Tracknum: override
Pubdate: Thu, 02 Aug 2001
Source: Bisbee Observer, The (AZ)
Copyright: 2001 by Laura Swan-Moreno
Contact:  http://www.bisbeeobserver.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1010
Author: Kirk Muse

DRUG WAR WILL DEPLETES FINANCES

To the Editor:

Thank you for publishing Jim Dwyer's outstanding column, "Amnesty? Let's 
help our own, also."

In 1969 the Nixon Administration spent 66 million dollars on the drug war. 
This year the federal government will spend $19.2 billion on the unwinnable 
war on drugs. This is just the federal money, not the state or local money 
nor the cost of the prisons. The $19.2 billion is more than 190 times 
greater than the $66 million we spent in 1969.

To see what our federal drug war budget will be in another 32 years, if we 
keep doing what we have been doing, I multiplied 190 times 19.2 billion, 
and my calculator can't go that high. It says ERROR. Every time I repeat 
the same process, it still says ERROR.

If we keep doing what we have been doing regarding the failed war on (some) 
drugs, we will run out of money. Let's change our failed strategy.

Best regards,

KIRK MUSE e-mail message