Cheech & Chong

BOOMERANGST: The Appeal of Repeal

By Roy Trakin

The euphoria among many Boomers from the election of Barack Obama goes back to the feeling that the ‘60s cultural wars have finally been won, the forces unleashed by Ronald Reagan in 1980 finally defeated 28 years later. Of course, Bill Clinton was the actual Boomer candidate, but he represented the generation's worst instincts in terms of hypocritical hedonism, from his coy disclaimer "I never inhaled" to playing Freudian cigar games with Monica Lewinsky.

Obama represents the ultimate feel-good result of the ‘60s internal struggle between passive let-and-let-live peace and love ideals and aggro "Up Against the Wall" confrontation. That, of course, is the contradiction that tore apart the counterculture to begin with, but it's nice that both sides can agree on the feel-good aspects of a president who not only knows how to pronounce "nuclear," but also seems to have an open, give-and-take relationship with his partner.

So, while Barack's rather resounding victory certainly reflects the culmination of almost 40 years of civil rights movements and liberal policies, this country remains stratified on several leftover ‘60s issues. Merely witness the heated emotions aroused by the passage of Proposition 8 repealing gay marriage. That's a debate firmly grounded in religious overtones that are not going away soon. Isn't it time we left these partisan feelings behind and did the common-sense thing. Call it the Obama's Razor principle...that the most obvious solution is often the best one.

But Barack's presidency will mean nothing if the guy doesn't immediately take this bear of an economy by the balls and kick-start it with some out-of-the-box thinking. Let's go back to Obama's cherished history books to 1932, when Franklin Roosevelt and the Democrats running on a platform to repeal Prohibition helped them win the election. Along with World War II, naturally, it helped America emerge from the Depression. Why can't we do the same with marijuana? Sure, medical marijuana laws are a start, but the divide between state and federal laws has stalled its growth. It's time to bring pot under the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, tax it and start to bring that black market economy into the mainstream. If you don't believe there's an audience for it, check out everything from the box office success of Pineapple Express and the successful Cheech & Chong reunion to the hit book Pot Culture.

Same with other victimless crimes like sports books and prostitution.

If we are truly transitioning into a service economy, it's high time the U.S. realized this is the way to do it. After all, it's the only way to combat our dependence on foreign oil.