"Calif Bill" wrote in message
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"Reginald P. Smithers III" wrote in message
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Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 04:02:38 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

If you going to smoke, smoke an Altria brand. Filthy habit, but I
enjoy the dividends.

Filthy habits are drinking to excess and endangering innocent lives.

I'd be willing to bet that drinking alcohol kills a hell of a lot
more
people than cigars do.
Tom,
As a former smoker I always thought smoking was an enjoyable, filthy,
unhealthy habit. I understood non smokers who did not want to smell
or inhale 2nd hand smoke. Since the mid 80's I only smoked outside
and tried to make sure it was not blowing towards non smokers.

Even if 2nd hand smoke was not proven to unhealthy, the smell alone
is offensive to non cigar smokers, even cigarette smokers.


Even if smoking is deadly, it is a free choice item. I can and do
enjoy it being banned from the workplace and bars and dining
establishments here in California. But this is supposed to be a free
country. If you want to smoke in your house, or car, you should be
able to. Ballot measure this election to put a $2.60 tax per pack of
ciggies. F'n do gooders. They say it will cut smoking, and 80% will
go to hospitals for payment of healthcare costs. It is still some
fanatic group enforcing their mores on another group. Short Wave is a
health care basket case from what I understand, but it is his choice
to smoke. I used to race cars, also can be unhealthy, but it is still
an action of free (well expensive) choice.


Here (NY), when the tax jumped in a big way, the two major
manufacturers apparently had enough room in their margins to whack the
price. They're still about five bucks a pack. Predictions were around
seven. Never happened.


But is not right for the government to decide to control some behaviors
via taxation while favoring others. Where the hell is the freedom of
choice? Some extremist group (like PETA?) gets the majority of congress
people bought and passes a $50 a fish caught tax. You still happy with
that? You are in the grocery business, Carbs are bad for you, so a tax
of $0.03 an ounce is placed on carbs. You going to cut your prices. And
why should the private company have to cut prices to offset a tax?


I didn't say I was happy with the tax idea. I simply said that in some
cases, it may have no final effect on the price.


$2.60 a pack tax. No affect on price?


Before the ***LATEST*** tax increase, they were $4.25-ish. After, they were
in the sixes. That lasted a month or two, at which point, they settled down
to $4.85-$5.25. Since the govmint didn't decrease their meddling, it's clear
that the big drop came from manufacturers. I know a C-store owner. He's
described the pricing to me.