And now we know what this is all about. I guess they are not squeezing as much as they wanted to from tobbaco users.
Have you seen HHS' Healthy People site? The paycheck molestors in D.C. are confused about who's the master in this master/slave relationship. They're there (in theory) to do our bidding; we're not here to do theirs. Powermongering jerks.
http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/Document/HTML/Volume2/27Tobacco.htm#_Toc489766225 27-21. Increase the average Federal and State tax on tobacco products.
For years, smokers have said that this would be next...I mean, if BigBrother is successful at stopping smoking, that means less taxes, thus the need for something new to tax. And this could get really, really silly. Tax soda?...well what about drinks that are 50% juice?...5% juice?...who gets to define "soda". When is a potato not a potato anymore, because it has become greasy french fries or a potato chip? And pizza?...don't go there...it has so many ingredients that might or might not be healthy.
I see a whole new government hierarchy here, just to determine what foods are healthy and which should be taxed. Can lawsuits against those who produce junk food be far behind? Warnings on the packages? Making it illegal for anyone under 18 to buy junk food?
Ahhh...ain't the slippery slope amazing?