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You're being downvoted but imprisoning OxyMonster for selling things to willing customers will have almost 0 effect on the opioid markets. It's a costly symboli

You're being downvoted but imprisoning OxyMonster for selling things to willing customers will have almost 0 effect on the opioid markets. It's a costly symbolic gesture that will affect nobody but him and his family.

nighthawk1 8y ago
I think many times these arrests are meant to be a demonstration that law enforcement is doing their job. I imagine even the arresting agents realize this guy is a drop in the ocean and his customers will quickly flock to his replacement. Similar to those folks who work in a corporate environment who complete a document that they know will be jettisoned into a corporate black hole but checks off a requirement.
- tylersmith 8y ago
  Sure, but "doing their job" is a bullshit excuse for taking somebody's life away. Honestly it's worse IMO. They know it accomplishes nothing except making them look a tiny bit better to their bosses. Destroying a person's life for career advancement is quite different than making a worthless gdoc that nobody will read.
  - giarc 8y ago
    >excuse for taking somebody's life away. There are a million other things he could have sold online that wouldn't have resulted in 20 years in jail. Whether you agree with the illegal status of drugs or not, if someone choose to subvert the law, you can't expect law enforcement not to prosecute.
    - tylersmith 8y ago
      You should expect that they will, in the same way you should expect a serial killer to murder people, but they're still garbage that wouldn't thrive in a just world. You're absolutely correct that you should always expect people to sell you out for a little selfish comfort because most of them are trash.
    - jMyles 8y ago
      > if someone choose to subvert the law, you can't expect law enforcement not to prosecute. Sure, that's fine. But it also obfuscates the more important point: I can expect (and I do expect) that a reasonable, mature society stop this idiotic practice in the first place. Refusing to learn from the failures of drug prohibition throughout history is one thing, but continuing a current and clearly failed experiment for an entire century is flabbergasting and childish. Who will be the last person who's life is ruined for no reason? Will it be this dude? Or someone in the same position tomorrow?
  - s73v3r_ 8y ago
    "Sure, but "doing their job" is a bullshit excuse for taking somebody's life away." I can't have sympathy for someone who was selling opioids to addicts, exacerbating a terrible epidemic. "Destroying a person's life" The feds didn't do that, his own actions did that.
    - tylersmith 8y ago
      > I can't have sympathy for someone who was selling opioids to addicts, exacerbating a terrible epidemic. That's a philosophical question about how much people own their own lives versus how much you should be able to dictate their lives for your own selfish sense of peace of mind. We're not going to change anyone's minds on that in HN comments. > The feds didn't do that, his own actions did that. The "feds" did do that, in response to his actions, because people like you manadte via votes that they do that.
      - s73v3r_ 8y ago
        No. He did it to himself, through his actions.
        TomMarius 8y ago
        He's not there voluntarily, is he?
        s73v3r_ 8y ago
        He is responsible for his own actions. No one forced him to become a drug kingpin.
        jMyles 8y ago
        That's just not the point. Not the point at all. Forget this guy for a second. The real question here is: will this act (or generally, all of the actions taken by the state pursuant to enforcing prohibition) help anyone? Will it reduce death, disease, crime, misery, addiction?
Clubber 8y ago
I'm fairly certain the OP was being sarcastic.
- tylersmith 8y ago
  Yes, and is being downvoted for it. My reply was agreeing with him but without the sarcastic shtick.
  - Clubber 8y ago
    People downvote for the stupidest reasons anymore. It will be the death of good, well thought out but not conformist commentary and become a boring monoculture, just like everywhere else. I'm getting in the habit of looking for stupid downvotes and upvote. I wager at least 2 for this comment.
    - Clubber 8y ago
      >People downvote for the stupidest reasons anymore. It will be the death of good, well thought out but not conformist commentary and become a boring monoculture, just like everywhere else. I'm getting in the habit of looking for stupid downvotes and upvote. I wager at least 2 for this comment. I got 4 downvotes for this. It's sad that just 4 people can ruin one of the last places to have a good conversation on the internet. Perhaps a reconsideration of how the karma system works is in order, in order to save meaningful dialog. Off the top of my head, I would suggest any downvote also removes a karma point from the down voter. Instead of risking karma for taking a considerate but unpopular position, people willing to quell thought and ideas should be risking their own karma. I believe suppressing ideas and thought is far worse than presenting an unpopular idea and therefore should be at a much higher cost.
      - wglb 8y ago
        Don't complain about downvoting: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7961827 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7961827 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2569919 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2569919
belorn 8y ago
That almost 0 effect is what practical every form of enforcement against smuggling is going to be. A person not declaring items being brought into the country is very unlikely to have a effect on the federal budget, or any effect of on a legal market, and yet practical all border controls has someone employed to check for undeclared items.
- tylersmith 8y ago
  Yeah it's a ridiculous waste of money to infringe on others' rights.

nighthawk1 8y ago

I think many times these arrests are meant to be a demonstration that law enforcement is doing their job. I imagine even the arresting agents realize this guy is a drop in the ocean and his customers will quickly flock to his replacement. Similar to those folks who work in a corporate environment who complete a document that they know will be jettisoned into a corporate black hole but checks off a requirement.

tylersmith 8y ago
Sure, but "doing their job" is a bullshit excuse for taking somebody's life away. Honestly it's worse IMO. They know it accomplishes nothing except making them look a tiny bit better to their bosses. Destroying a person's life for career advancement is quite different than making a worthless gdoc that nobody will read.
- giarc 8y ago
  >excuse for taking somebody's life away. There are a million other things he could have sold online that wouldn't have resulted in 20 years in jail. Whether you agree with the illegal status of drugs or not, if someone choose to subvert the law, you can't expect law enforcement not to prosecute.
  - tylersmith 8y ago
    You should expect that they will, in the same way you should expect a serial killer to murder people, but they're still garbage that wouldn't thrive in a just world. You're absolutely correct that you should always expect people to sell you out for a little selfish comfort because most of them are trash.
  - jMyles 8y ago
    > if someone choose to subvert the law, you can't expect law enforcement not to prosecute. Sure, that's fine. But it also obfuscates the more important point: I can expect (and I do expect) that a reasonable, mature society stop this idiotic practice in the first place. Refusing to learn from the failures of drug prohibition throughout history is one thing, but continuing a current and clearly failed experiment for an entire century is flabbergasting and childish. Who will be the last person who's life is ruined for no reason? Will it be this dude? Or someone in the same position tomorrow?
- s73v3r_ 8y ago
  "Sure, but "doing their job" is a bullshit excuse for taking somebody's life away." I can't have sympathy for someone who was selling opioids to addicts, exacerbating a terrible epidemic. "Destroying a person's life" The feds didn't do that, his own actions did that.
  - tylersmith 8y ago
    > I can't have sympathy for someone who was selling opioids to addicts, exacerbating a terrible epidemic. That's a philosophical question about how much people own their own lives versus how much you should be able to dictate their lives for your own selfish sense of peace of mind. We're not going to change anyone's minds on that in HN comments. > The feds didn't do that, his own actions did that. The "feds" did do that, in response to his actions, because people like you manadte via votes that they do that.
    - s73v3r_ 8y ago
      No. He did it to himself, through his actions.
      - TomMarius 8y ago
        He's not there voluntarily, is he?
        s73v3r_ 8y ago
        He is responsible for his own actions. No one forced him to become a drug kingpin.
        jMyles 8y ago
        That's just not the point. Not the point at all. Forget this guy for a second. The real question here is: will this act (or generally, all of the actions taken by the state pursuant to enforcing prohibition) help anyone? Will it reduce death, disease, crime, misery, addiction?

Clubber 8y ago

I'm fairly certain the OP was being sarcastic.

tylersmith 8y ago
Yes, and is being downvoted for it. My reply was agreeing with him but without the sarcastic shtick.
- Clubber 8y ago
  People downvote for the stupidest reasons anymore. It will be the death of good, well thought out but not conformist commentary and become a boring monoculture, just like everywhere else. I'm getting in the habit of looking for stupid downvotes and upvote. I wager at least 2 for this comment.
  - Clubber 8y ago
    >People downvote for the stupidest reasons anymore. It will be the death of good, well thought out but not conformist commentary and become a boring monoculture, just like everywhere else. I'm getting in the habit of looking for stupid downvotes and upvote. I wager at least 2 for this comment. I got 4 downvotes for this. It's sad that just 4 people can ruin one of the last places to have a good conversation on the internet. Perhaps a reconsideration of how the karma system works is in order, in order to save meaningful dialog. Off the top of my head, I would suggest any downvote also removes a karma point from the down voter. Instead of risking karma for taking a considerate but unpopular position, people willing to quell thought and ideas should be risking their own karma. I believe suppressing ideas and thought is far worse than presenting an unpopular idea and therefore should be at a much higher cost.
    - wglb 8y ago
      Don't complain about downvoting: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7961827 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7961827 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2569919 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2569919

belorn 8y ago

That almost 0 effect is what practical every form of enforcement against smuggling is going to be. A person not declaring items being brought into the country is very unlikely to have a effect on the federal budget, or any effect of on a legal market, and yet practical all border controls has someone employed to check for undeclared items.

tylersmith 8y ago
Yeah it's a ridiculous waste of money to infringe on others' rights.