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Happy birthday sis! You're [mumble mumble] years old today! I hope today is a good day for you.

What to rant about today? Well, I don't know. How about the finding that between 5 and 7 percent of baseball players tested positive for steroids last year? Is this surprising? Maybe the ball is the only thing that isn't juiced in that league.

Why is it that we allow sports figures to take drugs, while we hold a strict zero-tolerance (read: zero common sense) policy in our schools? It's the old "do as I say, not as I do" approach. It doesn't work. Kids learn by example. If we allow sports people to take drugs, even in small amounts, it sends the message that drugs are ok.

Now, being a Libertarian, I believe that drugs shouldn't be criminalized by the government. If someone wants to take drugs, that should be a personal choice. They should also be held accountable for their actions that result from those choices. Employers routinely check for drug usage, so those people will end up not taking jobs, enabling those who want to work to find work. When people get tired of taking drugs (or run out of money), then can return to the workforce when they return to sobriety.

However, sports figures are not held to the same standard as the rest of us. They should have a strict zero-tolerance policy set by their leagues. Why? Simple. They sign multi-million-dollar contracts that agree to no drug usage. If they violate their contracts, they should be fired, and banned from the league forever. Just like if you steal from a company, they fire you and don't rehire you. It's your choice, drugs or sports. If you can't keep yourself drug-free, you shouldn't be making millions each year. There's no "right" to play professional sports. It's a privilege to be in those leagues. You're there at the will of the owner, who pays your salary.

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If you have ideas, comments, or criticisms, tell me about it.

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