The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns

5. How do you justify legalizing pot, but not other drugs like heroin and cocaine?

[Fred Mallach] It is hard enough convincing people that the greatist harm from marijuana is its criminalization, it would be impossible at this time to advocate for the legalization of heroin and cocaine. However, the Health Officers Council of British Columbia Discussion Paper Fall 2005 did just that, calling for the legalization of all drugs.

6. Marijuana production is a massive underground economy in BC. Wouldn’t legalizing it drive the price down? And, if so, how would the government maintain a profit through taxation if everyone could grow it legally?

[Fred Mallach] Have you ever had homemade beer?

7. Isn’t the Marijuana Party of Canada just a throw-back hippy movement? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

[Fred Mallach] I don't know of too many hippies that ran for parliament. If you mean hippy to mean someone who ascribes to the lyrics of John Lennon's song 'Imagine', then I would be happy to admit to being a hippy.

8. It’s been found that there is a link between marijuana use and memory loss to the point of debilitation. On a personal, and related note, I knew a person who was a pot head who would ramble and repeat the same story hour after hour, day after day. Is this really what we want to see in parliament? Will government meetings end up going on, seemingly forever, and will tax payers end up footing the bill for their munchies?

[Fred Mallach] Don't they do that now already?

9. Have you ever participated in a protest? Do you feel they are effective ways to get a message across?

[Fred Mallach] Once, in grade nine, regarding the shift system where half of the school went to class in the morning and the other half went to class in the afternoon. I organized the walk out and once everyone came outside the principal told everyone to go back into school. Everyone went back to class except me, I went to the principal's office. I learned that protests are not always effective ways to get your message across.

10. How do you feel about Americans? And, what is your opinion on Paul Martin using attacks against Americans to appear as a strong leader who does not bow down to US wishes?

[Fred Mallach] Do you mean the American people or the American governement? I like the people.... Pathetic. Because of Jean Cretien we did not follow the US into Iraq. If Martin or Harper had been Prime Minister at the time, we would have gone.

11. How would you respond to Tucker Carlson's characterisation that Canadians live in igloos and ride dogsleds to work? Referring to http://www.twbookmark.com/books/16/0446529761/chapter_excerpt17539.html

[Samantha Burns interjects jokingly: There was no response to this question. Perhaps overlooked; perhaps too stoned to notice it was missed. ;-) Oh wait, it's not about pot, but pot politics right. I tease, I tease]

12. Why should people with more money pay higher taxes? Isn’t everyone in Canada equal and shouldn’t they contribute equally?

[Fred Mallach] Not all people are able to look after themselves. Do you want to burden lower income earners with the same social responsibility as a high wage earner?

13. When the government tends to be horribly inefficient and ineffective, why do we continue to tack on social programme after social programme, crippling our population's tax burden further?

[Fred Mallach] With three levels of government, duplication and inefficiencies are something that must be coordinated. When you make the statement that 'government tends to be horribly inefficient and ineffective' it is a generalization on your part. Which social programme(s) do you want to cut?

14. If you have a millionaire willing to pay for his own private medical care, why should Joe-poor be forced to pay for Joe-rich?

[Fred Mallach] In Canada we have equal access to medical care, second to none in the world. When you really need the care, I have found that the system comes through in spades. What we need is a reduction of unnecessary treatments and procedures with an emphasis on prevention. With the population of Canada aging, and with obesity on the rise, we need to address these trends before they overwhelm the system. If Joe-rich jumps the queue it takes away from the publicly funded system.

15. How do you expect to win when everyone who would vote for you may be too stoned to go to the polls?

[Fred Mallach] What makes you assume that only people who smoke pot would vote for me?

16. Do you have any favourite blogs or websites that you read?

[Fred Mallach] CMAP (Canadian Media Awareness Program) and of course, your blog from now on!

17. How can people contact you if they have questions or would like to aid in your campaign?

[Fred Mallach] www.fredmallach.ca or by e-mail fred.mallach@shaw.ca

18. Is there anything that you would like to add that has not been asked here?

[Fred Mallach] I believe that we need to elect better people to government. The party system is broken. If we elected 308 honest, creative, caring individuals, it would not matter if the blue team won, or the red team, or the orange team. We would have a house made up of people that are there for the right reasons, not because of the wrong reasons.

And to prove my point, if we drew 308 names out of a hat we would end up with a parliament which would be no worse than what we have now!

I thank you, Mr. Fred Mallach, for your time, and I appreciate your responses to questions that many Canadians have regarding your party.