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Dan Zucker
Member since Feb 17, 2015
Recent Comments
Re: “An Ongoing Feud in Victory Illustrates the Dark Side of Small-Town Life”
The travesty of this situation is that the Seven Days writer adopts a tone of "Hey, lookit the funny puppets on TeeVee". He may not have planned to be condescending, but he clearly can't help but marvel at the intractable conflict as if smarter people who don't live in trailers wouldn't be in that tough of a puzzle. By doing this, he desensitizes readers like, for example, 'wolfganger' whose comments above show nothing but contempt for those less fortunate and completely devalues human life. Each person interviewed from Victory is a whole person, with a life, a mother and father and a history and they see their world with no better or worse vision than anyone else. They're all just trying to set a sinking boat aright and this article isn't helping - if anything it's just motivating each citizen in Victory to feel more assured that their position is right. Instead of saying "here's what these people are doing wrong", how about one that suggests ways to help - or perhaps that is just too complex a task for a newspaper. Maybe it's a task that requires patience and a deep commitment to the plight of others. But whether or not that's the role of a newspaper, it's also true that even if you "round them all up and put them in the Gulag" as wolfganger advises, you'll always have another Victory.
Posted by
Dan Zucker
on 03/24/2015 at 8:45 PM
Re: “Pipe Dream? Bill Envisions Vermont Pot Lounges, Stores”
While I disagree with commenter Walt on a few of the particulars, there is no doubt that legislating a bureaucracy to manage the growth, harvesting, sale and broad distribution for state revenue is a sign of three major weaknesses in legislative and gubernatorial logic:
First, there is the presumption that the state is capable of managing a controlled economy for pot, and in such a way that it undercuts the street value in price and quality.
Second, that building a budgetary/revenue structure that relies on this bureaucracy will be a stable and helpful structure (stable for revenue and helpful to consumers).
And lastly, that the thought of legalizing marijuana is so contrary to the message of the last 50 years that there is a belief that it can only be accompanied by regulation and taxation, as if to say: "okay, we admit we were wrong, pot's not all that bad, but if you want to consume you have to pay a penalty to absolve you of your sin of consumption of the devil's weed."
The pseudo-moralistic hand-wringing that can be bought away with taxation and regulation merely underscores the hypocrisy of our legislature. How about this as an alternative: legalize the growing, harvesting, distribution and possession of marijuana in a manner that has much, if not everything, in common with our approach to Maple Syrup production and sale. Tax commercial scale operations in a manner that is consistent with the frameworks of existing business income tax law and require 'truth in advertising' regarding statements about THC content or 'grade'. Now that we've abandoned our classical syrup designation, let's put that to use in the pot products. Who wouldn't jump at a chance to smoke some classic Grade A Medium Amber King's Kush?
Posted by
Dan Zucker
on 02/17/2015 at 2:00 PM
Re: “Suspended Animation: Support Fades for McAllister's Expulsion”
I don't see why the rape of a minor should bother anyone or lead anyone to demand the senator's expulsion. Sexual assault is an acceptable crime, like jaywalking. I suppose in a society where women had more than nominal equity in social capital raping a 16 year-old girl would be considered reprehensible, but after all, this is America. This stuff just isn't all that serious and the girl was likely dressing provocatively anyway. Nobody just rapes girls for no reason.