Commentary from the liberterrain…
A blog on the Libertarian Party website asks libertarians to support a California initiative to "Regulate marijuana like wine."
From early on libertarians have been split into many factions: minarchists vs. anarchists, partyarchs vs. non-voters, consequentialists vs. moralists, realists vs. idealists.
The marijuana legalize-and-tax issue is a perfect example of pragmatism vs. principles.
The pragmatic libertarian says, "Taxation is theft, but if we can cut taxes by 10% that gives us a little more freedom. That's a step in the right direction."
The idealist libertarian says, "Taxation is theft, and cutting taxes by 10% still leaves theft. Cutting rather than abolishing taxes just condones taxation, which means abandoning our principles."
So here's the thing about legalizing (as opposed to decriminalizing) pot and "taxing it like wine."
It's a step in the right direction in the context that pot smoking is a peaceful, non-coercive activity that never should have been criminalized. Legalization would virtually end the drug war that has been so ruinous to peaceful people's lives and wallets since total marijuana arrests in 2010 was 52.1% of total drug war arrests.
But here's the downside. California is a profligate deadbeat in desperate search of money. Pot legalization is being sold to them on the basis that politicians can raise $400 million taxing it.
That means libertarians will be encouraging California spendthrifts to steal more money from citizens instead of forcing politicians to live within their means by demanding that they chop their massive overspending.
Libertarians should know what those criminals-in-legislative-clothing will do next. If they collect $400 million in pot taxes they'll spend $800 million and then go looking for more things to tax.
Like reviving Old England's window tax or Peter the Great's beard tax or the Roman Empire's urine tax, or Canada's head tax on Chinese immigrants (inspiring them to impose an "illegal alien" tax?).
Giving money to politicians, like giving wine to winos, only condones their addiction and makes them demand more.
The Libertarian News Examiner has always advocated a "Pragmatism-and-principals" strategy. Some libertarians must always be demanding incremental change while others push for systemic change while others work for political change while others advocate for radical libertarian anarchism.
So even as some support the legalize-and-tax initiative others must keep the pressure going on all fronts to work toward a truly free society
(Thanks to longtime reader Maria Folsom for the article suggestion)
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