New Federal Tobacco Tax

If you are a smoker, you will not be getting one ounce of sympathy from me.

Smoking was the single contributing factor in my maternal grandmothers agonizing death, my mother in laws painful death and my father in laws devastating death.  It also didn’t help my fathers heart problems that put him in the grave at age 30.

So when I heard the news that Obama signed into law a Federal Tax increase on tobacco, I cheered.

Last night on my local news they interviewed some guy (sorry, can’t find who it was…I was half asleep watching), that said this was a tax increase on the lower class.  Something that President Obama promised not to do.  Tax increase on the lower class my ass!  Nobody is forcing the lower class to smoke.  Hell, I’m lower class and I don’t smoke.  So that’s just a bunch of bull.

Cigarettes are a “luxury,” not a necessity.  This is a luxury tax that will help fund health programs for children.  If you have a problem with that, then shame on you.    Taxpayers have been paying out the nose for the additional health care required by smokers.  So I agree that it’s about time that they start paying, too.  And if this big increase makes teenages less likely to bother starting, then YAY for that, too!

**Stepping down off my soapbox now**