The Writer's Life 8/21 - New Leafs

Since it became obvious that marijuana will eventually be legalized nationwide, I've wondered what the unexpected consequences would be, whether the minuses would outweigh the pluses. Naomi Shaefer Riley weighs in on the issue in an op-ed piece in today's NY Post. Here are excerpts: "One study, which collected data from 2011-12 and 2012-13 showed a 22% increase in monthly use in Colorado. The percentage of people there who used daily or almost daily also went up. So have marijuana-related driving fatalities. And so have incidents of children being hospitalized for accidentally ingesting edible marijuana products...  People who have a household income of less than $20,000 a year comprise 19% of the population but make up 28% of marijuana users. And even though those who earn more than $75,000 make up 33% of the population, 25% of them are marijuana users. Having more education also seems to make it less likely that you are a user. College graduates make up 27% of the population but only 19% of marijuana users. The middle and upper classes have been the ones out there pushing for decriminalization and legalization measures, and they have also tried to demolish the cultural taboo against smoking pot. But they themselves have chosen not to partake very much. Which is not surprising. Middle-class men and women who have jobs and families know that this is not a habit they want to take up with any regularity because it will interfere with their ability to do their jobs and take care of their families... To all the middle-class professionals out there reading this: Do you know anyone who spends a quarter of their income on pot (as many of the poor do)?" None of those findings is surprising. While the debate will continue, I doubt the express to legalization will be halted. The tax collections on it will be too enticing for politicians to forgo. Less people will be jailed, freeing up the money it takes to house offenders. And marijuana will be available for those few who need it to alleviate medical conditions. That will be the chief rationale of proponents, and the hardest to refute.

Talking about the bias of mainstream media is tiresome, so forgive me for the following. It is again glaring in the different tact taken in the latest disaster in Louisiana compared to how Katrina was reported. President Bush was bashed for doing nothing more than a flyover. Obama has gotten a free pass for not breaking away from his vacation to visit the flood victims. He will get there eventually. I doubt Hillary will. I'm starting to believe the pundits who claim she has serious physical issues. That should be meaningless to voters on the fence. She would be able to fulfill her duties from the Oval Office, that's all that matters. Trump was on the ground in Louisiana, handling out supplies and toys he had trucked in at his own expense. It was smart politics, but doesn't seem like it will make a difference in the race for the White House. He's had a great week, but the optimism I felt a few days ago was vanquished by an op-ed piece by the right-leaning Kyle Smith. He sees Hillary winning in a landslide, despite her unbelievable negatives, and the polls in battleground states corroborate it.

My thanks to Amazon, which sent two payments to my bank account, one for the sale of a Kindle download, the other for potential customers reading pages of my books. It amounted to less than three bucks, but it is still appreciated. The fact that they do it astounds me. I had worried about being bounced due to weak sales. The largess makes me feel like a true partner in their business model. As for street sales, customers came early and late, only one in-between. In fact, I'd already closed shop and discovered a young woman hovering as I made a u-turn to pick up the crates. She bought a book of love poetry and Think Smart by Richard Restak M.D., and a moment later a mom suggested a V.C. Andrews novel for her teenage daughter. My thanks, and to all the other customers as well. I had a visit from B.S. Bob, who believes the Clintons had JFK Jr. killed to keep him from running for the senate seat Hillary coveted. He's miffed that one of the Brit tabloid sites features a story of John-John's hope to run for governor. Bob believes it's a re-writing of history to keep the "truth" suppressed. Some people...
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