Monday, July 16, 2012
President Obama on the Passing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009
"And today, despite decades of lobbying and advertising by the tobacco industry, we've passed a law to protect the next generation of Americans from growing up with a deadly habit that so many of our generation (raise your hand, Mr. Obama) have lived with."............Alright, I'll give him about a half-truth on this one. Yes, a lot of the tobacco companies in fact DID lobby against this legislation. But the largest one of all, Philip Morris (approximately 50% of all the cigarettes sold in America) and its parent company, Altria, didn't just endorse the legislation, it also lobbied hard for it (not just in 2009, but also in 2004 when it was initially crafted and voted on). Why, you ask? Easy, Philip Morris was already doing a lot of the testing that this legislation required and any new industry regulations would disproportionately impose greater costs on the smaller firms. The bill also significantly puts new limits on advertising and this, too, disproportionately hampers the smaller companies (everybody already knows about Marlboro).............Look, I have no great love for the tobacco companies and I personally detest cigarettes. But this is yet another example of government regulation disproportionately helping the big boys (i.e., those who can more readily afford the high cost of compliance) and disproportionately hurting the smaller fellows. Hey, maybe those idiots down in D.C. need to think a little before they act next time. That would be my suggestion.
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14 comments:
The manufacture and sale tobacco products should be taxed out of existence. It's an industry that kills it's customers and we'd be better off without it.
I fully agree with WD on this one,but he did'nt take it quite far enough to protect the ignorant american population....there are many other things killing folks that need to be taxed out of existence....for instance
Guns....kill people
Motor vehicles....kill people
Alcohol....kills people
Knives....kill people
Drugs....kill people
I'm sure WD can help by listing many more things we feel should be outlawed because they are killing americans everyday.
Those are regressive taxes, wd (taxes that people are evidently willing to pay - in CT, $8.19 now for a pack of Marlboro).............I think that he wants to ban boxing and MMA, too, Russ.
Just make it a crime to force others to smoke. That is a big problem. Stiff fine for smoking in public would be great.
No one forces anyone to drink alcohol or participate in MMA, so there is no need for laws to prevent this.
As government continues its ever increasing strangle hold on freedom and liberty.
Damn glad I had the opportunities to experience and enjoy the freedoms and liberties that we're all entitled to.
Statists like Obama, and the Obamaited fail to understand. Yes wd I include you the statist anti personal liberty pool. But of course I wouldn't expect you understand what I and other liberty minded people know.
Liberty = the freedom to make huge sums of money selling a product that kills it users.
And Rusty, all the things you list have the potential to kill people, but can be used without that end result (although I don't know what kind of drugs you're talking about). Tobacco kills many people who are only casual users.
"Rational" Nation: I wouldn't expect you understand what I and other liberty minded people know.
I understand. I simply disagree.
wd, No you don't understand. But that is okay, have a wonderful life living in your fantasy world of unicorns and rainbows.
Tobacco kills many people who are NOT even users.
So does many other things Jerry. Lets just banish them all, including living. Then there will be no danger. Unicorns and rainbows forever reign forever then.
It seems a shame that peoples' habits should kill innocent bystanders. I guess it is just collateral damage in the name of profit and personal gratification.
Hey, your right. After all big gov. Banned weed and look where that led. I see another illicit cottage industry on the near horizon if the do gooders and big gpv. Get their way.
And I am a non smoker by the way.
Jerry is right. Tobacco abuse is commonly forced on others with common and deadly results.
As it doesn't affect me one way or the other, as I chose my exposure to or lack thereof , I'm good with whatever the hell decisions are ultimately made.
Just as long as they don't touch my right to drink fine wine and eat great aged Italian cheese!
RN: It is hard to "control" your exposure to cigarette smoke. Smokers so often tend to be sociopathic slobs who don't care who they harm and love to throw trash all over the place.
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