Quote: Original post by MSW
I quit about 17 months ago - but then I've quit before, sometimes for years. What makes it difficult is in part smokeing can become a form of stress relief, and in quiting you have to reprogram yourself into finding better stress relievers. Additionaly I've found that my willpower to quit is strong at first, but as the weeks and months go by the mental walls erected against it start to come down catching me off guard. But so far so good :)

Run Forest! Make running a goal. And while you see the miles passing by say: "This is why I don't smoke anymore".

Quote: Original post by Chris Reynolds

Quote: Original post by Yann L
Stop smoking. Problem solved.

I guess I need to reiterate.

If said people do quit smoking, it's gonna hit the southern tobacco states hard (millions of jobs). Not to mention how this will affect small independent retailers and wholesalers.

I'm finding it a little difficult to muster any sympathy for an industry built around making a product whose sole purpose is to kill people.

Quote: Original post by Mithrandir

Quote: Original post by Chris Reynolds

Quote: Original post by Yann L
Stop smoking. Problem solved.

I guess I need to reiterate.

If said people do quit smoking, it's gonna hit the southern tobacco states hard (millions of jobs). Not to mention how this will affect small independent retailers and wholesalers.

I'm finding it a little difficult to muster any sympathy for an industry built around making a product whose sole purpose is to kill people.

Very true, but it's importance to our economy cannot be ignored. the DOW IA is plummeting as we speak (just dropped below 7000)

Quote: Original post by Chris Reynolds
Smoking is stupid. But it is a harsh reality that losing jobs in the tobacco industry will be EXTREMELY detrimental to the state of the economy.

they could start working at children healthcare? :) sorry, but it was too obvious.

Quote: Original post by Mithrandir

Quote: Original post by Chris Reynolds

Quote: Original post by Yann L
Stop smoking. Problem solved.

I guess I need to reiterate.

If said people do quit smoking, it's gonna hit the southern tobacco states hard (millions of jobs). Not to mention how this will affect small independent retailers and wholesalers.

I'm finding it a little difficult to muster any sympathy for an industry built around making a product whose sole purpose is to kill people.

Yes, they should tax guns instead.

Quote: Original post by owl

Quote: Original post by Mithrandir

Quote: Original post by Chris Reynolds

Quote: Original post by Yann L
Stop smoking. Problem solved.

I guess I need to reiterate.

If said people do quit smoking, it's gonna hit the southern tobacco states hard (millions of jobs). Not to mention how this will affect small independent retailers and wholesalers.

I'm finding it a little difficult to muster any sympathy for an industry built around making a product whose sole purpose is to kill people.

Yes, they should tax guns instead.

What a great idea, actually.

Quote: What a great idea, actually.

Taxing guns sounds nice on paper but I think there is a fundamental flaw in doing so. Lets assume you have a gun registry where 95% of the guns in the US are registered. 5% are not. Those 95% get taxed each month for owning a gun. Assuming that as taxes are raised, some of that 95% population with guns will sell or destroy their guns. Some wont. Some will even go as far as not registering anymore. So in reality, you will have a growing population of people who own unregistered guns. You will also get a large number of people who won't own guns. Will this stop gangs from getting guns and shooting people? Doubtful. Will this stop school shootings? Possibly. Will it stop crazy farmers from shooting fleeing Mexicans? Probably.

We can apply the same logic to people that smoke. Assume that the smoking tax gets bumped up not once, but several times over the course of a decade. Some people will stop smoking. Some wont. Some will go as far as to grow tobacco or get it in bulk from farmers or by illegal means. The people who are addicted to the point where they cannot afford smokes will find a way to get their fix.

For example, I had a co-worker who apposed the newly increased tax on smokes in Canada. He purposely drove out into an Indian reserve and bought large canisters of raw tobacco. He paid a quarter of the price for it (since it wasn't taxed) and had enough tobacco for months. All he needed to buy himself was rolling paper or a pipe.

I do agree with some of the previous posts; Banning something does not work. You have the greatest example of a substance that was banned that almost everyone used: Alcohol. I the 1920-30s they banned Alcohol which started a huge underground movement. Not only did it cost people money, it also ruined lives. Go look it up.

Guns are taxed, quite heavily too, if what curtmax_0 has said about it holds true. Let's not forget that tobacco is addicting and guns are not. Just the same, raising taxes on tobacco is one way to get people to stop smoking, not everyone, but enough to make it worthwhile. Likewise, keeping taxes on guns high is one way to prevent people from buying guns they don't truly have a use for.

(Is taxing guns some kind of sin tax?)

If the price of a pack of smokes went up because of energy costs this discussion wouldn't be here. It's a cost of doing business. I understand the desire to keep the government accountable for its actions but it's not like this money is going toward the saleries of politicians or even towards bailing out a failing indistry. The intent is to invest in a system that will ultimatly be a positive affect on thousands of lives.

But more importantly, it's only 60 cents when it could be 6 dollars. I think that if 60 cents on a luxury item is going to be the difference between providing for your family or starving in the streets then the government has already long since failed you.

Quote: Original post by LessBread
Guns are taxed, quite heavily too, if what curtmax_0 has said about it holds true. Let's not forget that tobacco is addicting and guns are not. Just the same, raising taxes on tobacco is one way to get people to stop smoking, not everyone, but enough to make it worthwhile. Likewise, keeping taxes on guns high is one way to prevent people from buying guns they don't truly have a use for.

Except if you like I don't know like to hunt, or enjoy target shooting. Of course all those guns which are not taxed (aka from the black market)can still be used to commit crimes and such.