The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged legalization

An unexpected voice for decriminalizing marijuana: Pat Robertson

Pat Robertson, the host of the 700 Club and a former Republican candidate for president, has added his voice to a growing chorus calling for the decriminalization of marijuana, reports the news site The Raw Story.

In an episode of his widely watched show that focused on prison ministries, More…

Marijuana legalization advocates look giddily towards 2012

By | 11.08.10 | 9:06 am

Most of California’s high-profile ballot initiatives — from rolling back the state’s greenhouse gas reduction efforts to legalizing marijuana — failed last week at the ballot box, but at least for marijuana legalization advocates, their spirits remain high and their hopes are already set on 2012. The initiative, called Proposition 19, More…

What Does ‘Secure the Border’ Actually Mean?

By | 10.14.10 | 3:47 pm

Alan Bersin, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was asked a good question during a talk this afternoon hosted by the Migration Policy Insitute: Securing the border is his job, but what exactly does he consider a secure border?

It’s an interesting question, particularly given the debate over More…

State Ballot Props on Health Care Repeal, Marijuana Could Drive Turnout

By | 10.12.10 | 9:20 am

Voters won’t only get the opportunity to elect a new Congress in exactly three weeks — in 36 states, they’ll also get to decide the fate of 155 ballot propositions on a wide-ranging series of topics, from increasing a state’s sales tax to reducing its carbon emissions. And while there’s More…

In Wake of Arizona Law, Labor Unites Behind Immigration Reform

By | 06.28.10 | 6:00 am

For most of their history, labor unions opposed attempts at loosening immigration laws and often threw their weight behind restrictionist measures. During the most recent overhaul effort in 2007, a schism among unions cracked an otherwise willing liberal coalition and helped defeat the reform bill. But now, in the More…

New Report Finds Legalization of Immigrants Substantially Improves Economic Status

By | 11.05.09 | 5:47 pm

A new report prepared for the Immigration Policy Center finds that illegal immigrants who gained legal status in the 1980s via the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) went on to earn substantial gains in their socioeconomic status. The report suggests that, contrary to the idea that legalizing More…

CATO Institute Finds $180 Billion Benefit to Legalizing Illegal Immigrants

By | 08.14.09 | 3:31 pm

A new study from the libertarian CATO Institute concludes that legalizing the more than eight million undocumented workers in the United States would have significant economic benefits for the country, while simply enhancing border enforcement and applying restrictive immigration laws would actually hurt the U.S. economically.

Napolitano Ducks on Immigrant Legalization

By | 05.06.09 | 12:23 pm

At the Senate Judiciary Committee’s oversight hearing this morning, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano carefully skirted repeated questions about her views of whether longtime undocumented immigrants living in the United States ought to get a chance at legalization.

Although Napolitano did say she supports the DREAM Act — which would More…

Obama Immigration Proposal May Not Be at Odds With Economy

By | 04.14.09 | 1:44 pm

Last week, a senior aide to President Obama told The New York Times that the White House plans to support a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would offer a path to legalization for undocumented workers. But will Obama be willing to invest the More…

Legalizing Pot Might Not Grow Economy, But It Could Stem Border Violence

By | 03.30.09 | 5:54 pm

Norman Stamper, the retired Seattle police chief and member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com) shakes his finger at President Obama for laughing at the question of whether he’d support legalizing marijuana, one of the top questions asked at the president’s online town hall forum last week. More…