The obvious marijuana question
Malcolm Turnbull’s easy confession on Q&A last night that he smoked marijuana when be was younger raises the obvious question – does he, and the other Australian politicians who also admit to having dabbled in this drug, think that he should have been arrested for doing so? If not, then what distinguishes him from others who have been subject to legal sanction for youthfully experimenting with marijuana?
Certainly, Australia’s marijuana laws are not as draconian as those in the United States – many first time offenders receive cautions if caught in possession of small amounts – but surely something that politicians seem to treat as a rite of passage should not also involve the risk of a career-crippling criminal record?
Crossposted at chrisberg.org
When the Democrats regulate- part 1
Tax on Trades Should Be Part of Rescue Plan, Some Democrats Say
By Laura Litvan
Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) — A group of House Democrats is proposing to make Wall Street companies and investors pay more of the cost of any financial rescue plan through a new tax.
In a letter sent late yesterday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 16 Democrats asked her to ensure any rescue legislation include a “transaction tax” on all U.S. stock trades and on other types of trades, such as credit default swaps, options and futures. They are proposing the tax would be at a rate of one quarter of one percent on all trades.
“The same Wall Street speculators and investors who are principally responsible for having caused this avoidable financial crisis and profited from it must now be required to pay for it, not U.S. taxpayers,” according to the letter, which was signed by Representative Peter DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat, and Representative Pete Stark, a California Democrat.
In a news conference today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would support some mechanism that could return more funds to Treasury coffers if the $700 billion to be spent to acquire troubled investments isn’t later recouped. She didn’t endorse any specific proposal and suggested it is likely to be explored later.
“You might make a judgment down the road that there is a shortfall and it should be covered,” Pelosi said.
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- Generalising about racism May 14, 2012The Sydney Morning Herald is running a poll asking if Australians are Racist. So far 74% of respondents say yes and 26% say no. Some of the commentators include Larissa Berendt who argues that Australia is a racist country because Aboriginal people have a shorter life expectancy. However, there are many reasons why their life expectancy is shorter than the a […]Sara Hudson
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Oz Political Quiz
