Would Detroit be a thriving city if:
– We didn’t have a federal government that artificially inflates the price if drugs making it an easy and attractive way to make money in poor areas?
– We didn’t have to staff and fund law enforcement efforts at this size and scale to combat drugs?
– We didn’t have to incarcerate nonviolent offenders that cost taxpayers $25k to $50k a year?
– We didn’t see the violent destruction of families, neighborhoods and lives for nonviolent criminal offenses?
– The drug trade weren’t the only viable economic means in depressed neighborhoods because of the cycle created by violence over our war on drugs?
– Neighborhoods were still thriving with actual stores, businesses and jobs, and property tax payers instead of residents fleeing the city due to the drug trade?
– Didn’t have those suits filed for abuses by police officers, which some estimate are significant enough that it would have helped close their deficit year after year?
– We realized that the same principles in alcohol prohibition work with other drugs? Economic empires are built by people in depressed economic areas in the shadows, which allows them to protect their power by terrorizing those not engaged in the criminal activity and those lower in the “command structure?”
– What if most of the people trapped in this cycle are good people, and just want a chance to succeed, but saw no other options? And it is the option provided by bad policy because we keep electing the same short-sided politicians?
– We realized that certain industries profit off of this entire immoral system, and they buy off politicians to keep it in place?
– We realized that drug use is a disease that needs treated, and that when we are told the behavior is criminal is actually just propaganda by interested parties that want you to obey and not make changes that will endanger their bottom line?
– If you actually cared about all of the things your federal, state, and local tax money, and what’s being done in your name?
– We all made different choices at the ballot box instead of the same choice?
– We stopped trying to blame the “free market” or the “liberal politicians” for political gain, and actually fixed the problem?
