Why the Majority Doesn’t Rule

The headline read: Poll: As Many People Support Green New Deal as Legalizing Weed and my first thought was, well, of course. It’s generally the same people. We also believe in universal health care, ending private prisons, making rich people pay their taxes, a minimum wage, getting money out of politics, and so on.
But there’s a greater link between these two issues, and I mean going beyond the mere fact that they are both good for the environment, which they are. In fact, legalization of marijuana should be part of the Green New Deal.
It’s that they are both backed by science. If you believe in science, then you probably accept that anthropomorphic climate change is a real thing, and it’s going to be disastrous, that is, more disastrous than it’s been already. If you believe in science, then you know that consumption of marijuana has serious medical benefits, and no medical drawbacks. It is not addictive. It is never fatal.
If you believe in science, you are probably among the 63% who support both the Green New Deal and legalization of marijuana. If you do not believe in science, you are probably among the 30 or so percent who answer yes to questions like do you believe that the story of Noah’s Ark is literal, do you literally believe that angels exist, do you understand the meaning of the word literal, and no, I mean do you really, literally understand the meaning of the word literal.
So, why are elections always so tight, and why are we not even close to getting legal marijuana or a green new deal. Among that 63 percent, there are some who are very wealthy. I don’t believe that people like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg don’t understand the science. They are perfectly aware that we need a Green New Deal to save the planet. But, it will cost them money. And money, to people who have money, is more important than the long term survival of humanity. It may not be scientific but it’s a fact.