The federal government and tobacco

Smoking is a tough issue for me, though I am not a smoker. Close family members and friends have been smokers in the past and while I did not like that they smoked I recognized that it was their legal right to do so. I have watched people in my life quit and I have seen first-hand how difficult it was for them.

I am all for education for young people in the dangers of smoking. Much like I am in favor of teaching healthy eating habits and the dangers of heart disease and diabetes as a consequence of poor eating choices.

The federal government requires that tobacco products carry a label that warns of cancer, now they would like to require labels on all packs one of which looks like this:

The new packaging law requires that 20% of the packaging must be the new warning label. There are other requirements in the law for education, marketing and advertising. For the full MSN article on the new legislation and the lawsuit in response you can click HERE.

My problem with the whole thing is that it is still legal to purchase and use tobacco products. If this is a legal product, why isn’t the government trying to shut the entire industry down rather than tell the company how to spend advertising money?

The answer is threefold. First the tax loss is more than they can stomach at this point. The second is the guarantee of money going into advertising, marketing and packaging. The third is the amount of jobs that would be lost in a market that can take no more hits.

Until tobacco sale is no longer legal I refuse to accept the argument that the burden to the healthcare field is the driving reason for the new regulation. If that were true, tobacco sale and consumption would be illegal.

Free Speech takes a hit.... again

'Hate crimes' bill likely to pass House, thanks to Dems.
Chad Groening - OneNewsNow - 4/29/2009 6:00:00 AM (see link above)
A Republican Congressman who attempted to derail the controversial "hate crimes" bill with numerous amendments says, in the end, the Democrats simply had the votes to ram it through the Judiciary Committee.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act would add gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability to the list of protected categories under federal hate crimes law. Proponents of the bill claim that Christians and others who speak out publicly against homosexuality are not threatened with the same type of prosecution that criminals would face for committing acts of violence against homosexuals and transgendered individuals.
But Judiciary Committee member Steve King (R-Iowa) says that is simply not true. "Don't believe what they say; read the bill. Think what happens. What's their agenda? Their agenda is to shut down preaching of faith from the pulpit," he contends. "Their agenda is to force public approval of the homosexual agenda. And destroying marriage nationally is the follow-up piece of this."
King explains that one of the amendments he introduced would have barred pedophiles from special protection under the hate crimes statute. He finds it unbelievable that Democrats threw out that amendment.
"I just think that tells you that this breaks down the logical approach to law," King adds. "If we move away from punishing overt acts to punishing thoughts -- which is what this legislation does -- heaven help us [because] we've crossed a line from which it will be awfully hard to ever get back again." If the bill passes the full House this week, King believes it will have a chilling effect on free-speech rights. He says the bill could be approved by the House as early as today and fears the Democrats have the votes to accomplish it.

Time to buy a generator and stock up on rations

Post 911 and Katrina citizens (I mean the left) are still screaming for more government involvement in disaster situations. The answer to this cry is bringing an active brigade to US soil.


On the surface this does not seem like a bad thing. Why would we not want our military on stand by to help in a crisis? Well for one thing one of the “additional duties” will be to help with civil unrest.

Did someone forget the National Guard? Don’t they respond to natural disaster and civil unrest situations?

I do tend to be a conspiracy theorist, but it is too hard to deny that with our military resources stretched as thin as they are, this plan is a bit unusual. Is it about the election, the housing crisis, the weakening of the dollar? Only time will tell.

Economics 101

I have written in the past about what government officials should be required to read. I would like to add to that list Economics 101. McCain and Obama both support a windfall tax on oil companies due to the profit margin.

Let us examine for a moment what happens when costs rise for a manufacture. If I am selling cookies and the price of sugar goes up, I have to charge more for my cookies in order to make the same profit. If oil companies are being taxed they are going to pass along that tax to the consumer.

Leave it to the government to create a bigger mess.

I may be in the minority but I don't fault oil companies for making a big profit. Companies in all markets charge the highest prices that the market will support. There is nothing wrong with that philosophy. In other market places a big company charges obscene amounts of money for a product or service until a new, smaller company comes in and undercuts the market. Prices go down and quality goes up. Markets are constantly balancing themselves out when left alone to do so.

In the gas wars that market balance is not possible due to the many, many environmental laws prohibiting the drilling of domestic oil.

If the candidates truly want to be part of the solution they would fight to allow Alaskan and offshore drilling. Tax incentives should be given to any domestic company willing to truly become an international player.

It is time that the United States becomes a producer again.

The government is not going to be the solution to this escalating issue. The private market holds the only solution and hope for our future economic independence from foreign oil.

Hillary

Is Hillary writing her farewell speech or is she buying super delegates at this very moment?

Party Lines

I know that I am a little late commenting on the lack of a conservative candidate for this election but I felt the need to express my shock at the options that we are given by the front runners.

John Sidney McCain - Democrate
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton - Socialist
Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. - Socialist

This may be the first year I vote for an independent. I just can not vote for John Mc Cain even if he is the mediocre of the worst.