Quote:
Originally Posted by dc_dux
I think it is a reasonable bi-partisan bill to continue to provide (and expand) basic heath care to children of working poor and uninsured but not eligible for medicaid. It would potentially expand the number of covered children from 6+million to 9+ million.
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I'm not arguing against CHIPS, as I don't have enough information regarding the program. On the surface it seems like a nice idea. What I'm having difficulty with is the rate of tax increase (20,000%) on a small struggling industry. Yes, I understand that tobacco is not a health product. Yes, I know that anyone who uses it in any way, shape, or form is a blind idiot. But the values of this country have been (in my mind) to allow the pursuit of happiness without undue taxation. This country was founded on a fight against unfair taxation and for freedom.
This move by the government under the new age call of "it's for the CHILDREN" rubs me the wrong way. The position that it puts anyone who questions is to be a baby slaughterer. This is the umbrella that prevents me (here in Southern California) from smoking a cigar after dinner when I'm out, and now this same umbrella of "it's for the CHILDREN" is going to further damage the industry populated by the same individualist spirit that founded this country.
OK, I'm off my soapbox.