156% Increase On Federal Cigarette Tax

[Scales]

I'm at a point where I just don't care, if I need a pack I'll buy it. If it gets too pricey, I can roll my own, or buy from places that would hopefully not report me for tax evasion.

Now smoking is a disgusting habit, it offers nothing but a light head and nicotine gratification followed by an addiction. It stinks up your fingers, tints and eventually tars the alvioli (bad sp) in your lungs, slows down your breathing, possibly causes brain, mouth, or lung cancer, emphyzima (bad sp), and hurts the people around you. I have a family members that want me to quit, but I can't permanently quit depression, so I can't quit nicotine. I would be happy to see it eliminated from clubs and for buying and selling of tobacco products to be illegal- NOT possession, as some crazy shit like rioting would ensue; it probably won't happen since the government is making so much off taxing it.

I don't smoke a whole lot, but to me it has always been a coping resource; it's the reason I started, and it's the reason I'll probably never quit. I've quit in the past but after awhile cravings will come out of nowhere.. I really shouldn't of bought 100's cause as of writing this my brain is aching for a cig and it needs to shut the fuck up.

..oh, there it goes, phew.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

It surprises me that people are so willing to tax one group of people to pay for everyone else.

[phee]

It surprises me that people are so willing to tax one group of people to pay for everyone else.

It's not a group of people just because... it's a group of people who choose to smoke and buy smokes.... It's not as if it was decided to only tax people who say have blue eyes... if you don't want to pay the tax, no one is forcing you to. Don't buy the cigarets.... simple....

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Um , yeah.. how very dismissive of the inequity's of this tax.

How about we start a fat tax? Or a Glasses tax.

No one is forcing anyone to be fat or wear glasses.

If you don't want to pay the tax... loose weight and get lasic surgery.

Thats seems just as fair and logical as this tax and the arguments supporting it.

Smokers are addicts. This wont deter them from smoking. I would support this tax if the money was used to help those same people beat the addiction. It's not though. It's going to pay for health care for upper middle class kids whose parents can afford insurance. The health care program that this is funding did not have any funding problems until they widened the scope to include higher income familys. Taxing the poor to give entitlement to the well off... it makes me sick. This would be a none issue if they had just renewed the program the way it was.

[odims_sphere]

Um , yeah.. how very dismissive of the inequity's of this tax.

How about we start a fat tax? Or a Glasses tax.

No one is forcing anyone to be fat or wear glasses.

If you don't want to pay the tax... loose weight and get lasic surgery.

The tax isn't on smokers, it's on the cigaretts. Everyone who buys them would be subject to the tax smokers and non smokers. What you are saying is singling out fat people and taxing them for being fat, to make it the same you would have to tax food which is a necessity for life. Smoking is not. People who require glasses are normally born that way, they do not choose have bad eyesight so that would taxing them for a birth defect. Humans are not born needing to smoke. It all comes down to choice. Every single smoker had to at some point choose to smoke. People don't have a choice about needing to eat, or weather their eyesight will be good or not.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

People can and do eat without being fat.

People can and do stop wearing glasses from either having surgery or getting contacts.

They have just as much choice.

None of what you said changes the fact that you support taxing a small part of the population for a program that did not have funding problems until it was expanded to include people that don't need the program.

[odims_sphere]

People can and do eat without being fat.

People can and do stop wearing glasses from either having surgery or getting contacts.

They have just as much choice.

None of what you said changes the fact that you support taxing a small part of the population for a program that did not have funding problems until it was expanded to include people that don't need the program.

yes people can eat and not be fat, but they still have to eat, and even skinny people would be affected by a fat tax since the tax would be on the food.

The only way to beat that tax would be to starve to death.

I'm pretty sure people don't die if they stop smoking.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Doesn't matter anyway... it got Vetoed today.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

and, I would support adding a tax to food to pay for things like this. Then everyone would be helping and noone would be singled out.

[odims_sphere]

No one would have been singled out with a cigarette tax either. If I as a non smoker decided to buy cigarettes I would've been taxed just the same as anyone else. There is no singling out.

But following the "singled out" logic a food tax would be singling out those without the resources to produce their own food, or in essence people who live in the city.

[phee]

Exactly.... take a video store for example.... most video stores charge more for porn then other videos... I don't hear many porn addicts going all: "I am singled out because I am addicted to Barely Leagal 25!!!.... oh woah is me"

It's a choice...

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

and using your logic...

they can move out of the city. no one is forcing them to live there.

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

To me.. this boils down to a group of people willing to tax a minority of the population to benefit the majority. and your cool with it because mostly, you get the benefit but not the penalty. None of your arguements dispute that... they just try to justifie it.

it makes me want to go to boston and look for a cargo ship with tea.

[phee]

and using your logic...

they can move out of the city. no one is forcing them to live there.

To be honest... Rayne and I have beeng trying to choose to move out of the city for a bit now and into a cheaper area... for the reason of taxes...

[odims_sphere]

and using your logic...

they can move out of the city. no one is forcing them to live there.

Absolutely! But that's all I'm trying to say is that A cigarette tax isn't singling anyone out, it's taxing a product, not the people.

[phee]

To me.. this boils down to a group of people willing to tax a minority of the population to benefit the majority. and your cool with it because mostly, you get the benefit but not the penalty. None of your arguements dispute that... they just try to justifie it.

it makes me want to go to boston and look for a cargo ship with tea.

A minority because of the choices they make on their own...not like say, black people who have no choice... they tax your gambling winnings a bunch too... should we feel sorry for people who gamble? they are a miniority...

[Vater Araignee]

Gotta live in a house.

Don't gotta smoke.

No you don't and no you don't Critter.

Every one else:

You also don't have to drive. If you claim you do then your a fucktard that hasn't thought it through.

In the same breath, you don't have to do anything except maintain lower brain function until you die.

Funny thing is, Thats all Bleeding Hearts do.

Sad thing is, I'm seeing the people that like to piss and moan when this country tries to legislate morality are the very people that want this country to legislate compassion.

Tax hikes to pay for health care are not the solution. Stop giving other countries money to pay for there health care.

Fix your own house before you complain about your neighbors.

Detach yourself from you emotions, investigate and think.

I have been sick (for some time now) of seeing so many intelligent DGNers turning into sheep and following politicians that have half the IQ of a wilted salad bar because said politicians spout idealistic rhetoric concealed in lies and halve truths.

How many of you put the bitch in office? I'll hazard a guess and say more than halve of you Michiganders did.

So I have to assume you are happy that she has caused us to have the highest unemployment rate in the country.

You are happy she raised the sin tax and your happy she wants to again.

You are happy she wants to privatize the Lotto so that even less of it goes where it belongs.

You are happy she wants to raise sales tax making it even harder for the poor to get non food items.

You are happy she wants to raise income tax turning even more middle class into the poor.

You are happy that she only wants to attract white collar jobs to Michigan making it even more difficult for the average person to get a job just to pay for food.

If I become a part time criminal to support my family I'm going to ask my victims if they are republican or democrat.

If my victim says nether then I'll just take their shit.

Republicans get stomped into a bloody pulp.

Democrats die.

Think think think for your selves.

Back on track. Kind of.

If you are a non smoker that has a problem with second hand smoke then you can choose not to frequent a business that allows it.

There are many more restaurants that don't allow smoking then ones that do. Guess what! I don't go to them and you don't have to come to the ones I go to and filter my lovely air with your "non smoking, I wants to force my beliefs on everyone else, ass" You are more of a fascist pig than I am because you cant let us have any, ANY refuge.

[odims_sphere]

To me.. this boils down to a group of people willing to tax a minority of the population to benefit the majority. and your cool with it because mostly, you get the benefit but not the penalty. None of your arguements dispute that... they just try to justifie it.

it makes me want to go to boston and look for a cargo ship with tea.

But it's not taxing a minority, the tax affects EVERYONE. How can Everyone be a minority?

It's taxing a product.

Taxing a minority would be "you're albino, you pay extra", not "here's this ball, but if you want to buy it you have to pay extra"

[phee]

Absolutely! But that's all I'm trying to say is that A cigarette tax isn't singling anyone out, it's taxing a product, not the people.

Indeed... if we taxed people based on there lung health whether smokers presently or not, that would be different.

No justification needed...

[Vater Araignee]

No one would have been singled out with a cigarette tax either. If I as a non smoker decided to buy cigarettes I would've been taxed just the same as anyone else. There is no singling out.

But following the "singled out" logic a food tax would be singling out those without the resources to produce their own food, or in essence people who live in the city.

No It would not, just initiate a food garden tax.

[Vater Araignee]

No It would not, just initiate a food garden tax.

Better yet do that tax like a liberal.

Make it a higher tax because you are preventing somebody from having a job.

HEY a Do It Yourself Tax!