty is in peril.

Wow, I love this. Dubya emulating Hitler and fulfilling Truman's warning. I still can't believe people voted for this guy. A grade-schooler could connect these dots.

Do you think for one moment that this was Obama'a idea? The process of turning the US and A, and by extension Canada, into a dictatorship started before Obama was out of grade school. Any loss of civil liberties, rights and freedoms in the last thirity years have been through actions taken by Republican/Conservative governments. Obama's just a puppet on ths one. McCain would have done the same thing.

Dr. Reed, for all his supposed intelligence, paints the Eastern Bloc economies with that tiered old moniker of "Socialism" just to keep that boogie man going. The reality is that these countries hadn't had real Socialism for years. They had deteriorated into a military controlled plutocracy. It's very similar to what is causing the collapse of Capitalism. The exception is that ours is corporate controlled. The result is the same.

I love the way yo'hall can quote and Cling - Quote the idea of the constitution? I just watched the "Last of the Mohichans" Do you want to know why there is freedom in north amereica and it has fuck-all to do with your blessed constiution? Well up yours. Because my gggreat grand father and his ggggggradfather gave their lives for your fucking country, And what do we get in Canada? A kick in the ass and "go ta war ya bastards and clean up our shit" Well we did liberate Holland, and the Dutch every November 11,

Here in Canada we have 35% to 40% long-gun owners. I can show you pictures and accreted facts of black bears and grisly bears coming on peoples property; I'm sorry at this point I need a gun, Not a fag gun like a .22 but a real gun like a .30-06 or a .303; something's that going to kill these if they are going to start coming at me; you wanna fuck around with bears like in the Toyota ad; go ahead. His next step is your liver; he's not hugging you; he;s assessing.This is an animal that will kill you in 3/10 s of a second. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? THESE ARE NOT PLAYMATES. THESE ARE DANGEROUS WILD ANIMALS!

There is some merit to this tirade. One has to dissect the Republican (read Big C in Canada; J. Carlton) rhetoric from what history has actually demonstrated. Clearly licensing and taxation is a no-brainer but control over public utilities (water, electrical, garbage collection, etc.) has to remain in a publicly controlled forum. The deregulation of these in our province has been an absolute disaster. J. Carlton will back me on this. Latest were the electrical utilities that now operate in collusion to the point where we haven't built a new major power plant since 1980. Our infrastructure is falling apart and now that the corporations are in control there is no hope of bringing new producers into the grid because they won't build new infrastructure to support new production. So our electrical costs are some of the highest in North America and will stay that way until we take our utilities back.

The free enterprise system is the best that was ever invented;as long as it's free and available to all,