Posted on 03/08/2009 3:35:04 AM PDT by TheSentry
February 5, 2009
News Summary (excerpt:)
Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Barack Obama signed the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill into law this week; the measure will expand healthcare coverage for children using funds from a 62-cent-per-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax. The Detroit Free Press reported Feb. 4 that Obama approved the $74-billion SCHIP reauthorization legislation passed by the House of Representatives earlier in the day on a 290-135 vote. The Senate had previously approved the measure, which was vetoed twice last year by then-President George Bush. The measure is expected to make an additional 4 million children eligible for SCHIP; the program currently covers about 7 million.
In addition to increasing the federal cigarette tax to $1.01 per pack, the law will raise taxes on other cigarette products...
(Excerpt) Read more at jointogether.org ...
Does that work with other addictions, like drugs? Seriously, not being a smart-ass. I have long been convinced the war on drugs is a failure. Why do we have one approach with tobacco and another with other addictive substances?
Sin taxes are a slippery slope.
He’s forcing the entire economy to go underground. ‘mordida’ will become a way of life in the USA as it looks more and more like any other 3rd world dump every day.
We need to have a quitting party. Throw tobacco in a river. Heck, I’ll host one in September.
We’ll probably have to pay fines for polluting the water... Ho-hum.
We already have a quitting party. Its called the Republican Party.....If you have such a party, let me know I’ll be there with a big net fishing the tobacco out..(hope it’s menthol)
Yahoo! The cigars I buy occasionally go up 40 cents apiece to provide poetry slams for crack babies, or some other worthy cause....
When are they going to levy a $20 cover charge on gay bars and a $50 fee on gay bathhouses, which will go toward AIDS research?
Question #2—Since I learned in school that the noble red man introduced tobacco to the Europeans, can we sue the Indian tribes for getting us addicted?....
Since you put it that way I will have to concede to your point of view.
It’s menthol! :-)
Yipee, I’ll be there :O)
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