Up in smoke: Cigarettes are no cash cow for N.Y.

Binghamton (NY) Press and Sun-Bulletin ^ | 11/25/02 | YANCEY ROY AND WASIM AHMAD

[John Lenin]

Just add cigarettes to the WOD. And keep your guard up for wildass left's when you light up on the street, it could get you killed if you don't put it out immediately.

[cosine]

Thanks for the post. I plan to make good use of this. Wasted time last week in discussion with anti-smoking researcher out of University of California San Diego. He would not admit that that constantly raising tobacco taxes is not necessarily a good thing. He kept stating that smokers would stop smoking if the price got too high. Basic strategy was to assume that there was no black market.
For a taste of the opposition's thinking and a good laugh check out the Tobacco-Free Kids (aka The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) website on why increasing federal cigarette taxes will NOT create a black market in the United States. Just more evidence that these people inhabit an alternate reality. Link is http://tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0024.pdf

[Publius6961]

If New York started taxing stupidity, then New Jersey would be in big trouble.

LOL!

A keeper.

[dcwusmc]

My old home town... born and raised there. My son still lives there... But I would NOT live in NY now.

[rudypoot]

"There's no question the revenue isn't as high as it should be," said Russell Sciandra of the Center for a Tobacco-Free New York."

This moron never cracked open an economics book and read the first graph entitled: Graph 1: Supply vs. Demand

Using Russ's logic we can set nails at 25 bucks each to increase revenues.

[Phantom Lord]

I have often wondered who would 'freak out' more if suddenly the tobacco companies suddenly decided to stop making cigarettes. The smokers, or the government?

I suspect the answer to my question is the government. The government makes more money than any other entity in the cigarette market.

[VRWC_minion]

He kept stating that smokers would stop smoking if the price got too high. Basic strategy was to assume that there was no black market.

He is correct. Assuming no black market smokers would stop. To demonstrate this one could assume a monetary price of 1 million dollars would end all but the very wealthiest. But lets put it in terms of the highest price one could pay and that is to give one's life. If a smoker were shot immediately after smoking the price for smoking would be too high and people would not smoke.

[VRWC_minion]

I have often wondered who would 'freak out' more if suddenly the tobacco companies suddenly decided to stop making cigarettes. The smokers, or the government?

Easy, the smokers. The gov't has many ways to fufill its addiction to money. The smoker has only one way to fufill is addiction.

[Phantom Lord]

I still think the Gov would 'freak out' more. The immediate loss of BILLIONS and BILLIONS of tax revenue, along with the governments inability to raise taxes by the same amount because the people would not stand for it would cause a massive crisis among the elected.

[VRWC_minion]

You apparently don't smoke.

[Phantom Lord]

I do. But if you think the government would simply take the loss of hundreds of billions in taxes over night 'in stride' you are crazy.

[Just another Joe]

Looks like its time to just tax the smokers with a special surtax on their property and income.

I don't care if you are just trolling.

BITE ME YOU ATROCIOUS EXCUSE FOR A CONSERVATIVE!!!

[Phantom Lord]

I guess you failed to turn on your sarcasm detectors before replying to VRWC's post.

[Bella_Bru]

Every time I go to Vegas, I load up the car with cartons of smokes. They are priced way too high here in Cali.

And I know folks in New York who do travel to Virginia for smokes. They make a little vacation out of it.

[VRWC_minion]

For the tax issue you are correct, its sarcasm. However I disagree with Joe on a few smoking issues which is why he gets angry with me. The issue of smoking around children. He thinks its not harmfull and perfectly ok. I think its selfish. Also, on the issue of property rights, I think a restaurant owner should be remibursed for the loss in value of his business if a nonsmoking law is passed. He thinks the owner shouldn't be cause he wants everyone angry enough to reverse the law.

[Just another Joe]

I guess you failed to turn on your sarcasm detectors before replying to VRWC's post.

No I didn't. I've just had too many dealings with minion in the past. They may play the part of just being sarcastic but in reality minion would like nothing better than to see the govt completely ban smoking tobacco in any form or raise the tax so high that no one could ever afford to smoke tobacco again.
They just use the, so called, "sarcasm" as a defense mechanism so they can always say, "I was only KIDDING.", and escape any flames that come their way.

[Just another Joe]

However I disagree with Joe on a few smoking issues which is why he gets angry with me.

You troll for any rise you can get out of a smoker. Don't deny it.
You're trolling right now.

[VRWC_minion]

I am interested in the smoking issue because of the cancer death of people close to me who have smoked, the heart attack by my grandmother who smoked, my sister-in-law who is 42 and needs a lung transplant most likely because of her fathers smoking, the waste of money and health in my own life due to smoking, the discovery that after quiting I had no idea how awfull the smell was and how it pervades the clothing of people I come in contact with.

Recent story. My daughter just had a surprise BD party. She was brought there by some smokers. She went around the room and hugged each person that came to her party and each of us could smell the smoke on her and her clothes.

[VRWC_minion]

would like nothing better than to see the govt completely ban smoking tobacco in any form or raise the tax so high that no one could ever afford to smoke tobacco again.

What I would truly like is that every smoker become aware of how truly disgusting they smell and that all smokers stopped being selfish and rude with their smoke. if they did they wouldn't be a target or despised. But because they have no clue about their smoke they will continue to be attacked in the economic, social and political realms.

Even as the conservatives gained ground this election the smokers lost even more ground and at an increasing pace. Unless the smoker begins to realise its wake up call and change his ways they will continue to spiral down just like the rat party.

[Just another Joe]

And you're STILL trolling.
If your daughter had gone on a campout would you be able to smell the woodsmoke from the campfire?
The anecdotal evidence that you continue to give may be true for you but is STILL anecdotal.
Your kind have posted study after study that has been shot down by the govt research labrotories, the courts, or , after close examination, don't show the correllation that you want them to. And yet you still trumpet them as "THE TRUTH" about smoking.
You don't want to smoke, fine - don't smoke.
You don't want to associate with smokers, fine - don't associate with smokers.
You want to put a ban in place that takes away the RIGHT of a property owner to allow consumption of a legal commodity, and still put an exhorbitant tax on that commodity, both through the use of "democracy" (The tyranny of the majority) - BITE ME you sorry excuse for a conservative.