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Jun. 8th, 2009 10:39 amMy opinion doesn't matter, but hearing that they're talking about moving tobacco products to the FDA and putting more measures in place to stop smoking, I feel the need to share with a bunch of people who don't care or probably already agree with me. This is, after all, the internet.
1. Legalize everything. Sure the shit is bad for us, but while it's nice to encourage good behavior in general, some good behavior is personal to me as a person. Let me know smoking will kill me, and I do know. However, watching tv and not exercising will kill me, drinking will kill me, driving too fast over a bridge w/o a seatbelt on will kill me, cheeseburgers will kill me...and no warning or notice is going to help. Notices never help - see i.e. the mortgage crisis.
2. Stop sin taxes. I pay stupid tax on booze, and smokers pay stupid tax on those drugs. McD's is not taxed at the same rate. Sure it's a sin, but how long until they levy a tax on soda? Potato chips? What about rice - is it taxed as food without butter but if I fatty it up do you then double the tax? Have they removed taxes from healthy things like gyms? Should they remove taxes from recreation facilities and public parks? Actually, I like that idea...but I think it's absurd to waste public money trying to discourage people from doing things they know are bad for them. Don't make money off of "sin." Touch my chocolate and I'll blow up government buildings.
3. Bans - I utterly approve of smoking bans in public places. I don't smoke, but I don't fucking want to smoke. If I drink, you don't wind up sucking up my waste - not spilled drinks, not pee, not even a super-woody beer burp will get alcohol in your system. I think sometimes government is a good control where the market as failed - and it appears in all markets where smoking was banned attendance and revenues went up. Guess there were lots of me-folk who wanted to go out more but were holding back due to smoke.
4. Ingredients - I utterly approve of forcing manufacturers to put the list of ingredients on their product. Duh, you ingest it.
5. Taste - it's odd to me there doesn't seem to be a tobacco snob movement going on. As I've gone from the silver bullet to micro-brews (bourbon barrel stout, oh my) and from soda to salvadorian organic blended coffee, I am confused why so few go from crappy mainstream cigarettes to exotic tobacco blends.
1. Legalize everything. Sure the shit is bad for us, but while it's nice to encourage good behavior in general, some good behavior is personal to me as a person. Let me know smoking will kill me, and I do know. However, watching tv and not exercising will kill me, drinking will kill me, driving too fast over a bridge w/o a seatbelt on will kill me, cheeseburgers will kill me...and no warning or notice is going to help. Notices never help - see i.e. the mortgage crisis.
2. Stop sin taxes. I pay stupid tax on booze, and smokers pay stupid tax on those drugs. McD's is not taxed at the same rate. Sure it's a sin, but how long until they levy a tax on soda? Potato chips? What about rice - is it taxed as food without butter but if I fatty it up do you then double the tax? Have they removed taxes from healthy things like gyms? Should they remove taxes from recreation facilities and public parks? Actually, I like that idea...but I think it's absurd to waste public money trying to discourage people from doing things they know are bad for them. Don't make money off of "sin." Touch my chocolate and I'll blow up government buildings.
3. Bans - I utterly approve of smoking bans in public places. I don't smoke, but I don't fucking want to smoke. If I drink, you don't wind up sucking up my waste - not spilled drinks, not pee, not even a super-woody beer burp will get alcohol in your system. I think sometimes government is a good control where the market as failed - and it appears in all markets where smoking was banned attendance and revenues went up. Guess there were lots of me-folk who wanted to go out more but were holding back due to smoke.
4. Ingredients - I utterly approve of forcing manufacturers to put the list of ingredients on their product. Duh, you ingest it.
5. Taste - it's odd to me there doesn't seem to be a tobacco snob movement going on. As I've gone from the silver bullet to micro-brews (bourbon barrel stout, oh my) and from soda to salvadorian organic blended coffee, I am confused why so few go from crappy mainstream cigarettes to exotic tobacco blends.
