Pot-gress?

As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office, he has opened a section of his transition website, change.gov, to questions from the public. And after more than 10,000 issues have been posted and 100,000 votes on these issues cast, the “Open for Questions” section has been closed. The top question? Iraq withdrawal plan? Economy turnaround plan? Education reform? Healthcare?

Nope.
The highest voted question is: "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion-dollar industry right here in the U.S.?"

After a strong effort from websites like Digg (my favorite source for news, including where I found this article), questions about weed legalization and drug reform reached the top, with 16 of the top 50 questions about this issue.

While such an issue seems rather minor, despite these votes, in comparison to some of the other issues addressed, the issue of weed legalization is certainly not a tiny issue. Severally states, most notably California, have argued back and forth on the issue. I will sum up the argument from both sides for you.

Against Marijuana Legalization:
>Many argue Marijuana is a stepping stone drug that leads to the use of heavier drugs like cocaine or heroin
>Legalization would make it easier for kids to obtain the drug
>Increase in dangers such as stoned-driving, second-hand smoke, and the physical effects of drug abuse

For Marijuana Legalization:
>Not as harmful as alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation
>Reduced drug-related crime (Including theft to pay for high cost of illegal Marijuana)
>Would be taxed, money would go to the government instead of drug dealers
>Medical benefits

Regardless of which side you support, (I’m curious to hear your views) it will be interesting to see if our next president will address this issue or not. According to the Change.gov site, "Over the next few days, some of the most popular questions selected by the Change.gov community will be answered by the Transition team, and their responses will be posted here on the site." Seeing as this issue is so heavily presented, it is possible that we may hear something from Obama and his administration soon.

With thousands of people crowding jails for Marijuana related crime, and scientific studies showing that Marijuana is safer than both tobacco and alcohol, could the legalization of Marijuana, if it happens, be considered progress?

Progress Isn't Everywhere

When we think of progress in the world, we think of new technology or the booming economies of countries like China or India. But what of our own country, America? While indeed we in America are often the first to experience new technologies, whether they be computers, cell phones, or iPods, the majority of these technologies are manufactured outside the United States.

So what of the classic American companies, the companies that were a major part of America’s once booming economy? Many turn to look at the American auto industry, an industry that once thrived and dominated the market, but is now struggling to stay alive amidst fierce competition from foreign car companies. To examine the domestic auto industry, one must look at Detroit, “Motor City”, the home of America’s Big Three, GM, Ford, and Chrysler. And thus, I come to an interesting slideshow I found recently in the news: The Remains of Detroit. This grim look at the current state of a once grand industrial city sheds light upon the current state of our domestic industry, a state that unfortunately portrays quite the opposite of progress.

Here are, in my opinion, some of the more potent images of the slideshow (From Time):



Michigan Central Station
Once the city's primary passenger depot, Central Station has not been used since 1988. Photographer Hemmerle sought out Detroit's derelict buildings as part of a project exploring how far America has fallen. "Industry is one of the things that we let go that we need to get back," he says.



Fisher Body Plant #21
Abandoned in 1991, the Fisher plant was originally built to produce Buick and Cadillac bodies.



The Michigan Theatre
Built in 1926, this glorious building functioned as a performance space until 1976, when it was converted into a parking garage.



Packard Automobile Manufacturing Plant
Many of the derelict structures are used by homeless people.

Overall, these images portray an eerie theme of abandonment and lost splendor. Is this the fate of the American Industry as a whole? Or perhaps a warning of what will come if we are not careful? In either case, I believe that these images show that while perhaps we may experience a feeling of industrial and technological progress, such a reality is does not exist everywhere.