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I have to agree with most of those, with two exceptions: - Marijuana isn't really on the same axis. It only becomes the same axis once you allow _all_ drugs --

I have to agree with most of those, with two exceptions: - Marijuana isn't really on the same axis. It only becomes the same axis once you allow _all_ drugs -- cocaine, opium, etc. Once you ban one drug, government has control over which drugs are legal or illegal. - You don't need to align 100% to be an outlier in a given direction. Zoning, gun ownership, freedom-of-speech, and a hundred other issues collectively make up this particular ideological axis. No one will align 100%. The point, though, is that small-government freedom-loving is a core part of the Texas identity. It's what Texas is about. It's strange to see it this far distorted. Mandating masks or vaccines by state control? That's not Texas culture. Preventing businesses from making such mandates for their employees? That's also not Texas culture.

lotsofpulp 5y ago
>- Marijuana isn't really on the same axis. It only becomes the same axis once you allow _all_ drugs -- cocaine, opium, etc. Once you ban one drug, government has control over which drugs are legal or illegal. It is on the same axis that alcohol is on. Actually, marijuana is far safer and less problematic for society. There is no logical reason to allow all drugs if you allow marijuana. It is pretty evident that different drugs pose different risks to society, and marijuana is pretty far down the list. I would even rank sugar and saturated fats as more dangerous to society. >- You don't need to align 100% to be an outlier in a given direction. Zoning, gun ownership, freedom-of-speech, and a hundred other issues collectively make up this particular ideological axis. No one will align 100%. That was my point. Some people like to think of Texas (and Republican states in general) as having more freedoms and having a "small" government, yet reality shows they lack many freedoms for things that have no effect on others, such as marijuana and abortion. In reality, they are no more free than any other place, and I would argue less free for many people in their day to day lives. Another one that just came to mind is Texas bans gambling.
- blip54321 5y ago
  You're arguing for the merits of marijuana being legal. That's different than arguing over the bounds of what government should and should not regulate. A statement like "There is no logical reason to allow all drugs if you allow marijuana" is both correct and irrelevant here. The question is whether government had a right to regulate drugs. Once you agree it does, it has a right to regulate marijuana. If you don't think it does, it can't regulate any of them. Once you agree it can regulate drugs, which ones it regulates is purely a question of policy. Regulating marijuana might be a bad idea, but saying it's outside of the scope of government regulation is a view extreme for virtually any state, including Texas. I'll also mention: There are a lot of breeds of Republican states. Many are not small government Republicans, for example, but Christian values Republicans. The Republican party is, in many ways, a weak confederacy on values. Texas is at an extreme end of believing it's about small government and freedom. And yes, freedom is more complex than the Texas ideal. If I have $200k in college debt, two minimum wage jobs, I'm under NDA, a child support agreement, and without access to health care, I don't have much freedom. But that lack of freedom doesn't come from the government restricting me.

lotsofpulp 5y ago

>- Marijuana isn't really on the same axis. It only becomes the same axis once you allow _all_ drugs -- cocaine, opium, etc. Once you ban one drug, government has control over which drugs are legal or illegal. It is on the same axis that alcohol is on. Actually, marijuana is far safer and less problematic for society. There is no logical reason to allow all drugs if you allow marijuana. It is pretty evident that different drugs pose different risks to society, and marijuana is pretty far down the list. I would even rank sugar and saturated fats as more dangerous to society. >- You don't need to align 100% to be an outlier in a given direction. Zoning, gun ownership, freedom-of-speech, and a hundred other issues collectively make up this particular ideological axis. No one will align 100%. That was my point. Some people like to think of Texas (and Republican states in general) as having more freedoms and having a "small" government, yet reality shows they lack many freedoms for things that have no effect on others, such as marijuana and abortion. In reality, they are no more free than any other place, and I would argue less free for many people in their day to day lives. Another one that just came to mind is Texas bans gambling.

blip54321 5y ago
You're arguing for the merits of marijuana being legal. That's different than arguing over the bounds of what government should and should not regulate. A statement like "There is no logical reason to allow all drugs if you allow marijuana" is both correct and irrelevant here. The question is whether government had a right to regulate drugs. Once you agree it does, it has a right to regulate marijuana. If you don't think it does, it can't regulate any of them. Once you agree it can regulate drugs, which ones it regulates is purely a question of policy. Regulating marijuana might be a bad idea, but saying it's outside of the scope of government regulation is a view extreme for virtually any state, including Texas. I'll also mention: There are a lot of breeds of Republican states. Many are not small government Republicans, for example, but Christian values Republicans. The Republican party is, in many ways, a weak confederacy on values. Texas is at an extreme end of believing it's about small government and freedom. And yes, freedom is more complex than the Texas ideal. If I have $200k in college debt, two minimum wage jobs, I'm under NDA, a child support agreement, and without access to health care, I don't have much freedom. But that lack of freedom doesn't come from the government restricting me.