Replies

‘’We need to raise those taxes on tobacco, as the cost of educating and helping those who smoke is increasing. With higher taxes, we price the children out of the market, and make it that much harder for those who are not yet addicted to become part of the problem. And we need to raise taxes as we just don't have enough money to fully promote the programs required to eliminate smoking.’’

Where do taxes on cigarettes actually go? To government employees, subsidies for liberal causes, and payola for those who contribute to liberal campaigns. Go ahead, have your local church apply for a grant to help people quit smoking. You'll be denied. Create a group called Conservatives Against Smoking, and apply for a grant - you'll be denied.

Now create a grant for ‘Family Planning of Greater (whereever)’ and apply, and you'll win the grant. Or ‘Homeless Advocates of (any big city)’, and you'll win that grant.

Cigarette taxes are just another way of funding the liberal machine. Those funds go to groups who have no connection to anti-smoking programs, and they provide anti-smoking materials that have little chance of actually working - but come from companies that contribute to liberal causes.

Your grant will come with cash for someone to run the program, money to distribute the materials for the program, and free drug samples to hand to people. And to provide proof that you're actually doing something with this money, you only need take a shot of a display in the corner of an office — that the public never sees.

And once they've mined this for as much gold as they can possibly squeeze, they'll move on to the next demon, as they still have a liberal machine to feed. More abortions to fund. More embezzling of taxpayer funds.

You're exactly right. I always wondered why it costs so much money to tell people "smoking will kill you". Even a 2 pack/day smoker knows this, and so does any kid who grew up after 1965.

I suspect this is the reason:If the substance being discussed is maiming and killing indiscriminately, why has it not be completely banned from use? We know the answer - and so does HHS - but the same government sponsoring this modern-day Elephant Man sideshow is hopelessly, er, addicted to the taxes generated by smoking.

If the gubment ever had to give up their addiction to cigarette taxes cold turkey, they couldn't do it.