LP>   MORE THAN 10 MILLION MARIJUANA ARRESTS SINCE 1965 . . . ANOTHER 
 LP> EVERY 54 SECONDS! 
That is 1600 arrests every day.  Every arrest means 500 bucks for the 
bondsman, 1500$ for the defense attorney, and, on average, at least 
1000$ fine [which goes to the county treasury] and 500$ court costs, 
[which helps support the judges' retirement annuity].  That runs about 
$6.4 million a day.  Now: of the 535 members of the US congress, over 
500 are lawyers, who all have partners back in the home district, who 
get a lot of that money.  Do you really think a congress made up of 
lawyers is *EVER* gonna legalize marjiuanna and dry up that cash cow 
for their golf partners? 
 
With the expense of running for even state office, lawyers are the 
only ones with enough money to begin in politics.  Campaign reform 
would mean more competition for the lawyers seeking office. 
 
With the expense of litigation, real tort reform won't happen, and 
business will remain crippled by legal paranoia and greenmail. 
 
If drug abuse was a civil matter and not a criminal one, families of 
addicts could sue dealers for treatment, so the profits of the dealer 
would not go to his attorney to keep him out on the street, but to 
the victims for treatment.  But, again, we would have to quit electing 
lawyers to legislative offices. 
 
... OFFLINE 1.50  "Pessimist= an optimist in recovery" 
--- Maximus 3.01
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