It is the profit motive these laws create, plain and simple. If law enforcement agencies did not get to keep a large percentage of the money/property seized through forfeiture, they certainly would direct their

Awesome question about mandatory minimums and the Sixth Amendment?

I like Judge Gray, a lot, actually. However, I must disagree with him regarding drug courts. As he readily points out, many in the drug policy movement are very much opposed to their use. Empirical research shows

Excuse me: These differences are significant, and while I-502 is far from ideal, these differences between the proposed laws are NOT enough of a reason not to support I-502.

On the contrary, stark distinctions exist between I-502 and Amendment 64. Major differences exist as to the scheme of cultivation, production, and distribution the proposed laws would allow, as well as the per se

The problem in Oregon is multifaceted. While finances play a roll, the initiative was not certified for the ballot until almost August (which is fairly late compared to CO and WA), so many Oregonians were not

Congress compromises and gets things done all the time. It is just the results of those “compromises” and “accomplishments” are usually full blown disasters (See, e.g. Iraq war, Patriot Act, warrantless

Any big money out there that is going to libertarian causes is not really going towards political elections, but rather to advocacy groups, educational resources, think tanks, and entrepreneurship (See, e.g.

This all presupposes that the administrative state created by FDR is Constitutional, which many would take issue with.

It is certainly true that both parties ignore civil liberties, but there is actually a difference between civil rights and liberties and political rights. The right to vote is a distinctly political right rather

Ahh, smells like public choice!

I fully endorse Jury Nullification!

“He voted for the PATRIOT Act, No Child Left Behind, the Iraq war, Medicare Part D, and the TARP.” Hardly conservative.

“He voted for the PATRIOT Act, No Child Left Behind, the Iraq war, Medicare Part D, and the TARP.” And this is what moves conservatives?

Here is Ryan’s record: “He voted for the PATRIOT Act, No Child Left Behind, the Iraq war, Medicare Part D, and the TARP.” Good luck.

Keep it Coolidge!

The Iranian regime will just pass the costs onto their people and blame America for their economic peril.

Never. Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.

The most important thing about Adams is that he successfully defended the British Soldier’s involved in the Boston Massacre. I think we should remember that, especially since the government now seeks to kill

I find those two things pretty unseemly, but I have a soft spot for Ike. He’s arguably the best president of the 20th century.

A hypocritical politician? Whodda thunk.

Today, sufficient grounds for being beaten by a cop is showing an insufficient lack of of respect.

Medical Marijuana dispensaries are legal, yet no regulatory regime for them exists.

Truly one of the giants of classical liberalism.

From personal experience and on the ground data collection (i.e. what I saw with my own to eyes) the bike share program in DC, in fact fails to accomplish its goals.)

The First Amendment is plain…”Congress shall make no law…”

Good point on preventable deaths. Here is a helpful interactive map on defensive gun use.

http://www.cato.org/guns-and-self-defense/

Too bad about the Senate.

There is no connection. Gun ownership is at its highest since 1993, FBI reports a 30% increase in background checks for concealed weapons permits over the last few years, and retail gun stores report 40% increases

Guns are regulated — background checks, waiting periods, concealed carry permits. It is true that gun related violence is higher in the US than other countries, but there is no correlation between the

Arguments purporting to tie violent crime with the amount of guns circulating just does not work. Gun ownership has significantly risen in the last twenty years and guns are more prevalent than ever. Yet, over the

I don’t really see too much to worry about here. What about this: for state wide (including local) elections, allow a state to tie their voting age to the driving age.

I say let cities (and states for that matter) file for bankruptcy.

These sorts of bans fail to work because assault weapons and extended magazines are already circulating society. If someone really wants to get their hands on an assault weapon or extended magazine, ban or no ban,

The fear mongering over cyber warfare is largely baseless and is just simply attempts by the government to limit freedom on the internet, make it easier to spy on citizens, and control the content and information

The Marijuana Tax Act passed in 1937 because of fears of Mexicans and that marijuana led Mexicans to create crime and disorder. Plus, hemp threatened the profits of the Timber industry. Then the counter-culture

Not So Fun Fact: He slaughtered millions of Native Americans.

Portugal’s decrim regime eliminates criminal penalties for use and possession and replaces them with administrative hearings, not mandated treatment. The administrative hearing usually involves medical personnel

Holland never legalized marijuana, it is just tolerated.

Anti-bailout, anti-too big to fail…I could go on.

Nothing could be further from the truth, libertarians have little in common with Republicans even in economic issues. Republicans seek to perpetuate crony capitalism while libertarians advocate for real free

They certainly did! And you’re right, history does repeat itself, we are seeing the same kind of black market violence and crime with drug prohibition now that existed with alcohol prohibition then.