Libertarian (Pro) vs Conservativism (Con)

Since you spend a majority of the time discussing drugs, I would like to address that topic specifically. I absolutely agree with you about the harmful or potentially harmful effects that drugs can have on an individual and their family. It turns your brain to mush, your productivity has turned into how you will get your next fix, drug abuse has eroded away lives in our society. I would never defend one's "right" to do drugs, because you're playing with fire. But whenever we ask the gov't to step in and monitor or regulate something, they can only do that through force, that is incarceration and a record of that incarceration that will follow you everywhere. So what we have here is a situation where someone can ruin their lives by abusing the actual drug, but now they can be booked as a felon, with mandatory minimum sentences, and a felony on their record...so even if tey do clean up their act, they won't be able to get a job, pass a background check for their apartment, serve in the military or any situation that calls for a background check. This will further drive them to abuse again, being that the felony on his record is preventing him from getting his life back on track. He will be sharing a cell with violent criminals, and the worst people you can imagine, not to mention the money it costs the state to book and house these guys. Let's be serious, the law is not what is holding anyone back from dong drugs, neither I and I assume you wouldn't either rush out to do cocaine the second it becomes legal. People who abuse drugs care little about the draconian laws that accompany them...their brains aren't working correctly, so there isn't a deterrent factor that the law creates. If drugs were legal, they would have to clean up their lives through dedication and rehabilitation. At this point their lives are already ruined, and they are seeking help to get their lives back on track, which is very possible...because he isn't carrying around a felony and horrible memories and injuries from his time locked up with rapists, murderers and pedophiles. So when the gov't makes drugs illegal, they make it almost impossible for ex-users to get their life back on track, and the STILL have to go to rehab for help to boot. At least where he isn't arrested as a felon, he has hope through rehab to correct his life. Again I am not championing someone's right to do drugs, NO ONE should be doing drugs, I think when drugs are illegal, they can destroy their live 10 fold then if they weren't illegal. Morals are very important for a society to thrive, I agree. But whose morals? The capricious morals of those who are in charge at that moment in time. No one is going to agree on a universal set of virtues and morals. If that were possible, I would have no problem making incentives to act morally upright. To some it's just treating others with respect and for others it goes all the way down to believing homosexuals are evil sinners. Some think drinking is immoral, what about gambling? There is a whole spectrum on the morals and virtues area where we can draw the line as to what's acceptable and what isn't. That's why I say Libertarians don't attempt to guess and draw that line on the spectrum anywhere. Instead their parents, teachers, churches and the nuclear family should be responsible for rearing. Again how does gov't implement consequences when its "morals and virtues" aren't followed? Incarceration, arresting, booking, trying and housing you on the taxpayer's dime. Gov't is an inappropriate venue for spreading morals (especially with the rampant sexual scandals among our Congress)