Your Papers, Please???

OK, there are days I feel like I have been living under a rock. Today is
one of those days. I JUST found out that in order to purchase Sudafed, I
would need to show my driver's license and sign a log book. Moreover, the
log book will be maintained by the pharmacist for two years. All this to
combat the crystal-meth problem. Well, I have no problem trying to take a
bite out of the drug problem in this country. Having grown up in the 70's,
people are amazed that I never experimented with drugs...not even pot.
That's right, I never just "not-inhaled," I never tried it at all. As a
parent, I'm even more in favor of stopping drugs. But something about this
law smacks of too much government control.

There have always been pharmaceuticals that could only be purchased from
behind the counter, presumably to keep them out of the hands of kids.
However, if this medicine could be potentially be used to make something so
dangerous, why allow its sale at all? Take it off the market. It wouldn't
be the first time the FDA pulled a drug from the shelves. At the very least
revert it to prescription status - those have always been tracked by doctors
and pharmacies anyway. The way it's being done now is too invasive.
Americans don't want to "present their papers" every time they turn around.
Maybe it's just the government's way to get people to wean themselves off
the stuff. Pharmaceutical companies are already producing cold medicines
with alternatives to pseudoephedrine in response to the law. It's a good
business decision.

The most confusing thing about this is making it part of the Patriot Act.
What is that all about? Isn't that for fighting terrorism? I like the idea
of making it easier to gather information on potential terrorists and to
share that information between intelligence agencies. But I don't think the
Patriot Act was ever meant to be an all-encompassing, cure all, "just
because we can add it here" thing. Where's the relevance? Including the
Sudafed restriction only gives more fuel to the fire that President Bush is
power hungry and illegally spying on private citizens.

When I hear about stuff like this law, even if it's a year or two too late,
it makes me long for 2008 all the more. I'm not saying I want Bush and
Chaney impeached - because that would give us Pelosi. And I'm sure that
when viewed through the prism of history, the "Dubya" will be vindicated and
seen as smarter on some things than currently perceived. Nevertheless, I am
at times relieved that he only has a little more than a year left in office.
After seven years, I am getting tired of defending him from critics when he
keeps "leading with his chin."