Posted by Greg L on 10/27/09 5:16 PM Last updated 10/27/09 5:27 PM [Older: Response to the David Axelrod E-mail]

  Medical Marijuana. On October 19th the Federal Justice Department finally declared an end to the policy of going after doctors who prescribe medicinal marijuana in states where it is legal. Let's take advantage of this rare case of state rights not being trumped by an overzealous federal government. Marijuana has many possible medicinal uses including the treatment of: Alzheimer's, anorexia, arthritis, cachexia, cancer, Crohn's disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, migraine's, ...

What good has come from not allowing the use of marijuana? Let's get one thing straight - Medicinal Marijuana is not toking up!! This involves taking a pill or capsule with extract the same as other vitamins or supplement.

This is a chance for Wisconsin to take a step in it's advancement of health care and make a statement for state sovereignty with one action.

  Education Vouchers.  The voucher system should be expanded statewide. Where used the demand far exceeds the number of vouchers provided. Why are the futures of our children left to a lottery? Why is the program not opened to anyone who wants in? How can anyone claim that they are for better schools if they oppose vouchers?

Let's call a spade a spade. Anyone who supports WEAC or votes for WEAC endorsed candidates is for dumbing down our populace. Let's stop opposing vouchers just because a union believes every child deserves an overpaid teacher even in areas where they fail to graduate 50% of the students. Let's stop accepting a virtual monopoly that underachievers. Let's take a stand for giving our children every possible opportunity to overcome ignorance. Let's support the schools who do succeed in graduating educated students.

  Distilling Your Own Spirits.  It is legal to make personal use wine and beer at home, but not spirits.  Why not?  It's a legal product, it can be made safely.  This is not just Nanny state regulation. This is not just corporate welfare forcing us to buy from big alcohol. This is a slap in the face of self sufficiency and rugged individualism.

  Smoking.  This is a prime case of the government treating adults as children.  If one person owns a business, another person wants to patronize that business, and the owner allows the patron to smoke, what is the problem?  Non-smokers can get off of their tender oversensitve ass and choose a different place in which to dine, drink and be entertained?  I know I can make that grown-up decision.  Can you? 

The owner of a private establishment to decide whether they will or won't allow smoking on their premise. The customer, can voice their opinion with their wallet. If the support is their they can go smoking, non-smoking, or have separate smoking and non-smoking sections.

  Serve Alcohol Responsibly at a Restaurant.  Vito J. Congine, Jr. made news when he started flying his American flag upside down outside his property in Crivitz. Vito plans to open an Italian restaurant. In addition to pasta menu plans include beer and wine. Despite thinking he had everything in order his petition for a liquor license was initially denied.
The number of liquor licenses a municipality can hand out are limited. It is based on population. It no way factors in market demand, how responsible those who have or want one are, or how responsible the citizens of that municipality are.

These limits make the issuing and review of liquor licenses very political. This is wrong.
If a tavern violates noise ordinances, waters down their drinks, allows patrons to drive drunk, engage in fights, or other illegal actions then fine them. If they refuse to conform and have repeat offenses shut them down. But, don't declare them guilty before they even open for business.

  Open a Neighborhood Bar.   On TV in the 90's Cheer's was portrayed as a typical neighborhood bar in Boston where "everybody knew your name". That romanticized notion of a local watering hole is going extinct. Bars are being forced into entertainment districts.
Not only is the price of a night out driven up by artificially limiting the number of liquor licenses issued, but is driven up further when establishments are forced into high rent areas. No longer having a bar on just down the street one can walk to we a greater number of people having to drive to the bar and then choosing to drive home. One can not say they are opposed to drunk driving when they remove drinking establishments from residential neighborhoods.

At the old local tavern the patrons were from the neighborhood. The bartenders knew who the drunks, bullies, and hustlers were. They also needed to know how to control them or they risked seeing people go somewhere else.

The best way to promote responsible drinking is to have it take place where everybody knows your name and will hold you responsible for your actions.

  Buzzed Driving.  A current advertising campaign says buzzed driving is drunk driving. That may the case according to current drunk driving laws but there is a difference.

Different people have different tolerances. Most people are not drunk and can and do drive safely with a BAC of .08%. Many people who believe they have been drinking responsibly are actually above the legal limit. By having a BAC which is too low we are turning otherwise responsible individuals into criminals. When it is too easy to break a law it becomes trivial. When breaking the law is common place the negative social connotation goes away. There is little outrage when our elected leaders like Peg Lautenschlager,  and Jeff Wood get pulled over, in Jeff Wood's case again and again.

Wisconsin legislature is debating toughening drunk driving laws. I am all for this if they are applied to people who are actually drunk. This used to be defined as a BAC of .10%. Before that it was .12%. I would say that we move back to .12%, a point where most people can responsibly have a few drinks without having to worry about getting put in jail, a point where law enforcement efforts can be focused on people who are more likely to actually be impaired and dangerous.

  Give Legal Advice. We all give legal advise, it's hard not to. But, legally only a member of the state bar association may do so. The bar association is not alone in limiting competition.

The Wisconsin Dietetic Association has put forward the Wisconsin Dietitians Licensing Bill (SB115). This would limit the issuing of diet and nutrition advice to those who have been trained and certified as registered dietitian's by the American Dietetic Association.

  Running a Small Business Without Government Approval.  This is a catch-all to keep this list from going on too long.

Bureaucrats will tell you business licenses serve to protect the public, by making sure the a practitioner has the skills and competence necessary to do their job. This is only a small percentage. Most business licensing serves two purposes.  To collect taxes and to push one business person around to the benefit of another business person the politician likes better.

How much government regulation do we need for Tom's Snow Removal, Dick's Plumbing , or Harry's Barber Shop?  It's not like any of these people are performing open heart surgery. It snow's Tom plows my drive I pay him, my toilet backs up Dick snakes it out I pay him, my hair gets a little long Harry gives me a haircut where my sideburns are different lengths, by bangs a crooked, and the back half of my head is shaved bare so I wear hat, wait till it grows back, and find a different barber.