Rebuilding, Part Three: Sin & Taxes

Once upon a time, the Republican Party and its adherents did a bit more than just pay lip service to the principles of limited government. If New Hampshire Republicans are to regain their strength, they - to the exclusion of national politics, if necessary - need to ally these principles to a Yankee pragmatism.Let me put some of the puzzle pieces together for you.

1. In order to fund its education system as the court has mandated, New Hampshire needs more revenue.
   
2. New Hampshire has a strong tradition of libertarianism. "Live Free or Die" is more than just a slogan.
3. Even now, we're considering wide-scale legalized gambling as a revenue source.
   

I think gambling would be a collosal mistake, if only because it would create a "gambling lobby," similiar to what we've seen in Nevada and New Jersey. Not only would this fail to shrink the size of government, it could make it captive to special interests. In addition, gambling would (likely) produce a host of social and economic problems which would require more government spending to ameliorate. A wash, at best.

But at the same time, I'm not against the concept of sin taxes to raise revenue. So let's be bolder. Let's legalize marijuana in the state of New Hampshire. Let's regulate it, sell it at our State Liquor Stores, and (most importantly) let's tax it but good. Not only would we get the direct revenue from willing purchasers, I'd assume they would have to remain in the state so as not to break federal law. Another boon for our economy!

I think the War on Drugs has been a staggering failure. It's put millions in jail who shouldn't be there. It's done little to reduce addiction. Is this failure worth billions and billions of federal dollars? Hardly. Let's begin legalization. Let's start it in New Hampshire. And let's make a buck.