Democracy in Peril

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK

He's Back, and With All-New Material.

The nation's drug czar, John Walters, returned to Nevada last week,
talking down a renewed push to legalize up to one ounce of marijuana.
Even the draconian penalties for driving under the influence (of
anything) and selling marijuana to a minor aren't enough to get this
drug warrior's endorsement.

Instead, Nevadans were treated to the usual parade of lies: 60 percent
of the 7 million Americans who "need" drug treatment are dependent on
marijuana? How can this be, when it's never been proven that marijuana
is physically addictive? And aren't a good portion of those who "seek"
drug treatment forced to choose between a program and prison?

And we got an extra dose of fascism thrown in for free: Legalization,
Walters said, is "not an area for legitimate debate." Did someone tell
him he was a Russian czar instead of a federal bureaucrat?

This isn't the first time Walters has waged a campaign--with tax
dollars--against the citizens of a sovereign state. Back in
2002--after promising in a meeting with Review-Journal editors that he
wouldn't be campaigning--Walters came to town repeatedly to denounce
Question 9, which would have legalized up to three ounces of
marijuana. That measure failed 61 percent to 39 percent.

The fact is, the objections to legalization--and the lies that are
inevitably told about the drug--are easy to defeat. So why not welcome
Walters to the table?

Because he's using federal tax dollars to campaign, that's why. And
while the rest of the Bush administration stands against publicly
financed elections, Walters seems to have no problem going from state
to state and using the hard-earned money of legalization supporters to
work against their wishes.

If Walters wants to dip into his own pocket to hop a train to
Baltimore and catch a Southwest Airlines flight to Las Vegas, rent a
car and a hotel ballroom, call a news conference and screen Reefer
Madness, that's fine.

But if he wants to use the government's money--read, your money--to do
the same thing, that's not okay.

But don't look for it to stop. After the 2002 campaign, the
pro-Question 9 campaign asked Secretary of State Dean Heller to demand
an accounting of all the electoral advocacy Walters had been doing at
government expense. To his credit, Heller sent a letter to Walters,
asking him to account for his spending.

Walters responded by telling Heller to mind his own business, and a
subsequent attorney general's opinion said Walters doesn't have to
comply with state law.

And just last week, the General Accounting Office, the investigative
arm of Congress, told Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, that it wouldn't look
into the factual accuracy of the drug czar's campaigning, since he's
charged with fighting legalization. Apparently, by any means necessary.

All of which means Walters is free to use your tax money to lie to you
about a political issue in your state.

Just remember that the next time Walters starts talking about the
evils of marijuana.