蘑菇视频

Sep 8, 2020 3 min read

The following statement is making its rounds in the press, but few are taking issue with the logical fallacy in the first phrase “Any reasonable person knows that legalizing recreational marijuana would lead to massive increases in government spending on human service and public safety initiatives at a time when we can least afford it.”

This is an appeal to the people, specifically, a bandwagon fallacy. There may be people that agree that spending will increase, but that does not make the statement true. In states where marijuana has been legalized, there is no significant increase in crime — there are less marijuana related arrests — no increased usage among youth, no increase in traffic accidents or fatalities attributable to legalization, and no increased usage of other drugs. The reality is that there is little data to support many of the extreme claims of either opponents or proponents of legalization. People are already using recreational marijuana, legalized or not, so why not legalize and take the revenue? What specific examples do you have that support your statement and who exactly are you appealing to?

As for the rest of Governor Wolf’s agenda, I do not see anything that I would consider particularly “left-wing” or “liberal.” Outside of the revenue expected from marijuana legalization, the money he wants to use is already available to the Commonwealth from the remaining CARES Act funding. The governor wants to provide PPE to essential workers, give grants and other assistance to affected small businesses, temporarily reduce alcohol taxes, provide housing assistance, expand access to childcare and propose paid parental and sick leave. It is interesting to note that out of 41 industrialized nations tracked by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States is the only country without a mandated paid leave program for new parents. It appears to me that access to childcare and parental leave are pro family, so what are you, Representative Warner, and Senator Stefano objecting to specifically among the various proposals?

I don’t agree with everything the governor does and have concerns about his administration’s inconsistent application of COVID-19 restrictions, but his proposals have potential to benefit families and the long-term health and wellbeing of the Commonwealth and its citizens. What are your proposals in lieu of what the governor is proposing? Are you and your colleagues unwilling to compromise on anything proposed at the expense of ideology or are you simply pandering to your base? I do not disagree that we need to work towards fully reopening businesses, schools, entertainment venues, etc.; however, we are still working through the difficulties of a public health crisis that unfortunately, became a political issue.

I am, and I believe many others are as well, frustrated and simply refuse to remain silent about the contempt, anger, and lack of civility or application of reason on both sides of the aisle, as well as an utter lack of control of the extreme positions on both ends of the political spectrum. At some point everyone is going to have to find some common ground. We should talk sometime Matt. You know where I live. I am your neighbor and would be more than willing to discuss the issues on my porch. The beer is on me.

John Schoener

Uniontown