Californians Reject Cigarette Tax - Jig Is Up

California Deptment of Health - California Secretary of State ^ | 6/9/2012 | Self

[Positive]

Maybe, just maybe the people of California are somehow becoming aware of the disaster that the left wing politicians have brought down upon them.

Last Tuesday, while Scott Walker was smacking his recall down in Wisconsin and San Diego and San Jose were cutting the public employee pension funds, there was another possible bellwhether going on.

With 100% of the votes counted in California, Proposition 29 seems to have gone down to defeat. This would have put an additional $1.00/pack tax on Cigarettes.

Why is it that this may a be a "Jig is Up" bellwhether?

Well, according to the Ca. Dept. of Health, only 11% of adult Californians smoke. 89% of Californians could have voted for this tax which would not have directly impacted them. It would have been a tax only on the smokers and would supposedly raise money for cancer research.

Since 50.4% voted against the new tax, approximately something in the area 40% of the voters chose not to tax "the other guy."

This is an amazing departure from past performance for the California electorate.

Seems like Californias just might not want the politians to have anmy more money...

[bravo whiskey]

i suspect this tax failed because the majority of people who smoke cigarettes are lower middle class and poor and this would be a tax directly on them. if this tax only affected “the rich” ie anyone who makes more money than they do the tax would have passed.

[going hot]

except that will prolly never happen... it will goto the general fund and be wasted on illegal alien welfare or some such

Pensions and health coverage for public sector employees.

[TigersEye]

89% of Californians could have voted for this tax which would not have directly impacted them. It would have been a tax only on the smokers and would supposedly raise money for cancer research.

Good for them. Nothing made me more disappointed with my fellow Coloradans than when they voted to double the tobacco tax a few years ago. CO has become infected with liberal parasites but it took more than just libs to make that self-serving un-American choice.

[Chode]

yer prolly right...

[Thud]

There were widespread predictions that this tax would introduce California to the joys of gang-dominated cigarette smuggling.

[Navy Patriot]

There may be some realization on the part of the general public.

I suspect the cigarette tax is dead, but I suspect unions will try to get activist judges to overturn pension reform.

If they do, paycheck protection will probably pass on initiative.

[jmaroneps37]

50.4% AGAINST an enemy proposal - somebody is on the way to the wood shed. Couldn’t ANYONE find a few thousand vote in an old desk or the trunk of a state owned car?

[ClayinVA]

and why do we need more firefighters? I haven’t heard of any major fires burning down a city lately? I used to be one, now most of them are running medical calls with a half million dollar firetruck instead of downsizing.

[Positive]

Just noticed your comment about a judge nulifying this vote. I don't think so.

My reason is this was an affirmative measure. A yes vote would create a tax. Therefore since it did not pass, nothing happens. A judge or court can't make a new thing come into fuition.

A dim supervised recount is another thing though. Some missing votes may be found.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Positive.

Bad link! Bad! Bad! ;’)