Decline in smoking means decline in state revenue

Seriously, what did they think was going to happen?

But, but, but! We have to have people quit smoking for the children!

So, the smokers warned us, we didn't listen. This is what happens when a program's income is gained from something that people are trying to end.

What will the gov't tax next to make up the shortfall?

Not to mention, does anyone else think it's unfair for the gov't to raise the price of a product so much that people stopped buying it?

What if the gov't decided to tax coffee? Yeah, Starbucks coffee costs $5-6 now, but what if it was taxed so much that the price of coffee went up to $9-10? Add on to that mess the gov't making it illegal for anyone to order coffee off of the internet, make their own, or purchase another type of coffee besides Starbucks. Does anyone think Starbucks would last too much longer? Does anyone think people wouldn't find an alternative so they wouldn't have to purchase Starbucks?

What I'm getting at is tobacco is legal. But state and federal gov'ts are adding so many taxes onto tobacco products that they are just barely under being priced out of the consumer market. Do tobacco companies have any legal recourse to gov't pricing their product off of the market? Is it fair how much the gov't is affecting the free market?

For all those that say tobacco products are evil and shouldn't exist I will reply with this:

Read someone's rant on the evils of cigarettes. Then, replace the word cigarette with the word SUV. Replace the word smoke with the words engine exhaust.

Nine times out of ten the rant still works.

Everything evil about cigarettes can be said about SUVs. Both are dangerous. Both kill. Both make it difficult for others to breathe. Both pollute in many ways. Both send people to the hospital. Both are a choice. Both affect people other than just the owner.

One big difference though. SUVs can kill at a much quicker rate than smoking.

I'm going to go out on a limb (and probably get flamed for it). I'm going to act like one of those non-smoking zealots for a moment.

I hope they do tax Starbucks coffee and SUVs into oblivion. I don't like either of them, so it doesn't effect me one bit. Everyone else can do without!

There, that was stupid wasn't it?