What the fuck.

[andraxion]

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-1108

Fuck that shit.

‘SEC. 919. USER FEES.
‘(a) Establishment of Quarterly Fee- Beginning on the date of the enactment of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the Secretary shall in accordance with this section assess user fees on, and collect such fees from, each manufacturer and importer of tobacco products subject to this chapter. The fees shall be assessed and collected with respect to each quarter of each fiscal year, and the total amount assessed and collected for a fiscal year shall be the amount specified in subsection (b)(1) for such year, subject to subsection (c).
‘(b) Assessment of User Fee-
‘(1) AMOUNT OF ASSESSMENT- The total amount of user fees authorized to be assessed and collected under subsection (a) for a fiscal year is the following, as applicable to the fiscal year involved:
‘(A) For fiscal year 2009, $85,000,000 (subject to subsection (e)).
‘(B) For fiscal year 2010, $235,000,000.
‘(C) For fiscal year 2011, $450,000,000.
‘(D) For fiscal year 2012, $477,000,000.
‘(E) For fiscal year 2013, $505,000,000.
‘(F) For fiscal year 2014, $534,000,000.
‘(G) For fiscal year 2015, $566,000,000.
‘(H) For fiscal year 2016, $599,000,000.
‘(I) For fiscal year 2017, $635,000,000.
‘(J) For fiscal year 2018, $672,000,000.
‘(K) For fiscal year 2019 and each subsequent fiscal year, $712,000,000.

[Digo]

Considering the health care costs created by tobacco, I'd say that's perfectly reasonable.

[Deepz]

Does that mean the cost of health care for a smoker is going to go down to compensate?

[Digo]

These fines are to cover the healthcare costs generated by tobacco use that end up being paid for by taxpayer dollars. If people stop smoking and thereby stop costing the government (and taxpayers) money, then the problem is solved. I support your right to smoke, but I don't want to pay for the costs associated with it.

[andraxion]

I understand that healthcare may be an issue regarding all of this but it all goes together with the government trying to fuck smokers over. One of the main things that pisses me off about smoking regulations is the fact that you cannot smoke in restaurants, even bars now unless they sell a certain % of alcohol over food. While I understand what they are trying to do, they should really leave it up to the owner of the business, not mandate what they can and can't do with their business. If people don't want to experience second hand smoke, don't fucking eat there.

[Digo]

I think the argument is that if you leave it up to the owner, many of them are in favor of banning smoking, but fear that they will lose business to restaurants who don't ban it. This causes a chain reaction where no restaurants end up banning smoking because no one wants to lose business.

It's sort of like car makers deciding not to install seat belts because if they do, then it costs them more and their competitors who don't install seat belts will be more competitive, which leads to them going out of business. So no one ends up installing seat belts.

Businesses, just like people, are wholly self-interested irrational actors. Sometimes, regulation is a very good thing.

[zate]

IMO legalize marijuana and ban tobacco.  That way everyone can enjoy 2nd hand smoke!

[Kadrix]

Amen brotha.

[emi]

They're also trying to up the tax on drinks with overly high amounts of high fructose corn syrup (i.e. soda and some pretend "energy" drinks). This is to pay for the health care costs they incurr later in life because they're obese.

Hey I like an occaisional soda, and I'm still all for it.

[Stent]

free diet soda for all~

[Deepz]

If they end up taxing all vices equally, more power to them as long as they use all of the extra duckets for actual healthcare, and not something like defense spending.

[thefalah]

Don't smoke then....Look at the cost of healthcare in this country. Do you need a link to the NYT? I can give you one. Since smoking is one of the leading causes of death you should have to pay for it. And yes fat people should pay also. There should be a tax on fast food and soda to cover the rising cost of health care. 

[thefalah]

O did anyone see this... Nixon's view on abortion....http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/us/politics/24nixon.html?hp

[Goldspam]

Falah come back, resto druids are amazing again. I'd even settle for falahferal. Actually, just call me.

Love, Goldspam

[Gadz]

From that Nixon article.

Nixon worried that greater access to abortions would foster “permissiveness,” and said that “it breaks the family.” But he also saw a need for abortion in some cases — like interracial pregnancies, he said.

“There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white,” he told an aide, before adding, “Or a rape.”

I wonder how Obama would respond to that comment.

Here is another good one.

The tapes also include a phone call from February 1973 between Nixon and the evangelist Billy Graham, during which Mr. Graham complained that Jewish-American leaders were opposing efforts to promote evangelical Christianity, like Campus Crusade. The two men agreed that the Jewish leaders risked setting off anti-Semitic sentiment.

“What I really think is deep down in this country, there is a lot of anti-Semitism, and all this is going to do is stir it up,” Nixon said.

At another point he said: “It may be they have a death wish. You know that’s been the problem with our Jewish friends for centuries.”

See, the holocaust was an open invitation from the Jewish community.

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