LEGALIZE DRUGS, ELIMINATE PROFIT MOTIVE

Tax is not a four letter word.

Taxing is a responsible way to support programs that benefit society.
People who complain about taxes should identify the government
services that should not be supported.

Not all tax dollars are spent responsibly. There needs to be an
intense focus on priorities of government to help identify those
areas where government programs can be eliminated without losing
essential services.

The war on drugs is a prime example of wasted taxpayer money.

President Lyndon Johnson's war on drugs redirected responsibility
from individuals to the government and enabled the drug lords as
surely as Prohibition enabled the mafia. The results are not happy.

We have filled our prisons, increased the size and cost of
government, and created an underground drug culture that funds terrorists.

Treat drug addiction as a health issue. Legalize and tax drugs as we
legalize and tax alcohol and tobacco. The taxes on drugs can help
fund health care. Making drugs legal eliminates the profit motive.
Get the bad guys on tax evasion, and let the ordinary citizen engage
in life as he or she chooses.

SUSAN MCRAE, Olympia