Gregory Boyce
In the words of comedic genius Dave Chappelle: “I keeps it real”A Play on "Words": The definition of "Bodega" as compared to living in the Bronx, New York and living in Toronto, Canada.
First Lesson: Understanding a community's connection to it's "Bodega":
In terms of selling a variety of consumable products, a Bodega is the Hispanic/Spanish/Latin mini-mart version of today's neighborhood Jr. Market, 7-11 and Time Saver.
Usually a wee bit smaller in actual store size; a Bodega is an establishment of commerce where customers have the convenience to purchase a wide variety of foods, liquor, beer, cigarettes and candy.
Inside / outside its structure, the Bodega is a legendary east coast - primarily New York City, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Boston- "Free-Market" hub of economic activity that can be found on the "corner" of most inner city neighborhoods. The word "Bodega" is derived from the actual Spanish word for "grocery store" - La bodega.
In contrast, north of the border in Canada a Bodega is referred to in Canadian vernacular as being a neighborhood corner store that is not part of a larger chain of "like" stores AND despite it's appearance of being a reputable place to buy milk, bread, cheese and beer, in reality it's a "front " where a wide variety of illegal drugs are sold incognito.
In the News…
On Friday June 3, 2011 when the national unemployment report revealed that (on average) 9.1 % of all Americans that sought gainful employment were unemployed during the month of May; a rise of .01 percent, the bad fiscal news came as no surprise to the nearly twenty million Americans that are living / existing in an economic depression.
As Americans are forced to contend with an economy that is at best “shaky”, a nouveau entrepreneurial spirit is blazing (excuse the pun) across many parts of the United States.
Inspired by an Obama administration that has decided to scale back on federal raids on state ran establishments that legally sell medical marijuana, entrepreneurs who have established legal Bodegas have made the purchasing of marijuana on the street corner obsolete. Today, marijuana can now be ordered by phone and delivered to your home in California.
In Germany ordering a beer with your “Quarter Pounder” and fries at McDonalds is not only legal; millions of people living in Germany do it every day.
So, understanding Germany's economic incentive / model to sell beer at McDonalds and understanding that legalizing (and taxing) marijuana in the United States will ultimately open the door for limitless business opportunities, it's only natural for budding (excuse the pun) American entrepreneurs to want to exercise their deep belief in the American "Free-Market" system for making M.O.N.E.Y. by establishing legal businesses that specifically cater to a consumer market that is unfortunately forced to go underground (billions of dollars lost in combined state and federal revenue) in order to purchase a commodity that (truth be told) is far less dangerous for the consumer's health than the highly addictive but legal alcohol and tobacco that can be purchased at any local convenience store.
Pressing business questions that range from, "When will the day come in the Des Moines, Iowa when I'll be able to legally sell 'Kush' muffins and 'Panama Red' cheesecake at my bakery? to "When will the day come in Atlantic City, New Jersey when I'll be able to obtain a building permit that will allow me to build a "Five-Star" resort community where consuming marijuana is a legal choice?" weighs heavily on the minds of business savvy Americans all across our nation.
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) estimates that a legal market for marijuana in California alone could provide the state with as much as between 1.5 billion and 2 billion in additional revenue each year.
Analyzing the “big picture”, the legalization of marijuana nationally, while additionally implementing a $1.00 per joint excise tax would generate approximately $1 billion in NEW revenue being generated in most states... yearly.
Interestingly, individual states overall would also save over $150 million in law enforcement costs that are created in arrests, prosecutions and the imprisonment of people that are incarcerated for simply possessing a plant that grows naturally.
Additional benefits would accrue from sales taxes and spin-off industries. Total retail sales of marijuana would be on the scale of $3-$5 billion, with total economic impact of $8-$13 billion including spin-off industries such as coffeehouses, tourism, and industrial hemp.
In the end it's the Tobacco and Alcohol Industry vs. You and Your next door Neighbor
The most frequently asked question by Americans that advocate the legalization of marijuana is, “why is it legal under the current scope of the law, to consume liquor, beer and cigarettes but illegal to smoke a joint?” Even in an alternate universe ran by Reptilians, the answer to the question is both hypocritical and inaccurate. From Manhattan, Kansas to Cairo, Egypt, medical and safety experts agree that annually, more deaths are caused by the use of tobacco products than any other drug.
So…riddle me this lawmakers, if a constituent is of legal age to buy a pack of Marlboros, smoke them and later because of the consumption of the cigarette develop illnesses that kill them, well…that's OK, however, depending on what state that you live in, if you buy an ounce of marijuana, a drug like tobacco that releases certain cerebral endorphins; it’s automatically considered bad and as a result of the consumer's arrest, will more than likely cause the consumer to lose their job, their car and their home? Even a first year law student intuitively understands that "something" Mr. / Mrs. state and federal lawmaker is not right in the judicious "Land of OZ".
The truth behind all of this craziness is a powerful tobacco and liquor industry (elements of "The Invisible Hand") that unabashedly pay hundreds of millions of dollars annually to lobbyists in Washington, D.C. who then ensure that legislators on both sides of the political aisle are substantially rewarded / compensated for their vote in allowing cigarettes and alcohol to remain a legal commodity that is sold straight off of the shelves of Walmart and your local bodega.
In reality, it’s that simple, however understanding our lawmakers’ logic / rationale behind empowering international drug lords an opportunity to commit a multitude of crimes through the illegal trafficking of marijuana is more than baffling. Or could it be that these same lawmakers have an invested interest in keeping things “as they are?” Inquiring minds want to know.
As always Louisianans, the New Orleans Examiner is interested in what you think. Is the legal sale of marijuana and hemp a potential economic godsend for our nation that can instantly give a boost to a faltering economy and reduce the national unemployment rate? And is it time to hold our state legislators’ feet to the fire for allowing the sale of tobacco and alcohol to remain legal, while simultaneously supporting the prosecution of recreational marijuana smokers? Inquiring minds want to know. Sound off.
Until the next time Louisianans, Good Day, God Bless and Good Fishing.
http://www.canorml.org/background/CA_legalization.html
http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-28826-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
Continue reading on Examiner.com Are Marijuana laws stifling a Free-Market solution to fixing a bad economy? - New Orleans Progressive | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/progressive-in-new-orleans/are-marijuana-laws-stifling-a-free-market-solution-to-fixing-a-bad-economy#ixzz1OKcfbr2o
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