From my neck of the woods ... four years later

Antis lose … again.


Four years ago the antis placed a measure on the Missouri ballot to increase the tax on cigarettes, they spent millions, they lost. See my post from four years ago … November 2002

This election, the same group, even have the same website, a measure on the ballot to raise the tobacco tax by a dollar. They spent more money than last time, guess what … they lost again. A great deal of the loot was to be directed toward their pocket, hence, why they keep rolling the dice. They spend 6 million and get a 250 million pay off.

The last time it was strictly the anti-tax rural vote that killed it, this was part of it again, but, it also didn't do as well in the urban area's of the state as the previous election. If you figure almost all smokers voted against it, it required just as many non smokers as smokers to vote against it. Ah … will wonders ever cease.

Another odd factor that keep's dooming the tax increase, Missouri has a very strong pro life/anti-abortion movement that keep's opposing these type of taxes, because they feel it may fund abortions.

Missouri Pro Life

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I am just glad it didn't pass.

maybe non-smokers are starting to realize that once the smokers' pockets run dry from taxes, the antis will find ways to dig into theirs. Better to nip it in the bud.

quote:

maybe non-smokers are starting to realize that once the smokers' pockets run dry from taxes, the antis will find ways to dig into theirs. Better to nip it in the bud.

I wish that was the case, but, no, I have followed this issue for a number of years, as stated in this article about the the defeat, it's the pro-life/anti-abortion folk's that are really making the difference. In rural area's of Missouri they are quite a force. It passes in the population centers of the state, which is St. Louis and Kansas City, but, loses in the rest of the state by wide margins. The urban vote is just not enough to overcome that big of margin in the rural area. The final outcome is only 51-49, same pattern both elections. It would probably lose anyway in the rural area's, but, not by such wide margin's if not for pro-life/anti-abortion groups.

The pro-life/anti-abortion folks do not care about the smoking or tax issue, their concern is where the money would go ... some of it they feel would be spent funding abortions, hence, their opposition. If the anti-smokers are ever going to pass the tax, they are going to have to satisfy the anti-abortion people, it will not be spent on such. Politics can be very odd sometimes.

A common voting pattern for left leaning causes in many states, and which is why the Democrat won the Senate seat in Missouri, you will lose the rural area's, but, you can't lose them by to large of margins, then you get the large urban population centers to put you over the top.

St. Louis Dispatch

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I voted against it, and I'll keep voting against it every time they bring it up even if my quit succeeds because it's just not right. They don't realize that when they try to boost taxes like that every smoker makes a little extra time to vote to keep their wallet. I think Missouri has the 2nd lowest cig tax in the country. It's something like 15 cents a pack. I know many Illinois smokers who buy in Missouri because it's so much lower here.