I can go to Virginia.....not so far away......and get a pack for under $3.00.......and then go to New York....equally close.....and pay over $7.00 per pack..........

It's ludicrous I tell ya!

I am all for marching on state capitals over "sin" taxes--I am surprised someone hasn't challenged the consitutionallity of it all.

I have an idea and I hope someone can help me with it--I would love to grow my own tobacco--does anyone know where I can get some seeds?--just IM me if you do thanks

I'm surprised too hun! I'm hoping PF will come up with some info that will direct us as to what we can actually do about this......instead of just spilling off on a web site that reaches far but to the wrong powers!

As to the seeds? I think tobacco is generational (sp?).....in that it has to grow and be propagated and so on.....in order to make it worth smoking. I could be wrong...so I stand aside on that matter. If it's pot seeds we are talking....you'll have to score your own and shake it.....just like the rest of us........lol!

*hugs*

Thank goodness I live in tobacco country where I drive to work through the tobacco fields and the chairman of RJ Reynolds picks the mayor of Winston Salem.


I get a carton of Marlboros anywhere from $16.00 to $22.00.

I think Lixy and Co. should move down here.

__________________
"Old age and Treachery will overcome Youth and Enthusiasm...Everytime!"

*So I loaded up the Lix farm...and moved to Navarre's......Carolina that is......south of me.....Northern though*

Oh geezzzzz........I tried! LOLOLOL!

And BTW babe? Don't gloat! Those "sin taxer's" are a breeding bunch! They'll be in your neighborhood before you can say, "Cut my legs off and call me shorty"!!!!!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

well all I can say is Amen Lixy baby

now I need a smoke

__________________
it's only kinky the first time

it's not the orgasm but getting there thats fun

a shot in the bush is worth two in the hand

whip me, beat me, tie me up, break my arm, but please don't break my heart

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid people are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt" -Bertrand Russell

Thought you smokers would find this amusing

"The worst kind of non-smoker is the one where you're smoking and they walk up to you coughing. I always say 'Shoot, you're lucky you don't smoke! That's a hell of a cough dude, I smoke all day and don't cough like that. Maybe you were conceived with a weak sperm. Maybe your dad was jacking off and your mom sat on it at the last second'. Did I overreact? I didn't, did I? I think that's kinda cruel, I'm smoking and you come up coughing at me. Jesus! You come up to crippled people dancing too, you fucks? 'Well hey Mr. Wheelchair, what's problem?' 'C'mon Ironside, race ya?' You fucking sadist! I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die. Deal? Thankyou, America!"

"People say 'Well, it's not that, I-i-i-i-it's the secondary smoke. It's not just the smoke that you smoke, it's the smoke that comes out of you, and that's not good smoke, just 'cause it came out of you' Shut the fuck up, right now. Goddammit, if I don't smoke, there's gonna be secondary bullets coming your way. You understand this? I'm fucking tense! Alright? Thankyou! I've been on a flying saucer tour for three months, okay? Hope you don't mind if I just enjoy my cig"

"I love it when people in New York City complain about your smoking, isn't that great? Yeah, these people are standing ankle deep in dog links, straddling a dead guy. Apparently my cigarette's fucking up the delicate balance of nature here. 'Oh, this is bothering you, oh, I'm sorry, let me go over to this pile of bum dung and put this out. There we go! Restore New York to that pristine state we know it exists in, if it weren't for my god-awful cigarette!'"


--Bill Hicks.

__________________
I want to know everything
I want to be everywhere
I want to fuck everyone in the world
I want to do something that matters

Alrighty Lixy...

Forgive me in advance... okay??

First, let me admit that I am a non-smoker. Yes, I have smoked on occassion.. usually socially IF I am drinking.. I have never smoked regularly..

Saying that.. I do NOT want to make smoking illegal... and I am most often opposed to the restrictions that are being placed on smokers more and more often. I live near a town that has now placed such restrictions to smoking in public places that most restaurants no longer are allowed to even have a smoking section.

Now.. I do however agree with the additional taxes that continue to be added to the cost of cigarettes.. and to be honest.. I don't think it should be something that varies from state to state.. but should be taxed across the board.. no matter where they are purchased.

My reasons are simple... the money that is collected via taxes.. should be used for TWO things.. and ONLY two things...

1) Education and prevention... to stop people (especially the young kids) from picking up that first cigarette.

2) The rising medical costs. Someone smokes based on their CHOICE to do so... and I see no reason why... as a tax payer.. I should in anyway be forced to assist in paying for their medical care. Medical care, that most often wouldn't be necessary had it not been for their choice. The cost of cancer and heart disease (both of which are highly attributed to smoking) is causing the cost of insurance.. and healthcare in general.. is going thru the roof...

Sorry .. I know it is addictive... and I have no doubt that it isn't an easy thing to live with... As your friend.. I would happily bite the bullet and shoulder the financial responsibility.. but as a tax payer.. I don't want to have to and without a choice..

I started smoking when I was 15.......I quit when I was 30(when I found out I was going to be the proud Father of Twins) I have be quit for 14 yrs(now ,you do the math )

as long as they don't put a fucking sin tax on fucking...........I'm good !!!!!


*kisses*

__________________
Commando

"Getting Home from Work"

Making a Cum Back

Time for a Trim.....You Think?

Another Teasing Cock Thread

*Amusing Myself*

Another New One

A Thread With no Name

hello Ladies

It's me again *wink*

Slow Ride....In the House

71/2" in Alabama

The Slow Ride is Back!

LOL... SlowRide... You are one of the sexiest Men I have ever had the pleasure to get to know...

A sin tax on sex... damn.. that is a thought that sends bad shivers up my spine...

yeah........but I'm not gonna Quit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you for the sexy comment........but ,it kinda worries me a little *worried look*


are all sexy women blind?

__________________
Commando

"Getting Home from Work"

Making a Cum Back

Time for a Trim.....You Think?

Another Teasing Cock Thread

*Amusing Myself*

Another New One

A Thread With no Name

hello Ladies

It's me again *wink*

Slow Ride....In the House

71/2" in Alabama

The Slow Ride is Back!

This thread is addressing a number of different topics related to cigarette smoking and I have to brake them out in order to comment directly..... as well as the fact that any two page post gets boring and unread. I don’t intend to speak on the merits of smoking because there are none. But there ARE a number of horrendous abuses of people that smoke taking place. Pure and simple GREED of an easy target is what is happening from a cost standpoint. Like the prep school kid starting through the ghetto allies at dusk, the vulture have swooped in for easy pickings.

When I started smoking, you had a cigarette vending machine around every turn. From ever bus station to church basements and in the waiting rooms of hospitals. For a quarter, ($0.25) you got a pack of smokes, AND... inside the cellophane wrapper was one, two or three pennies along the edge of the pack as your change from the two-bits coin. So $4.25+ makes me cringe every time.

“Sin Tax” is the same as “Rape Shame”. If they point a finger at you and say how evil you are, to justify their immoral pillage, it’s suppose to humiliate you into surrender and acceptance. In the past decade, Cleveland built two new MULTI million dollar sport stadiums. After every orchestrated special-interest and political campaign couldn’t justify the costs, (BEFORE the cost overruns), they “edicted” (not by legal vote of the people) a sin tax on cigarettes and liquor. After they were built, the folks that were paying this tax were told there is NO SMOKING in these facilities. Of course you could drink........ if you purchase a $6.00 cup of beer from them. (NO. You’re not allowed to bring any in, silly.)

Now try to find accounting records that show how much of the tax goes directly to paying off the construction cost. It’s entirely another source of revenue from a source with little ability to resist. It’s pure and simple legal stealing.

You may find this link interesting regarding some of the Tobacco Taxes and Payments and State Settlements.

http://www.rjrt.com/TI/tobacco_cover.asp



Next Installment- Ethnocentric Exclusivity

__________________

Okay, I wanna say some things on several of the subjects mentioned here.

First, as far as cig prices go, I must be in paradise, you can get pretty much any brand you want for $3 or less. I personally smokED Camel Turkish Jades which were $21.9? per carton at food lion with an MVP card. The reason I capitalized "ed" on smoked is because I am in the process of quitting. I hope I succeed.

Secondly, I do actually support both the legalization of marijuana as well as being pro gun. Yes, I smoke marijuana and I'm not afraid to admit it. At the same time, I have a H&K USP compact .40cal within reach of me 99% of the time, usually in my holster on my hip. Those two things together don't mean I'm some dangerous trigger happy drug fiend. The simple fact is, I have a lot mental problems, most notably rapid-cycle-manic-depression. That's basically an extreme case of bipolar disorder where I can go from the happiest guy in the world to trying to commit suicide within seconds or minutes, literally. The only legal medication is pills which I can't take for another personal reason. They also depend on having a steady constant supply of the medication and in an emergency it takes at least 45 minutes to feel the effects of anything that won't put me into a drug induced coma. With my disability, I CAN NOT wait 45 minutes! That is why I have turned to marijuana as my main medication against my disability. Within the time it takes to take a couple hits, I can begin to feel what all of you would consider normal.

Unfourtunately, I also suffer from extreme paranoia. Because of this, I am simply more comfortable when I know that I have 11 .40cal rounds to defend my life at any given moment as well as whatever other weapons may be available to me at the time. The only person I have ever met that was more safe with firearms than me was the man who taught me. Firearms for me are mainly defense, yes I like to hunt but I am interested in being able to protect myself and loved ones for anyone and anything. Hell, my dream house includes at LEAST a .50cal machine gun mounted on the roof. I understand that firearms are dangerous and must be kept out of the hands of those who should not have them. However, I think that pretty much anything above semi-auto assualt rifles should be licensed to individual case by case and to be only limited by ones budget. Do you realize how expensive a decent full auto submachine gun is? Around $10,000 is about average, when comparing that to the $500 price tag of my pistol and $750 price tag of a semi-auto version of the M-16 assualt rifle you can see that there's not going to be a whole hell of a lot people who are going to have a stock pile of full auto weapons.

Sorry that I yabbered on for so long, it's just that obviously marijuana and weapons are to big discussion topics for me.

Please know......anything you say here.....WILL NOT BE USED AGAINST YOU IN ANY CONTEXT, WAY, SHAPE OR FORM!

That was for jenna....in case you wondered! LOL!

Booger.....^5!

Belial....LMFAO! It sounded more like a Dennis Leary rant......and just as funny! TY hun!

Jenna......I don't totally disagree with everything you've said. You make some good points....in that....Yes...I chose to smoke and so therefore I shouldn't expect others (especially non-smokers) to pay for it. I don't think it's fair that I should pay for schooling children I don't have....but I do pay for it....in taxable income! This isn't a perfect world. If it were....you would take full responsibility for you and yours...and I would for me and mine....and insurance and taxes wouldn't be necessary for anyone to contribute to and collect from.

If all the money collected from "sin tax" went exclusively to the education and prevention of the hazards of smoking....then and only then would I agree that you are 100% correct! But...as I said.....this isn't a perfect world......and so therefore the monies are not being collected solely for that purpose.....but instead to line the pockets of the powers that be (do we really know where the money is going?).

As to rising medical costs....I happen to have cancer insurance. I pay an additional cost for this....weekly.....from my pay.....so as NOT to drive the cost of insurance up for folks who don't smoke. Smoking may be the number 1 cause of cancer....but it's not the only reason for rising medical costs. As a medical example......people who are morbidy obese....or just plain overweight. Their medical problems abound.....but no one taxes them excessively for overeating! And one could even say that some diabetics could cut their medical costs and use lesser medicine if they would just lose weight and control their blood sugar through diet. I'm not picking on any one group.....there are many many ways to cut medical cost.......but this isn't a perfect world. Knowing that.......I, as a smoker, shouldn't be expected to pay for all the ills of it all!

Insurance fraud and medical malpractice are the number 1 and 2 reasons for rising insurance costs.....so don't lay that responsibility on me! I may be an addict.....but I've never lied about it when the insurance questionaire comes around......and so therefore I pay more for my personal insurance than non-smokers do! As a matter of fact......in addition to the sin tax imposed on me everytime I buy a pack of cigs (of which, who knows who benefits from it).......I also pay all the taxes expected of me whether they apply to my personal life or not!

So......why me? Why the smokers? And.....now that you have that money....and continue to get more and more from me.....what will you do when I quit?

(((((jenna)))))))......love you hun! We should have been on the debate team!

...MOST of the way. Your first major point is well taken and it would be acceptable IF that's what happened to it. IT DOESN'T!


Your second point get more involved. I understand the feeling of having to pay for the poor choice of others. I think the same thing when FEMA has to assist in disasters for people that CHOOSE to live on KNOWN earthquake faults and in flood planes that are certain of destruction.

As for the cost of health care, I guess you can take sallies in the fact that we won’t be around using 20 to 30 years of the funds that the healthy 90 year old will receive. LOL

Just some more thoughts.

__________________