Federal SIN Taxes

Yes.  Sin taxes. That's what I wrote.  When did the government become SO completely involved in my my life and well being?  I get that they need to tax something to cover SC HIP, and I've got no problem paying my fair share.  However, what I don't understand is all the anger that is being directed towards smokers.  All of the smokers I know are polite, they don't litter, we ALL HAVE to go away from nonsmokers to indulge, we don't smoke with our kids in the car, so what's your problem?  Oh, and by the way, I pay more for MY OWN PERSONALLY PURCHASED HEALTH CARE.   I have a separate plan from my husband and son, and I pay twice as much just for myself as I do for the both of them.  Now, tell me how that's impacting YOUR health care costs?  I am very rarely sick, I don't miss time from work for being sick, I don't blow my smoke in your face, and I don't pollute YOUR air in a restaurant with MY smoke.  Now, why do you keep punishing me?  

Isn't it my right as an American to do as I please so long as I'm not hurting anyone?  (Granted, I know smoking hurts me, but that's MY choice, not yours.)  

I don't tell you to stop driving your gas guzzling behemoth of an SUV, even though it's polluting my lungs, and my child's lungs.  You're not paying any more federal tax on your gas than I am.  I also don't tell you to start recycling, or composting, even though I already do.  I don't tell you to donate to charity, or re purpose items in your home instead of filling the landfill with them, even though I do.  I don't tell you how to raise your child, or teach them right from wrong, even though you try to tell me.  I just don't think that people understand what this particular sin tax means.  (I ALREADY SAID I KNOW IT'S GOING TO SC HIP, AND I'M FINE WITH THAT!)  What I am referring to, is that fact that "people" are saying it's going to make people quit.  Well, isn't that defeating the purpose of taxing cigarettes?  When you tax, and tax, and tax some more one particular item, it will eventually cause one of two things to happen.  It will cause large segments of the population to stop doing it and the Federal Government will lose out on the revenue it thought it was creating, or it will cause a HUGE black market issue, and the Federal Government will lose out on the revenue anyway.  

How is that going to help with Children's Health Care?  I don't see that happening.  My daughter received benefits from AHCCCS (Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System) her whole life.  She was disabled, that that's what it was there for.  I paid for it with EVERY purchase I made in Arizona, not just my cigarettes.  I want to know, when are the politicians going to go too far?  What segment of the population is going to rebel?  As smokers, we never do, we just sit back and take it because we've been told our whole lives that smoking is bad for everyone, and we feel guilty.  Who is next?  The drinkers, I doubt it.  All those Senators are alcoholics, so I doubt they will inflict more taxes on themselves, since they won't pay the ones they are supposed to pay now anyway.  How about a Fat Tax?  Wait, that would be good, they we could stop all the fat people from eating and taking up our health care resources, while the insurance companies keep raking us over the coals anyway.  Oh, I've got an EVEN BETTER IDEA!!!!!!  Let's tax all the poor people SO MUCH, that (Wait for it)....

they won't be able to have a place to live, food for their children, a car to drive to work, or clothes for their families.  Then, we just won't have to worry about the dirty masses, and we can continue to live in our shiny glass and ivory towers, and won't have to see the filth.  

Doesn't anyone see the slippery slope this tax is taking us down?  I count myself as a liberal, but I think that this taxing of this specific segment of the population is a little too much.  (Don't statistics show that the majority of smokers are low wage earners, who never went to college, and who are strapped already anyway?)  I apparently fit into a category of stupid poor people that the government would like to eliminate.  Wow, that really puts my faith in the future of democracy.  I knew once President Obama was elected we were heading towards European style Socialism, but this is bordering on Communism.  How is it that nobody else can see this?