I loved the marching band playing the Daily Show theme.

Yeah, I got no issue with that. Though it doesn't help as much as you'd think, at least now that I'm not a starving student any longer.

I have a huge issue with the tax. Only 10% of that $2.60 per pack goes to smoking cessation programs. The rest of it is said to go to hospitals and the like, but it won't.

I also think it's hugely discriminatory law. If as a smoker, I am asked to pay this huge tax on my habit, then why aren't knitters and quilters and drinkers taxed this big as well?

Before the ban? Smokers were cossetted away in their smoky dens of smokiness and I just didn't go there.

Yeah, I do miss that. The wave of smoke that hits you as you exit pretty much any public building is almost as bad.

The area south of L5P is gentrifying at an amazing speed, and there'd be soccer-mom types with toddlers in The Vortex.

A world of no.

Our props were for raising the minimum wage (yes!), banning the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault weapons* (yes!), and, um, pulling out of Iraw (silly, but what the hell).

*not including Judy Barr Topinka's famous rolling pins

Seven states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Two others, New Hampshire and Tennessee, tax only dividend and interest income.

Personal income tax is prohibited by the constituion here. Don't think it is likely to change. No inheritance tax either. They tax the tourists and homeowners. Gas, smoking, etc. I read someplace that we are the 2nd most regressive tax structure in the states. The sales tax in Palm Beach is 6.5%. There are worse counties. When I was in NY the county tax was 9%.

I don't know if there are any other states out there that don't charge income tax.

Alaska doesn't.

Not getting into the smoking issue.

Only 10% of that $2.60 per pack goes to smoking cessation programs. The rest of it is said to go to hospitals and the like, but it won't.

Yeah, that's what I read too. Weirder still, even the Yes ads that tout that 100% of the money goes to healthcare note that only 11% goes to smoking cessation programs. The other three squares seem to be hospital-related, but there are apparently these strange antitrust exemptions in the bill that sound...not good.

If as a smoker, I am asked to pay this huge tax on my habit, then why aren't knitters and quilters and drinkers taxed this big as well?

Knitting doesn't kill anyone? Unless you're in Idle Hands ?

If as a smoker, I am asked to pay this huge tax on my habit, then why aren't knitters and quilters and drinkers taxed this big as well?

I thought the line of reasoning was because of the huge burden that smokers placed on health resources, insurance companies, and whatnot. I could be wrong, I don't know too much about it.

I thought the line of reasoning was because of the huge burden that smokers placed on health resources, insurance companies, and whatnot. I could be wrong, I don't know too much about it.

From what I can tell, the basic gist is, "If we raise the price of cigarettes, fewer people will smoke, and kids won't be able to afford to start smoking, either."

If as a smoker, I am asked to pay this huge tax on my habit, then why aren't knitters and quilters and drinkers taxed this big as well?

Probably because those hobbies don't aggravate some kid's asthma or give non-smokers cancer.

My apologies to the smokers--really. But it is a big public health expense via medicare and medicaid. So high taxes are the way to fund anti-smoking education and for dealing with the expense of smoking related ailments for the uninsured.

Is there a "penalty" tax on alcohol? I wouldn't mind paying a little more tax on alcohol to fund detox programs.