cannabisnews.com: The Anti-Democracy In D.C.





The Anti-Democracy In D.C.
Posted by FoM on October 16, 1999 at 19:01:55 PT
Opinion
Source: Chicago Tribune
Almost a year after they voted on whether marijuana should be legalized for medical use, District of Columbia residents finally were allowed last month to count the vote. Unfortunately, thanks to some members of Congress, the outcome--overwhelming approval--may not count for much.
The voters had to wait a year for the vote-count because Congress, exercising its constitutional authority to govern the district, voted not to allow it. It passed a measure written by Rep. Bob Barr (R--Ga.) that deprived the district of money to conduct the count. And that threw the results into limbo.A federal judge finally cleared the way for the vote-count, but that hasn't ended the controversy. Despite a 69 percent landslide in favor of legalization, the Republican-led Congress now has passed a spending bill that would prevent the District from implementing the measure. President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill, although a veto threatens to block the District's operating funds, too.That's how democracy works in the nation's capital, which is to say that it hardly works at all.Since District of Columbia residents can vote for only one non-voting delegate to the U.S. House, all of Congress' voting members are elected by and, therefore, accountable to voters who live somewhere else. The result is about what you would expect in a situation where the government rules without the consent of the governed.In matters affecting D.C. alone, the voters there ought to have the same right to register their views at the polls and have their votes counted that voters elsewhere in the nation have.On the issue of medical marijuana, D.C. is far from a pioneer. So far, six states--Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington--have passed measures similar to the one approved in D.C.Increasingly, voters are sending a loud and clear message of compassion and support for those who say marijuana relieves the pain of the terminally ill, calms the nausea of chemotherapy patients and reactivates the depressed appetites of AIDS patients.It is an affront to the spirit of democracy for Rep. Barr and those who vote with him to treat the District of Columbia as if it were some sort of colony and its people as vassals.A democratic nation cannot tolerate such anti-democratic behavior in its capital. If democracy is to mean anything in the nation's capital, Congress must butt out and let the decision of D.C. voters take effect.October 16, 1999Get Serious With D.C.'s Budget - 10/16/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3302.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by Bob on July 17, 2000 at 13:28:25 PT
"democracy"
Idiots.
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on October 17, 1999 at 14:00:09 PT
Invite this *arsenloch* to a hospice...
This is something I have had to deal with myself. I call it the IIB syndrome... Ignorance is Bliss. Hardly original, but certainly applicable here.No one likes to admit he's been had. The American people have been had for the last 62 years by a cabal of very wealthy industrialists, crooked politicians, and ambitious law enforcement entities who used public safety issues, fueled by ancient racial prejudices, to pass a law of extraordinary stupidity. Legislators certainly don't like to admit they've been had, as it is very damaging to one's possible future political ambitions to admit they're fallible. So, the politicians of today refuse any attempt to educate themselves on the benefits of cannabis based industries or cannabis as medicine. So long as they remain within the fold - or should I say 'pack' as they behave as pack animals do when it comes to matters like this - they feel safe. And able to give patently vapid answers like the one you received to their constituents, whom they deem equally vapid. Just the very act of questioning policy statements invites an attack by their fellow pac(k) mambers for having a lapse of faith. Thus, Ignorance - for them, anyway - is truly bliss. The end result is what we have, now... and the nation slides towards fascism.If these creeps were force-marched into a chemo ward and could witness the horrible suffering that their constituents undergo with each treatment, they might change their tune.
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Comment #1 posted by rainbow on October 17, 1999 at 09:44:40 PT:
gutknecht
I just received a letter from my representative (NOT) Gil Gutknecht. I asked him to vote against the Barr amendment.His reply"The Barr Amendment would prohibit the use of any funds in the D.C. appropriations bill to legalize or reduce the penalty for possesion, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the controlled substances Act. Schedule I controlled substances include such drugs as marijuana, cocaine and LSD.Weakenning our narcotics laws is no way to fight the war on drugs. To that end, I was pleased to see the Barr Amendment pass the House by a voice vote."If you see Gutknecht please encourage him to step in some quicksand.I will be writing a leeter to our local newspapers asking people to consider Mr. G as anything but American. He has demonstrated his disdain for the voting public.Rainbow
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