HispanicVista Columnists

Foolproof plan to stop drug smuggling into the US

By Patrick Osio, Jr./HispanicVista.com

June 20, 2005

 

    

 

I have a guaranteed plan for stopping drug smuggling and the drug war that is engulfing Mexican border cities. The plan has the added benefit that it will also stop the corruption of Mexican law enforcement officials, and the fair share of US officials accepting bribes.  I am serious, the plan is guaranteed fait accompli. There is no way it can fail. More good news – once the plan goes into effect it will take no more than a year, in fact within a few months smuggling will undergo a dramatic reduction and before the end of the year it will be history.

What will the program cost? Our Federal Government spends about $20 billion a year on the War on Drugs, states and cities around another $10 billion. My plan calls for using that same amount for the year – the good news again is that all that money would be spent right here in the US not in countries that supply the drugs. And after a year – the costs will be reduced in half to be used for Americans still in need of drug rehabilitation. The costs will continue to be reduced so that after 5 years no more tax payers’ money will have to be used saving over $30 billion per year and thousands of lives.

 So are your ready to hear the plan? OK, here it goes.

 Since the United States is a nation of laws and its people law abiding citizens – the government will spend $500 million dollars on TV, radio and news print announcing that all Americans must obey the law and stop using drugs.  Together with those announcements telephone numbers will be provided for use by those who are addicted so they can be directed to subsidized treatment centers wherein they will receive free treatment, which amounts will be taken from the War on Drugs budget.

 Now wait a minute, before you throw your head up and it does a full circle with lips puckering readying to say, “What a nut. He had me going there for a minute,” think.

 Why would someone dismiss what is a full proof plan to stop drug smuggling? There is no way if law abiding American citizens stop using drugs that the plan will not work. No way.

 Think about it – why would smugglers smuggle something that is not used? To store in warehouses? To give away? And if no one is using it, to whom will they give it away? And if there is no purchasing, there is no need or money to bribe Mexican or US border officials to look the other way or let shipments through – is there?

 So don’t go shaking your head that this is a bad idea. It’s not. It’s the perfect solution – and we all know it.

 So tell me why it won’t work?

 Is it because we are not really a nation of law abiding citizens as we claim to ourselves and the rest of the world? Could it be because we think or know Americans will not stop using drugs?

 Using drugs is what causes smuggling. Using drugs is what provided money for bribing. Using drugs is what causes killings of those who are attempting to stop smuggling. Using drugs is what creates orphans and widows destroying entire families. Using drugs is against the law.

 Doesn’t it hold that as long as Americans use drugs, smuggling will continue, along with bribing, and the killings? And so the antidote is to stop using drugs? If so, what is wrong with the plan? Nothing, but us.

 We console ourselves by pointing the finger at foreign countries – “oh, if only they would stop sending the drugs, we would have no problems here in God’s most blessed country.”  “It’s not our fault, why look at Mexico – they’re soooo corrupt, look how they’re killing themselves because they want to send us drugs. Shame on them, shame, shame on them.” And so we ignore the one plan that would be 100 percent under our control – no depending on Colombia, Mexico, Afghanistan or any other country that produces or is a shipping corridor.

 And if we fail at getting usage stopped, what makes us think we can get smuggling to stop? Throwing $30 billion a year in the attempt hasn’t worked. Preaching to other countries hasn’t worked.

 How about if we go back into our own country’s history and re-acquire some of the character that made the nation great.

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Patrick Osio, Jr is Editor of HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com) Contact at Posiojr@hispanic.sdcoxmail.com

Patrick Osio, Jr. has written a short but intensive manual on the Mexican perspective on numerous issues between our two countries. The manual is an in depth primer on the culture and protocol for better understanding Mexicans that in turn allows establishing personal and business relationships, and how to avoid the most common faux pas that can ruin relationships and business deals.

The manual is available through Electronic delivery for $9.95 making it possible to download the manual to save on your hard drive, printing its entirety or particular sections while reaping considerable savings over printed copies.