In my column yesterday, I cited President Obama's proposal to increase the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts as evidence that he is less than fully committed to making the "hard choices" and "difficult decisions" he says are necessary in light of "the fiscal realities we face." The Drug War Chronicle notes another example that's even more disheartening because it involves a program that is not just pointless but pernicious: Obama wants to raise federal anti-drug spending from $25.2 billion this fiscal year to $25.6 billion next fiscal year. The increase, 1.6 percent, is not big, but if ever there were a program that was begging for cuts, the never-ending, always-failing war on drugs surely qualifies. Obama even wants to increase spending on interdiction, probably the most futile part of this pharmacological crusade.
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