Smoking and the lottery are a tax on the stupid.
That’s a little harsh. There are plenty of smokers and ex smokers who are smarter than you.
But your point about regressive taxation is pertinent. Obama promised to not raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 or a gazillion dollars per year. Yet he hiked the Federal excise tax on cigs to a buck. A tax that disproportionately effects the poor.
Rich smokers like Charlie Sheen, Brittany Spears or Whoopi Goldberg don’t care.
I am an ex smoker but not a anti smoking Nazi.
Relative to the tax on the stupid, I do play the lotto on occasion. :)