tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post2902188533698518116..comments2024-03-27T08:40:31.785-06:00Comments on Clayton Cramer.: Whitney HoustonClayton Cramerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03258083387204776812noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-68139722173748853632012-02-13T17:48:02.330-07:002012-02-13T17:48:02.330-07:00A commenter made that "remove them from the g...A commenter made that "remove them from the gene pool" argument here a week or two ago. It is not the most common argument made for legalization, but it is a profoundly mean approach.Clayton Cramerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03258083387204776812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-85647354519408350132012-02-13T17:32:00.253-07:002012-02-13T17:32:00.253-07:00I'm actually annoyed by "removing them fr...I'm actually annoyed by "removing them from the gene pool" arguments, too.<br /><br />Indeed, it annoys me when I hear someone talk about how society is much better off when a criminal is shot and killed via righteous self-defense. Where others see a "low-life", I mourn the loss of life of someone who should have turned his life around before it came to this; and I also mourn for the person who had to shoot him, who will likely have nightmares of their own to deal with.<br /><br />(I'm also in favor of drug legalization...at least, I will be, once we figure out how to dismantle the welfare state.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-47220557155031616782012-02-13T11:32:02.707-07:002012-02-13T11:32:02.707-07:00I'm with Clayton on the latter part; the "...I'm with Clayton on the latter part; the "removing from the gene pool" thing is both inaccurate [as demonstrably any number of people manage to reproduce BEFORE dying of crack abuse or whatnot] and a poor basis for policy.<br /><br />(I'm against, in that I think prohibition - just as with alcohol - does more harm than good and is essentially illiberal.<br /><br />It's not clear to me that the war on drugs works even on the margins; crack, meth, and heroin are all "popular" among the very poor more than among rock stars.<br /><br />Since people are using meth anyway, despite our best efforts to stop them for years on end and with massive use of paramilitary police power, I'd rather just make it legal and have my sudafed over the counter again, thank you.<br /><br />Millions of innocent Americans are being punished with ineffective cold relief, to <i>not</i> stop people doing methamphetamines.)Sigivaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16152366541957466049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-4390142352377670622012-02-13T10:06:58.321-07:002012-02-13T10:06:58.321-07:00Are you sure that "removing them from the gen...Are you sure that "removing them from the gene pool" argument is made all that often? Usually, the argument is the "cost and benefit" sort.<br /><br />In any case, you can refute the argument more easily by just noting that, in most cases, as in this one, the victim is passed child-bearing age anyway.asdfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270615751004712276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-50177851780250827232012-02-12T21:38:57.597-07:002012-02-12T21:38:57.597-07:00I agree that having some drugs illegal didn't ...I agree that having some drugs illegal didn't save Whitney Houston (assuming, as it very possible, that this was an illegal drug problem). But a law only has to work at the margins to be productive, and fabulously rich rock stars are not likely to be one of the marginal cases. <br /><br />It is certainly true that the net loss from drug laws can be greater than net gain. But I get a little annoyed by "removing them from the gene pool" arguments. It is perilously close to Scrooge's remarks about "excess population."Clayton Cramerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03258083387204776812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-3612819479988902222012-02-12T21:27:28.278-07:002012-02-12T21:27:28.278-07:00The "War on Drugs" is incompatible with ...The "War on Drugs" is incompatible with freedom and limited government; in addition it doesn't work.<br /><br />The reason our rights are being trampled every day is that too many people look at events like this and want to save these tragically flawed people from themselves.<br /><br />It didn't work, and we lost our freedom in the bargain.marinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03435598676103731157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-79073402002291527382012-02-12T12:26:37.249-07:002012-02-12T12:26:37.249-07:00No one is saying that legalization will stop self-...No one is saying that legalization will stop self-destruction and yet prohibition, which enriches some very bad people and corrupts government, didn't save her from herself either.RShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06584323173315846013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2807403883562053852.post-20790724500486059732012-02-12T10:54:27.274-07:002012-02-12T10:54:27.274-07:00Maybe legalization will not stop these tragedies, ...Maybe legalization will not stop these tragedies, but one thing is absolutely sure - prohibition failed too, certainly to stop this one, or any of the others that occur every day. Prohibition has failed every time it gas been tried. Time to try something else.Michael Gershhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084067399523056270noreply@blogger.com