Poor smokers would pay for health bill

All the better, they say, if higher cigarette taxes discourage smoking.

"I'm very happy that we're paying for this," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in an interview Friday, noting that the plan would not add to the deficit. "The health of the children is extremely important," he said. "In the long run, maybe it'll stop people from smoking."

Low-income people smoke more heavily than do wealthier people in the United States, making cigarette taxes a regressive form of revenue.


By most measures, the average smoker is less privileged than the average nonsmoker. Nearly one-third of all U.S. adults living in poverty are smokers, compared with 23.5 percent of those above the poverty level, according to government statistics.

The American Heart Association reports that 35 percent of people with no more than 11 years of schooling are smokers. Those with 16 or more years of formal education smoke at a 12 percent rate.


"I know there is very little sympathy for smokers these days," Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., said during the House debate. "But it is still a tax increase on the backs of the smokers. And in order to get enough money to pay for this, it would require 22 million new smokers."

In Congress, these groups receive little sympathy. But some lawmakers say voters should know the details of the insurance program's proposed funding structure.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., who spoke against the bill in last week's debate, said: "The headline ought to read, 'Smokers in America to pay for middle-class welfare.'"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070930/ap_on_go_co/cigaret...C92E6LVMH4WQt0us0NUE

quote:

'Smokers in America to pay for middle-class welfare.'"

What a great sentence...and would make a great T-shirt - if this fool-bill doesn't get vetoed.

"American Smokers pay for middle-class Welfare"

WHAT THE HELL IS THE DEAL?? The damned thing (SCHIP) was supposed to EXPIRE by MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!! I'm so Goddamned sick and tired of Bush delaying on this I could scream!!!

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/sep/28/schip_opening_...unding_war/#comments

~snip~

SCHIP is opening battle in funding war

By Carl P. Leubsdorf

September 28, 2007

The battle between President Bush and congressional Democrats over Iraq has dominated the September headlines, but the fall’s biggest legislative fight may be the one coming over funding the government.

And this week’s showdown over the children’s health program is the opening skirmish.

In a sense, as the noted philosopher Yogi Berra used to say, it’s deja vu all over again.

In 1995, a new Republican majority sought to force spending cuts on President Bill Clinton. The effort went down in flames, paving the way for his re-election.

Today, resurgent Democrats are seeking to force increased domestic spending on Bush, who, in turn, has vowed to veto most of the bills that fund the government.

Taken from the full article on the link:

This week’s passage of the temporary funding bill — called a Continuing Resolution — will delay the main showdown until later this fall.


Oh, JESUS H. CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And IN THE MEANTIME, the dems will be PARADING THAT GODDAMNED KID IN FRONT OF US in non-stop commercials!! But I haven't seen ONE COMMERCIAL from the Repugnants telling how this will give benefits to illegals, families who make about 80, ooo dollars a year, 'children' up to 25 years of age, how it's the start of socialized medicine, etc. &^&^%%$%!?!@ 'stupid party' is right. Maybe our only hope is for the Klintons to get in again, nothing else seems to wake up conservatives!!!!!!!!

With the sheeple populating this country nowadays, we could be well on our way to becoming "Airstrip One".

Why Bush resists child health bill

Representative Wamp says he has no intention of switching his position. "It's a crummy bill that isn't honest as to how it's paid for,"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20071001/ts_csm/achildhealth


I also looked up Cigarette Tax Regressivity since the antis want the bill paid for on the backs of smokers.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1448232

sin tax, user tax on the poor to get them to change there behavior..and quit smoking

so if the antis have there way and all the poor smokers quit smoking because the price of their tobacco products are taxed out of there reach ,,whats the goal for the middle class that smoke ,,how are the antis going to change their behavior to force them to quit smoking..

I like what Rush said on his program. "The Democrats want to raise the roof on cigarette and cigar taxes, but, they don't want you to smoke them"!