As I write this, it appears Proposition 29 has been defeated. I would like to direct this letter to all those nonsmokers who voted against it.
I know big tobacco said it was “flawed,” and maybe it was. The flaws were: No. 1, the money could be used outside California. If you contract cancer, will you care if the cure is found in California, or Utah or Ohio? No. 2, it will establish another bureaucracy. If you have cancer and they find a cure, I bet you won’t care if Sacramento has a few more politicians. No. 3, it might fund jobs outside California. Do you care who gets the jobs that save your life?
This tax was meant as a deterrent. After the last tobacco tax was passed, more than 200,000 kids and 400,000 adults stopped smoking. You are the cause of those 600,000 people exposing themselves to cancer. I hold you directly responsible for not deterring my grandchildren and great-grandchildren from smoking and getting cancer.
If all the money netted from the proposition were dumped into the ocean, it would still be worth it, to discourage future smokers from exposure to cancer.
I know, I know — I should have written this letter before the election, but I couldn’t believe the nonsmokers, who would not be taxed, would be stupid enough to turn down an opportunity to reduce smoking and cure cancer.
How much involvement do ya really need ta have government involve itself in governin yer daily lives an activities?
Wouldn't it be better if ya did that on yer own?
Raisin taxes ta make social change is really nothiin more than acts of slavery. A better method is ta get people ta change thair lives voluntarily.
Raise th tax ta pay fer law enforcement ta crack down on smokers an as shour as I am typin this th money will be spent elsewhere forcin ya ta do other thangs that ya should have a right ta do even if ya don't have th common sense not ta do em.
It's a strange word called freedom. But remember, yer freedom ends when it infringes on th freedoms of others. Thair's a better way but people wanna reject that too.
I'm all FOR cancer research, and if you want to tax smoking products, then make sure you do it RIGHT... the money ONLY goes to that, and STAYS in California...
If you want money for other programs, give it yourself!!! Quit trying to get everyone else to pay for your stuff...
NOT to mention, if you want to raise money for California, put that nice little $1 tax on alcohol... Which has not been touched in years, why always the smokers??? More people drink, you'd bring in more revenue... heck, even a .50 cent tax would triple what smoking would bring in...
So many ignorant comments in that post, not sure where else to start... Just that before you open your mouth to start ranting on a topic (and post the crap in a newspaper/online), please PLEASE check your facts and become educated in it... Thank you!
If ya paid th "tax" an got permission first, it was OK. Ya just had ta do a little plannin ta sin, grease ta palms of those representin th papacy an ya could go right ahead knowin, or at least deludin yerself, that ya were squared away with God.
Those with th money ta waste could pay thair "tax" "fee" what ever ya wanna call it, party hearty an have "forgiveness."
First it was alcohol, then thair's yer gasoline, it also accompanies th excise tax or disposal fee on yer tire. Don't ferget yer other taxes, such as a restriction on th usage of carpool lanes unless, of course, ya can pay th road tax that gives ya special permission. Are yer roads really any better as a result of this? Then thair's th bridge toll or th Bart fare that "won't always be thair" but always manages ta go up every year ta cover costs an expenses that don't seem ta really get much accomplished other than ta let th facilities degenerate over time only ta be replaced with new facilities with a host of new taxes, fees an tolls ta support em.
An if ya can afford ta pay additional taxes then ya are afforded a better seat in th ride through life.
But ain't it odd that th only people that really seem ta benefit frum th collection of all this money are th people collectin it an not th people thair collectin it fer?
How's that lottery that was supposed ta take care of all these school related financial problems doin? Not well I observe. But ain't it interestin th jobs an good payin salaries it generates, an th perks fer th commissioners that manage it.
Th church of that time made itself, an it's charlatan priests tidy sums of money so they could also purchase the indulgences they sold to cover their actions as well.
Doin that business allegedly was fer th good of th people too, somewhat th same as taday regardin th levyin of taxes an fees. Seems we haven't really changed all that much as human beins in all them years.
Na. Cigars cost more than that. And people still smoke em.
Supporters of Proposition 29, the $1-a-pack cigarette tax hike, conceded defeat Thursday, more than two weeks after the election and following a bruising and expensive campaign by opponents.
While more than 100,000 votes have yet to be counted, the Yes on 29 campaign said in a statement Thursday that it was unlikely to overcome a nearly 28,000-vote deficit. As the votes were tallied over the past 16 days, the tax has been consistently losing, albeit by less than a percentage point.
The loss means that California's tobacco tax will remain the 33rd lowest in the nation.
I agree and you hit on the same point I made which some people here completely missed. Stating a fact such as yours is not condoning smoking, it simply shows not all people are affected by tobacco, reef, alcohol, et al, the same way, and much is left up to familiy history/genetics and or luck.
Sputty also writes: "If you can't train them right not to smoke, I hope they ALL die of lung cancer!"
Sorry, but that is way over the line and an asinine thing to say. Also, liboturds? C'mon, that kind of stuff takes away from your point.
Actually, neither. It's the bleeding heart liboturds that try to tell the rest of society what to do! I no longer smoke (the extra money is nice) but don't begrudge those that do as long as they don't do it in my house. They can do it in my year, my garage or anywhere else they please.
"I hold you directly responsible for not deterring my grandchildren and great-grandchildren from smoking and getting cancer."
Get real! You are obviously one of those liboturds that expects society to raise your kidsd,grandkids, great grandkids, etc. If you can't train them right not to smoke, I hope they ALL die of lung cancer!
By the way, my Dad smoked all his life and lived to 96. You can't group all people into one category and make generalized statements. Liberal idiots!
I don't smoke but I voted against this tax just because no one ever told the truth about what the tax was for.
"http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/entertainment/tipsheet/secondhand-smoke"
"a smoker doesn't live in isolation; he is a member of a community, so his behavior, whether deemed direct or indirect, affects other members of the community (don't fool yourself)"
"BIBs statement clearly implies that just because some people get cancer from smoking and others don't lends cigarettes some credibility."
Sorry, you missed the boat and are now flailing around in the water. Taken in it's totality my comment does nothing to give cigarettes any credibility, it's meant to lend credence to the fact a lot has to do with a persons predesposition as often set by a families health history.
It also goes beyond cigarettes, but I guess you missed that also. Oh yea, and I guess you missed everything else I said about cigarettes, like never smoking, hating smoking, glad it's banned in public places, how I believe it's the worst thing you can do to your body. Try paying attention.
You know when someone is losing an argument? When they start launching personal attacks. By the way, I guess it's ok for you to make a point or counter point, but the rest of us should just shut up unless we agree with you.
cont
Tell you what, stop directing comments at me and I'll stop directing comments at you, better yet, I'm just going to ignore you from here on out. If you keep insulting and attacking everyone at your current pass you'll be gone soon enough.
Ta add ta yer comment about launchin personal attacks. Actually personal attacks are easier fer me ta deal with. It's when th person launchin em sweeps up innocent people in thair attack an throws labels em all as believein th same.
It's one thang ta point an accusatory finger at an individual who happens ta have a different viewpoint than yers an quite another ta take a segment as large as 83,000 people an say they all believe th same thang.
Most certainly it's not a prudent way to sway people ta yer line of thankin.
Glad ya never smoked an wish I had th common sense not ta. Fortunately I don't any more an probably hate it as much or even more than ya do. I do agree, it's one of th worst thangs ya can do ta yer body.
BIBs statement clearly implies that just because some people get cancer from smoking and others don't lends cigarettes some credibility.
But let's not ban it. And let's keep pot illegal.
The irrationality speaks for itself. And no, I am Debb for real, not cathlab. But given your mindset I don't expect you to believe me, nor do I care much. I will say cathlab was right about trying to convince this crowd about alternate viewpoints, it is like singing to a cow, it will not move.
The smokers already pay unreasonably high taxes for their bad habit. They should pay no more in taxes (as a percentage) for their cigarettes than you or I do for our sofas or TVs, which lead to heart disease by promoting a sedentary lifestyle. Dont get me wrong, I am not promoting rasing taxes on those too. It is not the role of government to attempt to control individuals bad habits.
As for this little gem:
"I hold you directly responsible for not deterring my grandchildren and great-grandchildren from smoking and getting cancer."
It is not my responsibility to raise your grandkids. That is their parents responsibility. Assuming you raised your kids reasonably well then you should have no worries about your grandkids taking up smoking. Why does everyone nowadays seem to think every other person in the world is responsible what their own kids see, or do, or what bad habits they take up?
Here's the deal, I can't stand smoking. However, rather than making some baseless point I referred to what I have seen and know first hand. Please allow me to try again.
What kills one person may not have much effect on another. If not true, please explain how some people, and to prove this point I referred to some in my family, can drink, smoke, and live like there's no tomorrow yet see their 70's & 80's, while others live puritan type lives and drop dead at 40 or 50?
This leads to the other point, predisposition has a lot to do with it regardless of what life style choices one makes. When I hear of someone 40 - 50 dropping dead my first question is did they smoke, second question is were they overweight which can lead to all kinds of issues, keep in mind obesity is now one of the biggest physical well being threats we have and is at epidemic levels, third question is what's their family history like? If none of the above, the last question is whether they drank. You may not agree with my order of query but I hope you see my point.
cont.
Again, I'm not condoning anything, just telling it like it is.