So, it's no April Fool's joke here in America. Today, American smokers were hit with an extra 62 cent excise tax on cigarettes, and people are getting pissed. Also here in Dallas, a smoking ban goes into effect this month, and the gayborhood bars will be smoke-free.One elderly man paid $58 for a 10-pack carton of cigarettes in Colorado, and like others, he feels like smokers are being singled out. Another elderly woman flat out says that we are picking on poor people that smoke, and it's just not fair.
Okay, now as a non-smoker, I certainly appreciate my clean air to breathe when I go out. I personally believe that smoking is disgusting, and the chances of me dating a smoker are much lower than another non-smoker. Moreover, while I understand that smoking is a deadly addiction, these two elderly people have a very simple solution to their problem if they are too poor to buy cigarettes.
Not to mention that it's not unfair to tax certain products higher than others. You still have a choice whether to purchase it or not. Besides, look at alcohol in America. The tax on that is not low, either... and by far, the airline industry bears one of the highest tax ratios in comparison to the base price of the product they sell -- airline tickets. But if you don't like that... the beauty of living in America is... you simply A) Shop around for alternatives. B) Don't buy it at all.
My mother was a lifelong smoker who died of lung cancer, so whatever they want to do to cigarettes through higher taxes or costs, or not allowing smoking in certain places, suits me just fine.
ReplyDeleteI know allot of smokers. I have been smoke free for one year and 1/2. I do konw hw much they are going up to. I feel sorry for smokers. people bitching. I have a freind who will not go over to another freind's house because he smokes. but she smokes pot and cigars. What is the difference??But if that is something that one wants to take as a luxury, then they have to pay the price. We have stuff that we do, because we want to. Not all smokers get cancer. my grand father smoke camels unfilter and died of ol age, in his 80's, no lung cancer there.
ReplyDeleteI just feel sorry for the others.
Ray
ok this is B.S.!!!....we smoke because we choose to smoke...but i think that its still unfair to single us out....yes alot of poor folks smoke...thats their choice on how they spend their money..why do they have to target us?..i have heard smoking is nasty...smoking is offensive...well big deal...there are alot of other things to get up in arms about thats more offensive and discusting than smoking....when it comes to cigarettes...why does everybody wanna get on a soap box?....its our right to choose to smoke...just like its your right to not smoke...why cant yall just leave us alone?...i know smoking causes lung cancer and various other health problems....my own father passsed away from lung cancer in 2003...and he had his last cigarette on August 9, 1974...yet he still got lung cancer anyway..his death had nothing to do with smoking..there in lies my point....I am a fellow smoker(if u had`nt guessed already)...sombody has to stand up for us....i am a little offended by this blog...what if they banned alcohol in the clubs?...what would you say then?...i bet your argument would be the same as mine...i am rambling....but i will leave you with this....just as we choose to smoke in the bars...you choose to go to them (knowing full well that it will be smoke filled)..what gives you the right to judge us for somthing we choose to do, that you may or may not find discusting?
ReplyDeleteI quit 5 years ago now but it took an aortic aneurysm for me to quit and almost end my life. I tend not to get too preachy about it but I have a hard time feeling sorry for fools that pay so much for cigs. I know it's hard to quit an addiction some say is stronger than heroin so I feel a little sorry for them too. It's amazing how intolerant you get about the smoke once you finally quit though.
ReplyDeleteWell, Lazarus, as pointed out in the post -- smoking is a habit that I PERSONALLY find disgusting. That's starkly different than judging those who do it. I do not want smoke going into my lungs from someone else's cigarette. As such, I PERSONALLY prefer to date people who don't smoke.
ReplyDeleteBesides, they wouldn't ban alcohol in clubs, because I am not physically affected by someone drinking a vodka and coke on the other side of the bar. Now, I agree with you that we non-smokers choose to go to bars knowing that there is smoke in them. But I only go so far as to say I appreciate fresh air when I encounter it.
As for people who bitch about the price of cigarettes, they should take your advice -- don't buy them knowing what the price is... and knowing that they can't afford them.
I think the ban on smoking in Dallas is BS! If they want to ban smoking they need to ban alcohol! because you say that the person across from you drinking isnt going to affect you! they maybe true while your in the bar but they can equally effect you on the streets if not kill you! And another thing people are always going to bitch about the price of cigarettes just the same as they bitch about the price of alcohol!
ReplyDeleteIf the city of dallas is wanting to ban smoking then what they need to do is have smoke free bars and bars where you can smoke at! because honestly if they want to ban smoking, then we can take our money else where! dallas isnt the only place to go! And they shouldnt fell all high and mighty about it! I can probably speak for a lot of people when i say FUCK dallas and there BULLSHIT BAN! they can shove it up there ass and i'll burn the ban with my CUGARETTE! thank you!
Well, Queen... there are already laws against drinking and driving -- and I don't think anyone is advocating that. But you're right about people bitching about the price of alcohol, and if they do, they always have the choice to buy something else.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that there are other places to go besides Dallas. But honestly, a lot of cities have been leaning toward this trend, and it's nothing new.
People find it easy to talk about what is good and what is bad as long as the changes affect them the way they like... its not just the smoking , its the freedom of one's choices. Guess what? when the smoking thing is finished, theyre going after something else. maybe you can't turn on your cell in your car while its moving, or your kids have to wear really ugly clothes to school,mandatory dna samples of you and your squeaky clean family, or you will have to pay for your internet searching if you choose to search for certain things. hell, there is a country out there making it legal to rape your wife.. smoking just happens to be the hot button for now.. remember how people treated aids patients when aids was a new illness..
ReplyDeletecome on people, freedom to choose. get it!
and by the way , cigarettes are pricey now but only because those in power are tryin to force people to quit... i ask you , when a topic that affects what you do comes up, will you want to be forced into conformity or would you like to decide for yourself.
Ouch, Kevin buddy - "buy somewhere else or don't buy at all." That's real cold, man - a real "let them eat cake" attitude. Didn't expect that from you man.
ReplyDeleteWhat you may not understand is this: two years ago, cigarettes were $24/carton at the cheapest place in town here where I live. January of 2007, the new tax jumped that up to $39/carton. Now the other new tax has pushed it to $49/carton: so in just 2 years, the price has doubled. It's $60/carton or more at other stores.
A carton a week, then, comes to over $200 a month. Lots of people who have been smoking for decades - decades, mind you - can't afford that. So in effect you're forcing people to quit, to bend to your will. And that really sucks, man.
That's a punishment. But stop and think - who are you, or anybody else, to come along and punish me, after more than 35 years of doing something I enjoy dearly - every single day of those 35 years, perhaps since before you were born?
What happened to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Or is that just a pretty phrase with no real meaning?
This totally ridiculous tax is causing great grief and anguish to a lot of people. I'm still too mad to write about it at length, but when I can do it gracefully I'll write more on my blog.
Just wanted to say, it would be more becoming of you, buddy, to have a little more compassion for people different from you, and a little less condemnation and judgment.
Walk a mile in my shoes. It's my world too.
Well, Russ... the way I see it is this - there are a lot more things getting unfairly taxed than just cigarettes, which I don't think I can explain any differently.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, back to the smoking ban, is that no one is being told to stop smoking. You have life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness -- on the patio. And there is always "the other side" that suffers in silence as well. If I am being judgmental, I won't apologize for that -- but I am sorry if I am coming across as insensitive.
We all have made sacrifices because of unfair taxes -- I work in the airline industry, so I am all too familiar with the hardships that taxes place on people, including myself. Yes, taxes in effect punish people... but do we have to be smokers to understand that?
I understand it's your world, too... my point is, it's not just a world of smokers.
Anonymous, believe it or not, I don't live in a bubble... and there are plenty of taxes and issues that I "think" are unfair. I think it sucks that it inherently costs more to ship and import some goods over others. I think it sucks that some people use 'sin taxes' for political gain.
ReplyDeleteI have friends and family who are pissed off about the whole smoking issue, as many blog posters are. Quite frankly, cigarettes could be $.50 a pack, and I'll keep doing what I do -- take my drink to the patio of the smoke gets too thick for me... or I will go to a bar that's known to have less smokers in it.
Just because one disagrees doesn't mean one doesn't empathize. But as far as conforming to something... guess what, I already do.