Students revolt over beer tax proposal

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | April 26, 2008 | Chris Cadelago

[Eric Blair 2084]

A group of Bay Area College Republicans took to the streets of San Jose Friday evening to protest a subject near and dear to them - beer. More to the point, they wanted to rant about a state lawmaker's proposed tax on beer manufacturers that would add nearly $2 to the price of a six-pack as a way to help the state plug its giant budget deficit. "This is a tax on poor students," said Leigh Wolf, 21, of the San Francisco State University Republicans. "They're using a bunch of studies to justify this beer tax, but you don't need a study to know college students drink a lot of beer. This is our way, after a long day of school and work, to sit down and relax." At the afternoon protest outside the office of Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, about 50 students stood at a busy downtown intersection waving signs that read "Students Opposed to Unjust Taxation!" and "No Taxe$" as one student on a bullhorn chanted "No taxation on intoxication!" Passers-by honked their horns in support and one man in a blue Chevy truck rolled down his window to scream, "Don't tax my beer!" The proposed tax on brewers would swell the tax per gallon from the current 20 cents to $2.88. That's an increase of 30 cents per can or bottle and $1.80 a six-pack Beall, who proposed the beer tax earlier this month, said it would generate up to $2 billion a year to help defray the high costs of crime prevention, health services and programs that prevent addiction and underage drinking.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Gubmint is paying for the ER services caused by alcohol and _______ (fill in the blank) shouldn't they intervene???

[goldstategop]

Hold Muh Cheap Beer Alert!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

But wiat till they get Obama or shrillary!

HA! Taxes on everything!

[oldenuff2no]

The vast majority of unpaid ER services in this country are because of Illegals!!!!!
I guess that these college kids will just have to take a page from their grandfathers collage rule book. Grow POT, they don't tax that. A little light, water, and then dry it in an oven and it doesn't cost much at all.
The state of Ca would tax masturbation if they could figure out how to catch people. The radical left and the Illegal invasion have caused social programs to explode. A lot of the top end earners are leaving the state which means the tax base is getting slimmer and slimmer. A big bunch of businesses have been relocating for years to get away from this socialist wreck. We will be leaving this summer for South Dakota. Ca is beyond fixing.

[ItsForTheChildren]

"No taxation on intoxication!"

Now there's a slogan!

[Mark was here]

If these adults have extra money to waste on beer, they certainly do not need taxpayer subsidies for the institutions they voluntarily choose to be customers of.

[Richard Kimball]

Reminds me of the old "Wizard of Id" line:

The students are revolting!

You can say that again.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Alcohol uses women in bikinis and fancy advertising to convince kids to think their product is “cool”, don’t they?

[Eric Blair 2084]

As a taxpayer, aren’t taxes on alcohol justified? Why should people who don’t drink have to pay for the health care costs and property damage caused by drinkers?

[Eric Blair 2084]

Budweiser gets rich...you die!

Somebody stop me when they see where I am going with this.

[Eric Blair 2084]

"The state of Ca would tax masturbation if they could figure out how to catch people. "

Good one.

[exit82]

“No taxation on intoxication!”

Intaxification?

[Eric Blair 2084]

Reminds me of the old Pink Floyd line:

“You, yes you. If you don’t eat your meat, how can you have any pudding? How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat???!!!”

[JRandomFreeper]

Easy, govt. should quit picking up the tab.

/johnny

[CitizenUSA]

Eric Blair: “As a taxpayer, aren’t taxes on alcohol justified? Why should people who don’t drink have to pay for the health care costs and property damage caused by drinkers?”

I’m not sure I understand the correlation there. Why exactly should the government be taxing alcohol? Aren’t there laws on the books against doing property damage, in which the perpetrators are held liable? As for health care, please explain how that’s the government’s job in the first place. Perhaps it would be better to simply prohibit all alcohol consumption due to the “property damage” and health care costs involved?

No, what we need is LESS government. Not more.

BTW, moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, has a proven health benefit.

[CitizenUSA]

oldenuff2no: “The state of Ca would tax masturbation if they could figure out how to catch people.”

Abortion, on the other hand, is no doubt heavily subsidized. AND, it appears some FReepers have no problem with even more taxes so long as it’s on activities they don’t like.

[BallyBill]

They eventually will ban Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, unless they can figure out a way to make a profit without actually manufacturing the product.

Eureeka! Taxes!

[Eric Blair 2084]

I was being facetious.

I had this same argument with a buddy of mine who is an executive at Anheuser Busch when he said what you did:

“BTW, moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, has a proven health benefit.”

I asked him how his companies sales were going at the local college stadiums. Silence. Beer is now banned at college sporting events.

This is not about public health, it’s about legal racketeering.

[Raycpa]

Raise tuition-—no problem. right dad?

Raise beer price-—watch out

[browardchad]

some FReepers have no problem with even more taxes so long as it’s on activities they don’t like.

It's called "selective conservatism." Very trendy.

[Raycpa]

Unlike smokers, most beer drinkers are not addicts so the additional taxes are much more difficult to collect.

Much better to tax tobacco. Easier to collect. Much easier.

[#1CTYankee]

Just brew your own, then again, their probably too lazy.

[Publius6961]

Can't they just ask mommy to increase their allowance?

Like they did with cigarettes?

[IIntense]

Somebody stop me...

Cease and desist, Eric, unless you're having too much fun!

[1FreeAmerican]

When I was a poor student we used to make our own beer...

[CitizenUSA]

browardchad: “It’s called “selective conservatism.” Very trendy.”

Yes, I’ve noticed a lot of it lately. I think it has something to do with that “compassionate conservatism” thing.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

sure....but I was making a snide point about how libs want to tax, tax, tax so EVERYONE is taken care of...and here are the Uber-Libs upset cause they are getting taxed to provide services for the “needy”.

[darkangel82]

We should definitely tax political stupidity. Then we could pay off the national debt and have some left over.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Brother, Nanny State, Grant Junkie, Bogus Study, Junk Science, Social Engineering, Egalitarian, Central Planning, Sheeple Control, Health Nazi, Socialism, Collectivism

This is an extremely low volume ping list. 6 per week max. To be added to or deleted from this ping list, please click one of the following:

Eric, you are a genius add me to your ping list or Eric, you are a jackass, take me off this ping list

To request that I stop using these gay html colors and fonts, please send me a private message below.

____________________________________________________________________

Constitution of the Left Wing Nanny State of Liberals:

Picture courtesy of unixfox. All rights reserved. Copyright MMVII. Any use of the pictures descriptions or accounts of this ping without the express written consent of unixfox, Eric Blair, or Major League Baseball is strictly prohibited. Some restrictions apply. Ping not available in all states. For erections lasting longer than four hours, call the Guiness Book of World Records. Use only as directed.

Preamble:

We the People Sheeple of the United States Nanny State, in Order to form a more perfect Union Socialist Utopia, establish Justice Socially engineer a country of non smoking, physically fit, teetotalers, insure domestic Tranquility Smoking bans in bars, limits on unhealthy food and social drinking, provide for the common defense Universal Healthcare, promote the general Welfare health of the population whether they like it or not, in order to save above mentioned Universal Healthcare entitlement program from bankruptcy, and secure the Blessings of Liberty Dependency to ourselves progressive liberals and our Posterity Hitler Youth who we brainwash through public school education, do ordain decree and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Nanny State of Liberals.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

Shows where their priorities are. Too bad they don’t riot over the lack of freedom of speech, or confiscatory tax rates, or laws that discriminate against White Christian males.

[Eric Blair 2084]

I have not yet begun to have fun. My 6 yo son is beating the living crap out of me to get his hands on the computer.

He just won. I’ll check back in 20 minutes.

[ought-six]

Bay Area Republicans? What, all six of them?

[CitizenUSA]

I’m just wondering when folks will finally have their fill of more taxes, more rules and regulations, and more government.

[ought-six]

“Ca is beyond fixing.”

Yup. I was born and raised in California, but I escaped in the late 1970s, when I was in my late 20s, from what was obviously a greased skid to oblivion. I got out of California because I saw it headed for irreversible collapse; it is light years worse today than it was when I left.

[ought-six]

Communism is the only political system in history that reduced its adherents to poverty.

[I still care]

Well, the government has lived on cigarette taxes, and then practically legislates them out of society. So something else must take the place.

[darkangel82]

Never, if the left has their way.

[dynachrome]

Beer tax ping.

The students are revolting!

From further up the thread: “No taxation on intoxication!”

[Dog Gone]

As a taxpayer, aren’t taxes on alcohol justified? Why should people who don’t drink have to pay for the health care costs and property damage caused by drinkers?

Tax fast food then. Or 50 cents per slice of bacon.

Of course, none of the money raised in these taxes will go to the "cause" for which they're imposed, but nanny-staters like you don't care.

Just tax stuff you don't like. There's not a tax you don't like unless it gores your ox.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Unlike smokers, most beer drinkers are not addicts so the additional taxes are much more difficult to collect. Much better to tax tobacco. Easier to collect. Much easier.

How about the "smokers" who only have a couple and don't buy a pack for months? Then you have the "drinkers" who can't go a day without a beer.

The STATE can get those people. Lot's of money for the state to be made by taxing beer.

[Raycpa]

I was thinking that a flatulence tax would do well if we could enforce it. We could nick name it the flat tax.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“Big Alcohol uses women in bikinis and fancy advertising to convince kids to think their product is “cool”, don’t they?”

Tax the bikinis. Then they will have to go nekkid.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Well, the government has lived on cigarette taxes, and then practically legislates them out of society. So something else must take the place.

Left wing liberal socialists claim they don't understand basic economic principles. They are full of shit. They understand it perfectly. Increase price ----> decrease demand. Increase supply ---> Decrease price.

Now if they can only apply their "brilliance" to energy policy they could do some good.

[Eric Blair 2084]

You’ve proved my thesis that smokers are much more interesting people than non-smokers.

Save the comedy for people with a sense of humor and just moveon.org for cryin out loud.

[timm22]

Much better to tax tobacco. Easier to collect. Much easier.

I've got an even better idea...cut spending and don't tax beer OR tobacco. Less government all around. Everyone wins, especially conservatives.

[Gabz]

Unlike smokers, most beer drinkers are not addicts so the additional taxes are much more difficult to collect.

Unlike nanny-staters, neither beer drinkers or smokers seek to control the lives and private property of others.

[GOP_Lady]

I don’t like beer. I don’t like smelling “beer breadth.” I shouldn’t have to be exposed to beer drinkers in public. I think the tax should be $200! PIGS AT THE TROUGH!

[GOP_Lady]

I would rather be around a smoker than a drinker any day!

[GOP_Lady]

Excellent idea!

[Gabz]

UH OH -— I’m toast —— I’m drinking a beer right now as I eat my dinner and read through some of the utter nonsense around here.........