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Politics & Government

BLOG: Prop No. 29: This Will Help You, Trust Me

Don't be fooled by government wanting to raise taxes to "help" you. You have all the help you can afford right now.

"I am from the government and I am here to help you."

Those can be the most frightening words a person from this or any other country can ever hear. We have a chance to to vote for a bit more government in the form of a tax.

First let me be clear. I am a former smoker. I started when I was 8 years old and when I quit over 40 years ago, I smoked three packs a day. The price had just gone up to $.50 a pack.

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Now thanks to Proposition 29, we have a chance to vote to make smokers pay an extra $1 in sales tax on every pack they purchase. The money will go to form a government department to oversee research that will be done on the perils of smoking. The research, though hardly needed, can be done anywhere in the world. That means that the money smokers pay can be spent in England, Texas or anywhere the government overseers decide.

Question: Do you believe there is any smoker alive today who does not realize they are playing with a loaded gun? What then is the real purpose of the tax? Is it perhaps a fine on people who do something government has decided it doesn't feel is in its citizens' best interest. If that is the case, what's next?

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Let's add a $ 1 tax on all ice cream sundaes. With that money we can form a government department to oversee research to see if there is a relationship between ice cream sundaes and people gaining more weight than the government decides is OK. The money then could be spent in Texas to do the research. Get the picture?

Is there a food or drink you enjoy that you know if you eat or drink too much of that it may harm you in the long run? How about if we add $ 1 fine every time you purchase that vice? Seems unfair to you but it's OK to fine the smokers.

My real hope is that anyone who smokes butts will quit.Besides being good for their health, imagine the blow to this state's economy if it lost the sales tax generated by this terrible vice.

Which brings the real question: If smoking is so bad, why hasn't the government banned it completely? Wouldn't that be the right way to rid the state and country of this terrible habit? But then if they ban smoking I bet they'd miss the taxes paid by the cigarette companies, as well as sales tax paid by individual smokers. But don't worry the state just wants to help you.

Yeah right! I'll vote no to bigger government trying to "help."

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