Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
So my states governor did a radio interview and I was able catch about 15-20 minutes of it as I was driving around. He painted a very rosy picture. Sure he attacked Trump on covid even though half the deaths in our state happened in nursing homes which was his screw up but we won’t mention that. It seems now my state is having an influx of people moving in looking to escape NY. He was saying this has increased our tax base after years of our states population dwindling as we have some of the highest taxes, energy costs and mass business exodus to southern states. A lot of this is due to deals made between the state and the public union which then funnels money back to democratic candidates.
Anyway, he went on about increased capital gains taxes with the market doing so well the state is collecting those capital gains taxes from people who sell stocks.
Ok, that’s all well and good. But here is the part that got me. He was bragging about increased revenue from cigarette taxes. He described it as a windfall. Yet a year and a half ago he was pledging to raise cigarette taxes so high no one could afford to smoke, it was his way of saving lives. I was a smoker for years. It was a bitch to quit. Smoking is in a large way a tax on the poor. Despite a pack being near 13usd here I see people on disability checks figuring out how many packs they can buy for month and still afford food. So I’m all in favor of getting people to stop smoking but these taxes are just a bullshit game. I don’t remember how long I quit now, maybe two years. I know I shouldn’t do it but once every few weeks I buy a pack and stick it in my briefcase. That way if I’m doing visits or assessments and someone is flipping out about being out of cigarettes I give them a couple. In that short time since I quit I notice cigarettes have gone up well over 1 buck a pack since I quit.
Once again to clarify, this is not a post in defense of smoking. Yes there are links to obesity increasing in the US about the same time cigarettes went out of favor, I have no hard data the two are related and they are both very unhealthy. I just get shocked at the hypocrisy of our politicians sometimes.
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Junk food or cigarettes or anything that is really harmful should be taxed out of existence
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Junk food or cigarettes or anything that is really harmful should be taxed out of existence
Fan of black markets are ya?
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
El Kabong
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Junk food or cigarettes or anything that is really harmful should be taxed out of existence
Fan of black markets are ya?
Yeah
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Junk food or cigarettes or anything that is really harmful should be taxed out of existence
Nah, that's just like saying "I know better than you, and you shouldn't be doing this, so I am going to condemn it and make it really hard for you to keep doing it"
Of course, I know that some food and cigarettes are really bad for you, but I do disagree with lecturing people about what they should and shouldn't be doing.
What's the definition of 'harmful', Brock? And where does it stop?
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
X
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Junk food or cigarettes or anything that is really harmful should be taxed out of existence
Nah, that's just like saying "I know better than you, and you shouldn't be doing this, so I am going to condemn it and make it really hard for you to keep doing it"
Of course, I know that some food and cigarettes are really bad for you, but I do disagree with lecturing people about what they should and shouldn't be doing.
What's the definition of 'harmful', Brock? And where does it stop?
It's a slippery slope but I think everyone knows cigarettes are dangerous. Plus I'm not telling anybody else not to smoke they can smoke for all I care, long as I dont have to breathe in their 2nd hand smoke. I just support the black market. Have been since 1983
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Ya they should start taxing the doo out of beer. Cars are dangerous as well, let’s but sin taxes on cars. Tax all this stuff n shitz
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Let me at it, I could run a fortune with cigars/cigs. With or without domestic duty paid. ;) Tax the piss out of it, better for me and i miei complice.
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
nessuno mi impedisce o mi spaventa...so basically ATF can suck it. ;)
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
I'm actually surprised the price of beer and spirits hasn't gone through the roof given the free fall in sales to public Nationwide, sporting events to bars restaurants concerts festivals and so on. Then again I know a few who stocked walk in closets when this whole thing kicked off, right next to the toilet paper :-X. Sin taxes are really just a brick in the road that won't end. Being 'bad for you' has new definition now as it's not like you can sit in even bars and many public areas and light up now. What a fecking crazy irony that is ;D. Gets to the whole what I do in my yard home may not be for you and I cannot tell you the last time I smelled second hand cig smoke in casual public. Now the damn vapes that's another story. Didn't NY go all out on Soda and cup sizes?! Starts with obvious items. Cigs, booze, triple cheese burgers. What of fuel..more tax on diesel?..charcoal, potato chips, butter, porn, oil and bullets? The list literally goes on. Wanna roll in more revenue and tax, legalize weed across the board.
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spicoli
I'm actually surprised the price of beer and spirits hasn't gone through the roof given the free fall in sales to public Nationwide, sporting events to bars restaurants concerts festivals and so on. Then again I know a few who stocked walk in closets when this whole thing kicked off, right next to the toilet paper :-X. Sin taxes are really just a brick in the road that won't end. Being 'bad for you' has new definition now as it's not like you can sit in even bars and many public areas and light up now. What a fecking crazy irony that is ;D. Gets to the whole what I do in my yard home may not be for you and I cannot tell you the last time I smelled second hand cig smoke in casual public. Now the damn vapes that's another story. Didn't NY go all out on Soda and cup sizes?! Starts with obvious items. Cigs, booze, triple cheese burgers. What of fuel..more tax on diesel?..charcoal, potato chips, butter, porn, oil and bullets? The list literally goes on. Wanna roll in more revenue and tax, legalize weed across the board.
yep NYC started out with banning Biggie Size stuff....then went to high fructose corn syrup, but I give em credit, they were the first to ban smoking in many public places.
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spicoli
I'm actually surprised the price of beer and spirits hasn't gone through the roof given the free fall in sales to public Nationwide, sporting events to bars restaurants concerts festivals and so on. Then again I know a few who stocked walk in closets when this whole thing kicked off, right next to the toilet paper :-X. Sin taxes are really just a brick in the road that won't end. Being 'bad for you' has new definition now as it's not like you can sit in even bars and many public areas and light up now. What a fecking crazy irony that is ;D. Gets to the whole what I do in my yard home may not be for you and I cannot tell you the last time I smelled second hand cig smoke in casual public. Now the damn vapes that's another story. Didn't NY go all out on Soda and cup sizes?! Starts with obvious items. Cigs, booze, triple cheese burgers. What of fuel..more tax on diesel?..charcoal, potato chips, butter, porn, oil and bullets? The list literally goes on. Wanna roll in more revenue and tax, legalize weed across the board.
yep NYC started out with banning Biggie Size stuff....then went to high fructose corn syrup, but I give em credit, they were the first to ban smoking in many public places.
Seems like so long ago. I'm just grateful for the gal behind the bar in dire need of tips serving hand over hand to people getting through the suck that is 2020 is keeping those pesky smokers off the property ;D. Speaking of syrup there's another one. They already found the name alone bad for us, tax em up.
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spicoli
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spicoli
I'm actually surprised the price of beer and spirits hasn't gone through the roof given the free fall in sales to public Nationwide, sporting events to bars restaurants concerts festivals and so on. Then again I know a few who stocked walk in closets when this whole thing kicked off, right next to the toilet paper :-X. Sin taxes are really just a brick in the road that won't end. Being 'bad for you' has new definition now as it's not like you can sit in even bars and many public areas and light up now. What a fecking crazy irony that is ;D. Gets to the whole what I do in my yard home may not be for you and I cannot tell you the last time I smelled second hand cig smoke in casual public. Now the damn vapes that's another story. Didn't NY go all out on Soda and cup sizes?! Starts with obvious items. Cigs, booze, triple cheese burgers. What of fuel..more tax on diesel?..charcoal, potato chips, butter, porn, oil and bullets? The list literally goes on. Wanna roll in more revenue and tax, legalize weed across the board.
yep NYC started out with banning Biggie Size stuff....then went to high fructose corn syrup, but I give em credit, they were the first to ban smoking in many public places.
Seems like so long ago. I'm just grateful for the gal behind the bar in dire need of tips serving hand over hand to people getting through the suck that is 2020 is keeping those pesky smokers off the property ;D. Speaking of syrup there's another one. They already found the name alone bad for us, tax em up.
yeah I feel bad for front line workers who are having a hard enough time now with the extra precautions and rules, that sometimes now they have to be disrespected by angry or non-compliant customers, and like you said they are even expected to enforce laws like how many feet from the door people can smoke, etc.... all the while earning very little . Syrup like in Aunt Jemina or you mean the high fructose corn syrup? Actually both have been under attack!
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spicoli
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NoSavingByTheBell
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spicoli
I'm actually surprised the price of beer and spirits hasn't gone through the roof given the free fall in sales to public Nationwide, sporting events to bars restaurants concerts festivals and so on. Then again I know a few who stocked walk in closets when this whole thing kicked off, right next to the toilet paper :-X. Sin taxes are really just a brick in the road that won't end. Being 'bad for you' has new definition now as it's not like you can sit in even bars and many public areas and light up now. What a fecking crazy irony that is ;D. Gets to the whole what I do in my yard home may not be for you and I cannot tell you the last time I smelled second hand cig smoke in casual public. Now the damn vapes that's another story. Didn't NY go all out on Soda and cup sizes?! Starts with obvious items. Cigs, booze, triple cheese burgers. What of fuel..more tax on diesel?..charcoal, potato chips, butter, porn, oil and bullets? The list literally goes on. Wanna roll in more revenue and tax, legalize weed across the board.
yep NYC started out with banning Biggie Size stuff....then went to high fructose corn syrup, but I give em credit, they were the first to ban smoking in many public places.
Seems like so long ago. I'm just grateful for the gal behind the bar in dire need of tips serving hand over hand to people getting through the suck that is 2020 is keeping those pesky smokers off the property ;D. Speaking of syrup there's another one. They already found the name alone bad for us, tax em up.
yeah I feel bad for front line workers who are having a hard enough time now with the extra precautions and rules, that sometimes now they have to be disrespected by angry or non-compliant customers, and like you said they are even expected to enforce laws like how many feet from the door people can smoke, etc.... all the while earning very little . Syrup like in Aunt Jemina or you mean the high fructose corn syrup? Actually both have been under attack!
I was going for them pancakes ;D.
Re: Sometimes the hypocrisy still shocks me