[inthebox]

Andrew , stop giving them ideas :eek::(












G&P

[andrewc24301]

Andrew , stop giving them ideas :eek::(
G&P

Agreed!

[speechlesstx]

Well, the increase Obama signed into law went into effect yesterday, and even the AP is sounding a little indignant over another of Obama's expired campaign promises... this one that affects the poor disproportionately.

One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday.

The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama's promise not to raise taxes of any kind on families earning under $250,000 or individuals under $200,000.

This is one tax that disproportionately affects the poor, who are more likely to smoke than the rich.

The reporter notes how the Obama campaign specifically promised he wouldn't raise ANY tax on those making under a quarter million.

"I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."

He repeatedly vowed "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime."

"No one making less than $250,000 under Barack Obama's plan will see one single penny of their tax raised," Joe Biden said, "whether it's their capital gains tax, their income tax, investment tax, any tax."

Just words.

[twinkiedooter]

I got the real skinny on the tobacco tax hike from a very knowledgeable friend in the tobacco business.

She told me that the original tobacco tax hike bill was vetoed 7 times by Bush. He vetoed it because it was sponsored by Marlboro (owned by Philip Morris). It seems that Philip Morris wanted to get a cut of the tax hike money to put into some sort of cockamayme "kids nosmoking fund" or some such hogwash and Bush (or his handlers) didn't want a private company benefiting from any tax money. So he didn't sign this bill.

Then Bammy comes along and decides to get onto the "money" wagon of Philip Morris and signs the bill into law. That's why we suddenly get a tax law when the president changed.

She did tell me another rather interesting thing. That Philip Morris has bought up just about ALL the tobacco producing companies here in the US. There is one company that they haven't purchased yet - Swisher Cigars. They did purchase Copenhagen Snuff for 16 billion dollars!

Thought I'd pass along that info. She got all her info from the Tobacco trade magazines she subscribes to as she is the owner of the tobacco store I frequent.

The tax hike on the loose tobacco (16 oz) was 392%!! Yep. 392%. They obviously want to make it too expensive to "roll your own" and buy their premade cigarettes instead AND give Philip Morris some of the tobacco tax money to boot either way. Ain't that clever - double dipping!


And KP2171 I do like your jumping elephant..!

[tomder55]

Did Philip Morris also praise the SCOTUS decision about the class action suit ?
Supreme Court Upholds $79.5 Million Punitive Award Against Philip Morris — Attorney At Law

[kp2171]

I don't know much anyway, and I know even less about this subject... but a few of my brain cells seem to remember reading something of the following...

Hasn't our govt finally ended the hypocrisy of both sueing big tobacco for "health costs" while at the same time subsidizing the industry?. and the effect has been a boom for the industry, with a lack of govt restrictions tied to subsidies, hasn't the price for product has actually gone up... and not the other direction... loss of subsidies didn't drive farmers to other crops, it actually enabled them to get a better price.

I also seem to remember the trend of domestic sales being down, but exports being up... and isn't PM buying foreign tobacco companies up left and right, not just domestic co's?

When in doubt, control the marketplace?

I wonder if we could do the same with other farm subsidies... 80 years ago a third of our workforce was in ag... now its something like 2% or less.

I've recently been annoyed all to hell that we talk about free trade and open markets, but we prop up ag with subsidies that artificially inflates the domestic product... distorts the market... and strangles third world countries who often can only compete in ag and simple manufacturing. Don't know... maybe the subsidies aren't as important as id thought.. since tobacco seems better off without them.

Ultimately, we might tax like mad here, but I'm sure we will be very willing to sell to the poorest of the poor in third world countries once we buy up their industry.

[andrewc24301]

Like I said, I don't smoke, but this new tax scares the hell out of me, because it has demonstrated how completley out of control our government is.

Anything they decide they want to pluck out of excistance need only be taxed out of excistance.

Get ready for the big gas tax coming down the line, because I know within the next decade they will be pushing green cars real hard, and I expect a hefty tax on gas, for two reasons, to push the technology, and since as we buy these green cars that get 200 mpg, they will have to increase the gas tax to compensate for the loss given less fuel is being purchased.

Bacon? Hamburgers, red meat? It's all on the table now. If the government decides they don't want you eating a hamburger - just place a $10 tax on every pound of ground beef being sold.

Impossible? Eating a hamburger is no more harmful to your health than smoking marijuana.

Tax the internet out? Impossible? No. The internet is probably the only true form of free speech we have left. Wouldn't the government love to stomp out that little privilege.

Make no mistake about it, this new cigarette tax prooves they we ARE just mere peasants in a much bigger monarchy than old Britain ever was. Bow to your king, the democratic/republican party, I don't know if you all realized this or not, but they are both on the same side...

[andrewc24301]

Patrick Henry must be turning in his grave!