Unfrugal overlap

This is a rant on the vast misappropriation of funds in the name of tradition. This is only a rant. No actual anger was directed at anyone, real or imagined. In the case of real anger I would've declared a state of national crisis and threatened to chain myself to some inanimate object, like the White House fence.

Onward.

A little backstory. I have never tried any drug, ever. I have never even smoked a ciggarette. I've never had the slightest inclination from a young age to try or do any drugs. I have also served in the military, worked for the government, and in private sector.

Why are we spending tens of billions on a war on drugs, and on locking up drug users/dealers? Yes, selling drugs to children is bad. However, that is the fault of the parent, just as if their child were smoking or drinking alcohol.

Our prisons are there to lock up dangerous criminals. Way too many of them are filled with drug addicts who are a danger solely to themselves. Want to pay for all these hurricanes? Easy enough, get rid of the ridiculous war on drugs, and funnel all that money into infrastructure, rebuilding, and disaster relief. Problem solved.

Our country is way too beholden to spending cash on things 'because it has always been that way'. That is not a good reason.

Having four branches of the armed services with overlap of jobs and training centers is unnecessary and wasteful. Having four service acadamies essentially doing the same thing is not frugal or wise. If a city had four different police forces because it had always been that way, would it be ok? It's tradition! Baloney.

Why do we have so many federal law enforcement branches that have their piece of the pie? They all have their own bureaucracy and management facilities and once again, overlap of field agents and personnel.

I haven't even touched on tort reform, the many silly laws that need repealed, or the fact we have such an insurance quandary in this country.

It's high time we look at what is important in America, and spend our taxed dollars appropriately. No war on drugs. One military, not four times the need. Streamlined law enforcement with simple and effective goals. If we can add massive lawsuit reform, corporate tax reform, and reducing the red tape for small business', then we'd really get our country pointed in the right direction.