Bob Barr: “Mr. Chairman, it always strikes me as rather odd that people take hours and hours and hours debating amendments, and…”

“Mr. Chairman, it always strikes me as rather odd that people take hours and hours and hours debating amendments, and then, when one comes along that they disagree with, oh, they are so concerned about the Members having to be here. Well, the fact of the matter is, Mr. Chairman, this is not a moot point. The fact of the matter is that, yes, it appears at this point in time that the signatures on the ballot are wrong and are invalid. There is time to appeal that, plus the fact, Mr. Chairman, history dictates to us that these drug legalization people do not give up. What they will try and do is they will try and come back again and again and again. Even if the appeal of the invalidity of this ballot referendum is sustained, they will immediately, I am sure, begin the process once again. All this amendment does is it prevents funds, appropriated funds, from being used in any way to fund a ballot initiative. It strikes not only at the ballot itself, but at using any funds for the development of that ballot, for publicity surrounding that ballot, the whole range of things that these drug legalization people do, over and over and over again. If the folks on the other side are against legalization of marijuana, I do not understand why they would be opposed to this amendment. This amendment simply says that no monies appropriated under this bill shall be used for ballot initiatives for drug legalization.”