Chelsa Wagner announces controller bid: "Chelsa Wagner announces controller bid"I think someone wants to stay close to home and going to Harrisburg is too much work.
Policy Brief
An electronic publication of
The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy
January 13, 2011 Volume 11, Number 2
Is Taxpayer Referendum on Its Way to Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh Councilman Burgess has introduced a measure to give City voters the power to approve or reject property tax increases. The proposed ordinance calls for a referendum asking voters if they want to change the City charter to require a referendum on all property tax increases. As Reverend Burgess notes, “this is about giving the people the power to fight a tax increase.” The Councilman should be congratulated for this bold initiative.
We have been a strong and consistent advocate of voter referenda for tax hikes for over a decade. It is a public policy which could hold great promise for Pittsburgh’s future. Of course there are elected officials who are very opposed to giving voters approval power over taxes. Responding to Reverend Burgess’s proposal, a member on Pittsburgh City Council said, “you elect people, and they make those decisions.” Granted, that is the way it is supposed to work. Sadly, Council’s long running inability to hold expenses down has necessitated ever increasing tax revenues to fund spending growth.
Others on Council view the ability to tax as “an important tool” in governing the City. But their power to tax has led to the profligate spending that has put the City in the bind it now finds itself in. Misuse and abuse of this “important tool” lie at the heart of Pittsburgh’s financial nightmare. Arguing for continued unrestrained authority to set tax rates is illogical and specious as well as incredibly self-serving.
Finally, there are those who worry voters will never approve a tax increase. They have every reason to be worried about that in light of taxpayers’ disgust with the inability of government to rein in spending. Still, there may be cases where voters can be convinced a legitimate need exists for additional revenue.
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR for short) movement has been around for quite some time. Colorado was one of the first states to implement fully the concept. All tax increases at all levels of government in the state are subject to referendum approval and government expenditure growth is strictly limited to the inflation rate and population growth. After implementation in the early 1990s Colorado became one of the fastest growing states in the country.
TABOR’s rationale is quite simple and straightforward. Over time elected officials almost inevitably find it easier—for various reasons—to bend to the entreaties, or threats, of powerful interest groups to spend money that redounds to the benefit of these groups. Such interest groups represent sources of campaign financing and reliable voters on election day and whose wishes dare not be ignored. On the other hand, taxpayers are a disparate population with many allegiances and political views. Their broad interest in having government be as effective and low cost as possible is rarely the foremost concern of elected officials. Typically taxpayers as a whole do not march as an interest group or testify on spending measures or new programs. Then too, taxpayers are often conflicted because not only do they pay taxes they are members of interest groups that benefit from government largesse.
Taxpayers who do not work for government or who are not part of a favored interest group are at a disadvantage compared to the aggregation of special interests who tend to get what they want. This is especially true in an environment where strong public sector unions are present.
Greater economic prosperity in communities with TABOR is easy to understand. Businesses like a low tax environment. And they also like having the assurance that government spending will be constrained so that tax rates are not under continual threat of being raised. Government in a TABOR community must work hard to be lean and efficient including adopting cost saving measures such as outsourcing non-core functions. New programs requiring big spending increases are much less likely to get off the ground. Government instead is forced to focus on its core functions, something it should be doing without being forced. Finally, a very salutary result of TABOR is that government’s burden on taxpayers is far less likely to increase over time and can actually be lowered.
Politicians who fight voter approval of tax increases are saying, “trust us to do what is best.” The problem is their track record is beyond deplorable and there is little or no taxpayer trust in them. Government exists for the benefit of all citizens including taxpayers and their input on momentous decisions is crucial. And while voter approval of every governmental decision is not possible or desirable, on the biggest decision of all—the amount of resources government will have to spend—voters should have the ultimate say.
No system is perfect nor can any system solve every problem or anticipate every adverse situation. But voter approval of taxes, accompanied by strict spending limits, offers a far better approach to fiscal matters than the irresponsible government behavior that has driven Pittsburgh into the financial ditch it finds itself stuck in.
So, Reverend Burgess is to be commended for proposing this first important step of referendum for tax hikes. It would be very positive for the future of the City and the way it is perceived by the business community if Council would approve the Reverend’s proposal and allow the citizens to vote on whether they want tax increases to be subject to referendum.
Surely, in light of the government’s litany of financial management failures, Council and the Mayor should grasp this opportunity to show a little humility and demonstrate some faith in the good sense of the people of Pittsburgh—and a lot less deference to political power players.
Jake Haulk, Ph.D., President Frank Gamrat. Ph.D., Sr. Research Assoc.
For updates and commentary on daily issues please visit our blog at http://alleghenyinstitute.org/blog.
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Thank you for your support.
Ms. Doven said. "It really was a three-ring circus."And the mayor says it is not his fault. So there.
Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/11009/1116783-53.stm#ixzz1AXLp9dj8
The promoter of "Ride The Divide," the mountain bike documentary that was named the best adventure film at the 2010 Vail Film Festival is looking for ticket buyers. If you are not familiar with the film, please check the trailer at http://www.ridethedividemovie.com.
Coming to Pittsburgh for a one-night-only show on Thursday, Feb. 3 at the Southside Works Cinema. This is the final stop on a 10-day, 10-city Midwest tour that is part of a larger nationwide tour. It is selling out theaters all over the country and anticipate we will sell out the South Side's 267 seats on this night as well.
Spread the word throughout your cycling club or team about this event, which should be the highlight of the cycling season in Pittsburgh this winter.
Use the attached information to get the word out through emails, your web sites, your Facebook pages and putting up posters at places you frequent, such as coffee shops and brew pubs. Press release (also pasted below for your convenience), a printable poster, and our jpeg logo which can be used with an calendar events listings you might be able to post online.
Here is the link to our Facebook event which has all the information in it as well:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=190087151007312
And here is the direct link to purchase advance tickets:
http://www.imathlete.com/events/EventStore.aspx?fEID=7982
If you have any questions, or any ideas to help get the word out to a wider audience, please contact me as soon as possible. I hope to see you and your club members out at the show.
Thank you.
Garry Harrington, Colorado Springs
603-209-5010 RIDE THE DIVIDE, AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY FILM, ON MIDWEST MID-WINTER TOUR
Ride The Divide, the award-winning feature-length documentary about the world's toughest mountain bike race, will conclude its Midwest mid-winter tour when it stops in Pittsburgh on Thursday, February 3, at the Southside Works Cinema.
The film chronicles the story of several mountain bikers who attempt the 2,711-mile race named the Tour Divide along the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. The movie was named the Best Adventure Film at the 2010 Vail Film Festival. This film has become an instant cycling classic, and made its television premiere in September on the Documentary Channel. But the Adventure Cycling Association said the film should be seen on the big screen: "The cinematography is stunning!"
Added UpaDowna, "Ride The Divide is one of the most inspiring real cycling movies … in a long time." Epic Riding summed the movie up as follows: "In a word? Fantastic. In more words? Moving, funny, inspiring."
Ride The Divide embraces the inspiring stories of three of the racers who experience the immense mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada, to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border. There's Mike, a 40-year-old family man who uses this challenge to chart a new course in life; Matthew, a leader in extreme endurance racing who's competing for his fifth time; and Mary, the first female rider to race this route.
As they set out, they will attempt to accomplish what very few have been able to. Over the course of a few weeks, they'll attempt to climb over 200,000 vertical feet along the backbone of the Rocky Mountains. They'll experience mental breakdowns, treacherous snow, hellacious blisters, and total fatigue. Above all, they'll race with no support – at times in total isolation. The tests of endurance and the accomplished moments throughout Ride the Divide prompt us to reflect on our inner desires to live life to the fullest.
Ride The Divide made its debut at the Vail Film Festival and was named the best adventure film at the event.
Outside Magazine proclaimed that "(t)he toughest bike race in the world is not in France," after reviewing the film.
Ride The Divide will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Southside Works Cinemas located at 425 Cinema Drive in Pittsburgh. Tickets are $15 at the door, and $10 in advance at www.IMAthlete.com/Events/RideTheDividemovie. The event is sponsored by Venture Outdoors of Pittsburgh (www.ventureoutdoors.org). Media contact: Garry Harrington 603-209-5010 <mailto:gharrington3165@hotmail.com> gharrington3165@hotmail.com
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Much work is left for City League's move to WPIAL: "The Pittsburgh City League is moving forward with plans to join the WPIAL.
Within the next few weeks, a 22-member athletics overhaul committee for Pittsburgh Public Schools is expected to forward a proposal to new superintendent Linda Lane that calls for the City League to join the WPIAL for the 2012-13 school year."
Where are the religious liberals?: "Where are the religious liberals?
They have let conservative politicians and talk-show hosts claim the high ground
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
By David Dunn
Two generations have passed since it was common to see people of liberal religious faith take to the public square to champion worthy causes, fight for those with no voice and demand justice from the powers-that-be.
Religious liberals served as the moral battering ram of the civil rights movement and took to the streets in waves to confront those who sought to justify wars in southeast Asia.
Since then, however, religious liberals have faded into the woodwork, doing good works with humble voices mostly in the safety of their own congregations."
Of course, there have been certain occasions in recent years when their voices have been raised. Many protested the invasion of Iraq in 2003. More recently, many traveled to Arizona to protest that state's enactment of an ethnic profiling law that posed as immigration reform, and the Catholic Church displayed qualified support for the health care law passed last summer.
But these few points of light have failed to illuminate a righteous path out of the woodwork.
This has not gone without notice. Religious conservatives have moved in and laid claim to the moral high ground once occupied by religious liberals.
For the most part, religious conservatives have been good tenants and have served this nation well in many ways. They have been doing the heavy lifting in the public square over the last 40 years.
That said, conservative politicians and media entertainers also have carpetbagged their way onto this moral high ground, finding religious conservatives to be the most genial of neighbors.
How can any people of religious faith, conservative or liberal, condone the hateful speech so often delivered these days under the cloak of religion?
Radio show host Dr. Laura practiced Orthodox Judaism until 2003 and authored a book on the significance of the Ten Commandments in everyday life. Her show, in her own words, is supposed to offer "advice infused with a strong sense of ethics." Instead, she routinely demeans, discredits and puts down callers who come to her in a time of need. People of faith should forgive individual mistakes, but they also should hold people accountable for their body of work.
Glenn Beck professes that religious faith is the cornerstone of his life and guides his vision for America. That is fine, but it does not excuse comments referring to President Barack Obama as a racist or a Nazi and or claims that people like himself were central to the civil rights movement and somehow need to "reclaim" it.
Former U.S. senator and likely presidential candidate Rick Santorum, perhaps more than any other modern politician, employs his religious faith as a weapon against those who do not fit into the limited confines of his ideological box. He routinely invokes his religious faith to essentially condone war against Islam and the persecution of homosexuals.
Jesus sought the persecution of no one and simply called upon the religious to live their faith more perfectly. Perhaps Gandhi had someone like Rick Santorum in mind when he said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Eventually, those who use hateful speech and ideas to further their own ends behind the guise of religion will fall under the weight of their own hypocrisy, but without an organized challenge to hateful ideas, this can take a very long time.
Religious conservatives have the most to lose when such personalities are taken as de facto ambassadors of their religious faith, but all people of faith need to confront them and their ideas.
Religious liberals need to reclaim the religious landscape they let slip away over the last 40 years. Modern political and social conservatives have done an excellent job of making "liberal" a dirty word. Religious liberals need to come together and become again an uplifting voice for America that counters those of hatred and intolerance.
Religious liberalism has much to be proud of in the story of America. Our founding fathers held a variety of religious beliefs but many today would be considered liberal Christians. They were activist revolutionaries who drew upon their religious faith to envision a radical democratic country and make it a reality.
Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," a speech essentially regarded as a sacred testament to the meaning of America, drew from ideas conceived by liberal clergy. His closing words about "government of the people, by the people, for the people" were inspired by liberal Unitarian minister Theodore Parker, who had earlier expressed American democracy as a "government of all, by all, for all."
If people of liberal religious faith wish to further this vision of America, they need to start organizing and start acting in the public forum. And they need to realize that religious conservatives are not the enemy.
Doctrines may differ, positions on emotionally charged issues may differ and cooperation may at times be difficult, yet there is much upon which all people of religious faith can agree. With this, a true pluralistic vision of America, consistent with the ideals of our founding fathers, can be rediscovered.
David Dunn, an engineer, lives in Eighty Four and is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills, Mt. Lebanon (dave.dunn24@comcast.net).
ANN: WordReport 1.0 release and introductory sale
I'm happy to announce the 1.0 release of WordReport. This library lets
your LiveCode stacks crank out MS Word and OpenOffice reports of any
kind: business documents, contractor invoices, real-estate flyers, mail
merge, product catalogs, software data reports, educational worksheets,
band concert posters, customer service letters, or whatever else you
dream up. (In fact, the demo stack includes sample code and templates
for three of those scenarios.)
You create a formatted template with data insertion tags, save it, and
then insert your data from within LiveCode to create reports. WordReport
is self-contained and doesn't need any word processing software to
create reports, but you'll need MS Word or OpenOffice to create the
templates. The demo stack will get you off to a quick start exploring
capabilities, and a friendly User Guide explains everything.
The library handles images as well as text and has other advanced
features such as loops and optional context marking. It handles Unicode
and as a bonus, in addition to the unlimited formatting in your
template, you can include basic styles within your export data for extra
emphasis on the fly. It does headers and footers too. And tables. (And
number formatting with commas if you need it.) Everything you need to
make customers and clients happy with great-looking reports, while
improving your own back office workflow too.
To celebrate this release (finally!) I'm offering WordReport on sale at
a very special introductory price for 10 days. Get it while it's low!
This is a power tool for saving time and producing great documents in
all kinds of practical scenarios.
http://curryk.com/wordreport.html
(A hearty thanks to the beta testers also. And for those interested in
news about WordOut, the export library, a beta has been available for
some time, email me if you wish to try it. I'll be finishing it up as
time allows, and as promised, those who purchase WordLib at full price
before the WordOut release will receive an export library discount.)
Best wishes,
Curry Kenworthy
--
WordLib: Import MS Word and OpenOffice documents
http://curryk.com/wordlib.html
WordReport: Template-driven MS Word and OpenOffice reports,
from invoices and worksheets to catalogs and mail merge
http://curryk.com/wordreport.html
Need custom software development or RunRev help?
http://curryk.com/consulting/
Comment from Dan Sullivan is rumored to post in the discussion area:
Burgess also had several property tax liens against him when he was a candidate in 2006. Rich Lord of the Post Gazetted did a story on it.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07006/751778-182.stm
Now he’s calling it a witch-hunt. It’s really called “opposition research,” and it’s routine in election campaigns. If this were the first time, he could say he didn’t realize that. Since it’s the second time, he would have to plead colossal stupidity.
Dave Barry's Year in Review: Why 2010 Made Us Sick: "Dave Barry's Year in Review: Why 2010 Made Us Sick"
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— Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons.
* Join us now: <http://www.fsf.org/jfb/>
Fellow DRM elimination crew members: As 2010 rolls to an end, we can take this time to reflect on the growing DRM threat that our society faces and the role DRM plays in attacking all our freedoms.
Most notably this year, Apple's walled garden expanded with their
launch of the iPad, and the announcement of their DRM App Store for Mac OS X. But Apple is not alone: Microsoft, Amazon, Sony,
Intel and Adobe are increasing their efforts too. 2010 was also a year when video game companies continued to impose ever more draconian DRM on game players.
For our work to continue, for more people to become aware of the fight against DRM, we need to grow. To grow, we need your support: both your continued support as part of the DRM elimination crew — supporting our actions and sending in tips and news for new DRM and DRM-free services, but also your financial support.
In these times, it really is important that we build professional and social solidarity around a core set of ideals. It's critical that we hang together, both to advance our positive ideas for a better world and to stop those trying to turn computers against their users.
Defective by Design is a campaign of the Free Software Foundation, and associate members of the Free Software Foundation
form a society — a society supporting the ethical cause of computer users everywhere, whether that is fighting the danger of
DRM, or working to educate and advocate for software freedom.
Join us in a growing society of over 3,000 dedicated members — your friends and peers — in over 45 countries.
* Join us now: <http://www.fsf.org/jfb/>
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http://www.savingco mmunities. org/docs/ post.louisf/ ethicscontents. html
"The Ethics of Democracy" is probably the most important book by Louis F. Post. Other sites have it in pdf and Kindle formats.
Post was a leader of the progressive movement before it was co-opted by socialists. Like socialists, progressives championed the cause of working people. However, there are important differences, and "Ethics of Democracy" expresses those differences pointedly.
The most important difference is that, while socialism (particularly Marxism) was based on an atheistic utilitarianism, most progressives advocated harmonizing with moral absolutes, which they sometimes labelled "natural law." This distinction is central to "Ethics of Democracy."
I should note that Post did not define atheism as failure to believe in a personal God, but failure to recognize that the universe is governed by moral law: "There are those who thus approach moral questions from fundamental moral principle intuitively perceived, who would disclaim being theists. They are, however, properly enough classified as such, even though they deny a divine personality, for they acknowledge moral truth as absolute. That is the essence of theism, and it distinguishes them from atheists."
The atheist is not best described as one who denies the existence of a personal God. Many a fervent worshipper of God as a personal being, is an atheist nevertheless. Atheism consists essentially in the denial of absolute moral principle - in the assertion that there is no such thing as an axiom of moral right, but that moral questions are to be determined by considerations of expediency ascertained by experiment."
- Part 3, chapter 1, "Honesty the Best Policy"http://www.savingco mmunities. org/docs/ post.louisf/ ethics31. html#essence
Post, like many progressives, saw personal liberty and legal equality as the moral cornerstones of progress, under attack by both amoral plutocratic monopolists on the right and amoral bureaucratic monopolists on the left.
The book gets off to an admittedly slow start, but although it is organized to make a single overall statement, each part and even each chapter within parts stands independently. That is, one can skip or skim sections that are of no particular interest.
Part 1 challenges superficial objections to radical thought that were being made at the time and are still made today. Post tackles four such objections, each with its own chapter. However, as the very similar defects apply to all four objections, reading one chapter invites a "skimming" of other chapters.
Parts 2 and 3 examine the focus on financial success at the expense of others and of one's own personal happiness.
Parts 4 and 5 focus on progressive economic principles. perhaps not as strong on pure economics as Post's mentor, Henry George, had been.
Also, like George, Post seems to have underappreciated the problem of debt-based currency. However, Post is much clearer than George on the difference between the progressive opposition to monopoly and the socialist embracing of monopoly as leading to monopoly socialism.
Part 6, on democratic principles, is quite good. Although Post confounded democracy with majority rule, he has clear statements on the moral limits of government over the individual, an analysis of legal vs. illegal crime, an attack on public debts, an excellent chapter on trial by jury as a protection against abuse, and an essay on why an imperialist nation cannot remain democratic for long.
Post was one of the strongest critics of America's imperialist adventures that resulted from the Spanish American War, and Part 7 contains excellent essays on the patriotic duty to oppose government when it is wrong. It does this from a perspective of profound loyalty to American principles.
I hope you will find these writings informative and enlightening.
Sincerely,Dan Sullivan, director of education Saving Communities 631 Melwood Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 412.OUR.LAND
412.687.5263
edudir@savingcommun ities.org
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FIJA would be pleased!
Billings Gazette: Missoula District Court: Jury pool in marijuana case stages "mutiny."
It happens that I just posted the book, *Ethics of Democracy* by Louis F. Post, with a chapter called "Trial by Jury."
http://www.savingcommunities. org/docs/post.louisf/ethics65.html
Here are some interesting passages.
"That insult to the jury [a judge berating their decision] was worse than contempt of court. It was worse than a breach of judicial decorum. It was a crime against democratic government. For it was calculated, by intimidating jurors, to undermine the independence of juries and destroy the integrity of the system of jury trial. And the worst of it all is that this instance is only one among many that indicate a disposition on the part of some judges to reduce trial by jury to an empty form with only a curious historical meaning...."Juries are sometimes corrupt and they sometimes make mistakes. But the innocent prisoner has better guarantees of acquittal at the hands of a jury, than at the hands of a judge expert in the work of 'railroading' criminals; and the guilty man has but little better chance of escape. Though juries do make mistakes in deciding questions of fact, it is hardly conceivable that they make as many as it appears from the law reports that judges make in deciding questions of law; and though they be occasionally corrupt, neither are judges always immaculate. There are few lawyers of large experience who will not concede that as a rule, even when juries seem to be mistaken, they get at substantial justice.
"But the judicial function of juries is not the important one. As De Tocqueville says, the jury's function as a judge in particular cases is subordinate to its function as a political institution. In the nature of things in criminal cases, if the jury decides at all, it must decide both fact and law. Legal experts may advise, but the jury must decide. So long, therefore, as the independence of the jury can be preserved, individual liberty cannot be quite destroyed. All other free institutions might go, even the suffrage might be restricted to the very rich or the highly educated, yet, if the penal law were administered by independent juries drawn from the body of the people, the grosser forms of tyranny would still be held in check.
"That explains the tendency to minimize the function of juries. With the jury system out of the way or become a mere form, and experts invested with power to punish infractions of the law, our government would go on developing into a government by experts until it had reached the inevitable climax, government by a single expert born to his place and specially educated to his function - the government of a czar.
"Whoever will stop this tendency will be a benefactor. Some exceptionally courageous juror may yet volunteer for that duty. If, when a judge in some other case berates the jury after the manner of the judge in the kidnapping case, a member of the jury will rebuke him, that juror will have performed a most valuable public service. It should not be done pertly, nor lightly, nor rashly; but in self-respectful manner, seriously, earnestly, decisively, and with confidence in his rights as a juror and consciousness of his imperative duty as a citizen of asserting those rights....
"Unless jurors do assert themselves by insisting upon a due recognition from the bench of their rights and dignity, the process of reducing juries to a place in which they will perfunctorily record the decisions of judges will go on apace; and judges, having usurped the functions of juries, will become the real masters of society.
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The Stadium Authority board voted unanimously to place a six-month forbearance on an option agreement with the Steelers and Pirates that governs development between the stadiums. Some former board members have argued that the teams did not meet deadlines in the agreement, and wanted to sell the remaining publicly owned parcels to the highest bidder, but those members were removed from the board by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
Merry Christmas Libertarians!
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/shock-christian- leader-pat-robertson-favors- marijuana-legalization/
Shock: Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson favors marijuana legalization
By Stephen C. Webster
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 -- 3:29 pm
Robertson a welcome addition to drug reform circles, former narc tells Raw Story
Update: Following publication of this story, a spokesman for the religious CBN television station contacted Raw Story to clarify Robertson's comments. His statement is reflected in the text below.
Count this among the 10 things nobody ever expected to see in their lifetimes: 700 Club founder Pat Robertson, one of the cornerstone figures of America's Christian right movement, has come out in favor of legalizing marijuana.
Calling it getting "smart" on crime, Robertson aired a clip on a recent episode of his 700 Club television show that advocated the viewpoint of drug law reformers who run prison outreach ministries.
A narrator even claimed that religious prison outreach has "saved" millions in public funds by helping to reduce the number of prisoners who return shortly after being released.
"It got to be a big deal in campaigns: 'He's tough on crime,' and 'lock 'em up!'" the Christian Coalition founder said. "That's the way these guys ran and, uh, they got elected. But, that wasn't the answer."
His co-host added that the success of religious-run dormitories for drug and alcohol cessation therapy present an "opportunity" for faith-based communities to lead the way on drug law reforms.
"We're locking up people that have taken a couple puffs of marijuana and next thing you know they've got 10 years with mandatory sentences," Robertson continued. "These judges just say, they throw up their hands and say nothing we can do with these mandatory sentences. We've got to take a look at what we're considering crimes and that's one of 'em.
"I'm ... I'm not exactly for the use of drugs, don't get me wrong, but I just believe that criminalizing marijuana, criminalizing the possession of a few ounces of pot, that kinda thing it's just, it's costing us a fortune and it's ruining young people. Young people go into prisons, they go in as youths and come out as hardened criminals. That's not a good thing."
Robertson has in recent years come under fire for increasingly flamboyant comments, such as calling for the assassinations of foreign leaders and blaming gay people for the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina.
In this instance, even though he clearly expressed support for the reform of US marijuana laws, a spokesman for religious television station CBN walked back Robertson's comments, telling Raw Story on Thursday morning the Christian Coalition founder "did not call for the decriminalization of marijuana."
"He was advocating that our government revisit the severity of the existing laws because mandatory drug sentences do harm to many young people who go to prison and come out as hardened criminals," CBN spokesman Chris Roslan wrote. "He was also pointing out that these mandatory sentences needlessly cost our government millions of dollars when there are better approaches available. Dr. Robertson's comments followed a CBN News story about a group of conservatives who have proven that faith-based rehabilitation for criminals has resulted in lower repeat offenders and saved the government millions of dollars. Dr. Robertson unequivocally stated that he is against the use of illegal drugs."
Conservatives signing up for drug policy reform
The segment, while significant for illustrating a key conservative stalwart's shifting opinion on the drug war, was mainly a plug for a new conservative group called "Right on Crime," which parlays the arguments of groups like the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) into conservative-leaning messages.
"Our marijuana prohibition laws, which send people to prison for merely possessing a plant, are clearly immoral," LEAP executive director Neill Franklin, a former Baltimore narcotics officer, told Raw Story.
"As a Christian, and as a former law enforcer who is now working to undo the damage these laws have done to our families and our communities, I'm glad to see Pat Robertson joining the chorus of faith leaders calling for reform."
Some faith-based groups, like the Council of Churches and Church IMPACT, also helped promote California's failed Prop. 19 ballot initiative, which would have legalized marijuana cultivation, sales and consumption by adults over 21-years-old. It failed to gain a majority in the state's 2010 elections.
President Obama has maintained his opposition to the legalization of marijuana, although his Department of Justice has largely taken a hands-off approach to states where voters have approved the drug's use if prescribed by a doctor.
Pat Robertson was a Republican candidate for the presidency in 1980, but saw his political ambitions dashed in the primaries by Ronald Reagan. Though he later earned Robertson's endorsement, President Reagan went on to significantly escalate the war on America's drug users.
This video is from the 700 Club, broadcast by the CBN Network. (Segment on marijuana law reform is at beginning.)
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