BARRY MCCAFFREY

Alcohol will never be considered the insidious and addicting drug it is by
the Washington crowd. Too many pockets are being filled by the beverage
industry, including the Treasury, which is enhanced greatly from the taxes
imposed on alcoholic products. I have always maintained that if our
government controlled the legal sale of marijuana, charging $1 tax per
joint, our budget problems would be over. Big business has a lot of clout
in America. If Coke was still made with cocaine, it would be sold legally,
probably with an added federal tax, and McCaffrey would be job hunting.

Richard A. Poedtke
Vista