Monday, May 21, 2012

Weed it out.


Legalizar la producción, venta y consumo de la mariguana tendría efectos profundos en la política de seguridad de México. No sería el apocalípsis hippie que la derecha describe como un vórtice donde los valores humanos se pierden y todo se convierte en una gran bacanal de pecado. En realidad, lo único que cambiaría es que la gente que consume mariguana podría hacerlo sin cometer un delito y con la certeza de que no tiene insecticida que los deje ciegos. La mariguana pagaría cantidades enormes de impuestos, le quitaría parte de su ingreso al crimen organizado y haría al país un poquito más libre y un poquito más seguro.

Podríamos usar básicamente el mismo marco legal que ya usamos para la venta de alcohol. Paga muchos impuestos, se requiere una licencia para comercializarlo y no se puede vender a menores de edad. Con un mariguanómetro y un estudio clínico sobre con cuanta mota ya no debes manejar desplegado en cada punto donde haya un alcoholímetro. El sentido común hace el resto: en todas las situaciones donde no debes estar borracho, tampoco puedes estar pacheco.

Te pueden despedir por llegar a trabajar pacheco y meterte a la cárcel si llegas a operar pacheco. Sentido común.
Con la legalización de la mota, también aparecería un nuevo tipo de ranchero: el de rancho mariguanero.

Éste ranchero no maneja una Ford Lobo 4x4, ni usa botas y camisa de cuadros-- tiene un híbrido y anda en chanclas. No usa sombrero porque no le caben las rastas y trae una playera de Manu Chao. Los ranchos mariguaneros no tienen enormes extensiones cultivadas como milpas, parece más bien un invernadero, con plantas creciendo bajo techo en cubetas de plástico, con irrigadores automáticos que las mantienen hidratadas y frescas.

Tiene nómina, le paga seguro social a los trabajadores y un contador lleva los impuestos al corriente.

La mariguana se vende por gramo o en cigarrillos, los hay con filtro, con sabor a menta, mezclados con tabaco. La gente fuma en sus casas y en cafeterías con licencia.

Ésto describe algo razonable.

Prevenir que los chicos fumen mariguana, o tabaco, o beban no debería ser responsabilidad del gobierno. Es responsabilidad de los padres. Si quieres un gobierno menos metiche, tienes que ser más responsable.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Vote


Democracy without education is a fallacy. And a pretty dumb fallacy at that. Let me elaborate.

To say that I have become, over time, disenchanted with the whole concept of democracy is inaccurate. Truth is I was never that much of a fan.

Turns out the most overall productive times of mankind were not democratic. Empires seem to work best.

But, of course, democracy is ideally better than any other form of government, it is fairer, more humane and it evens the playground so we all have the same opportunities.

Now ideally is the key word in that statement: reality is democracy does not really work that way. In my country anyway. Here, you can't run for pretty much any popularly elected office if you are not part of a political party. So you really only have three choices, and if non of them reflects your beliefs or opinions, well, fuck you then.

No party reflects what I think, no candidate is proposing what I believe we need. None of those assholes means anything to me. Unsurprisingly, that feeling is disproportionately common nowadays, as we are al tired of the same old shit. But I digress, I was going at the concept of democracy.

Now, I am a liberal and all, and I believe in equal rights for everybody-- don't get me wrong. The problem with democracy is that it elects officials on the basis of popularity rather than capacity. So ship captains, chief engineers, hospital directors and CEOs are appointed on merit, while the president is elected on a remarkably similar way to the class president.

Sure, ideally (that word again) we would not be fooled by pretty prose on speeches and heart-warming propaganda: our critical-thinking-based education protect us from it.

But our (that of those of us lucky enough to have had one) education is not critical-thinking-based. The truth is that even honestly functioning democracies (assuming that any of those even exists) lets a very important decision on the hand of uneducated, easily-swayed, emotionally voluble masses.

Instead of having our president, governor and mayor be chosen among an elite of very experienced academics, economists, business people and true community leaders, we have to pick a president from a bunch of politics.

Ugh.

So, how do you make democracy actually good?

Well, first you need a strong education. Teach kids to question everything, to do independent research, to be honest with what cold data shows and to be socially responsible. Teach them economics, social science and fucking history, lots and lots of history. Then get rid of political parties, base campaigns on practical proposals and make mandatory background checks on candidates.

Then everybody makes an educated, well-thought, reasoned vote, and the guy best fitted gets the office.

Seems easy enough... right?

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Yay dogs

I believe the reason dogs are always in such a good mood is that, while they understand the concept of play, they have no concept of work. So even dogs that do work live in an all-games world, as put in evidence by this entry, copied verbatim from the diary of a labrador who works at an airport: ____________________________________________________________ So today master went get me and I was SO happy and he petted me and said we were going terminal 2 and that usually only means one thing and I was so exited and master said we were going to sniff bags for cocaine!! and I was like 'dude no way omg I LOVE this game!!' and I sniffed and sniffed and then BAM!! and he was like 'yo you sure' and I was all like 'yeah man totally' and then blue guys came and opened the bag and there was a package and THEN I GOT A COOKIE man it was so awesome and master was so proud and I was all like 'yay cookie!!' and then on the way back this oooold old lady wanted to pet me and she did and she smelled like raisins and it was so cool. BEST. DAY. EVER. ____________________________________________________________

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Dunno

Es terrible tener tanto qué decir y no saber por dónde empezar.