Pot Dealers to Gov. Schwarzentoker: Don't Bogart Our Taxes!
When you think of a world in which pot dealers are begging the government to pay taxes, there's a good chance we're in The Singularity (or maybe The Rapture). Either way, here's hoping that California's top dog, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger–the only governor I can think of who smoked dope onscreen–takes them up on the offer.
August 6—A coalition of California marijuana growers and dealers has offered Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger one billion dollars to solve the current state budget crisis. The group, calling itself Let Us Pay Taxes makes the offer through its web site LetUsPayTaxes.com. The offer comes at a time when the California legislature is deadlocked on a new budget and California has stopped issuing checks for vitally needed social services. Legislators are currently arguing over which programs will be cut in order to balance the budget.
More here, via StoptheDrugWar.org, which I must admit sounds catchier to me than LetUsPayTaxes.com.
Update: Dude, links are like totally fixed.
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Heh heh heh.
If the DEA starts raiding tax offices, you’d better believe California law enfocement would have a different response than yesterday.
The links in the last paragraph appear to be broken: should be http://… not http://reason/…
It’s not the Singularity or the Rapture. It’s the Acropalypse.
Volunteering to pay taxes?
Are they High?
Is that from Pumping Iron? Great fucking movie. Gives a real insight into Arnold’s ambition and will to win.
I’m pissing myself laughing at the “arnold is numero uno” shirt
[My best Sean Penn]
Awsome! Totally Awsome!
Great post. I think this might actually have some traction. Comes on the heals of last week’s column on the 21st Amendment being driven by taxes.
Political genius. I hope they have some legitimate lobbying muscle at the capitol to actually make this more than a here-today-gone-tomorrow marketing stunt.
…just another article on the WOsDs…
Here we have a group asking to pay taxes because they know it would confer legitimacy on their activities, yet we still see people proposing taxes as a way of fighting everything from cigarette smoking to excess carbon dioxide production.
links are still fucked up…..
But look at those fucking dopers commenting at StoptheDrugWar.org……
I wonder If ANY scientist or group of scientists have thought about creating a virus
that would give a person the choice to die or smoke marijuana in small amounts to save themselves. Think about it people! It might be a crazy idea, but i dont think that the Shitty government is going to accept money from pot growers and dealers. I hope they do.
Don’t think that “solution” passes the libertarian force, fraud and coercion test.
He must sit there with his bong and bud watching “12 Monkeys” over and over again….
I just wanted to say I coincidentally saw Pumping Iron last night and it was awesome.
the scene of arnold getting wasted at his mr Olympia victory party was where hes toking up and drinking champagne from the bottle. in the commentary, he introduced himself as “And I am Arnold, the Watchinator”. I thought that was cute.
I guess paying taxes gives the legitimacy. Sort of the converse of churches.
If this works then they can lobby for harsher penalties for growing and smoking untaxed and unlicensed buds.
IF this ever gains traction it will put many of the “hell no, we won’t pay” Libertarians into a quandary. Of course, the real purpose of taxes on drugs is to offset health costs [user fees] associated with chronic legal drug use. This would include drug rehab and other treatments. A Libertarian could rationalize some form of alternative socialized medicine [mind: we have socialized medicine today; anyone who says different is lying and won’t face me in a debate] if taxes were raised exclusively from dedicated tax revenue on socially used drugs like alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine and marijuana. But everyone knows that tax dollars are “fungible” and highway taxes and Social Security funds have been used in the Reagan military spending binges and wars of intervention for decades now.
While I am against most all forms of taxation in it’s current form today I think they are on to something here.
Think about the approach they are taking and who it is they are approaching, it makes perfect sense.
Everyone knows politicians are greedy, crooked basturds that really don’t care about anything but power and money. We have seen in the past how they are willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder regardless of what they are having to sell out, constituents, our country whatever they will sell their momma for some more power. So just offer to pay them off directly to allow marijuana. Go to their primal instinct to grab the cash and forget everything else. This tactic works well for every other industry that wants laws changed or manipulated to their interest. Pot growers might as well work the same angle.
If the DEA starts raiding tax offices, you’d better believe California law enfocement would have a different response than yesterday.
oh now that would be the most interesting segment on fox news you’d ever get to watch.
(soundtrack by cop shoot cop)
That’s a great picture of Schwarzzengroper. LOL.
It is ironic that the politicians are now arguing over spending 140 billion dollars next year when Arnie was elected because Governor Gumbi was spending too much. Like 100 billion. That was only a few short years ago.
And some of you argue that cutting taxes is a bad thing. Big sigh.
……and the horse they came to town on.
Another great photo of Schwarzzengroper.
“Legislators are currently arguing over which programs will be cut in order to balance the budget”
Please explain to me why this is supposed to be a bad thing.
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