This is the right angle to take to bring people in the center (which is most people) over to the "there's a major problem at the border" side. Focus on the human cost of the current administration's policies. There is no need for jingoistic arm waving. It doesn't work, and there are material problems here that everyone can see and agree …
This is the right angle to take to bring people in the center (which is most people) over to the "there's a major problem at the border" side. Focus on the human cost of the current administration's policies. There is no need for jingoistic arm waving. It doesn't work, and there are material problems here that everyone can see and agree on. The republican party is completely incapable of doing that, though, and it's their biggest weakness.
Ultimately, this is exactly the type of problem we are ill-equipped as a nation to solve. We're just batting half measures around to create good political theater to win elections - no one in power actually wants to solve the problem. Solving it would take a way a wedge issue, and it would require actual leadership and accountability.
Legalize/decriminalize all drugs to take the power and money away from the cartels. Come up with a realistic, compromise number of immigrants we will accept and then *actually* do whatever it takes to comply with that policy, rather than just pretending that the world isn't the way it is. Create policies to drive prosperity (not handouts, actual economic development) in Latin America. I mean, if the government is going to incentivize shipping jobs offshore, we might as well incentivize shipping them south of the border to try to help alleviate this crisis.
I'm not an advocate for marijuana legalization, but I thought that undermining the cartels was a very strong reason to do it. I now think that, like any good business facing an existential threat, the cartels adapted to the market. Hence the fentanyl crisis - their new export of choice. Along with the $13-15bn they get as part of human smuggling operation. Considering the policies of some cities and states, I think it is worth considering if the cartels have infiltrated/corrupted US politics.
Fentanyl isn't anything new, though, its just an easier to smuggle substitute for heroin. They've been smuggling coke and heroin forever.
I lean libertarian so I believe in the legalization of all drugs for many reasons, but I can accept that people feel that's too extreme a position. However, what I would say is absolutely beyond any reasonable debate is that the war on drugs is a total and miserable failure. Portugal has had success with decriminalization and harm reduction but, even if that's not the right solution to the US, there is absolutely no question that we need a different approach. The war on drugs is fueling the border crisis, fueling the fentanyl epidemic, and costing us tens of billions of dollars in the process.
This is the right angle to take to bring people in the center (which is most people) over to the "there's a major problem at the border" side. Focus on the human cost of the current administration's policies. There is no need for jingoistic arm waving. It doesn't work, and there are material problems here that everyone can see and agree on. The republican party is completely incapable of doing that, though, and it's their biggest weakness.
Ultimately, this is exactly the type of problem we are ill-equipped as a nation to solve. We're just batting half measures around to create good political theater to win elections - no one in power actually wants to solve the problem. Solving it would take a way a wedge issue, and it would require actual leadership and accountability.
Legalize/decriminalize all drugs to take the power and money away from the cartels. Come up with a realistic, compromise number of immigrants we will accept and then *actually* do whatever it takes to comply with that policy, rather than just pretending that the world isn't the way it is. Create policies to drive prosperity (not handouts, actual economic development) in Latin America. I mean, if the government is going to incentivize shipping jobs offshore, we might as well incentivize shipping them south of the border to try to help alleviate this crisis.
I'm not an advocate for marijuana legalization, but I thought that undermining the cartels was a very strong reason to do it. I now think that, like any good business facing an existential threat, the cartels adapted to the market. Hence the fentanyl crisis - their new export of choice. Along with the $13-15bn they get as part of human smuggling operation. Considering the policies of some cities and states, I think it is worth considering if the cartels have infiltrated/corrupted US politics.
Fentanyl isn't anything new, though, its just an easier to smuggle substitute for heroin. They've been smuggling coke and heroin forever.
I lean libertarian so I believe in the legalization of all drugs for many reasons, but I can accept that people feel that's too extreme a position. However, what I would say is absolutely beyond any reasonable debate is that the war on drugs is a total and miserable failure. Portugal has had success with decriminalization and harm reduction but, even if that's not the right solution to the US, there is absolutely no question that we need a different approach. The war on drugs is fueling the border crisis, fueling the fentanyl epidemic, and costing us tens of billions of dollars in the process.