Smoking in the Name of Kids

I’m not gonna dive into this issue much but this is where I part ways with Liberals of the Left. I’m not against taxes. I’m just against unfair taxes. Slapping another “Tax for Children’s Health Care” is just such a tax. It seems whenever we Lefties want to get tax money, the easiest way is go after the smokers. Who really likes cigarettes anyway? I know I don’t (although IrishSpacemonk may be seen with a cigarette but that’s because he’s an entertainer.)

Here’s where I get confused. Hear me out. A cigarette tax is a regressive tax, in that it taxes harder the poor in society. The poor in society are often the very people that need health care assistance for their kids. Cigarettes are addictive and getting off the addiction isn’t easy, nor free. We want to have a society free of smokers. But a society free of smokers will not fix the problem that uninsured kids that still need health care. And where does the money come from then? I was reminded of this a month or so back when Hillary Clinton was asked about a ban on cigarettes. There’s no way a lefty could be for such a ban when you think of all the tax revenue that would disappear. That’s the bind.

So here’s my three points against with slapping smokers with another cigarette tax to pay for kid’s health care.

1. The tax is regressive, taxing the poor more heavily than the rich
2. The tax takes advantage of an addiction that we are trying to fight, and when the fight is successful, tax revenue declines, despite the remaining need for health care of kids
3. Increased prices for cigarettes will not make the use of cigarettes go down - look at illegal drugs for a perfect example

In Oregon, this tax attempt is called, the “Healthy Kids Initiative” (Measure 50). I’m not for big tobacco. In fact why not cap the price of cigarettes and tax the tobacco companies instead? Make it come from their bottom line. What I’m against is an $0.85 per pack tax on the poor, to pay the health case expenses of the poor….what do you think? Give me an argument to the contrary and I might change my mind.

Free Market Emergency? Yes, I’d Like to Compare Prices…

In this Friday’s Drawing for a Reader, I was prompted to tackle the issue of health care. I’m surprised I’d not tried health care, considering it’s such a big issue. I guess that’s why I invite topic suggestions, so I don’t get into any set grove.

So here you have it.

Free market health care, as explained in an article by Jay Bookman (August 23, 2007), would encourage health care consumers (meaning you) to be more proactive in seeking the best possible price for your health care solutions. Some advocates of Free Market Theory have used laser eye surgery as an excellent example of how non-covered medical expenses within the free market economy, become cheaper over time.

Yes, this may sound rosy when you no longer need your tinted glasses. But come on. Do we really think our health care costs keep going up because of minor cosmetic surgeries? Let’s try, $2000 for a 10 minute emergency room visit for starters. And it only goes up from there.