Sin Tax

The government – who doesn’t believe in posting the Ten Commandments or bringing any part of God into government – has decided to allow sin.  Of course, that’s because they can tax it.  I mean, you really can’t define a miracle since science would just explain it away, so let’s make money from sin.  I haven’t figured out how they can admit the presence of sin, without admitting the presence of God, but that’s another blog. 

Anyway, our state government has decided that we aren’t paying enough for our sin, so they are increasing the tax on it.  Cigarettes will cost you more.  (You – not me, I don’t smoke.)  On the one hand the legislature says we don’t have enough money to run the state, so we have to increase revenues.  The number of cities that are banning smoking is increasing.  College campuses are going tobacco-free.  So that means fewer cigarettes are being smoked – thus less are being purchased, resulting in less tax is generated.

It’s against the law to advertise cigarettes.  NASCAR had to give up their Winston Cup (it’s now the Nextel Cup – don’t they know cell phones cause cancer – ooops, that’s another blog too).  So now we’re raising the tax on something that can’t be advertised, which would increase sales – and generate more tax money.

Raise the tax on tobacco products and we’ll generate enough revenue to get by.  Oh, and by the way, if you put the price of cigarettes out of the reach of the teens and the lower income people, they will quit smoking.  Isn’t that counter-productive?  I mean you want more money, so why do something that will result in less people paying the increased tax?

So, let’s face the truth….the “sin” tax on cigarettes is really a way to take money from the poor…again.  I have seen people who don’t have enough money for their babies’ diapers, scrape enough change from the couch cushions and under the front seat of the car to buy one more pack of cigarettes.  They are the same ones who save their aluminum drink cans to sell.  Not to keep the earth green, but to afford another pack of Camels.  People who put in $7 worth of gas, so they have enough left out of their last $10 to get one more pack of smokes.  Raise the price of cigarettes some more.  There are still kids getting supper tonight.

 

Welcome

My first blog entry.  Wow.  Now that this big, white, empty space is staring me in the face I suddenly wonder why I wanted to do this.  All of my important topics have left my head.

What I do plan to do is use this space as my soapbox.  To give my view of what's wrong and what's right with our world, our country, our neighborhood.  You don't have to agree with me, you don't have to debate me.  This is my opinion and I'm stickin' with it.  

I may not be right, but I'm not wrong either - after all, it's my opinion.