Commentary: High cigarette tax? Great!

[michael88n]

Did anyone else happen to see or read this piece of garbage?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/01/martin.smoking/index.html

Faulty logic all throughout his article. I could say the same thing about taxing overweight people (which reminds me that I need to hit the gym).

Now granted, this is his OPINION(!), but it is just so high and mighty.

Cheers,
Michel

[Nabinger16]

Now granted, this is his OPINION(!), but it is just so high and mighty.

You definitely got the high and mighty part right. I'm not a fan of cigarettes, I don't smoke cigarettes, but as far as I'm concerned it's not my place to tell someone they can't smoke them.

People expect to live in a perfectly safe bubble with no possibility of being hurt or being exposed to anything dangerous.

[kaisersozei]

He says:

"...But if this tax will cause a lot of folks -- poor or otherwise -- to quit smoking and add a few years to their life, then I call that good legislation."

So it's probably safe to say that his ideal end state would be "tax smokers out of their vice." Except these taxes are bankrolling the expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program to an extra 4 million "poor" children. If everyone quits smoking, what will happen to these poor children? :rolleyes: I guess no healthcare for them. Although he obviously doesn't care about them either:

"Critics say the tax will disproportionately hurt poor people. Fine! Did we somehow forget that poor people already are likely to be in poorer health because they are living in areas where there are food deserts, and that means lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables?"

So poor people are unhealthy because they don't get enough fruits & vegetables, AND they smoke?

What a buffoon.

[leasingthisspace]

I am going to die. I smoke, I drink, don't eat alot of veggies.
Posted via Mobile Device

[replicant_argent]

Roland appears to be quite the hypocritical Utopian. Good luck Rollie, I hope no one goes after your obvious vices and pleasures.
Interesting on how the comments, (now closed, unfortunately) are stacked, don't you think?

[borndead1]

He looks kinda overweight. I propose a 500% tax increase on all junk food.

[cf2112]

Just do like i did last night (and a couple times before). I took Big Mamma out for dinner at our local Longhorn Steakhouse. We have no smoking ban (yet) and they allow cigar smoking. On a previous trip a lady smoking cigs complained of my cigar smoke (which really pisses me off) and was told by the manager (before I could tall her off) they allowed cigars and cigs and she could move to the non smoking section. They earned my business that night.

Back to last nights adventure. After a big Porterhouse and a few drinks I fired up a cigar. They have a great ventilation system and you can not smell smoke cigar or otherwise outside the bar area. A man and woman in their late 20's early 30's rushed my table demanding I put out my cigar as it was ruining their dinner. I was polite and said "I'm doing it for the children". They paused and added your killing the children (there were non in sight) and I added if all smokers stopped would this be a good thing? They both said yes to which I demanded NO it would be teribble, how would we be able to afford healthcare for all these "poor children". I took a big drag blew a couple smoke rings as they thought this through. They stood quietly for a few seconds, the other smokers at the bar laughed and they stomped off mumbling under their breath. The manager comped our dessert and I finished my cigar while watching some B-ball and drinking for free as the other smokers were now my freinds buying me drinks, Big Mamma drove home.

Remember gents our smoking helps these poor children and we should be proud to provide them free healthcare. I've also learned killing them with kindness really frustrates them as they are looking for a fight, refusing them that simple pleasure makes them even madder.

[stitch]

a few years ago I had a Doctor spend almost half an hour telling me all the things I needed to quit easting, smoking, drinking and doing ....
At the end of his lecture I simply said I need to stop all the things I enjoy in life just so I can die some day?? ....
Nope.