Response to Marcos blog

Taxing Marijuana like we have the past couple of years in Colorado seems to be a good idea like Marcos was saying considering that it made more revenue than projected and that money is also being used for education. Since the oil industry, one of the biggest industries in Texas seems to be going down this could be a perfect way to get more revenue. The problem I see with legalizing marijuana to get this revenue would be that it wouldn't only be for medical use but also for recreational use like it is in Colorado for example. Many people and even tax payers could benefit from this because of the $700,000,000 that we pay because of marijuana arrests. People in high and important places wouldn't really reap the benefits of this such as pharmaceuticals or government agencies that make a living in 'fighting' a so called war on drugs. Let's actually think about this and see if it is something that we would actually get accomplished in a border state where this ‘war’ on drugs continues with no result. If our elected leaders and unelected leaders would let this happen. Make it look like it benefits them and you will see immediate changes but don’t expect them to do anything about it if they don’t see benefits for themselves.  Good article overall but I would expand more on the possibilities of it happening and how you would tax it or decriminalize it. At the end of the day whoever wants to do it will might as well make some money out of it.

LSD and the brain

Many have read or heard recently about recent scans on your brain while on LSD and the results are interesting. The DEA has LSD classified as a schedule 1 drug along with Marijuana, Ecstasy, and Peyote. Having a drug on the Schedule 1 drug list means that it is one of the most dangerous and has NO currently accepted medical use. 

The recent scans on the brain show exactly how 'LSD increases or boosts connectivity between brain networks that it usually doesn't connect with. Your brain normally has independent networks that perform specialized functions like vision, however while using LSD you have more of a integrated and unified brain.' What exactly does this mean and how could this be useful? 

Having a more 'unified' brain means that your brain could be more flexible with thinking, have more vivid visions, and also it could enhance your creativity. This could be something that many people look at when doing LSD. Having a more creative mind and an openness to more things instead of the rigid way of thinking that we have right now. So should LSD be used medically? 

Well LSD assisted psychotherapy has a very strong promise to treat things like depression, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety. While it does sound like a strong reason to allow neuroscientists and psychologist to use LSD on patients it could also lead to many side effects that we have not yet found. Allowing neuroscientists to keep studying this drug could lead to possible health benefits in treating things like depression and even end-of-life anxiety in time. 

Voting for a man you hate?

In this article called I’m wielding my electoral power of 40 Texas Republicans to vote for a man I hate written by Rachel Manteuffel in The Washington Post she talks about how she will be voting for a man that she does not like. This might not make sense to many people but it will in a bit. Rachel goes on to say in her article that, “Moral authorities such as Mitt Romney… have declared it the duty of Republicans to stop Trump”.

Rachel is claiming that by casting your vote for someone else other than trump than that will be better, even if it is someone that you do not like or approve of. She continues to say, “I don’t want the rest of the world to watch us get so close to electing a boorish xenophobe sexist who doesn’t seem to care what he’s actually saying… as long as the crowd roars in delight.” I would have to completely agree with the author Rachel Manteuffel.

We are coming so close to having the Republican Party back up a candidate who has brought out the truly bad side of everyone, supporter or not. This article makes sense because in an article I had read before it was speaking about how Marco Rubio’s campaign was urging support for Kasich in Ohio. This means that between Republicans they are trying to flush out someone who knows that would bring shame to its party. We cannot be letting this happen, we can’t let our fears and phobias get in the way to see clearly. Yes we might not all agree on who to vote for but what we should agree on is that we can’t possibly let someone who has divided us more than ever be President. The day that we are divided as a nation is the day that we are most vulnerable. Our country is called United States of America, ‘United’, for a reason because we know what is beneficially and we know what is destructive to our Great Nation. 

Reagan lost in the Republic?

"What Today’s Republicans Don’t Get About Reagan "is written by Jacob Weisberg who has also been the author of the Ronald Reagan volume in the American Presidents series. Jacob Weisberg makes it clear in his article that Reagan’s beliefs were not those of the Republicans running for President now, but that his beliefs were more conservative.

The authors’ main focus is to the people who believe that the Republican Presidential candidates are like Ronald Reagan, with the things that he stood for and fought for. Jacob Weisberg makes sure the reader knows what the differences are in the Republican nominees and Former President Ronald Reagan by saying, “… the characteristics that made him a successful politician seem lost on them.” Those of us who have heard or read about what kind of President Ronald Reagan was would agree with Weisberg.

While the people who are currently running for President talk more about Ronald Reagan they are nothing like him. The whole party has completely switched and changed since that era. What used to be a Party that would ‘settle for 70%’ is now a party that “won’t settle for less than 99%”. We have been indulged with entertainment have been focusing on these entertaining presidential candidates who ‘exploit prejudice around immigration and terrorism’.

Personally I happen to agree with what Mr. Weisberg wrote when he said the party might not just lose this chance to have a president but might also lose itself in the process. Regardless of how you see it this is not the Republican Political party that Reagan was a part of. The republican political party has lost itself.

Politics of Hope

Is President Obama "Returning to his roots"? Can our country still stand strong while it's divided? Do we really have 'poisonous political climate'?

This article written in the Los Angeles Times explains to us exactly how dangerous having a 'poisonous political climate' really is. President Obama goes as far as to reference Abraham Lincoln when he spoke about a divided house and how it could not stand. Our current President, Barack Obama, believes that we shouldn't compromise a big democracy like ours because 'we can't govern ourselves'. Our politics have become a joke to some filled with 'blanket promises' and insults that only create more tension between citizens. Constant spectacle and little battle of ideas is what we are currently seeing. 

I believe this article is worth reading because as citizens we should be informed about what is going on with our government. We should look at our problems, past and present, and perhaps focus on a different solution to our problems. It is up to us, the citizens, to not be blinded by the things we see and hear but to research ourselves and always stay informed. We shouldn't let these promises and insults dictate who we vote for but we should always have in mind that at the end this is "politics of hope".

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