Posted on 11/18/2005 6:37:03 PM PST by Amerigomag
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hollywood director Rob Reiner warned the California Hospital Association Friday to withdraw or rewrite a ballot proposal it's pushing for 2006. "If the initiative remains in its current form, I will have no other option but to actively and aggressively oppose it," Reiner said in a letter to C. Duane Dauner, the association's president.
Reiner championed a 1998 ballot proposal slapping a 50-cents-a-pack tax on cigarettes to fund health and education programs for children up to 5 years old, now known as First 5 California. In his letter, Reiner argued the hospital proposal, which calls for a $1.50 tax on each pack of cigarettes to fund emergency rooms and other health programs, would slash First 5 funding. Reiner, who finds himself in the awkward position of arguing against a tax increase that could decrease smoking, pegged the loss at $34 million.
When asked if the hospitals' campaign would drop or revise its proposal considering Reiner's complaint, spokeswoman Kris Deutschman said, "We have to move forward with the priority of keeping emergency rooms open. We would invite and encourage all parties to come join us." In a later phone call, she said the group would be eager to discuss the issue with Reiner.
(Excerpt) Read more at fresnobee.com ...
There already is a huge black market for smokes in CA. My sister doesn't smoke, but she does live just ouside of Frisco, and she informed me of that when she visited us this past summer. Several of her friends (who do smoke) purchase all of their cigs from said sources.
There are more non-smokers than smokers. When there is something on the ballot that will only SCREW smokers, it gets passed by the people who will not be affected by it.
They just never learn do they? They want smokers to fund all kinds of programs. That begs the question. Aren't they encouraging smoking?
Hey no kidding can that be done? Is there a way to put that on a ballot somewhere? But of course the cause would have to be a good one. But what would they say if it was somethng like save the bears thing? lol Other than that they probably would scream their heads off. But no kidding I say we try to get a tax on movies, dvd, in other words lets start to tax hollywood they can afford it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.