Posted on 03/26/2009 9:43:44 AM PDT by sauropod
About a week ago, a mailer from a cigar company I have dealt with arrived at my home. It contained this text:
Dear Friends,
As many of you know and some may not, one of President Obama's first actions was to sign into legislation what is known as the SCHIP bill. This legislation provides for health insurance for children. This legislation was vetoed by President Bush twice as an unfair tax on the American people. This program is almost entirely funded by the tobacco industry, and not just cigarettes. Some of the new taxes on tobacco increase by 2400%. That's not a typo. I guess cigar smokers are lucky. Most cigars only see a 700% increase in federal taxes. The list of some of the new taxes are below.
- Little cigars will be increased from $1.828/thousand to $50.33 per thousand
- Cigarettes will increase from 39 cents per pack to $1.01 per pack
- Pipe tobacco will increase from $1.0969 per pound to $2.8311 per pound
- RYO (Rolling Tobacco) will increase from $1.0969 per pound to $24.78 per pound
- Most cigars will increase from 4.875 cents to 40 cents per cigar
These new tax rates go into effect April 1st. Make sure to send your thank you note to your congressional representatives and to the President. I'm sure most of us won't be affected by these absurd taxes because the President promised us no new taxes if we make less than $250,000 per year and politicians don't lie.
They really need this money so they can lend another 40 trillion dollars to banks that won't lend money to the American public but give out bonuses in the hundreds of millions to their executives. We may change our name to ***** *** Cigar Savings & Loan so we can qualify for a few million ourselves.
I guarantee you that if our Founding Fathers knew that a future American government would tax tobacco like this; they would have raised one last ale, packed the horses, gone home, and sworn allegiance to King George III.
At least baseball season is here.
Sincerely,
First they came for the cigar smokers. I said nothing because I was not a cigar smoker...
How's that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?
Think youse guys would be interested in this.
I think the frog is starting to notice the water’s getting a little warm...
I’m quitting as soon as my stock runs out.
They can extort someone else.
I’m encouraging them to go after the obese and the homosexuals. They are a bigger health risk anyway.
I’ll be growing this year as my stock forecast will dwindle in 2010.
I quit cigarettes several years ago for health reasons. But the fact of the matter is that this tax, like all sin taxes, is a regressive measure that falls disproportionately on the poor and working class. Most of your white wine sipping college grad Obama voters don’t smoke and regard those who do as troglodytes deserving of punishment. Here it is.
Some people are in for a rude awakening on April 1st.
I clicked on this thread expecting something about Clinton and Lewinsky.
“First they came for the cigar smokers. I said nothing because I was not a cigar smoker...”
Alcohol next on the list?
ping for interest
I’ve been trying to warn people I know that RYO is going sky-high and they just laugh at me, as if the government would do such a thing, ridiculous they say...
That’s what I get for talking to Obama voters
Glad I quit smoking 31 years ago.
I’ve laid in a 4 year supply of my favorite cigars. Hopefully this will get repealed with the new administration, like the luxury tax.
my neices and nephews school sent out a notice for a Parents Class, in spanish only unless enough ask for english, that would teach parents about anger control and understanding your spouse.
woohoo
True, but think gasoline. Tax increases on a commodity we all must use are also regressive.
These people are sowing the wind...
The statistics re smoking are as distorted as the AGW threat. They lied. There is no threat from 2nd hand smoke and the threat to smokers is vastly overstated. However, since the fashion changed they knew there would be no opposition. Since no one defended the principle, we allowed them to set the precedent. They can do what they want. Lie and pass whatever legislation they want because they know we will not fight back.
Oh well.
Y’know, I have read a couple of books fairly recently that I would say are must-reads:
Liberal Fascism by Goldberg
The Ominous Parallels by Peikoff (ignore the Objectivist pom-pom waving; most of the book is very good).
Falls right in with that notice your nieces and nephews got.
Time for Tobacco Parties.
Please, where can I find that entire passage, & do you know who said it? Before anyone says,"search is your friend" I HAVE tried...
Grow your own tobacco and pay no taxes at all. It’s easy and you get a lot per plant. Processing is tricky, but there are instructions all over the web. Nice looking plants as well if you let them flower
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