July 12, 2005
stupid tax
Dear lady I heard on the radio calling the $0.75 cigarette tax a "tax on the poor,"
It's not a tax on the poor, it's a tax on the stupid.
Love, John
P.S. Quit smoking.
Posted by john guari at July 12, 2005 05:07 PM
Word
While I do agree its a tax on the stupid. I also say that it is a tax on the poor. Sociologists have proven that poor folk smoke because they are poor. to elaborate, working minimum wage jobs, the constant stresses of indigence and so forth drive people to smoke because its one of the few things that they can do for themselves. Waitresses smoke subconsciously for the same reason. /rant thats not even my own revelation
constantly spending money on something like a pack of cigarettes when you're already strapped for cash just seems so antithetical to reason, it explodes my brain.
it's like. oh damn, i have 4 bucks in my wallet. instead of buying a hamburger, i'm going to buy a pack of cigs and complain about how hungry i am.
though phil i'm glad that you aren't taking this the wrong way.
Amen, John! And I'd say that even if I weren't allergic to cigs...
Well John, I guess I’m not the only one in this relationship who can get passionate about little issues. Hehe..... oh that's right my friend....I went there :)
Word = I'm all for giving to the poor and helping to revamp the cyclical nature of poverty. I believe that by making cigarettes more expensive it is forcing people on the poverty line to reconsider where their money is spend, hopefully helping to eliminate cigarette smoking.
Legalize weed man!
Wait, wait, wait...poor people have crappy lives, so therefore taxing something that people with crappy lives turn to is taxing the poor? People with jobs have to get up early, so if you tax caffeinated drinks that people that get up early turn to to wake up, is that taxing people with jobs? (Not that anyone would complain about that, but hear me out). LOTS of people drink coffee. You don't just drink it cause you're tired, you drink it because it makes you feel good and you like the taste and everybody else does it. Same with cigarettes. People of all income brackets smoke cigarettes. The reason they tax them is to keep you from buying them, not to keep the "little man" down.
(Is this post too old for me to get all bujiggedy about all of a sudden?)