1 On Feb 22, 06:56 am, Walter Richards wrote:

As I said in another thread …

1 – Politicians need to grow a spine and just outlaw tobacco products altogether, rather than banning their use piecemeal. We (the public) know that’s really what they want, so just try it and see what happens. Either the public agrees with them and will accept it, or doesn’t and will kick them out of office and repeal the law.

2 – Smokers are idiots. First, there’s better/faster ways to commit suicide. Second, they’re letting politicians tax them for the priviledge of killing themselves slowly.

3 – The vast majority of the public are idiots for not seeing what you and I see, Tryan. The policies don’t make sense. (but they “feel good”, so must BE sound)

3 On Feb 22, 09:28 am, Walter Richards wrote:

FWIW, it’s been awhile since I looked at the sales tax, but IIRC … only “prepared” food is taxed. IE; restaurants and prepackaged (TV dinner) food. “Do it yourself” food isn’t taxed. (and remember, the steps are being taken to put a “sin tax” on “junk foods”. twinkie smuggling, anyone?)

I get a kick out of the propaganda claiming those court cases brought by gov’t against “big tobacco” is because of the alleged costs to gov’t for the product use. Bullshit. The main cost to gov’t for tobacco use is tobacco subsidies. If the gov’t wanted to cut tobacco use or its cost, it would do away with the subsidies and let the farms die. But farm subsidies and why they’re required is another rant (as scott would say) of mine.

And speaking of tobacco subsidies … there’s another hilarious irony. Spending taxpayer money on tobacco (or any, really) subsidies, that the gov’t taxes the end product of. Talk about the “you gotta spend money to make money” philosophy. LOL!

Which do you think is more – the outflow (subsidy) or inflow (tax revenue). I’d bet the outflow. Which means the gov’t would have more money doing away with both the tax and subsidy.

5 On Feb 22, 02:54 pm, Walter Richards wrote:

It appears the gov’t does have a plan to increase smoking, and thus the revenue from cigarette taxes.

Quote: The Oregonian: “Two years after a procedural maneuver blocked similar legislation, the House voted 58-0 on Thursday to require tobacco companies to sell only fire-safe cigarettes in Oregon.

Watching were retired firefighters Tim Birr and Tom Whelan, who have pushed the proposal for years. “After 26 years, there nowhere else I would be than sitting in that gallery,” Birr said after the vote.

The cigarettes, which only keep burning if they are puffed on, are expected to prevent three of every four cigarette-caused fires, the state’s leading cause of fire deaths.”

In other words, those people who aren’t 2-pack-a-day smokers will have to become so … or their cigs will self-extinguish.

7 On Feb 22, 05:06 pm, AJ wrote:

Well now, here we go again.
[quote]Politicians need to grow a spine and just outlaw tobacco products altogether, rather than banning their use piecemeal.[end quote]

Why not ban alcohol, sugar, saturated fats and fast food while we are at it?
See how that sounds?
And while we are at that, why not let the govt decide what kinds of vehicles we purchase, what we wear (yeah, that’s it. We should all wear uniforms) and what you are allowed to read, as we all know that what we read harms out intelect (oh wait, that’s already being done).

None of us are intelligent enough to decide for ourselves (At least that is what everyone wants you to think). It is interesting that we survived this long doing the harmful things we are doing.
How many of us ever survived the 60s, 70s and 80s is beyond me. All of the dangerous things we did and not having all the do-gooders there to protect us.

9 On Feb 22, 09:37 pm, Mom of Three wrote:

Well, I agree that the politicians should just come right out and say it: Smoking’s Illegal. But they can’t, can they? Because…well they might lose campaign funds? It surely can’t be the small amount of voters who would probably vote against them.

On the other hand, they can’t find that smoking pot causes any lung disease AND it relieves many medical problems instead of causing them.

Follow the money, ese!