Wednesday, April 15, 2009

thinking...thinking...

the only people to see their taxes go up since election day are smokers.

2 comments:

  1. where do the taxes collected from cigarette sales go? do you know? i don't, but positive they benefit EVERYONE. if non-smokers are so concerned with inflated health care costs due to smoking health-related expenses, why doesn't the government set aside the taxes raised by cigarettes to off-set the bills for smoker's medical care? seems to me since we're (smokers) are paying for it, WE should "benefit" from it directly. it seems hypocritical for the government to try and ban smoking and infringe on smoker's rights, telling us it's bad for our health, then reap the rewards from the cigarettes we purchase.

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  2. there's actually a link in this post that will take you to more information. this is true about most links in most posts on tuesdays.

    as opposed to benefiting EVERYONE, as you so fear, the added tobacco tax goes toward funding SCHIP:

    "Originally created in 1997, CHIP is Title XXI of the Social Security Act and is a state and federal partnership that targets uninsured children and pregnant women in families with incomes too high to qualify for most state Medicaid programs, but often too low to afford private coverage. Within Federal guidelines, each State determines the design of its individual CHIP program, including eligibility parameters, benefit packages, payment levels for coverage, and administrative procedures."i guess if our kids are healthier, that does benefit everyone, yeah.

    there is some argument about using this type of tax to help fund SCHIP in that it's success relies on the number of smokers while at the same time discouraging smoking through higher prices. the tax also targets lower income americans, who make up the vast majority of smokers.

    non-smokers health care costs go up, jeff, when you end up in a hospital, hooked up to a respirator, and are undergoing expensive cancer treatments as a result of exercising your right to smoke for much of your life.

    i don't mind that, since i want to take care of you no matter what.

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