End Marijuana Prohibition: Boost Jobs, Cut Costs & Fund Communities

 

Why It’s Time to Legalize Marijuana: A Smart Move for America

🔍 Economic Wins

• Billions in New Revenue
  U.S. states collected about $4.2 billion in cannabis taxes in 2023; California alone brought in $1.1 billion, and Colorado and Washington have generated over $6.5 billion since legalization began mpp.org+10investopedia.com+10teenvogue.com+10.

• Huge Savings on Enforcement
  Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs $7–$8 billion a year in criminal justice expenditures jeffries.house.gov+15prisonpolicy.org+15investopedia.com+15jeffries.house.gov. Reallocating those funds would be a smart fiscal decision.

• Job Creation & Economic Growth
  The legal cannabis industry supports 93 000+ jobs from 15 000+ dispensaries, with over $30 billion spent in 2022 — projections indicate $150 billion in economic impact by 2026 academic.oup.comacademic.oup.com+4politico.com+4teenvogue.com+4time.com+12investopedia.com+12mpp.org+12.

🌎 Broader Impact

• Reduces Black Markets & Crime
  Regulation undercuts illicit sellers and includes safer product labeling and quality standards mpp.org+7en.wikipedia.org+7publichealth.jhu.edu+7.

• Reinvesting in Communities
  Tax revenue can fund education, healthcare, infrastructure — plus, legal sales offer tools to repair harms from the War on Drugs.

✅ Comparison: Prohibition vs. Legalization

Category	Prohibition	Legalization
Tax revenue	$0	$4 billion+ annually aclu.org+2prisonpolicy.org+2mpp.org+2mpp.org+15investopedia.com+15excelsior.edu+15jeffries.house.gov+1en.wikipedia.org+1
Enforcement costs	$7–$8 billion/year	Reduced drastically – billions saved
Jobs created	0	Tens of thousands
Public safety & regulation	Unregulated black market	Regulated, quality-controlled markets

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📝 Draft Blog Post (for campaign site)

Title: “End the War on Marijuana: A Smarter, Safer, Stronger America”

Body:

Every year, America spends billions enforcing marijuana prohibition — money that should be used for schools, healthcare, or infrastructure. Instead, we funnel it into policing, courts, and prisons.

Meanwhile, states with legal cannabis programs brought in $4.2 billion in tax revenue in 2023 alone. California raked in $1.1 billion; Colorado and Washington have accrued more than $6.5 billion since legalization began jeffries.house.gov+1prisonpolicy.org+1politico.com+2investopedia.com+2en.wikipedia.org+2.

Beyond revenue, legalization creates jobs — supporting nearly 100 000 workers, from farmers to pharmacists moritzlaw.osu.edu+15investopedia.com+15mpp.org+15. It also dismantles dangerous black markets and adds consumer protections.

Most of all, legalization upholds fairness. The War on Drugs has disproportionately harmed Black and brown communities. Legal markets and tax-funded fairness programs offer real remedies.

It’s time to shift from criminalization to common sense. Tax cannabis — don’t chase it. The money we waste chasing “pot smokers” could instead fix roads, fund schools, bolster veterans’ services, and more.

Let’s redirect those billions back to our communities. End marijuana prohibition — and invest in America’s future.

Call-to-Action:

💡 Want to learn more or support legalization? Visit RobertBeersForCongress.com or robertbeers.com and join the movement!

Congress Vote App – Direct Democracy in SC District 1

 Power Back to the People: A Campaign to Rebuild Trust, Restore Balance, and Reignite America

 Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you today. My name is Robert Beers, and I’m running for the U.S. House of Representatives in South Carolina’s 1st District. I am not a career politician. I am a working-class American, a father, a husband, and someone who has experienced the economic, social, and medical failures of our current system firsthand. I am here to present a campaign that is not just about changing one district, but about helping lead a national movement that restores real power to the people.

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Core Vision: The American dream has become unreachable for too many. My campaign is built on one fundamental principle: government should work for the people, not for corporations, special interests, or the ultra-wealthy.

I’m offering bold, achievable policies to create a future where every citizen has a voice, an opportunity, and dignity. This isn’t a campaign of empty slogans. It’s a comprehensive blueprint for rebuilding America from the bottom up.

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Flagship Initiative: The Congress Vote App A revolutionary secure digital platform where every registered voter in the district can vote on legislation before I cast my vote in Congress. Real-time transparency, public reports by demographic, anonymous voting logs, and audit trails. This is modern direct democracy.

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Major Policy Proposals:

1. Legalize and Tax Marijuana Nationwide

• Revenue generation: $120+ billion over 10 years

• Redirect to healthcare, infrastructure, and addiction recovery programs

• Reduce incarceration and refocus law enforcement priorities

2. Balanced Federal Budget Without Raising Middle-Class Taxes

• Close corporate loopholes

• Tax high-frequency stock trading (Wall Street Speculation Tax)

• Implement a national digital services tax

3. Tiered Minimum Wage System

• Adjusted for cost of living per region

• Raises wages without damaging small businesses

• Sparks economic growth and reduces reliance on government aid

4. Revitalize Public Education and STEM

• Mandate national education standards

• Invest in rural and underserved districts

• Free or affordable college and vocational paths

5. Expand Healthcare Access

• Strengthen Medicaid and Medicare, not dismantle them

• Implement price transparency and negotiate prescription drug costs

6. Veterans and Defense Modernization

• Improve mental health care and job transition programs for veterans

• Smart defense spending: cyber, drone, and AI investment over wasteful contracts

7. Constitutional Accountability

• Rein in executive overreach

• Enforce separation of powers and voter rights

• Push for term limits and transparency laws

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Why This Campaign Is Different: Most politicians talk about change. I’m building tools for it.

The Congress Vote App alone revolutionizes civic participation. My platform is practical, funded, and people-first. From raising wages to balancing the budget without hurting everyday families, to giving voters direct influence over congressional votes — this campaign is actionable, not aspirational.

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Call to Action: Join me. Help us build the campaign that finally listens to the people and acts in their best interest. With your support, we can create a government that serves, not rules.

Visit www.RobertBeers.com and www.RobertBeersForCongress.com

Let’s make America work for everyone again.

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Supporting Materials Available:

• Full balanced federal budget draft

• "One Big Beautiful Bill" alternative

• Campaign blog archives on education, healthcare, tech, defense, and more

• Video introductions and app concept demos

• District-specific solutions for SC-1

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Prepared by: Robert Beers, Candidate for Congress, SC District 1

Power to the People: Congress Vote App & National Unity Plan

 

 United We Stand: Why Healing the Divide Saves America (and How My “Power to the People” Plan Can Lead the Way)

The truth is stark: America is deeply divided—and polls show this division is threatening our democracy. A recent NPR/PBS/Marist survey found that 76% of Americans believe our political divide poses a serious danger, and 73% worry about rising political violence time.com+1gvwire.com+1. With partisans on both sides feeling increasingly alienated, our nation teeters on the brink of unrest and instability.

The Cost of Division

• Violence on the rise: High-profile political attacks—like the tragic Minnesota shootings—are becoming more common, fueling fear and polarization washingtonpost.com+1time.com+1.

• Our institutions are fraying: From threats to the rule of law to bitter mistrust in Congress and the Supreme Court, our democracy is cracking lemonde.fr+8theverge.com+8globalaffairs.org+8.

• Unity isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity: We either repair the cracks or risk civic collapse.

Why Unity Works

History and modern civic innovations show us that bringing diverse Americans together can heal our country. Deliberative democracy tools like citizens’ assemblies and Deliberation Day have proven results:

• Deliberative forums encourage constructive conversation, mutual understanding, and better policy solutions en.wikipedia.org+5ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com+5osf.io+5frontiersin.org+3govocal.com+3en.wikipedia.org+3.

• Programs like America in One Room (2019) saw real shifts in views—more moderate, empathetic, and open-minded opinions emerged after just a weekend, and participants' approval of “the other side” soared by nearly 14 percentage points globalaffairs.org+5en.wikipedia.org+5vanityfair.com+5.

My Vision: Power to the People, One Vote at a Time

🔹 Congress Vote App
Instant, secure public voting on key bills—so Representatives know exactly what their constituents want.

🔹 Citizens’ Assemblies & Deliberation Day
Locally hosted forums to foster real dialogue and bridge divides—balanced, inclusive, and data-driven.

🔹 Transparent Governance
Enhanced public hearings + accountability dashboards = no more secret deals.

Benefits Over the “Big Beautiful Bill”

Big Beautiful Bill	Your Plan: Power to the People
Top-down legislation, little grassroots input	Bottom-up democracy: public drives solutions
Lacks tools to heal civic rifts	Designed to unite, educate, and build trust
Fueled fear and division	Promotes empathy, common sense, and unity

Join the Movement

America thrives when its people are empowered. This isn’t just hopeful rhetoric—it’s based on what works.

📱 Sign up at RobertBeers.com and our Congress Vote App to usher in accountable democracy by the people, for the people.

Let’s do more than talk unity—let’s live it. Together, we can heal our democracy and build a lasting, inclusive future.