Yes, it's true. The anti-smoker coalition in Arizona (the usual suspects--the ACS, the ALA, the AHA, et al) is taking upon itself the power to raise the state tobacco tax and earmark 10% of the money raised to GIVE TO THEMSELVES!

Since the state legislators took away some of the antis' money in order to balance the state budget, the antis are attempting to gather enough signatures from registered voters to put a tobacco tax increase on the state ballot and get their money (and more)back, by passing the state legislature completely. Of course, the ballot measure would earmark some of the funds thus generated to go to tobacco "prevention" and "cessation" programs.

In short, the antis are attempting to tax smokers and put some of the money in their own pockets.

How's that for unmitigated gall?

In Florida, the antis are bypassing the state legislature and attempting to pass a ballot measure that would make "public" smoking unconstitutional (that is, smoking anywhere except most private homes, stand-alone bars and tobacco shops).

Looks as though the antis have now taken unto themselves the power to tax and legislate, bypassing our elected representatives altogether. It's time our REAL elected officials began to become alarmed about what the antis and other special interest groups are doing. If they don't care about protecting their consitutents from these special interest groups, then they should at least care about the undermining of their own legislative power.

The Arizona Daily Sun report on the anti tax here: www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=36492

The Arizona Republic report on the tax here: www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0313cigtax13-ON.html

[This message has been edited by Wanda Hamilton (edited 03-14-2002).]

Boy, this is REALLY something.

Like most bullies, these people don't know when to stop. They are going to get bloodied, and soon. Legislators don't like nannies other than themselves taxing the sheeple. Thanks for the link, Wanda.

All the states, especially the ones in the pocket of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are punching out anti’s with cookie cutters, and they all sing the same old song. Gets a little tiring, doesn’t it.

They just don't get it: kids who can pay $20 dollars for one estacy pill, are not going to balk at higher taxes on cigarettes. It's just putting a hurt on honest adults who choose to buy a legal product.

Talk about sneaky, underhanded encroachment tactics, on this link and many others recently: slimy. Pure, unadulterated slime.

Jane! You typed a handfull! I have never in my life seen the likes of this! Since we have the internet and nothing is hidden, we are able to see the anti’s work all across the country and the world.

They have their teeth sunk into us so deep, it’s sickening.

I know I’m “preaching to the choir,” but by golly! I can’t imagine how we all survived this long since we smoke, and grew up around second hand smoke! How did we do it?! (And I never HEARD of asthma when I was a kid!)

You know, Darlene, I only knew of two people with asthma in the first thirty years of my life. One was my childhood playmate, a doctor's daughter, whose parents never smoked. She also had an allergy to peanut butter.

The other was a good friend I met in my twenties. He was the son of a dentist, and neither he nor his parents (or sister) ever smoked.

Interesting that both of them were children of non-smoking medical professionals.

Wanda - it is interesting about the children of medical professionals.

One of my daughter's playmates is the daughter of 2 medical professionals and has umpteen different allergies, chronic ear infections and seems to be sick more often than not.

I only know one person with asthma, she's a couple years older than I and grew up in a non-smoking household. She will actually light a cigarette if she feels an attack coming on. In all the years I've known her she has always smoked and I have never witnessed her having an attack. one of her kids or stepkids have asthma and they all grew up in smoking households.

Go figger!!!!

Did anyone hear about Henry Waxman being behind a GLOBAL CIG TAX? I heard a brief
mention on radio and although not surprising
I was livid that this would even be possible.
He noiw thinks he can tell the rest of the world what to tax! Rest of my thought on this should not be in print so use your
wonderful imaginations

Jackie, here 'tis, along with some choice comments on "Nostrils" himself.

Waxman sticks his nose in...

Love those Freepers, thanks Spinner, I needed that. . .

quote:

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Originally posted by Spinner:
Jackie, here 'tis, along with some choice comments on "Nostrils" himself.

Waxman sticks his nose in...

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Thanks Spinner for the link!! I am still
laughing at the post! How refreshing!!

I realize that this is a bit tangential.
If you want to cut HENRY TAXMAN off at the knees, click here... http://www.givemeliberty.org/POST-HEARING/NextSteps3-15-02.htm

REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!

Er, no sorry, wrong slogan. How about Remember the Stamp Act of 1765!!!

quote:

---

"The question was never the immediate amount of taxation that the British were asking of the colonists. The question was whether the British had the right to do it at all. We're talking about people [the American colonists] with enormous sensitivity to the dangers of power. If you conceded the right to Parliament to tax and if there was no check on it, no limit, it could go on indefinitely. You could be bled white. The power to tax was the power to destroy."

Pauline Maier, Scholar

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What we are seeing here is a bunch of well-edumacated, but totally ignorant politicians thinking they can get away with ANYTHING.

Lots of fury in some local Virginia papers about tobacco taxes, with the liberal press calling them "ridiculously low". I say it's the others that are insanely high. Yet, Virginia continues to accept NYC garbage in it's landfills and Virginians still buy NY and Washington apples with low to non-existant taxes. It's time the carpetbaggers ponied up! $1.00 an apple and $1.50 an ounce on the garbage! And Ol Sen Hillary should pay a $1,000,000 petty existance or a nuisance tax every time she sets foot in the state!!!

Virginia is a beautiful state. Unfortunately, its most densely populated area is basically a suburb of D.C., and these D.C. yuppies are trying to run the entire state. Let's hope that Virginia legislators remember they're Virginians and that tobacco built their state. Why not keep state tobacco taxes low and let the state make money from all the other people coming to buy cigarettes?

BTW, in a poll the majority of Kentuckians were AGAINST the state raising the tobacco tax (as were the majority of state legislators) so the anti agitators there can crawl back under their rocks, where they will plot darkly to raise taxes and ban smoking next year.