What’s a Govenator to do?
Schwarzenegger Offered One Billion Dollars
Currently, the state of California has a budget crisis. To try and balance the budget out, legislators are bickering over which social services should be cut. This isn’t fair. It isn’t even right. People need those social services. There is a hero in this story, however. Well, heroes is more like it. Many, many heroes! They call themselves Let Us Pay Taxes.
The Let Us Pay Taxes group has offered Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger one billion dollars to be put toward the budget crisis. The thing is; this money will be coming from a coalition of California marijuana growers and dealers. Whats the Terminator to do? Terminate the crisis with taxes that taxpayers would actually be willing to pay!
David Guard of StopTheDrugWar.org writes that regulation and taxation of marijuana could produce up to six billion dollars in additional tax revenue, according to economic studies linked from their web site LetUsPayTaxes.com. In addition, it could save up to ten billion dollars in enforcement costs. “That is a conservative estimate,” said Schaffer, spokesman for Let Us Pay Taxes. “By other estimates, the revenues could be five times that. The economists are with us all the way on this one. Marijuana prohibition is an economic disaster.”
Makes perfect sense. And, since the “governator” has a history of cannabis use, he shouldnt be a hypocrite and turn it down. This is legitimate business.
Let’s also throw in cocaine, ecstasy, and crystal meth. Also, if they would relax the smoking restrictions, you could collect more tobacco revenue too. Plus let’s legalize the sale of body organs. Why ban anything that will generate tax revenue?
#2
I say we should start taxing churches.
2. Yeah, because marijuana is just like crystal meth, right?
#3-Hear hear
I have often thought of forming my own church, just so I could say my house is church property and not have to pay taxes on it
#2 – Typical bullshit from the right. Either prohibit alcohol or legalize marijuana… Oh wait, alcohol prohibition failed… How’s marijuana prohibition going?
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Hey… I know its a weak platitude, but look at what I was answering… It ain’t like the bar was set all that high.
I completely agree with legalizing marijuana. Tax it, regulate it, remove the criminal element. Make it yet another sin tax, instead of the taxpayers paying to house these ‘criminals’ that use or sell it.
#5 Try that and let us know how it works out for you.
Makes too much sense.
Um…., aaahhh….., duh…..what was that again….?
Honestly, would you trust a stoner to pay his tax bill on time? I think not.
Humboldt County: The happiest place on Earth.
Since I’ve been in California, I honestly don’t think I know anyone under 45 that dosen’t smoke marijuana. And I’m not to sure about the over 45’s.
It would be like a tax bonanza. No more enforcement costs of outdated pot laws, getting rid of about 30% of the prison population, new jobs created for clerks to sell the stuff, and Mexican labor to grow, cultivate and harvest it….worth at least 50 billion a year.
John do you blaze? How about Leo I saw him review a digital vaporizer on tv.
Actually, I hate to find myself objecting to this in any way. My problem is that I want to legalize all drugs. But, I want the taxes earmarked for anti-drug programs. They shouldn’t be used to balance the rest of the budget.
Damn I hate that I have to say that. I really do agree with legalization. I also think that no drugs should be advertised, including alcohol. Tax it, regulate it, but use the money to reduce the drug use. It’ll work a lot better than the war on drugs. And, it’ll instantly put the gun toting drug lords out of business. Spend that money from the war on drugs on something useful, like nationalized health care.
#5
It worked for L. Ron Hubbard.
How would it put the gun lords out of business when in step two, lawyers will sue and demand all sorts of restrictions, bans, and taxes as with smoking?
There is a funny thing that happens in many cities…
the ACTUAL cost to bring services to an area, hasnt been reflected in the COST of taxes… For some reason AREAS have been taxed LESS, because certain persons USED TO/STILL own them.
whats interesting is that Insted of Raising those Taxes, they tend to spread them OUT among those LOWER rate properties forcing them UP and many OUT of owning a home.
This along with the CITY NOT actually doing the WORK, but farming it out to other CORPS for 5-10 times the cost…
what ever happened to getting the People to HELP. Make it a positive thing, like helping cleanup Parks in THEIR own areas, would bring down taxes. Or Dumping your OWN trash at the land fil for FREE.
Or even ask the Cits, for ideas on HOW to have some things DONE.
#11 – With that sort of comment I’d imagine that you dont smoke (or havent smoked since this one time where it was really shiity weed, and it was a bad experience, and you coughed blood).
There are a lot of hard working tax paying americans who smoke the ganja – and they pay their taxes just like everyone else. Dont make blatant assumptions like that.
People “need” those social services?! Bullshit. California has one of the highest State income taxes and has heafty taxes on all kinds of other items including a pill of a gas tax and yet it still cannot balance its budget? Frankly, it is not a revenue issue, it is a spending issue.
#19 “California has one of the highest State income taxes ”
The last time I checked, the cleaning lady wasn’t driving a BMW.
#20
Since the cleaning lady isn’t paying much in the way of taxes, when it comes to the subject of tax rate, her opinion doesn’t carry much weight.
#19: Right up there with Virginia, Vermont, Oregon, New Jersey, DC, Iowa, Hawaii, Maine and North Carolina. I wonder how far it could drop if this was accepted and the cost of prosecuting pot was eliminated?
22,
the last Stat I heard…
State prisons have 60% of inmates held on drug charges… OUT of those, 50% are on minor Possession… Which in many states CAN be a 5 year term or MORE…
At a cost of $40-60,000 per year PER prisoner….You do the math.
Soon to be as big a scandalous tax as gambling
When government get involved with taxation – it is amazing .
All rationality and accountability is gone to the wind.
What a bunch of liars putting in time
While I agree that pot should be legalized, don’t kid yourself into thinking that the tax revenue from its sale would solve CA budget problem. It would simply postpone the problem a few years until they spent that additional money. Like I said, CA doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem.
#2 Mike N. I know you are trying to be sarcastic, but I agree with you 100%. The state has no business telling me what I can put into or take out of my body.
Now, for the record, I could never figure out what anyone saw in cocaine. I’d rather have a good cup of coffee. Never tried ecstasy or crystal meth, heroin..no desire to try.
But if folks are going to do it anyway, making it legal will at least reduce the harm caused by criminalization.
Of course I’m rather opposed to taxes too, but we do need some funds to run the essential functions of government.
Oh, and Angel, I agree. We must start taxing churches like any other business.
Smoking Medical Marijuana makes you stupid. Slows your thinking and makes you prone to paranoia and psychosis. It is not as bad as Meth but still it is a drug that makes you less human. Now to tax stupidity that is the ticket – the lottery ticket.
What i think is funny,
Is ALL the farmers that would JUMP on the band wagon, of growing MJ/hemp. IF this was legalized…
With about 6 crops a year Cali could become the Major supplier in the USA…
And bring in MORE money, then LV or Reno…into state funds.
#27, Ted,
Smoking Medical Marijuana makes you stupid. Slows your thinking and makes you prone to paranoia and psychosis.
Compared to what?
#27, Ted,
Smoking Medical Marijuana makes you stupid. Slows your thinking and makes you prone to paranoia and psychosis.
You know this how? Did you read some bullet points or do you have personal experience? It sounds to me like you don’t smoke pot but drink the kool-aide.