Pubdate: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2014 Times Colonist Contact: http://www2.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html Website: http://www.timescolonist.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Graeme Gardiner Page: A11 WHY CAN'T POLITICIANS SEE THE CONNECTIONS? Re: "No school? B.C. to pay $40 a day per child," Aug. 1. The partisan issue of whether to legalize marijuana will solve nothing. Neither will giving parents $40 per day this fall if the strike in public education continues. We know now that the war on drugs has failed. Since 1990, the price of illicit drugs has actually decreased because of an overabundant supply. The steady demand continues to be fuelled in large part by people trying to temporarily escape unfulfilled lives. The trickle-down-economy theory, started in the same time period, hasn't worked either. Inequality is at historically high levels. Unchecked capitalism has created a concentration of wealth, a middle class in steady decline and an increased market for illicit drugs. The economic and social cost of these two failed programs is enormous. Perhaps it is time to consider a new and much cheaper approach. A strong public school system could turn the next generation away from illicit drugs and toward fulfilling, well-paid jobs created in a properly managed capitalist system. After one 12-year public school cycle, we could very well see a renewed prosperous middle class, along with a declining welfare state and a declining market for illicit drugs. Why can't our politicians see the connections and do more than just try to score political points? Graeme Gardiner Sidney - --- MAP posted-by: Matt