Posted on 08/29/2003 1:18:28 AM PDT by jagrmeister
There are 4 MILLION DISENFRANCHISED citizens who smoke in The People's Republik of Kalifornia and every year we pay $1,074,322,864 in excise taxes, $ 333,410,544 in sales taxes, $700,000,000 for Rob Reiner's Playground 913,332,154 for the $ettlement. That works out to around $4,413 A MINUTE!
In addition, approximately 27,873 Californians hold jobs related to the sale or distribution of tobacco products. Those jobs result in an additional $45.8 million to the state in personal and corporate income taxes.
And guess what: California smokers' median income in 2001 was $35,620! If that's not punishing the poor, I don't know what is! Particularly when you realize all that money is being used for everyone's benefit.
Democrat Herb Wesson's proposal to increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes to $3 as a way of balancing this year’s budget made front-page news. A pack of cigarettes would cost more than $7 and the tax would raise $1.7 billion to further decrease the state debt. Suuuure, it would. What it would REALLY do is create a thriving black market and another means by which to make criminals of otherwise honest citizens. Bleccch.
Oh, what a tangled web...
So let's hear Arnold say NO NEW TAXES ON SMOKERS!"
From the outset, I opposed the recall effort because, 1) since the Democrats made this mess, they should sit in it, they all should pay the price for it in the next regular election; and 2) because I feared it would start a cycle of recimination -- how soon after the election of a Republican governor will we see the Democrats start their own recall petition?
But over the past couple of weeks of threads on the recall, what I've witnessed are pragmatic conservatives who want to get Gray Davis out, and are willing to accept half-a-loaf to do so, butting heads with the ivory tower conservatives who argue (understandably) that we should all vote for the most pristine conservative, regardless of his electability. And you can see it in the posts of those who oppose Arnold -- they just don't oppose him, they hate him! These recall debates have turned into more of a war among Freepers. So, what I fear now is that the unintended result of the recall will be the Republican Party of California further tearing itself apart, and being more battered and ineffective than it was before the recall began.
And I fear this "Arnold War" will spill over into Bush's reelection next year, with the hardcore ivory tower conservatives refusing to help in his reelection because Bush isn't "conservative enough" for their tastes.
In short, the recall, which should have been an opportunity for Republican unity, is turning into a slow death by a thousand self-inflicted cuts.
You are dim enough to believe that, aren't you?
I would have hoped you knew me better than that by now. I don't believe McClintock can pull enough numbers to win this race, but I think we have a shot at getting him in the Senate down the road... imagine how that can help our whole country :-) I strongly disagree with any McClintock bashing and have said so on numerous occasions.
Go Arnie
Dude, I'd never vote for any demoncrat, and I think by voting for Junior, I did kinda vote for a liberal. Don't you get that? No, were it between a liberal and a social conservative, I'd hold my nose and vote for the social conservative.
68 grunt in http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/972547/posts?page=136#136
You know what? If Arnie is forced out, McC will still lose, and I believe that so firmly, I will vote against the recall and stay with greyout until the next election.
68 grunt in http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/971628/posts?page=114#114
Social conservatives are destroying this country worse than the lying liberals.
Lucy, you got sum 'splainin' to do.
Hb
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