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June 13, 2007
The Topics Server - The economics of immigration and drugs as a public health issue
Last week, I wrote about wanting to see an increase in public discourse. The old-fashioned town square, complete with a town hall (which may or may not double as a Unitarian/Congregationalist church) might still be a part of life in colonist-designed New England, but the advent of air conditioning, shopping malls and television have done away with the concept in the rest of the country. There are places to do this, however. City-wise, we have the convenience of Miller Plaza, which is complete with a covered pavilion in case of inclement weather. But there are recreation centers and other public spaces where these conversations can and should take place on an even smaller scale.
I rather doubt it, but in the event you need some topics to get you started, I’ll serve.
PEOPLE, THEY’RE JUST SHOWING UP FOR WORK
Is your bore-ometer reading elevated due to the soggy arguments about immigration being slung over the airwaves? Big yawns abound among regular folk, even if shrill ultra-nationalists dominate the talk radio and, on the other side, even when so-called militant migrants congregate in the streets of L.A. Around here, as well as across most of the land (excepting the capital city), immigration (legal or otherwise) just doesn’t seem to bother us that much.
I remember writing that 2006, due to mid-term elections, would be the host year of the immigration issue — and I was wrong. This year, the subject was taken up again; but we seem to be nearing the point where ennui, like its cousin entropy, takes over. It’s fine, really, as most of us simply don’t give a taco. Those of us on either side of the (ahem) fence just need to cull our respective herds of their fringe elements. The ones making the most noise about illegal immigration overlap in large part with those who find legal immigrants — that is, from Latin America or Africa, but Europe, not so much — distasteful. That rather weakens their standing, no matter how loud their squawking. (And yes, it’s louder than the chickens some were complaining about last year.) And just as those anti-war demonstrations that I’d almost sign up for preclude me due to their communist backers, some of the pro-immigrant forces represent a radicalism in which average folk decline to take part.
Immigration’s economic angle is the only one worth following, and it seems to be charting its own course regardless of the pretense of zeal perpetrated by either side in the media.
VICE PRINCIPLE
The multibillion-dollar federal program known as the “War on Drugs” wastes huge amounts of our money, but that’s not its worst feature. Turns out, it’s kind of hard to wage war on anything but people, so guess what’s happened? From farmers poisoned by aerial spraying to inmates being hardened into lifetime criminals after being convicted only for non-violent offenses, we are expending more resources aimed toward these destructive ends than it would ever cost to simply treat addicts. Instead of so futilely trying to squelch their supply (never) and jailing the junkies (where they can get it anyway), let’s approach this as a public health issue. And if you like the idea that neither tobacco nor alcohol can be sold to minors, then think about the children, and take the drugs away from lawless pushers.
Likewise, a local attorney recently caused a fuss by stating his position that prostitution stings aren’t the best use of police officers’ time. While his detractors have a point regarding pimps and drugs and neighborhoods, I counter that finally facing the music and making prostitution legal would turn a dangerous, disease-ridden act of desperation into a safe, however societally undesirable, act of authorized commerce. Make it really restricted, zoning-wise, but legal, so that it doesn’t pervade and degrade our residential areas. You think we can solve budget problems by taxing cigarettes; why not try brothels? People might quit smoking, but, unless I’ve grossly miscalculated, people will not quit — well, you know.
(This entry is cross-posted from the Pulse, June 13, 2007.)
Pulsations | By joe lance | 10:26 AM