I agree. The author does sound a bit hurried or desperate to make his point, but it's a very important point nonetheless. As I come to understand it: "Addiction is not a moral failing or an inability to exert willpower, though it may have characteristics of both. It is a social disruption." As for your point that politicians can't legislate love and connection, I agree it's kind of a ridiculous concept, but I don't think it's equivalent to the war on drugs. And now that I think about it, it only sounds ridiculous when you say love & connection. But what if instead of legislation that incentivized hugs and hi-fives, there was compulsory national community service for two years when you turned 18. Or, as you suggested, services that provided homes for the homeless, help for the mentally ill, decriminalization of drug use, etc. That would get my vote.But seriously..this is a pretty good article, albeit a bit over the top in some instances.
I am hoping that as more research is done about giving people homes or no-strings-attached cash money, we will start realizing that all the crazy charity and legislative work could be far more simple and productive. As it stands now so much of the money and time is spent on talking and organizing rather than the actual help. My point, which I didn't make very clearly, is that a lot of politics is "facts" - numbers and data that back up people's stances. Until we have a way to measure the effect hugs & hi-fives have or how many hi-fives were given last year vs this year, its going to be hard to legislate. Saying "we got 10 billion dollars off the street, which was 120% more than last year" with photos of cops standing in front of heaps of money, guns, and drugs is "proof positive" that the laws are "working". Nevermind the fact that the facts are manipulated heavily, a pile of money and drugs doesn't say anything about improvements to poverty-stricken areas, or the laws are working in the sense that they are actually curbing violence and drug use and improving communities. Big dollar signs and percentages = success. We can't repeal something so "successful".