At Least We Still Have Cheap Cigarettes

[Justin Spencer]

I just believe something more stable then gambling or cigarettes would allow educators to actually plan with some semblance of achieving their goals. You and I know that the extra tax on cigarettes would come from a lot of families that can't afford it.

If you can't afford 90 cents a pack more, you can't afford cigarettes in the first place so that is by far the most annoying arguement that is brought up time and time again. Maybe if they couldn't afford it they would quit, which would put more money in their pocket to spend generating more revenue for the state, trickle down at it's finest. (Basically this arguement is calling poor smokers stupid, which I don't agree with)

By the way, I'd love a more stable source of revenue than cigarettes, but talk to teachers and I don't think they'd argue with any extra money.

[ness]

I haven't followed all of this thread but...

I think people are just flat tired of tax increases when gov't in general is so irresponsible with what they spend now, in all areas. Right or wrong, people don't want to keep feeding gov't until gov't gets its house in order. To this point, it doesn't seem like gov't cares about it or is making any motion to correct the problem.

Agreed -- but we just keep voting in the same knuckleheads, so we pretty much get the same results. I heard between $6 and 9 B spend on this round of elections, but we're essentially where we were before it. Here's a pretty good piece from 60 Minutes that shows how messed up our Congress is.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50134480

[ness]

Boy, this argument that comes up about the poor not being able to afford smokes sure misses a lot of more important points. Can 'they' afford emphysema? Heart disease? Lung cancer?

Wayne, as to more stable sources -- that would sure be nice, but I think turning down a stream of revenue because it may go away doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Your Social Security may go away, so can I have it?

[Justin Spencer]

Boy, this argument that comes up about the poor not being able to afford smokes sure misses a lot of more important points. Can 'they' afford emphysema? Heart disease? Lung cancer?

How does smoking work with healthcare? As a non-smoker I feel like I am being punished with higher premiums because of the burden smokers put on the health care system (as well as other unhealthy practices). As a smoker do you pay more in premiums and what prevents you from just saying you are a non smoker. Should people living an unhealthy lifestyle be eligible for govt. assisted health care, and how could we fix this?

[ness]

That's a good question, Justin. I'm on a group plan through work, and I don't personally disclose any health information to get it. But, I'd bet the insurance company gets information about us as a group before they set the price each year. I'm gonna ask our HR lady about that.

I just Googled and it appears Medicare and Medicaid don't discern between smokers and non-smokers (or diabetics, etc). There have been some attempts to put a surcharge on smokers, but I don't know if any have passed.

When I redid my life policy a few years back, I had to give blood and they said they checked for smoking and other stuff with those tests.

[Wayne SW/MO]

You can't stop with smokers Justin if you want to persue that argument. Obesity, bad drivers and the heavy drinkers are just a few of the imperfect humans who raise health cost.

[ness]

You can't stop with smokers Justin if you want to persue that argument. Obesity, bad drivers and the heavy drinkers are just a few of the imperfect humans who raise health cost.

I don't buy that, Wayne. Everybody eventually gives up smoking. No question there are other health issues mucking things up -- and they generally get taxed pretty heavily.

[Justin Spencer]

Wayne does have a point, so why not put a big tax on high fructose corn syrup, and cigs, and everytime you get a ticket your taxes go up.

Cigarettes are easy to target because they are so terrible for you and you either smoke or you don't. I would guess you pay more for life insurance if you smoke, but at least I don't have to share that cost.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I don't buy that, Wayne. Everybody eventually gives up smoking. No question there are other health issues mucking things up -- and they generally get taxed pretty heavily.

How is obesity and type 2 diabetes heavily taxed? There are those who believe it's the number one health villian at this time and rapidly moving to younger children.

[ColdWaterFshr]

I could get behind a tax on high fructose corn syrup and any commercially sold or prepared food with a fat content higher than 40% . . . but the fact remains that cigarette smoking kills many more than syrup water and see no downside in trying to tax it to extinction. Alcohol isn't going away, but smoking can be pushed further to the margins without much trouble. Slippery slope indeed, but a nice little revenue stream . . . at least short term.