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From: acm@bu-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,misc.legal,alt.flame
Subject: Re: Why call 'em dirtballs
Message-ID: <15591@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: Sun, 8-Nov-87 13:24:30 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.15591
Posted: Sun Nov  8 13:24:30 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Nov-87 06:34:08 EST
References: <1136@puff.wisc.edu> <23455COK@PSUVMA> <591@auscso.UUCP> <602@auscso.UUCP> <1196@puff.wisc.edu>
Reply-To: madd@bucsb.bu.edu
Followup-To: madd@bucsb.bu.edu
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Organization: Boston University ACM
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In article <1196@puff.wisc.edu> mading@puff.wisc.edu (Eric Mading) writes:
>a drug overdose.  This would give young people the message--DRUGS KILL.

You're not listening, are you?  Even many illegal drugs don't kill
until you really abuse them.  Often the deaths that occur happen
because the quality of the drug they used was poor or they were sold a
more potent drug than they expected.  Legalization would solve that
problem!

Even still, the number of drug-related deaths is low, while drug usage
is not.

The number of tobacco- and alcohol-related deaths is not low although
both are legal.

Do drugs kill?  Sure, if used irresponsibly.  Almost anything can kill
if used irresponsibly.  Educating children that "drugs" are always
deadly is not a solution.  When the children start looking around them
and find out that the "deadly" drugs are not (they surely will find this
sort of thing out) they will be inclined to believe that their
parents/teachers/etc have been lying to them.  This will undermine
their confidence towards authority figures.  I can see the plan
backfiring.

On to other things:

>As for welfare, I would like to see a complete reform in the welfare system.

Welfare systems vary from state to state.  In New Hampshire, the
welfare system is one of the harshest in the nation.  You don't get it
unless you absolutely NEED it and it's still a bare-existance budget.
This is not the case in other states.  Sometime you should compare the
policies of New York and New Hampshire and see the difference.

More on this topic:

>And welfare recipientsshould not be allowed to purchase lottery
>tickets, alcohol, tobacco, or spend
>their welfare money on horse or dog races, sporting evnets, or any other non-
>necessitys.  The best way to control this is to require all welfare recipients
>to make their purchases with a automated teller machine card.  Some of these
>welfare reforms have already been implemented in Wisconsin.

New Hampshire uses "food stamps" as a basic item.  You may buy food
with them, but only food.  No lottery tickets, alcohol, tobacco, etc.
This works quite well and does not require expensive equipment.

>Eric Mading

jim frost
madd@bucsb.bu.edu