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Thank You, William J. Bennett
by Jeff Elkins

The guardian of all that is moral, William J. Bennett, has struck again. The aging and orotund talk show clown and former top government drug thug has published a defense of both his disciple, drug warrior John Walters, and the war on drugs in a Wall Street Journal column entitled Don’t Surrender.

Bennett spews the same tired old line: "We must re-engage this fight. What we were doing in the 1980s and early 1990s – vigorous law enforcement and interdiction coupled with effective prevention and treatment – worked. It can work again."

Horse manure. It never worked. It never will work.

As Bennett admits in the article, 74% of Americans believe the war on drugs is a failure, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. I’m overjoyed that 74% of the American people have wised up to this government con game and wonder just how long it will take the other 26% to capture a clue. How many more no-knocks in the night, "your papers please," illegal searches and police murders until we just say no – to Bennett, Walters and others of their ilk?

The loss of personal liberties since President Richard M. Nixon started this insane crusade have been incalculable. Thousands have died and uncounted billions in American treasure have been spent, waging this unwinnable war. But an entire class profits and profits well from this assault on liberty, and I’m not talking about street dealers or drug lords. Or even the military forces that masquerade as peace officers these days.

I’m talking about the political prostitutes who whore for government sinecures, large per diems, and assured rides in stretch limousines. The Washington vampires who batten on the fears of the commoners, feeding quite nicely on a diet of extorted tax dollars. William J. Bennett is a prime example of this strange but numerous breed.

The now co-director of Empower America and co-chairman of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America has always been one who looked out for the main chance. A one-time disciple of neoconservative icon Irving Kristol, Bennett first burst into public view as Secretary of Education and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities under President Reagan. But it was as Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President Bush that Bennett was able to come into full flower as a statist thug and implement the policies that have placed the country under assault for the past 12 years.

Since leaving government in 1990, Bennett has continued his quest for a permanent place in the public eye. He established a reputation as our national nanny through publication of the vapid Book of Virtues. He is also a star entertainer on the well-paid conservative lecture circuit, giving performances for the rich and gullible who have a taste for tired cliches and rubber chicken. You’ll also find him on any political talk show that needs a reliable, recognizable conservative with a ready supply of sound bites.

Looking back on his stellar record of public service, I find we have much to thank Bill Bennett for.

We have Bill Bennett to thank for federalized government indoctrination centers for our youth. Policies started by his Department of Education continue to this day and have been greatly expanded during the Clinton years. The imprint of the federal government is found within every textbook you child may read. When you open your child’s history book and see Washington and Jefferson denounced as slaveholders, be sure to thank Bill Bennett.

We have Bill Bennett to thank for the epidemic of crack cocaine. Quoting Milton Friedman: "Had drugs been decriminalized 17 years ago, ‘crack’ would never have been invented (it was invented because the high cost of illegal drugs made it profitable to provide a cheaper version) and there would today be far fewer addicts."

The lives of hundreds of thousands of victims of drugs might have been saved. The inner cities would not be drug-and-crime-infested hellholes. Our prisons wouldn’t be full of innocent drug offenders and we’d have far less prisons. If you’re black, be sure to thank Bill Bennett for providing such a wonderful empowerment for your race.

We have Bill Bennett to thank for the explosive growth of militarized police, both overt and covert, that plague us. Every time you read about a "dynamic entry" gone wrong or a police murder of a suspect you should pause and give Bennett thanks.

Finally, be sure to thank Bill Bennett for training John Walters in his new duties. Now we can rest assured that the policies that got us were we are today and that have been so successful will continue.

Thank you, William J. Bennett. You are a wonderful example of the modern public servant.

May 18, 2001

Jeff Elkins [send him mail] is a freelance consultant and writer living in North Central Florida. His personal website is located at www.elkins.org.