TheOldNewSlowFast
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Congress has passed the 1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill
Signed by President Obama, for better or worse. Omnibus bills have this "must pass" air about them, and Congress had about 1 day to read all 2,000+ pages of it. Needless to say, that didn't happen. But enough of them voted yes anyway to pass it. Why bother reading the bill or knowing what's in it, amirite?
The good.
Medical marijuana is now legal on a federal level, finally. With medical marijuana being approved by more and more states, currently legal in 23 (7 with pending legislation), our prisons can begin emptying, saving taxpayers a significant amount of money annually, and hopefully making the lives of those affected better.
Part of why it's good.
The average cost of keeping an inmate in prison in this country is around $31,000, as of 2010. http://www.thecrimereport.org/news/inside-criminal-justice/2012-02-the-high-cost-of-prisons-using-scarce-resources-wise The highest of any location, the cost of keeping an inmate in prison for one year in New York City was $168,000. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/nyregion/citys-annual-cost-per-inmate-is-nearly-168000-study-says.html?_r=0
The bad, and it's very bad.
However, also inserted into the bill was CISA, now the law of the land. For more information on why it's bad, you can start here: https://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2015/07/28/cisa-is-bad-for-accountability-and-transparency-and-it-must-be-stopped/
clearwall
I'd put funding for PP ahead of CISMA, but whatever floats your boat, OP
TheOldNewSlowFast
Getting laws off the books is pretty damn hard.
TheOldNewSlowFast
I wouldn't. They can get funding elsewhere. CISA is a major problem, and people have been fighting it's different versions for years.
imaginedear
Actually congresspersons have large staff. Taking different sections large bills can be read by staffs familiar with their bosses policies.
TheOldNewSlowFast
Also, not all of their staff are people who would have that responsibility. For example, their mail manager. Not really their job.
TheOldNewSlowFast
They don't have that large of a staff to be able to read through 2,000+ pages of legalese in one day and brief the member of congress on it.
imaginedear
Not all of the bill would have been new. But also not saying that they do this, just saying it isn't as simple as 2000 pages can't be read.
TheOldNewSlowFast
All of the submitted bill needs to be read, to ensure unsuspected last minute changes weren't slipped in. Or you get stuff like CISA.
imaginedear
Not disagreeing with you, at all, on that point.
ohblackbetty
No one should ever be arrested for having pot!
TheOldNewSlowFast
Couldn't agree more. But then, I think all drugs should be 100% legal, so there's that.
Hailtheprince
There are some solid, well-crafted arguments to support your stance. While I'm not sure I support them, I don't think I disagree.
TheOldNewSlowFast
If our government worked properly, there wouldn't be a problem, as each state could decide separately, and compare against the others.
almightystef
lol does someone just hate you? why -3 for this comment? did you post star wars spoilers somewhere or something?
Hailtheprince
I saw a former police officer talking about it. I think he compared it to how one of the middle eastern nations handle it. Saudi Arabia?
TheOldNewSlowFast
and laws like "civil asset forfiture" that allow law enforcement to take your money or possessions without charging you with a crime.
TheOldNewSlowFast
Idk, I'm not too familiar with their laws. It has certainly given rise to a police state here, with over 1% of our population incarcerated