Cheap Cig Buyers Beware (hysterical, threatening bleating from enraged tax-collector)

NY Post ^ | July 10, 2002 | Martha E. StarkRavingMad

[dead]

The Post's handy chart on where to buy cheap cigarettes was an invitation to break the law, but buyers beware ("Mike's in a rush for cig-tax hike," June 26).

The Department of Finance, which administers the cigarette tax, is serious about nailing tax cheats. And we're good at it, too - just ask the smugglers and tax-stamp counterfeiters we nabbed back in April, the result of two sting operations we coordinated with law-enforcement officials from the Carolinas all the way to New York.

[dead]

You can almost smell the policy-wonk rage coming off this letter.

How dare the Post tell people how to avoid paying Martha's precious tax. Government has a God-given right to any and all people’s money, so the government can save them from themselves.

She’s probably frustrated that the law doesn’t allow her to shut down the newspaper. Yet.

[Sunshine Sister]

How can she complain that smokers don't pay the tax? After all you paid tax somewhere didn't you? Sounds like more histronics from power hungary little twerp.

[dighton]

A stark little résumé.

[D.P.Roberts]

Dear Martha:
Kiss off, honey. A lot of your supporters will be bringing in truckloads. Why do you think the tax was raised? For you? Ha, ha,ha,ha,ha!

[billhilly]

This leaves no further room for pretense that there are public "servants."

[gridlock]

We're stepping up enforcement because too many lives and too much money is at stake. New Yorkers lost an estimated $40 million in uncollected tax revenue last year alone - revenue that could have been used to support safety, education and other vital services during these tough budget times.

I thought the tax was about discouraging smoking, since it's dangerous and all. Turns out it's all about feeding the machine. Who knew!

[07055]

Yeah, sure, lady. And all of us who buy products over the internet to avoid the sales tax, need to remember to voluntarily send the sales tax we should have paid directly to our states.

[proxy_user]

In New York City, you are entitled to a jury trial for a misdemeanor. The only difference is that there are six jurors instead of twelve. Martha, shall we start voir dire? OK, the defendent's attorney will now question the first potential juror....

[Catspaw]

Oh, this is so precious. Ol' Martha must think being cute is going to coerce people into paying that tax. Uh nyuh.

I suppose the next step is going to be raiding smoker's houses to find out if they paid the cig tax, huh?

[dead]

Thanks for the link. That resume told me all I need to know about Martha.

[WindMinstrel]

If there's one thing that makes me happy it's a pissed-off tax collector -- that's not pissed off at me, of course.

[MarkL]

Don't laugh... New Jersey doesn't (or didn't) have sales tax on clothing, and there were a number of cases where NY sent "spys" to NJ shopping malls, to jot down the license numbers of NY residents that they considered to be "tax cheats," and they sent threatening letters to them!

Mark

[Movemout]

So it goes. I would guess that several million Americans have now been moved into the criminal class. We all must break any number of obscure laws every day just going about our daily lives. As the old Chinese curse says:

"May you live in interesting times and come to the attention of important people."

[Dog Gone]

It would be tragic if a campaign was begun to mail her envelopes full of stinky illegal cigarette butts.

[TomGuy]

New York Cityites need to start a trend: New York Tobacco Party with a strong resemblance to an event a few years ago called the Boston Tea Party.

[07055]

So it goes. I would guess that several million Americans have now been moved into the criminal class. We all must break any number of obscure laws every day just going about our daily lives

"Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We *want* them broken....There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with." -- Ayn Rand, _Atlas Shrugged , Ch. III, "White Blackmail"

[tacticalogic]

You can almost smell the policy-wonk rage coming off this letter.

Nothing pisses off a bureaucrat more than being ignored.

[billhilly]

Tragic indeed. Teriffic, but tragic.

[gridlock]

Martha E. StarkRavingMad

I like it. She kind of reminds me of Diana Moon Glampers