Gov John Baldacci (D) MainePosted on 01/25/2007 2:35:39 AM PST by SheLion
AUGUSTA - The top two leaders of the Maine Legislature told reporters on Wednesday that Gov. John Baldacci's proposal to raise the cigarette tax by $1 a pack has failed to win enough support to pass.
The comments by House Speaker Glenn Cummings and Senate President Beth Edmonds were an early jolt for the governor, who unveiled his budget blueprint for fiscal 2008 and 2009 less than three weeks ago.
A spokesman for Baldacci said the governor would not be making a public response.
Committee deliberations on the two-year spending package containing the proposed increase have not yet begun. Edmonds and Cummings, who offered their warning at an informal and wide-ranging media session, did not rule out the possibility of legislative approval of a smaller hike.
Gov John Baldacci (D) Maine
People in Maine are very happy this is not going to pass. Maine smokers would like to enjoy a legal product without carrying the weight of the state budget on their shoulders!
I am very happy.
I bet the ones who live near NH are happier. They can come here and buy their nasty things much cheaper, even without the big increase. Of course our dimlycrat gubbernor wants to get on the cigarette tax increase bandwagon so he and our new dimlycrat majority legislature will probably kill the goose. I fully expect it to happen.
Expect the Dims to change the state slogan to, "Live free or don't."
If they'd actually cut taxes elswhere, I wouldn't be opposed to this.
Cigarettes end up costing society somewhere between $5-7 per pack. Nasty little habit, and more addictive than cocaine. It still amuses me that people who use dip are considered the unsophisticated ones... *rolls eyes* Not that either is a great habit.
Just repeating an assertion or do you have a link?
Not even considering the fact that the whole hoo-ha about "societal costs" usually comes from members of the socialist hive and implies that the individual is owned by the hive.
What's the cost to society of fast-food-fatasses? (or don't Smoke-Nazi's keep that statistic?)
Our new Democrat majority house and senate and related allies in Iowa are licking their chops in anticipation of the Governors' stated goal of raising the ciggie tax by a dollar per pack, it seems to be the "answer" to so many problems. We've heard this same song and dance many times before. Revenues will "go to health care", health care for the poor, education, you name it. The lead story was an interview with a college student government representative who felt that the proposed increase was a good idea because college tuition has increased dramatically.
Ah c'mon. If you did that... the heart disease, diabetes and GI disorder statistics would have to be monitored. Too involved. It's easier to concentrate on one small sector of society at a time....when you're trying to aid and abet the communists with turning us into a socialist nation. /s
Even if we took that to be true at face value, what is the baseline cost? Everyone dies of something. If I take the high end $7 and consider a 40 year pack-a-day smoker, that means their societal cost is about $102K. Well, what is the end cost for a heart attack? broken hip? $50k? $75k? $100k? In other words, what is the average cost for an individual's terminal medical care? Then divide that by bowls of corn flakes per day and get a dollar figure. Compare it to your $5 - $7 figure. Then consider those smokers contributed a few bucks per pack while the cornflake eater contributed nothing.
For that matter, longevity has a societal cost. Smokers might actually save society money by dying more than a decade early when you consider everything. That cornflake eater will feed at the gubermint trough a lot longer. Figure in that cost and you will see this numbers game is just a circular exercise.
I think it's the other way around. Mainers have been going to NH for cigarettes. Since the last tax increase of $2.00, that puts a carton of generics at $45-$46 dollars a carton! I think they are cheaper then that in NH!
Well, the people will only take so much! Maine smokers were up in arms over the last tax increase. Now he wants to hit them with another? I don't think so!
As long as they leave the smokers alone for a change. How about bumping up the tax on alcohol a dollar a bottle? Sounds good to ME! hehe!!
You know, I don't know why the cookie cutters keep repeating these lies. Don't you realize that Maine smokers pay more then their fair share of health insurance??? Why do you believe those lies and keep repeating them? That is what irks me the most. When the highly paid professional anti-smokers brain wash people like you into believing their BS about smoking and health care! And to top it off, you continue to repeat that garbage.
Not even considering the fact that the whole hoo-ha about "societal costs" usually comes from members of the socialist hive and implies that the individual is owned by the hive.
I just told him that I am so sick and tired of the general non-smoking public being brain washed by the professionals into believing this chit, and then to keep repeating it really burns me up!
"You know, I don't know why the cookie cutters keep repeating these lies. Don't you realize that Maine smokers pay more then their fair share of health insurance??? Why do you believe those lies and keep repeating them? That is what irks me the most. When the highly paid professional anti-smokers brain wash people like you into believing their BS about smoking and health care! And to top it off, you continue to repeat that garbage."
That's a bunch of garbage and we all know it!
If the cigarette tax dollars HAD gone to health care, etc in the beginning, they would not have to continually keep raising it! The lawmakers turned into gluttons when the cigarette tax dollars started rolling in. What did they do with that money? Pet programs, building huge golf courses, sponsoring race car teams, etc, instead of going to sick kids and prescriptions drugs where that money is desperately needed!
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