Apr 01 2009
The Butt’ Stops Here.
We all know cigarettes are bad that is a fact. We also know that much of this money is to help Children health care and that is okay but this recent tax hike on tobacco is extreme. As a smoker it is I believe a right to smoke if you want. Even ex smokers smoke from time to time because they feel they just want to taste or smell of a cigarette. Yes, we should not smoke three to four pack a day, that is extreme, but if you want to have just a couple then that should be okay. Even this guy smokes from time to time.
Not anymore as cigarette tax is so high that people just cannot afford to buy them at all.
It is in the best interest of us to not smoke but many Americans really enjoy the right to smoke. Even cigar smokers are feeling the hit and they are sort of a result of the tax hike as well. So long to those days when a first time father gets that cigar for a boy or girl in the hospital even that might be too expensive for most Americans.
The thing that is funny about all of this is we are the most over obese country in the World but food tax has only gone up a little in the past ten years. I understand food is way more important than smoking but why is one thing being taxed so much when other things that are killing us as well is not as much taxed.
I agree with Barack Obama and understand he is trying to fix problems that he can no longer just avoid like so other president have done in the past. He had to take this necessary proposal to increase taxes on luxuries but cigarettes are mostly smoked by the poor not the rich. The extremely rich now will be afford their pack of cigarettes or cigar if they want while the rest of us just get crabbier from cigarette withdraw.
I understand everyone is never all pleased at the same time. Here in Chicago Illinois we have had to deal with not smoking in public spaces for over a year now and for the most part we have adjusted whether going outside to finding a free zone to smoke. Now we will be looking for that guy with the fancy suit to try to bum a smoke off of next time we go out.
You see Americans, we adjust and we will adjust to this as well,but when does it stop. If the government really cared about our overall health they would just shut down tobacco all together. However we all now that will never happen as the federal government saw 9 billion dollars from the tobacco industry just last year alone.
Lastly I am trying to stop smoking but truly understand the frustration a smoker goes through these day and this recent tax hike should do it for me as well, superdad feels your pain. Yes I know I shouldn’t as a father but we all have or own Kryptonite don’t we?
