Op Ed: Step into Socialism

I don’t know if you have been keeping up with the news, but a pretty significant step in changing our government has been taken recently. Attorney General Eric Holder stated:

"It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal."

In other words it’s not worth the federal government’s time to go around busting people for doing something that the state is cool with. In this case it’s specifically medical marijuana, which applies to only fourteen states, but the main concern appears to be the effective use of federal resources. What this means to me is that the feds are starting to ease off a little bit on the micromanagement and nanny-like approach, looking more towards delegating responsibility.

Imagine that! They’re delegating responsibility! That’s a fundamental concept that is taught in any leadership course, including many government-endorsed programs. When I was in the Marine Corps we constantly heard about the chain of command and its proper use. Like the chain of command in the Marine Corps, the government works most efficiently when the demands are handled as far down the chain as possible. That means that most problems should be resolved at the community level, kind of Wild West style. Every community should have a Wyatt Earp. Well maybe not exactly Wyatt Earp, with all the gun control and stuff there might be some problems, but similar.

In any case, this is a reduction in the size of government for conservatives, a humanitarian move for liberals, and the culmination of the dreams of hippies across America; everyone can be happy about this decision. The government agents themselves even benefit from this change in policy, since they had formerly been put into awkward positions, with orders to impose federal authority forcibly into state matters. Tax payers can rejoice because their money is being used more responsibly and effectively in the drug war. Not many people should have much negative to say about this declaration.

The funny thing about that is how downright communist this change is. Decentralized power is the main concept in communism, so if this decision makes you happy, you’re a communist. It’s ok. Smile, you dirty commie. There’s nothing wrong with being a little communist. I love my community, pretty much regardless of which one I’m in. That’s all communism means; valuing community, just like socialism means valuing society. Is that bad? I don’t think so, and apparently I’m not alone.
The Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey reported that: “Asked whether capitalism or socialism is a better system, 53% of American adults cited capitalism, 20% said socialism and 27% said they weren't sure.”

I know it’s a telephone survey. Who answers the phone when those people call anyway? I don’t know, but 20% of them agree with me, and it sounds like 27% were probably too busy celebrating the new medical pot policy to understand the question.
Change is inevitable. It’s happening. It’s communist. It’s socialist. Accept it. Love it.