What is Digg?736 Comments
- MrM4nager, on 11/22/2008, -68/+289***** no. Terrible, terrible idea. People aren't going to stop because you jack up the prices. They'll go broke.
- Brassbud, on 11/22/2008, -68/+273Do people not remember Prohibition? History, folks, history. Lets learn from our mistakes and not go down this road again.
- yogurt777, on 11/22/2008, -14/+184If smokers don't deserve health care then neither do obese gluttons or fast drivers.
- a1cd, on 11/22/2008, -15/+150Coming up on CNN:
- Major Cigarette Companies lobby Congress for a bailout - embryodb, on 11/22/2008, -31/+159"Why not cigarettes?"
because ***** you - scoottie, on 11/22/2008, -30/+121most people smoke because its an addiction not a choice. i remember when cigs cost less then a dollar and people said they should cost $5 to make people stop smoking and that didnt work.
- Kanten, on 11/22/2008, -39/+121Just like how people aren't going to drive less because you jack up the gas prices.
Oh wait, they did. - supernovasky, on 11/22/2008, -13/+84Legalize Marijuana and tax it.
Whoever says that "You can easily grow it yourself" to the marijuana, this is true, but do you really think people won't love the convenience of running to the gas station to buy a pack of joints? Or Pre-rolled blunts? - Paulish, on 11/22/2008, -21/+85Oh look, something that is socially acceptable to gang up on! Lets tax that *****, because they are in the minority.
- HigherLogic, on 11/22/2008, -4/+63Of course we haven't learned from prohibition, marijuana (and other drugs) are still illegal.
- etement, on 11/22/2008, -9/+63You mean the same smokers who also pay taxes in addition to higher taxes on tobacco products?
- beguiledfoil, on 11/22/2008, -35/+83This isn't prohibition, it's a more accurate representation of the cost of smoking in our modern world.
- mickstephenson, on 11/22/2008, -1/+44In the UK we already pay over $12 for 20 cigarettes, most of that is tax which is pumped directly into the NHS, also one of our biggest issues is people living too long, and costing the country alot of money in state pensions, housing benefit, winter heating allowance, and NHS costs. Smokers don't live as long, there are alot of sides to the issue and you can add up costs without taking into consideration all the facts, so no I am not kidding myself I just haven't seen a quantitative account of the costs of smoking which I find satisfactory.
- algaeturd, on 11/22/2008, -23/+65And another thing...if you're addicted to bacon and you eat a few pounds per day (it happens) then you're going to wind up with a lot of cardiovascular/heard problems down the road. Should we ban bacon?
BAN BACON?
The answer is a resounding NO.
WE ALL AGREE: DON'T BAN BACON. - SpeedSteamBoat, on 11/22/2008, -4/+44Actually, most smokers don't die of lung cancer. They die of cardiovascular related problems such as heart attack and stroke. I once shared a room with a man who had almost two feet of blockage in a main artery in his leg. The doctors basically told him they would try their best to fix it, but odds were he was going to lose his leg. They told him it was almost certain his years of smoking were the cause.
A smoker has an average life span of 10-15 years shorter than a none smoker.
"smoking causes cancer and lung disease about as much as sugar intake causes diabetes" Hm, that seems like a fairly outrageous claim. Can you back that up or are you pulling it out of your ass. Anyone, like I said before, the main problem isn't lung disease. It's cardiovascular complications.
Anyway, no one is even talking about banning smoking. They are talking about taxing it more. That's not a ban.
Personally, I think a better idea is legalizing marijuana and taxing that, but of course a suggestion like that would probably get me called a crazy, no good, pothead, hippie outside of Digg. - semeticstallion, on 11/22/2008, -15/+54You're absolutely right, Brassbud. If cigarettes cost $10/pack then there will be more organized crime selling cigarettes on the black market. I'm a resident of Pittsburgh, PA and can tell you at least 2 sources I could go to to buy cigarettes from people who live in Kentucky where smokes are $2.25/pack vs. $5/pack here and would sell them to me for $3.50 and still bank a profit. If cigarettes become $10/pack, those sources will only increase.
Believe me, I certainly don't want to support big tobacco, but if a hike that high happens it will be catastrophic for the country's already terrible economy. Damage even you non-stock holders would feel. - mickstephenson, on 11/22/2008, -30/+68You mean the perceived guesses at the costs of smoking made by anti smoking zealots.
- MacroDaemon, on 11/22/2008, -8/+46Funny how Americans keep dreaming about european socialism, whereas Europeans keep dreaming about cheap goods.
- GawtMilk, on 11/22/2008, -3/+40Calm down, have a cigarette.
- Aroundtown27, on 11/22/2008, -2/+37A pack of smokes here in Canada costs $12 Cdn and they say it has decreased the number of smokers but here we also have national health care so it makes sense for smokers to pay a little more in taxes to the health care system. However, in the States, where health care isn't national then it makes no sense to increase the taxes on cigarettes.
(I smoke for the record) - inactive, on 11/22/2008, -15/+50If you think cigs should be illegal, you should hop right back on bushes dick and keep taking away our liberties. You fail at being american.
- damien6669, on 11/22/2008, -13/+47They are well over $10 / pack in canada... they have been for a long time. To anyone who says it would start a black market, etc... yeah, it didn't. People just bitched a lot more and no one would give out a cigarette to a person who would ask for one.
- noumuon, on 11/22/2008, -9/+43...slight difference between an activity used for recreation (which is really where the driving was cut back from) and an activity done to feed an addiction.
- Taedirk, on 11/22/2008, -3/+37I came here for the prohibition and marijuana legalization posts and can gladly say I'm satisfied. This is a HURR DURR HOW DO I ECONOMICS idea put forth by the people who hate your vice and want to tax the ***** out of it but refuse to think anything they do is wrong. Alcohol, smoking, excessively large speeding tickets (I'm looking at you, Virginia) or drug arrests/fine, the stupid idea of a "fat tax" (Make fatty foods expensive so fat people become too poor to be fat, brilliant!) that nobody's implemented yet; they're all stupid ideas from stupid, hypocritical people.
- jinif, on 11/22/2008, -6/+38The problem is, that by dying earlier, smokers actually SAVE health care costs, compared to non-smoker who live longer, but incur more health care bills as a result.
See “The Health Care Costs of Smoking” in the New England Journal of Medicine. - DinosaurDerek, on 11/22/2008, -5/+37how about $10 pack of marijuana cigarettes..
- VanBehlen, on 11/22/2008, -8/+39you arent chemically and phsycially addicted to driving your car.
- algaeturd, on 11/22/2008, -7/+38And morbidly fat people who gobble down fast food and Wal Mart treats should? The reason you can't pass bills like this is because it's not fair to selectively choose who is treating their body with disrespect. Should we track down all the marijuana users? How about people who drink more than 3 cans of Red Bull per day. That causes brain cancer.
/s.
Seriously. That's a retarded idea but I hear it all the time because America is full of retarded people. See the past 8 years of elected government for proper citation of that fact. - Niallgriff, on 11/22/2008, -7/+38I'm ***** sorry. I like smoking, I know it may kill me one day and blah blah, but it gives me a simple pleasure in life. Why deprive me of it?
- algaeturd, on 11/22/2008, -18/+48Please. Shoot the price up. When it gets over 46.00 per carton, I'm out. For real. I think it's a ridiculous idea in a way but if you're going to do that, then also raise all the fast food prices. Cheap fast food kills TWENTY times the amount of people that cigarettes do because kids AND a higher percentage of the adult population inflicts themselves with that *****.
I smoke but I very rarely if ever eat fast food other than the once a month pizza delivery. So I'll still live just as long as the average american if not longer. - Diggopolis, on 11/22/2008, -66/+95It's not to say that "smoking" is good for you, but no one can convince me that because someone smokes that means they will get cancer or get lung disease and die. I know far too many people who smoked 1 - 2 packs a day for 30, 40, 50, 60 and more years to believe such nonsense. The problem is that the anti-smoking groups out there have put on a campaign so intense that one would think if you smoked 1 cigarette then you are doomed to having your lips fall off from cancer. It's time to get real, people, because if we don't stick to reality then we will find that today it might be something we don't like being taken away -- tomorrow it may be something we like to do.
The reality of life is that smoking is bad for you and any good things that come from smoking don't outweigh the bad things that can happen to you, but smoking causes cancer and lung disease about as much as sugar intake causes diabetes and other problems that use up tax payer dollars. Alcohol and Recreational Drugs also tap into taxpayer dollars. There's a ton of things that could be outlawed that would reduce the drain on tax payer dollars too. You can't really just pick and choose things because you don't happen to like it.. you have to be fair and attack everything - otherwise you only show a thing called hypocrisy. - Lavarock, on 11/22/2008, -1/+29Always with the cigarette taxes! Jesus Christ, smoking sucks but don't pin every ***** thing on cigarettes!
- mickstephenson, on 11/22/2008, -1/+27That guy is clearly trying to quit smoking, look how pissed off he is, I know that feeling...
- WoollyMittens, on 11/22/2008, -2/+28The money collected from smokers will not be spent on healthcare, but on war, destruction and corrupt bankers.
- peestandingup, on 11/22/2008, -4/+30Durrr, sure! :-/
If you wanna talk about a "health tax", make a cheeseburger from McDonalds cost $5. There's a lot more fat asses who eat themselves into an early grave while straining our healthcare system than what smokers do.
But I guess its not politically correct enough yet to pick on the fatties like you can smokers, because we accommodate the hell outta them. - reaperhatch, on 11/22/2008, -14/+39Don't give me your bull crap. I am trying to quit smoking an I have to hear this ***** from you! I get taxed almost 300 every 2 weeks and for what! I go into the office every day, every damn day and for what? do ***** I hate so I can get taxed some more and hope that my investments aren't raped by some a-hole in government? I have blue shield and they charge me for carrying their card, I have to pay to use the card I go to hell I hate you! I don't need a cigarette, you need me to need the cigarette to keep me from doing bad thing and walking the fine line. I just realize your ass is chapped because the government taxes your ass now you want them to tax me and now we are here pointing fingers less then humans. desperate little slaves, ***** to blind to see the true crime perpetrated by government and I am pissed.
- inactive, on 11/22/2008, -5/+30Hmm... probably because I've sucked off a few dozen guys, and all but one of them who smoked had unpleasant tasting cum.
- hooah212002, on 11/22/2008, -19/+43Yea, because ALL smokers are on Medicare, right? i hope you get face cancer.
- uracre, on 11/22/2008, -8/+31Because most of these non-smoking ***** think they are so healthier with their fat guts and pointing out the smokers with their "I am healthier than you" finger makes them feel better.
- vault, on 11/22/2008, -7/+29Should be profitable for indian reservations.
- MCA2142, on 11/22/2008, -0/+21I admire bsingle's honesty.
- rolf, on 11/22/2008, -2/+23I wonder how many people here would support taxing alcohol that much because it's also hazardous to your health being a victim of DUI is much more immediate than being a victim of second hand smoke.
- OrangeTide, on 11/22/2008, -2/+22or trailer trash or gang bangers or drug addicts or stupid people or art critics.
- badqat, on 11/22/2008, -8/+28Or getting tax dollars from their service in the senate or as president either, right?
- amk29j, on 11/22/2008, -0/+19I think more people would resort to rolling their own cigarettes. That's what they do in the UK from my observations during my brief visit there.
- wakkow, on 11/22/2008, -2/+21Wow.. didn't think there were this many smokers on digg..
- Skod, on 11/22/2008, -3/+21I smoke because I want to and I enjoy it. You shouldn't impose morality on the public be it through laws or taxes. We can put on our big girl panties and make our own choices like adults.
- teknomaker18, on 11/22/2008, -0/+18Haha yeah right! You think your local paper or the news will give the facts? More people drank during the prohibition than people who smoked. Raising the price on smokes is only going to make higher crime rates and personal tobacco growth.
- radu79, on 11/22/2008, -3/+21jerrycurley, who are you to tell me what is good for me? I am the one and only person who decides that, it's called living in a ***** free country.
- beguiledfoil, on 11/22/2008, -10/+28Obviously it won't happen overnight, but smoking levels have been dropping steadily for the first time in history. This would not be happening if they were still cheap.
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