Smoking In The News

Legislative pay hike proposed in Augusta
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 - Bangor Daily News 

http://wiscassetnew spaper.maine. com/2008- 04-24/state_ issues_update. html

  The governor recently signed a bill that will ban smoking in cars with passengers younger than 16 years old. The bill was patterned after a city ordinance in Bangor that banned smoking in cars when children 18 years of age or younger were present.

  The bill was not passed as "emergency legislation, " so it will take effect 90 days after the 123 rd Legislature adjourns. The new law will be enforceable sometime in mid-July.

  The law will be a primary offense meaning law enforcement officials can pull over and cite a driver solely for smoking in a car with children present. For the first year the new law limits the penalty to the issuance of written warnings. After that, each violation will be coupled with a $50 fine.

http://news. mainetoday. com/updates/ 025981.html 

Congress Wants to Smoke Out Taxpayers � Again

Friday, September 07, 2007

By JD Foster
Congress is looking to raise the federal tobacco tax again.

The excuse this time is to help pay for a huge expansion of the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Expanding the SCHIP program is unwise, not least as another step on the road to government-run health care.

Raising taxes to pay for more spending generally is a case of the old adage that two wrongs don't make a right. But turning to a tobacco tax hike is discriminatory and thus especially unsavory.

Congress has long held tobacco users and the industry in high contempt. Smoking and the tobacco industry are widely unpopular, especially among upper-class trendsetters (and even among conservative economists).

The product is severely unhealthful. And the only real defense the industry can muster is their shareholders' contentment in enormous ongoing profits.

Yet Congress won't eradicate tobacco entirely. Why is that?

It's not as though we're dealing with poppy growers in Afghanistan. The whispered excuse is the political power of tobacco interests.

To be sure, the tobacco industry has been a big player in Washington, D.C., for a long time, but that's not why Congress has won't match actions to rhetoric. The real reason is that Congress itself is addicted to tobacco.

The tobacco addiction Congress suffers is tax revenues -- the nico-tax addiction. The federal tobacco tax is now 39 cents a pack, generating $7.2 billion in tax receipts in 2005.

Of course, the tobacco tax addiction extends well beyond our nation's capital. Every state levies a tobacco excise, from a high of $2.75 a pack in New Jersey to a low of 7 cents a pack in South Carolina.

If lawmakers meant all the mean things said about tobacco companies, they would drive the product from our shores.

They need not pass a constitutional amendment or alter the Federal Drug Administration mandate to erase the touted scourge. As Chief Justice John Marshall once said, "The power to tax involves the power to destroy."

If Congress really wanted to destroy the tobacco industry, a truly punishing tax increase would do the trick.

But Congress loves tax revenue more than it hates tobacco. And so, from time to time, they threaten to raise the tobacco tax further, but not too much.

In this case, Congress is looking to roll in an increase in the tobacco excise to $1 a pack along with expanding this specific government-run health-insurance program.

SCHIP was part of the 1997 budget deal as the first step toward national health insurance. Congress now wants to take the next step by vastly expanding coverage.

The Senate has already passed a bill to more than double the program to $60 billion. But under the budget rules, it has to pay for the new spending.

Enter the higher tobacco tax -- just high enough to generate the needed revenues, but not so high as to reduce materially the ranks of smokers or do real damage to the industry.

Though most Americans actively disdain tobacco and tobacco companies, they still ought to take great affront at a tax policy expressly designed to discriminate against the use of a legal product.

This discrimination cannot be justified on the basis of tobacco's alleged costs to society, because no other product is subject to such a test.
If such a test were applied widely, the nightly news could be subject to a special tax.

This discrimination cannot be justified on the basis of personal health because, again, no other product is subject to such a test and, in any event, that should be a personal decision.

A tax on tobacco at any level is government-sanctioned economic discrimination justified only on the basis of political whim and expediency.

Even if one could somehow justify a higher tobacco tax, there is no justification for a higher overall tax burden.

If Congress raises the tobacco tax, then some other tax should be reduced commensurately. At 18.8 percent of gross domestic product, the federal tax burden is already again above the modern historical average, and it is expected to increase in coming years even with the extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

Congress should be looking for ways to cut taxes, not to raise them. The historical average tax share should be regarded as a dangerous ceiling, not a target or a floor.

The SCHIP reauthorization bill is a bad bill all around. It's far too expensive. It's a big next step toward national health insurance. It requires a big increase in taxes that are already too high. And the tax hike in question shows that the sad congressional addiction to the nico-tax is undiminished.

JD Foster is the Norman B. Ture senior fellow in the economics of fiscal policy at The Heritage Foundation (heritage.org).

Cruise smoking bans clouded by complaints

AUGUSTA - Under a bill that is raising bipartisan concerns at the State House, lawmakers taking office in 2008 would get a raise of $5,131 over their two-year terms and future Legislatures would have pay determined by an independent commission.

"When I talk with people they can�t believe what they pay up here at the Legislature and confuse it with what people get paid in Washington," said Rep. John Tuttle, D-Sanford, the bill�s sponsor. "We need to get it to a point where people are able to survive. Right now we are making less money than we were in 1986 because we took a pay cut in 1991."

In 1991, state revenues plummeted and there were cuts, gimmicks and a sales tax increase to balance the budget. 

Tuttle said his pay proposal, $15,750 for the first year of the two-year term and $11,250 for the second year, is based on a 1999 recommendation from the State Compensation Commission. 

Lawmakers now are paid $12,615 in the first year of the biennium and $9,254 in the second year. They also get up to $70 a day for meals, lodging and mileage and $100 a day for special sessions. Lawmakers get the same benefit package as state workers, with health and dental insurance fully paid by the state.

Senators also get $2,000 a year to help offset the costs of helping constituents; House members get $1,500 a year.

"My bill also would say that in any future years, whatever the bipartisan legislative pay commission recommends, it would go into effect, up or down," Tuttle said. "That will take the politics out of it."

House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, is a co-sponsor of the bill. She said legislative pay needs to be increased so that all Mainers have an equal opportunity to serve in the Legislature.

"It has become harder and harder to recruit young people, recruit working people when legislators get paid an average of $10,000 a year," she said. "That�s tough for some people. We have had retired people go in debt being a legislator."

That brought a sharp retort from House Minority Leader Josh Tardy, R-Newport. He said everyone knows what the pay is before running for office.

"I would certainly concede that it is a sacrifice and we are relatively low-paid," he said. "With the fiscal crisis we are in, the time is not now."

Tardy said he expected there might be a few members of his caucus who would support a pay raise, but he doubts any would support the automatic-increase language in the bill.

Sen. Carol Weston, R-Montville, the Senate GOP leader, doubts there will be any Republican support for the bill, and she expects many Democrats will share the concerns she has with the proposal.

"I can�t believe that any Republican legislator would consider raising their salary when the state is in such dire financial circumstances," she said. "I don�t think anybody�s pay should be on autopilot."

The concern with the legislation is not a partisan matter, even though all of the House Democratic leaders are co-sponsors of the bill. Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, said lawmaker salaries are too low, but she would not support allowing a commission to decide what pay lawmakers should receive.

"I think it is fine to have an independent commission recommend what salaries should be," she said, "but we should not put our pay raises on autopilot."

Tuttle argued that the bill would not do that. He said lawmakers could vote against any raise as part of the budget for the Legislature.

"And there is a provision that allows anyone who does not want to take the increase to give it back," he said. 

The measure was introduced Tuesday, and a public hearing on it has not been scheduled.

Bar Harbor council forwards smoking ban proposal to voters 

April 04, 2007 

BAR HARBOR - Local voters will get the chance when they cast municipal ballots in June to determine two issues about the relative health and affordability of their community.

The Town Council decided Tuesday to have voters determine whether to ban smoking in cars when children are present and whether to give $1 million to a proposed workforce housing project off Sandy Lane.

With very little discussion, the council voted 5-1 to have voters decide the smoking issue during local elections on June 12. Councilor Jeff Dobbs, who has spearheaded the drive to enact the smoking ban, voted against the motion. He said he wanted the proposal to be discussed on the floor at open town meeting rather than decided at the ballot box without further debate.

Some people just can't mind their own business!

BAR HARBOR - Jeff Dobb s is busy making good on a promise he made to his fellow Town Council members last week.

He�s collecting signatures on a petition for an ordinance that would ban smoking in cars when children are present.

Dobbs had brought the proposal to the Bar Harbor Town Council, thinking that the town should take a stand for children�s health by adopting an ordinance similar to one adopted in Bangor earlier this year. The concept is a no-brainer, Dobbs has said, because it�s clear that secondhand smoke can have dire health consequences for people, especially children.

But the rest of the council didn�t share his enthusiasm. When time came for a vote, only Councilor Robert Garland cast his with Dobbs.

The remaining five voted against the ideas for a variety of reasons. Some said the issue was better left to the state. Others said they had concerns about civil liberties and about giving the Police Department more work to do.

Dobbs, however, was undeterred. He said that if the council rejected his proposal, he would go around it by getting enough local voter signatures to have the proposal placed directly on the warrant for annual town meeting.

By Thursday, Dobbs said he had collected about 80 percent of the signatures he needs.

"As of right now, pretty close to 200, I think," he said. "People are calling up now to come down and sign it."

He said he has to collect at least 234 signatures, which is 10 percent of the number of local voters who cast ballots in the most recent gubernatorial election. He said he believes he could get a lot more, but that his goal is to collect 250 before he turns it in to the town clerk. He wants to have enough in case some signatures turn out not to be valid, he said, but not too many that the clerk has to verify a lot of unnecessary signatures.

Dobbs said he had received one phone call from a resident who is upset by the proposal but that most comments he has heard have been supportive.

He hopes to collect enough signatures so he can bring the petition back to the council at its April 3 meeting, so it can consider the proposal again. If council members turn it down a second time, he said, it would go to voters at the town�s regular annual town meeting on Tuesday, June 5.

It is the third petition Dobbs has spearheaded in the 15 years he has been a councilor. He led a successful petition drive in 1983 to keep a tourism information buildings from being built in Agamont Park and in 1989 successfully petitioned to end the town�s yearlong experiment to allow only eastbound traffic on Cottage Street.

Dobbs said Thursday that the health information he has been provided since he first proposed the smoking ban has convinced him he is doing the right thing. He said he hopes that if enough towns take action the Legislature will step in to create a statewide ban.

"It just seemed like a good thing to do when I started," he said. "Now I know we have to do it."

http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=147525&zoneid=500

Civil Disobedience Meeting-Denver

What moron WRITES this stuff????

Smoking Foes to Seek Tobacco Regulation

February 15, 2007

LOL!

Bar Harbor board skeptical of smoking ban
By Bill Trotter
Thursday, February 15, 2007 - Bangor Daily News


BAR HARBOR � A skeptical Town Council listened Tuesday night to a proposal to imitate Bangor in adopting a local ordinance to ban smoking in cars when children are present, but it did not dismiss the idea entirely.

Not yet, anyway.

Jonathan Shenkin, a Bangor dentist who spearheaded passage of Bangor�s recently adopted ban, and Councilor Jeff Dobbs argued that health education about the effects of secondhand smoke has proven ineffective and that civil liberties are not at stake when the operation of motor vehicles are concerned. Drivers must have licenses, have to wear seat belts, and cannot have open containers of alcohol in cars, they said.

"You can be naked in your home but you can�t be naked in your car," the dentist said.

Dobbs, who put the proposal on the council�s agenda, said that children are most vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke and need their health protected.

"There�s information that clearly states this is bad," Dobbs said. "This is a chance for us to do something right and to show some guts."

Dobbs� colleagues on the council seemed not to share his enthusiasm for prohibiting adults from smoking in cars when children are present, however. A motion to take no action, which effectively would have killed the proposal, failed by a 3-4 vote and a subsequent vote to take up the issue again on March 6 passed by a 4-3 vote.

But before they switched topics, many members of the council expressed reservations about taking on what they see as a statewide issue and a civil liberties concern.

Councilor Julia Schloss said her father was a chain smoker and that as a baby she was referred to as "the human ashtray" because of the amount of cigarette residue that landed on her. But she said she�s still not sure about creating a ban.

"I don�t believe the town should get into telling people what to do all the time," she said.

Councilor Rob Jordan said he agreed with Dobbs about the seriousness of exposing children to secondhand smoke.

"I absolutely agree it�s unconscionable for people to smoke in cars with their children present," he said. "My problem is the invasive nature of making this an ordinance."

Councilors Paul Paradis and Bob Garland each suggested that perhaps it would be better to leave the issue up to the Legislature, rather than having it addressed on a town-by-town basis.

Shenkin and Dobbs said that the Legislature rarely takes initiative in such matters but instead follows when municipalities take the lead. The statewide ban on smoking in restaurants was preceded by a local ban in Portland, Shenkin said.

Paradis countered that health officials, not police, should be the ones trying to educate the public. He also said he didn�t want Bar Harbor to have to fight off a legal challenge to a ban that was first adopted in Maine by Bangor.

"I�m cheap," Paradis said. "I�d rather have them break that ground instead of us."

Bangor�s ban was enacted in January. That same month, the town council in Veazie considered and then dismissed the idea.

In other business, the Bar Harbor council spoke to Chip Reeves, the town�s Public Works director, to find out if the recent closure of the last remaining bottle redemption center on Mount Desert Island would have a significant impact on the amount of materials processed at the town�s transfer station.

Reeves said the transfer station employees have been able to handle the greater volume and should be able to continue to do so. He said it wouldn�t make sense for the town to try to fill the void by paying residents for their returnable bottles and cans.

"You would have to dedicate people to that task," Reeves said. "You also would have to dedicate an area for people to work in."

And if it�s at all possible, it likely would take a long time for the town to recoup the costs of setting up such an operation, he said.

Bar Harbor, Maine, Considers Ban On Smoking In Cars With Minors

January 28, 2007
Matt Bush

Bar Harbor's close proximity to Bangor may influence a new law there. A law banning smoking in cars when minors under 18 are present will be discussed at Bar Harbor's February 13th town meeting.

Town Council member Jeff Dobbs says he got the idea when he heard about Bangor's newly adopted ordinance.

"Nothing against people who smoke, but I just don't think it's fair given the amount of information about second hand smoke that they should be smoking in cars with children who have no choice," said Dobbs.

The resort is a destination for tens of thousands of worldwide tourists, but Bar Harbor is a lot smaller than Bangor, so news that it may ban smoking may not spread around the world as quickly.

Just last week, councilors in Veazie, which is just north of Bangor, decided against adopting a similar smoking ban.
Click here

Congress poised to regulate tobacco
Bipartisan measures in House and Senate propose FDA control
BY PETER HARDIN
TIMES-DISPATCH WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
Friday, February 9, 2007

WASHINGTON -- Bipartisan legislation to give the federal Food and Drug Administration regulatory control over tobacco products may be introduced next week.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., and Virginia Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-11th, urged colleagues in a letter circulated yesterday to join in co-sponsoring their upcoming bill.

The lawmakers are chairman and senior Republican, respectively, on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. They asked allies to sign on by 5 p.m. today. The legislation may be introduced as early as Monday, said a congressional aide who asked not to be identified.

In the Senate, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, plan to introduce the legislation, called the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, according to Waxman and Davis' letter.

Kennedy is chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Cornyn cosponsored similar legislation in 2005.

Tobacco "kills over 400,000 Americans every year. Yet it is one of the least regulated of all consumer products," wrote Waxman and Davis.

"It is long past time when tobacco products should be subject to serious regulation to protect the public's health. This bill would finally accomplish that goal."

In 2004, the Republican-controlled Senate passed legislation to impose sweeping FDA controls over the tobacco industry, but they were opposed and blocked by leaders in the GOP-controlled House.

With Democrats having taken control of Congress this year, prospects for the legislation have improved greatly, according to supporters of the measure.

"This legislation continues to have strong bipartisan support in both houses and now for the first time, we have leadership in both the House and the Senate that are strong supporters, or are co-sponsors," said William V. Corr, executive director of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Henrico County-based Philip Morris USA, supported federal controls in 2004. But some of Philip Morris' rivals did not, saying FDA restrictions would help the Marlboro maker solidify its leading market share in the United States by putting restrictions on advertising.

"We will not comment on legislation that has not yet been introduced, but Altria and Philip Morris USA have strongly supported legislation calling for the regulation of tobacco products in previous Congresses," said Dawn Schneider, a spokeswoman for Philip Morris parent company Altria Group Inc.

Sen. Richard M. Burr, R-N.C., recently told the Winston-Salem Journal he would work to block Senate passage of any bill allowing for FDA regulation of cigarettes. "I would use every legislative tool at my disposal," he vowed.

Davis' office would not comment until the legislation is introduced.

Contact staff writer Peter Hardin at [email protected] or (202) 662-7669.

This story can be found here 

idiot Waxman!

2-6-07

I received the following letter today from Sen. Olympia Snowe!!  Read how she disses 25-30% of her Maine constituents just because they choose to smoke a legal product!!!  I have written to her for over 10 years and I get the same old song and dance..............IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!

I wish with all my heart some Conservative would stand up and run against this gnome!  Because she would NEVER get my vote again!

Now she wants to turn cigarettes over to the FDA!  Boy, Maine must sure love misery to have an idiot like this in Congress!   (She vowed to save Loring Air Force Base TOO!  heh!)

American Cancer Society catches the Surgeon General in an outright lie...

July 1, 2006

The Surgeon General showed up very regal looking to provide a press release rehashing the tired old argument that secondhand smoke is deadly and must be banned. And with his next statement:

Separate "no smoking" sections DO NOT protect you from secondhand smoke. Neither does filtering the air or opening a window.

It seemed a feable attempt to pre-empt any action short of a total smoking ban.....as if to confirm that pro-smoking ban activists' credibility in the public is failing miserably.

Well I am sorry to report that the American Cancer Society conducted air quality testing at several smoking venues which prove the Sugeon General flat out wrong.

Take a look at the above table, do you see the 20 reading? It represents a restaurant with an enclosed (separate) smoking area. And the 20 is actually 20 nanograms, a nanogram is 10 (-9).

So......let me put a number to that nanogram for you: 0.000000020 of a gram/cubic meter was the secondhand smoke concentration for the restaurant with the enclosed smoking area. Which is 25,000 times SAFER than OSHA regulations for the secondhand smoke measured airborne component. Thus the American Cancer Society destroys the Surgeon General's and RWJF (Nicoderm) funded James Repace argument that seperation and ventilation don't work.

The Surgeon General can stomp his feet, and scream at the top of his lungs...like a little Napoleon "....because I said so....." all he wants. But it doesn't change the facts........and the facts show he is telling a bold faced lie to the American public.
Read

Tax officials' advice eases tension over Indian cigarette sales

March 18, 2006 - New York - State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has warned wholesalers that, no matter what the Tax Department claims, the cigarette tax collection law is in effect. His aides have said wholesalers who ship untaxed cigarettes to Indian retailers face possible prosecution.

VT: VFW post defies state law, votes to allow smoking

March 16, 2006 - "These people are sick of the state taking away our private rights," he said.

The Virginia and Maryland lawmakers yesterday, made the Maine lawmakers look like idiots!

Va. and Md. Reject Ban On Smoking
02/24/2006-"The problem is, I want to have smoke-free restaurants and businesses. But in America, you don't pass a law to tell a private business owner who is paying rent or mortgage payments what he can and can't do in his own place," said Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax).

Web Site Tells Smokers Where to Drink and Puff - Wisconsin

02/06/2006-Madison smokers, still smoking mad about not being able to light up at bars and restaurants in the city, have a new Web site to turn to today to find out where they can puff away, both indoors in the suburbs and outdoors in the city.

Texas: Smoking ban takes center stage at council meeting

02/05/2006

New York City Smokers are in trouble: WEB BUYERS $MOKED OUT

02/04/2006-Now, officials say, they're ready to get really serious and impose a $100-a-carton penalty - plus the $1.50-a-pack tax.
 

RESEARCHERS BLAST CALIFORNIA EPA REPORT: SECONDHAND SMOKE FINDINGS BIASED, FLAWED

01/30/2006-The American Cancer Society stated unequivocally, in a written comment,  that it did not agree with Cal-EPA's conclusion that secondhand smoke was a cause of breast cancer, and that published evidence did not support the requisite criteria for causation.

Alcohol underestimated as cancer cause: scientists
01/30/2006 -Excessive drinking raises the risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and breast. It may also be linked with cancer of the pancreas and lung.

N.J. lawmakers misstep with smoking ban

01/30/2006

It's easy for lawmakers to make decisions for others, especially when they aren't held responsible for the consequences. 

Freep Springfield, IL city council Meeting tonight at 6PM Call 789-2151 Reject Total Smoking Ban

12-08-05

SC: Another Ban Failed: SC NO Ban for Florence City

12-07-05

Chicago aldermen reach deal on smoking ban

12-07-05

Westin chain to ban smoking nationwide

12-06-05

Rule #11:  Trash, debris or cigarette butts must be placed in trash containers.

The only signs that were posted.  If Winthrop wants a smoke free beach, they need to get their act together and POST said signs!  NOW!

Some Google Links about Winthrop, Maine:

Maine: Store Owner Pulls Cigarettes To Protest Tax Increase

6-23-05 - The owner of a discount store in Oxford has halted the sale of cigarettes to protest the Legislature's approval of a dollar-a-pack increase in the cigarette tax.OXFORD, Maine (AP) -- Manager Mike Sturgis of C and R Redemption said the store's owner, Ron Snow, disapproves of what the state is doing and wanted to take a stand.

Maine: Panel OKs $1 tax hike on cigarettes - 6-15-05

Dems propose $125M in cuts

AUGUSTA - Majority Democrats on the Legislature's Appropriations Committee repealed a $250 million, budget-balancing loan Tuesday, replacing it with $125 million in spending cuts and a $1 hike in the state cigarette tax.

At $2 per pack in taxes, Maine would have the third highest cigarette tax in the country, according to Dan Riley, an Augusta-based lobbyist for the tobacco industry. The increase would effectively drive up the over-the-counter price for a pack of premium cigarettes like Marlboro from $4.19 to $5.19.

"We have selected some new revenue to bring us to the $250 million target," said Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston and co-chairman of the Appropriations Committee. "We cut as far as we felt we could."

Gov. John E. Baldacci said Tuesday he will support the cigarette tax increase as the best available solution to eliminating the $250 million state revenue bond included in the two-year, $5.7 billion state budget to take effect July 1. Like the 8-5 vote on the budget panel Tuesday, the state budget was advanced in March by majority Democrats who believed the $250 million loan was an acceptable alternative to deep spending cuts in state programs.

The proposal now goes to the printer, where it will be assigned an LD number. Legislative leaders essentially abandoned a planned Wednesday adjournment and anticipated debate on the new tax-and-spending package would begin sometime Thursday in the House.

Republicans on the panel have prepared their own proposal to reach the $250 million target that relies on severe cuts to state health care services and defers salary increases to state employees. The package also restores numerous proposals that were rejected by Democrats on the Appropriations Committee.

"A lot of our initiatives are about the size of state government and the costs associated with state employees," said Sen. Richard Nass, R-Acton and the senior Republican on the budget panel.

Republicans were essentially bypassed by Democrats in March when the majority budget was passed. The GOP responded by launching a people's veto of the borrowing component with the hope of overturning the provision at the ballot box in November. About 40,000 of the required 51,000 signatures have been gathered, according to Sen. Peter Mills, R-Skowhegan. In response to Tuesday's vote by the Appropriations Committee, Mills indicated final approval by the Legislature of either proposal to eliminate the borrowing provision of the budget was all that was needed to terminate the people's veto effort.

"When it looks like this has passed in the House and Senate, we'll declare victory and the signature-gathering effort will stop," Mills said.

In a closely divided House and Senate, however, such conclusions cannot be presumed lightly. Republicans and some Democrats were not sure how the majority report from Appropriations would be received by rank-and-file Democrats in the House. The Democratic plan:

. Cuts $10.4 million from mental health programs by revamping the delivery of those services.

. Saves $5.9 million by delaying school construction projects by one year.

. Cuts $2.2 million from the DirgoHealth program.

. Cuts $5.5 million from the Veterans Tax Reimbursement program.

. Cuts about $7.2 million from the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement program.

By contrast, the GOP plan:

. Delays $20 million in state employee salary increases until the next budget cycle.

. Cuts $20 million in health care services to poor working Mainers.

. Transfers $32 million from the DirigoHealth program to the General Fund, leaving DirigoHealth with a balance of about $6 million.

. Eliminates the governor's Office of Health Policy and Finance with a $2 million deappropriation.

. Eliminates the reduction to the BETR program proposed by Democrats.

Rotundo said Democrats could not support the level of cuts Republicans wanted to make to the state's social service programs.

"In order to cut more we were going to have to get into those programs that provide health insurance for some of the poorest people in the state - the working poor," she said. "We just didn't want to go there. We did not want to remove thousands of people from programs that were providing them with some kind of health care."

Cancer Society fined for lack of disclosure in anti-smoking ads - 6-10-05 

Health costs of obesity exceed smoking and drinking

ATHENS (Reuters) - Treating obesity-related disorders costs as much or more than illnesses caused by aging, smoking and problem drinking. 

It accounts for 2 percent of the national health expenditure in France and Australia, more than 3 percent in Japan and Portugal and 4 percent in the Netherlands.

A review of research into the economic causes and consequences of obesity presented at the 14th European Congress on Obesity showed that in 2003 up to $96.7 billion was spent on obesity problems in the United States.

"An increase in the prevalence of obesity increases the healthcare costs," Anne Wolf of the University of Virginia School of Medicine said.

"As age increases so do healthcare costs for obesity."

Obesity, which is a risk factor for chronic diseases like diabetes, is calculated using the body mass index (BMI) -- dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.

A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese, more than 40 is very severe.

The costs of dealing with the consequences of obesity rise along with the severity of the disorder. Being overweight or obese increases the odds of suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoarthritis which are the major reasons for obesity healthcare costs.

"Each unit increase in BMI is associated with a 2.3 percent cost increase," said Wolf.

Although most of the cost analysis for obesity has been done in the United States, where about 30 percent of adults are obese, Wolf said the figures would be comparable for other western countries with rising rates of obesity.

An estimated 10-20 percent of men and 10-25 percent of women in European countries are obese.

Along with hefty health costs, obesity is also associated with a greater loss of productivity and increased rates of disability.

Studies in the United States have shown that about 6 percent of people with a healthy weight are unable to work but the figure rises to 10 percent or more among the obese.

Much of the healthcare spending on obesity-related problems is due to prescription drug costs and more hospital stays.

Obese patients are more likely to require medication for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, pain relief, asthma and other illnesses than people with a normal weight, according to Wolf.

Despite the health and economic consequences of obesity, which affects more than 300 million people worldwide including a growing number of children and adolescents, health experts believe it is one of the most neglected public health issues.

"It is a very serious problem," said Wolf. "The excess costs of obesity are present in all ages." 

Maine: Court strikes down portions of Maine anti-tobacco law

5-31-05 - PORTLAND, Maine -- A federal judge has struck down portions of a Maine law designed to prevent youths from smoking.

U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby said that while Maine's statute is laudable and well-intentioned, it runs afoul of federal interstate commerce laws by impeding delivery services.

Maine's 2003 law requires procedures to verify that those who purchase tobacco by mail are old enough to do so. It was designed in part to prevent youths from ordering cigarettes online and also to assist the state in collecting taxes that would otherwise be unpaid.

Under the Maine law, the person to whom the tobacco products are addressed must be at least 18 years old and must sign for the package. If the buyer is under 27, a government-issued identification must be shown at the time of delivery.

After the law was enacted, United Parcel Service announced it would no longer make consumer tobacco deliveries in Maine because it would have to modify its procedures for one product. The New Hampshire and Massachusetts motor transport associations, and Vermont Truck and Bus Association, whose members include cargo carriers, sued.

In his 37-page ruling Friday, Hornby agreed that Maine's law forces UPS to vary from procedures it uses in its international delivery system, which can affect the prices of its service and interfere with the orderly flow of packages.

The judge agreed that states may regulate the delivery of contraband, but only if it does not "significantly affect a carrier's prices, routes or services."

Hornby noted in his ruling that he had denied a preliminary request to block enforcement of the state law, but "now I conclude that two of the three challenged state provisions cannot survive the broad pre-emptive language of the federal legislation" and two recent decisions by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The ruling traces federal pre-emption of interstate commerce to an 1887 law. While Congress has written into the law some areas that are exempt from federal pre-emption, the Maine Tobacco Delivery law "fits none of the exemptions," the judge wrote.

Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution for the United States of America prohibits taxation of interstate commerce.

5-23-05 - Cigarette tax bills to target Net sales Mainers can expect to pay interest also

In my honest opinion, this is an invasion of privacy and I believe a lawsuit could be in order with this.

I received an email from a rather irate fellow:

"Of course the ruling applies to him. read the constitution moron. No state is allowed to put a tariff on anything bought in another state. Period. No state is allowed to stop shipment of any legal good from another state. Period. These politricksters amaze me. They rip people off then they cry foul when they get stopped. "

"also, if a product is legal then the state has no basis to stop its shipment either in or out. They can't stop and open a shipment without a warrant. To get a warrant they need probable cause that the shipment is of an illegal substance. Tobacco and wine are not illegal......"

Real Reform

Here are a few items of interest concerning the FACTS in Maine's Legislated Health Insurance Disaster.

This is a massive scandal starting in 1993, which has;

1. Cost Maine consumers Billions of dollars in wasted premium costs and jeopardized their health.

2. Forced the exodus of employers (and our young people), and erected a barricade to new business start ups.

3. Created a huge health insurance monopoly.

4. Deliberately caused a problem of catastrophic proportions, just so the state could "step up to the plate" with the "solution"

This past decade of health insurance inflation has been nothing more than a cruel experiment on the working people of Maine.

I've included a couple of excerpts from Maine Statutes, Title 24-A specific to the current manufactured "crisis"

The first attachment-"Don't Let the Door Hit-cha": In 1993 they knew their actions would destroy the individual market and
drive insurance companies out of the state, so they included what I call the "Don't let the Door Hit-cha"  provision in the law.

The second  attachment-"Guaranteed Issue/Renewal": One of the reasons Maine citizens are forced to pay 2 to 3 times more than
folks "back in the states"  Guaranteed Issue is a destructive concept compelling companies to sell to all comers, regardless of health.

See:  http://www.cagionline.org/docs.php

Guaranteed renewal, however, is a good thing. The opponents of LD 1496 are trying to use to confuse the debate. No one is proposing it's elimination.

It means once underwritten, a client cannot be bumped upward into a more expensive rate classification or dropped from coverage.

The third attachment- "WHY, WHY, WHY": Good questions to ask the opponents of health insurance market based reform.

Sincerely,
Michael Vaughan HD105

(See all three attachments at this ~link~  Add your comments)

Maine: Bill closes loophole in smoking law
kennebeck journal ^ | 4-5-05 | CHRIS CHURCHILL

Posted on 04/05/2005 7:05:33 PM EDT by SheLion

State health officials and several lawmakers are pushing to close loopholes that allow smoking in clubs and workplaces.

The proposed legislation pleases many bar owners, who say they've lost customers to private clubs since Maine took the smoke out of taverns in 2004.

It also suits groups such as the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society, who claim many Mainers are exposed to secondhand smoke at work despite groundbreaking legislation passed by the Legislature 20 years ago.

"Even here in Maine, workplace smoking remains an issue," said Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Maine Bureau of Health. "Our surveys indicate that nearly 50,000 adults in Maine are employed in workplaces where smoking is allowed."

Maine passed a law in 1985 prohibiting smoking in private workplaces. But the Workplace Smoking Act also contained a loophole that survives today: A workplace can opt out of the rule if employees unanimously agree.

Indoor smoking also can still occur in private clubs such as the Elks Club and the American Legion, if their employees OK it. All these exemptions came, in part, from lawmakers' reluctance to regulate what happens in private establishments.

But bar owners say minimal entrance requirements at some private clubs make them the equivalent of public taverns. Sen. Peter Mills, R-Skowhegan, agrees. He supports the legislation authored by Sen. Karl Turner, R-Cumberland, that would close the loophole.

"The commercial bars are dying," Mills said. "It's dreadfully unfair."

The bill -- "An Act to Promote Parity in the Laws Governing Smoking in the Workplace" -- would prohibit smoking at any business or club with paid employees.

Clubs that rely on volunteer labor would not be affected.

Opponents said the legislation would be an unwise -- and perhaps unconstitutional -- infringement on private personal choice. Others said the legislation would drain private clubs of members, affecting even the charity work they conduct.

"What you're discussing would hurt us more than we've ever been hurt before," said Donald Simeone, legislative chairman for the American Legion.

Supporters of the legislation believe many workers are told to accept smoking or find another job. While the law prevents such coercion, they say it's hard for workers to oppose a boss or foreman who smokes.

"We are a state that has a lot of businesses," said Ed Miller, president of the American Lung Association of Maine. "And in a small business, being a problem can mean being unemployed."

Maine has been aggressive toward smoking. The 1985 law was among the first of its kind, as was 1993 legislation that banned smoking in public places, including restaurants. Despite the 1993 law, many restaurants continued to allow smoking by operating under a tavern license.

The state closed that loophole on Jan. 1, 2004, when legislation went into effect prohibiting smoking in bars. Maine was the fifth state to ban tavern smoking, after California, Delaware, New York and Connecticut.

Proponents of that law say it's been beneficial for the health of bar and restaurant employees. But bar owners told the committee the ban has put them at a competitive disadvantage.

"I can barely pay my bills now, which never happened before," said Paul Lambert, a Portland bar owner who said he's lost customers to a nearby private club.

A public hearing on the proposed legislation was held Monday by the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee.

Chris Churchill -- 623-3811, Ext. 431

[email protected]

Smoking bans force you to hang a sign and tell your patrons there is no smoking.
They DO NOT force you to enforce the law. 
NY is doing it and so can you!

Florida Judge Agrees!
Administrative Judge Michael Parrish notes that there is no legal requirement for a bar owner to take ''specific action'' when someone is smoking in the bar.

Please note: This makes all smoking bans illegal unless your State or town wants to train you, supply liability insurance, sign you on as police AND make it a law that anyone they want must be forced into police duty. Your 16 year old son washing dishes in a restaurant would have to go to the police academy because he may have to uphold the smoking ban law. Remove these un-enforceable laws from your books NOW to avoid law suits. Every worker has the right to sue you when hurt, your ban opens you up for liability.

click here

Black Mountain bans smoking throughout ski resort - starting 1 September 2004.

RUMFORD, Maine -- Skiers who enjoy a smoke in the lodge or on the lift won't be able to light up this winter at the Black Mountain of Maine ski area, where the board of directors has banned the use of all tobacco products.

Maine: Next round of youth cigarette ads is unveiled (Get Ready

Four AMHI employees went to a hospital after being injured May 4 in a scuffle that they said was triggered by a forensic patient's demand to smoke more and be left alone while smoking.

Cigarette smoking privileges have traditionally been used as rewards and punishment to control patients' behavior, Morrill said.

"The more you make it a big deal the more it gets to be a big deal . . . I don't know what to do with this thing. This is the next thing I'm going to have to tackle," said Jamie Morrill, AMHI's acting superintendent

 

 

Maine Session closes without deals on borrowing or tax relief

A package combining increases in taxes on tobacco and alcohol to raise funding for school aid and property tax relief programs failed in the House on a 62-76 tally.

 

 

There is a bill before the Maine Legislature that would increase the cigarette tax by an outrageous $7.50 per carton. If passed, smokers will have to pay an unbelievable $17.50 per carton in state taxes alone. MySmokersRights wants to encourage our membership to speak out against this ridiculous tax, because if you don't, it will likely pass. So, it's important that you take action immediately to prevent this smoker tax increase and protect your hard-earned money.

Please take a moment to e-mail your state Rep. Philip Bennett today and urge him to reject cigarette tax increases. In your own words tell him:

Reduce spending instead of unfairly targeting smokers with tax increases. 
Smokers in Maine already pay more than their fair share in taxes. 
You'll remember on Election Day whether your legislator voted to increase smoker taxes. 
To write Rep. Philip R. Bennett, the address is:

Rep. Philip R. Bennett
State House Station 2
Augusta, ME 04333

To phone, the number is (207) 287-1430.

 

Partnership For a Tobacco Free Maine

CHOKING MAINE'S ECONOMY

If the Maine Health Coalition wants to ban smoking everywhere, then the Tobacco Settlement Money should be pulled from the state coffers.  Why should the smokers in Maine continue to  pay Maine Healthy Partnerships their big pay checks when all they are doing is controlling people, laying off jobs and closing business's.  It's got to stop

 somewhere!

 

Maine:  Do not smoke if your a foster parent!  The DHS says so!  It's ok if you sprawl on the couch at night drunk though!

DHS creates smoking rules for foster homes, vehicles

2-26-04 - article here

 

 

 

 

Maine: Smoking ban suffocates profits at area bars ~ and so it starts....

2-16-04

AUGUSTA -- Bar patrons might be finding it easier to take a breath when downing a pint, but the smoking ban is choking local pubs.

 

 

State sues local bar on smoking violations

2-12-04 - The Attorney General's Office today announced the filing of two lawsuits against bars for allowing smoking in violation of the ban that became effective Jan 1. In both cases, citizen complaints sparked investigations at McGillicuddy's in Brunswick and the Caswell House in Harrison that led to the suits.

Article Here " I can't believe that the state did this," Rick Kelley, owner of Ivey's Motor Lodge, said late last week. "The state really made a backwards move."

 

1-19-04 -  Maine Smoking Ban Drives Smokers Over Border

Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Maine Bureau of Health, blamed the cold weather for the drop in sales. She said the ban should attract new, non-smoking customers, like the state's 1999 smoking ban did for restaurants.

Dr. Mills is SO wrong and sure knows how to put the spin on this issue!  We lost a lot of restaurants during the first year of her smoking ban.  I know one in particular was ready to close it's doors when the owner invested in a very expensive liquor license and big smoke eaters in order to keep the doors open.  Looks like his investment is going to be flushed down the toilet now with the forced smoking ban on his tavern.

 

Dr. Mills wears brown shirts and walks in step with jack boots.  How does she sleep at night?  She isn't interested in people's health.  She just wants to rule and control the whole state!

 

Smoking Bans Choking Maine's Economy

 

Opponents of the ban argue that it's not only damaging to small businesses, but it also violates the rights of people who are using a legal product.

Legal Product!  Exactly.  If Maine went tobacco free, then Maine Healthy Partners Coalition would be looking for another job, since the taxes smokers pay on the state's cigarettes are paying their wages!

 

12-29-03  Maine: It's nearly the last gasp for smoking bar patrons

article here 

 

12-15-03 Taverns brace for smoking ban in different ways

Maine legislators (AND THE RINO'S INCLUDED) passed the ban on smoking in bars and taverns in June, joining New York, California and Delaware in extending smoke-free environments to one of the last bastions of public indoor smoking. The ban takes effect Jan. 1, and experience in other states suggests the crowds will spill onto the sidewalks to light up.

"We don't want people going out on the street to smoke, so we're building a deck for smokers to go out and smoke in," said Jibryne "Gubby" Karter, owner of Waterville's Bob-In Tavern.

 

Outside smoking decks might work in SOUTHERN Maine, but they sure won't work in NORTHERN Maine!

 

 

article here

 

11-29-03  Complete smoking ban coming to Maine in January.

It wasn't enough for our so-called lawmakers to enact a complete smoking ban in all the restaurants in Maine in 1999..........now they have completed their agenda to making ALL bars, taverns, sports inns and bingo halls completely smoke free! Without even so much as putting it on a ballot to let the people decide!

Our lawmakers in their infinite wisdom to dominate, control and restrict the smokers in the state of Maine have completed the "Level Playing Field."  Those us lucky to live near the Canadian border and NH can go to other places to spend our money. But what about those that are caught living in the MIDDLE of the state?

Can you imagine anyone in the months of January, February and March going outside to grab a cigarette in the sub-zero temperatures that we face each and every winter when they are sitting at their favorite bar?????  I doubt if many will.   I know "I" surely won't.

 People of Maine........have you ever wondered why Maine just doesn't ban tobacco and cigarettes and just pull tobacco products off of the shelves?  I bet the Mainers would be screaming to high heaven.  And might even set off a Civil War, to which I believe should be the ultimate goal.  

I wish Maine could just flush every lawmaker down the toilet like they did to Davis out in California.  Then we could start over, with maybe lawmakers that won't lie through their teeth to us to get our vote, then when they are in office, forget about their promises and stick it to us!

A lot of non-smokers in Maine say "Well, we want to go to a bar and not come home smelling like smoke."  I say "THIS SHOULD BE LEFT UP TO THE BUSINESS OWNER AND NOT MAINE GOVERNMENT."  Next we know, Maine Government will be in our HOMES telling us how to run our LIVES.  Think about it!

 

 

Businesses Harmed by Smoking Bans

The Facts

 

 

Attention all business owners suffering from a smoking ban.
Please fill out this form and submit it for a new web page
Ban Loss

 

Ban Bad For Business

 

Places NOT to Go.  You Are Not Welcome Here

 

Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution for the United States of America prohibits taxation of interstate commerce.

5-23-05 - Cigarette tax bills to target Net sales Mainers can expect to pay interest also

In my honest opinion, this is an invasion of privacy and I believe a lawsuit could be in order with this.

I received an email from a rather irate fellow:

"Of course the ruling applies to him. read the constitution moron. No state is allowed to put a tariff on anything bought in another state. Period. No state is allowed to stop shipment of any legal good from another state. Period. These politricksters amaze me. They rip people off then they cry foul when they get stopped. "

"also, if a product is legal then the state has no basis to stop its shipment either in or out. They can't stop and open a shipment without a warrant. To get a warrant they need probable cause that the shipment is of an illegal substance. Tobacco and wine are not illegal......"

 

 

SMOKING BAN TARGETS TO AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY:  BUTT OUT. 
FUNDRAISING/ DONATIONS TO CEASE

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2005
Contact Audrey Silk, NYC C.L.A.S.H., (917) 888-9317
[email protected]
www.nycclash.com

SMOKING BAN TARGETS TO AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY:  BUTT OUT. 
FUNDRAISING/ DONATIONS TO CEASE

Coming together as a first-ever nationally formed alliance, business associations and citizens' rights groups who have had their private property rights and free will usurped, will no longer help fund the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association or the American Heart Association.

At issue is the charities' relentless pursuit of smoking bans in city and state legislatures all across the country -- ban legislation that
the charities themselves very frequently help to write and then promote to the general public. Strongly noted too is that by using
their tax-deductible donations for lobbying for legislation they are teetering on the edge of violating the IRS code for charitable
organizations.

The ACS, for example, is currently sponsoring a radio and print blitz, urging New Jerseyans to phone their representatives  demanding a local ban.  And, according to their own press release, Chicago is next.

Contrary to reports pumped out by smoking ban proponents, these smoking bans decimate mom-n-pop businesses and are intended to make pariahs out of adults engaging in a legal behavior.

Clearly, businesses that hold fundraisers for, and citizens who donate to, these health organizations are giving to groups that then
use that money to destroy and attack them.

"No more," says Audrey Silk, founder of NYC C.L.A.S.H. (Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment). "We will stop contributing to Big Nanny. Why do we want to donate to groups that are out to ruin our businesses and demean us as human beings?"

This misuse of funds -- funds that should be dedicated to more research and less "bureaucratic backwaters" -- is apparent to
Smartmoney.com.  In ranking the top 100 biggest charities in order of which "spends the public's money wisely" Smartmoney.com has the ACS coming in at #93.

Jim Avolt, a spokesman for an Ohio business group that's part of the alliance rates it even lower than that.  He points out, "I feel the
ACS, the ALA and the AHA should all lose their non-profit status. They were significant financial donors to the pro-ban forces at work in Toledo.  And the irony of it was," Avolt continues, "they were using the same money we'd given them in donations and just handing it right over to our political opponents."

"What's more," Silk adds on behalf of furious smokers, "is that the ACS is also behind demands on state legislatures to make smokers pay more in taxes in order to legislatively control legal human behavior they don't approve of and to fund their increasingly ineffective programs. The states get millions of dollars a year through the Master Settlement Agreement -- a hidden tax already paid by smokers -- but because the states shortchange the ACS programs they want to shake us down for more!"

Incredibly, the ACS is behind taxation without representation when smokers are made to "pay up and get out."

This boycott will continue indefinitely, with more groups and private citizens expected to join in.

But it doesn't mean that members of the alliance won't continue to donate -- just not to those charities. There are thousands of worthy ones out there and they'll be the recipients of contributions instead.  Charities like Make-A-Wish Foundation, Mary Crowley Medical Research Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Shriners Hospital for Children are just a few of the favorites, as are people in dire medical need in each of our own local areas.

The alliance agrees that cancer and heart disease research will not suffer by donating to other same goal charities -- and maybe the trampling of our country's treasured private property rights and the right to be left alone will subside.


PARTICIPANTS

National:  Smokers Club, Inc. http://www.smokersclubinc.com/
Illinois: Illinois Smokers' Rights http://garnetdawn.tripod.com/
Indiana: Indiana Amusement & Music Operators Association www.IAMOA.org
Kentucky: Kentucky Licensed Beverage Association
http://www.fightthesmokingban.com/
Kentucky: Metro Louisville Hospitality Coalition
http://www.fightthesmokingban.com/
Massachusetts: Cambridge Citizens For Smokers' Rights
http://www.ccsr.org/news
Minnesota:  Smoke Out Gary (Minneapolis)  http://www.smokeoutgary.org
Minnesota:  Minnesotans Against Smoking Bans
http://www.minnesotansagainstsmokingbans.com/
Minnesota: Fight City Hall  http://www.fightcityhall.net/
New York: NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment 
http://www.nycclash.com
New York: Taverners United for Fairness
New York: American Arborist
New York: Madison County Chapter of the Independence Party
Ohio: Lakewood Hospitality Association
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Smokers Action Network
http://cantiloper.tripod.com/
Tennessee: Yes S.I.R. www.yessir-tn.info

National: Private citizens

This article comes from The Smokers Club, Inc.
http://www.smokersclubinc.com

The URL for this story is:
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/modules.php?
name=News&file=article&sid=1498

Black Mountain bans smoking throughout ski resort - starting 1 September 2004.

RUMFORD, Maine -- Skiers who enjoy a smoke in the lodge or on the lift won't be able to light up this winter at the Black Mountain of Maine ski area, where the board of directors has banned the use of all tobacco products.

 

 

The Greatest Evil Congress needs to butt out of our business.
17 May 2004

The gears of the nanny state ground forward last week as the Senate Commerce Committee held hearings to determine whether movies that portray smoking should receive an "R" rating. As usual, the government was all stick and very little carrot.
This in the midst of an election campaign that, so we are told, is one of the most significant in our country's recent history: The economy is collapsing, terrorists are at our doorstep, global environmental ruin is imminent, and baby boomers are more likely to retire to cardboard boxes than to Florida. I've seen John Kerry's commercials, and it's not pretty. Yet our government has determined that Now is the time to end the scourge of smoke on the silver screen.

 

Maine Smoking privileges cause AMHI tension 

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Four AMHI employees went to a hospital after being injured May 4 in a scuffle that they said was triggered by a forensic patient's demand to smoke more and be left alone while smoking.

Cigarette smoking privileges have traditionally been used as rewards and punishment to control patients' behavior, Morrill said.

 

"The more you make it a big deal the more it gets to be a big deal . . . I don't know what to do with this thing. This is the next thing I'm going to have to tackle," said Jamie Morrill, AMHI's acting superintendent

 

 

Tobacco States Fume Over Bush Remarks 

May 15,2004

Their concerns sharpened last week when presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) jumped into the fray by saying in Kentucky that he supports the buyout. He said tobacco grower assistance is essential, along with passage of a bill to give the Food and Drug Administration regulatory authority over tobacco products. 

 

The president's comments could be especially damaging in North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee, where tobacco growers and the many businessmen who depend on them are still a potent political force. 

 

Denver: Tobacco funds snuff anti-smoking efforts

State voters will likely face a November ballot measure to raise cigarette taxes 64 cents a pack and use the proceeds for health care and tobacco-cessation programs.

(Excuse me, but the tobacco settlement money was supposed to go for health care and tobacco-cessation programs IF people wanted to quit.  Why are they lying through their teeth?  And just WHAT do they want this increase FOR?  More golf courses?  They can't kid us all!)

 

Maine Session closes without deals on borrowing or tax relief

A package combining increases in taxes on tobacco and alcohol to raise funding for school aid and property tax relief programs failed in the House on a 62-76 tally.

 

 

There is a bill before the Maine Legislature that would increase the cigarette tax by an outrageous $7.50 per carton. If passed, smokers will have to pay an unbelievable $17.50 per carton in state taxes alone. MySmokersRights wants to encourage our membership to speak out against this ridiculous tax, because if you don't, it will likely pass. So, it's important that you take action immediately to prevent this smoker tax increase and protect your hard-earned money.

Please take a moment to e-mail your state Rep. Philip Bennett today and urge him to reject cigarette tax increases. In your own words tell him:

Reduce spending instead of unfairly targeting smokers with tax increases. 
Smokers in Maine already pay more than their fair share in taxes. 
You'll remember on Election Day whether your legislator voted to increase smoker taxes. 
To write Rep. Philip R. Bennett, the address is:

Rep. Philip R. Bennett
State House Station 2
Augusta, ME 04333

To phone, the number is (207) 287-1430.

 

 

Smoking ban burns businesses

4-13-04 ~ Seattle

Other bar and restaurant owners say they have fired employees or cut back hours because of sudden drops in revenue.

 

 

Cigarette Tax Increase Will Force Layoffs, Close Stores and Increase Crime

04/06/2004 - Michigan

I think it is funny that the government spends all this time and money on don't smoke, stop smoking, whatever, and then turns around and taxes smoking to the hilt because it is such a great revenue for taxes! They tax, tax, tax smoking because it draws millions in taxes for cities, counties, states and national government. IF, and I say IF everyone were to stop smoking, JUST WHAT THE HECK WOULD THE GOVERNMENT DO BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF ALL THOSE MILLIONS IN TAXES???? The governments don't want people to stop smoking. That is all lip service. They want people to smoke so they can continue to drain those tax dollars! Just like gasoline. If we stopped driving, all those billions in gas taxes would be lost. Nope, they want you to drive.
article here

 

 

 

Smoked out

Some companies now forbid workers to smoke anywhere on their property -- not on the sidewalk, not even in their cars in the parking lot.

01:00 AM EST on Sunday, April 4, 2004

article here

 

 

 

NYC: Mike's run may go up in smoke

3-24-04~NYC

"He rammed it through without ever having campaigned for it. He did it without considering what it would do to the small bars in the city, particularly the outer boroughs, what it would do to the soul of New York, which to me is libertarianism, the right to live your life without onerous government intervention. I sum it up this way: New York does not want or need Nurse Ratched as mayor."

story here

 

 

R-Rating Sought in Some Smoking Films

3-10-04

"No one is saying there should never be any smoking in the movies," Glantz, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said Tuesday at a press conference at Hollywood High School. "What we're simply asking for is that smoking be treated by Hollywood as seriously as it treats offensive language."

article here

 

Looks like Glantz has been eating too many Big Macs.  Maybe he should worry about his OWN health!  Busy body Nanny!

 

 

 

CIG BAN LETS BARS OFF THE HOOKAH

New York - 3-1-04

article here

 

 

Maine:  Do not smoke if your a foster parent!  The DHS says so!  It's ok if you sprawl on the couch at night drunk though!

DHS creates smoking rules for foster homes, vehicles

2-26-04 - article here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mass: Smoking ban hits a snag

18 Feb -04 

BOSTON -- The push for a statewide smoking ban hit a snag in the state Legislature yesterday when a senator successfully blocked the formation of a committee charged with drafting a compromise version of the legislation. 

 

 

 

 

Maine: Two bars cited after smoking complaints

02/14/2004 - article here

(My Email To The Author)

 

Hi Justin!

Why doesn't the state of Maine just ban tobacco altogether and be done with it?

It's a legal product and yet, they are forbidding smokers to smoke anywhere!

I think it's a sin for Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine to take power into their own hands to go into a private business and tell them how to run it. This should be left up to the owner and his patrons to allow smoking or not. And NOT the state government.

If Maine doesn't want smoking, then I think the billions of dollars filling the state coffers from the Tobacco Settlement Money should stop right now! Smokers are paying for this personal abuse when they pay taxes on cigarettes, and they are fed up.

We are telling everyone we know that come to Maine for vacations, not to come here anymore. To take their money to a more friendly smoking allowed states.

The Maine lawmakers and the Maine Healthy Partnerships are CHOKING the economy of Maine with the smoking bans.

Thank you!
Darlene
Maine Smokers Rights

 

1-30-04 Maine: County bars bemoan ban on smoking

Article Here "I can't believe that the state did this," Rick Kelley, owner of Ivey's Motor Lodge, said late last week. "The state really made a backwards move."

 

1-19-04 - Maine Smoking Ban Drives Smokers Over Border

 

 

 

Mass:Taxachusetts Robs Lawyers Who Helped It Rob the Tobacco Industry

BOSTON � A lawyer for the two law firms that helped Massachusetts win $8.3 billion as part of the 1998 tobacco settlement accused the state Tuesday of breaking promises and penalizing the firms for being too successful.

The lawyers, awarded $775 million by an arbitration panel, have sued Massachusetts to recover an additional $1.25 billion over the next 25 years they say they're owed for negotiating a landmark settlement with tobacco companies. Richlin says this amount is equivalent to $17,000 for each hour they worked on the case.

More hands in our pockets.  How sweet!

Article Here

 

States Moving to End Tribes' Tax-Free Sales

9-27-03 -More government storm troopers trying to kick down doors and force the citizenry into submission.
article here

 

Ban Opponents on Recall Warpath (Smoking Ban - Pueblo, CO)

19 December 2002

Meeting at Peppers Niteclub on Wednesday, an estimated 400-500 people organized their push to overturn the city's new smoking ban and recall the four City Council members who voted for it.

"This is dictating rather than governing," Losavio said of the ban.

Joe Koncilja said the ban was "without a doubt the dumbest move I've ever seen" and could just lead the city to ban other dangerous things.

article here

 

 

No smoking - anywhere -New York City

26 December 2002

We tell you this anecdote so you can warn your out-of-town friends: Come spring, when Mayor Bloomberg's tough smoking ban goes into effect, there will be a lot more people lurking in doorways.

click here

 

 

 

 

New York passes tough anti-smoking law

18 December 2002

The City Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed one of the country's toughest anti-smoking bills, outlawing smoking in virtually all workplaces, including bars, nightclubs and restaurants. The most populous U.S. city would join California and Delaware in adopting sweeping curbs on smoking in public.

article here

 

 

New York: County putting tobacco money into infrastructure
4 November 2002

Giambra said he will propose $20 million be set aside in the 2003 budget for infrastructure maintenance, plus spending $30 million from the county's share of money received from settlements with tobacco companies.

click here

 

 

 

First Massachusetts firefighter fired for smoking

Mass - 31 October 2002

"who is caught smoking tobacco products on or off duty."

click here

 

 

City of Dallas bans smoking in most public places

23 January 2003

DALLAS (AP) - The City Council banned smoking in restaurants and many other public places Wednesday, saying it is the only way to protect people from secondhand smoke.

story here

 

 

Smokers smolder over talk of a ban - Utah

Desert News - 30 October 2002

Salt Lake smokers are not happy.
More than a dozen puffers have telephoned Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson's office to voice diatribes about Anderson's proposal to ban smoking from city sidewalks and public parks.

article here

 

 

 

 

Bloomberg Booed As 2,100 New Cops Graduate

21  January 2003

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was roundly booed by relatives of the NYPD�s newest members at their graduation ceremony Tuesday, a week after he promised no police layoffs but said he�d reconsider if the union doesn�t agree to increased productivity.

click here

 

 

NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATURE: Tobacco ban gets lit up in House

21 January 2003

BISMARCK - North Dakota House representatives Monday voted overwhelmingly against a bill proposing to ban tobacco sales in the state.

click here

 

 

Delaware LP joins forces to fight anti-smoking law

21 January 2003

The Delaware LP has joined a coalition of groups working to overturn the state�s new anti-smoking law.

click here

 

 

 

NEW YORK MAYOR FUMED OVER 'SMOKING' ON STAGE AT STONES CONCERT...

20 January 2003-New York City

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR FUMED OVER 'SMOKING' ON STAGE AT STONES CONCERT; BAND RACED OUT OF GARDEN AVOIDING COPS

Mayor Bloomberg is OUTTA CONTROL!

story here

 

 

 

State (Ohio) may target booze, cigarettes (Again!)

13 January 2003

Any tax increases to help plug a hole in the current budget probably would be on alcohol or cigarettes, director Tom Johnson said Thursday. However, any tax, including sales and income taxes, could be considered for possible increases in the next two-year budget.

article here

Mike Ditka: Smoke won't hurt you

10 January 2003 - Chicago

Secondhand smoke "might make your hair smell," but it's not a proven health risk, Bears-coach-turned-restaurant-owner Mike Ditka said Thursday, leading the charge against a proposed restaurant smoking ban in Chicago.

Story here

 

Pueblo Smoking Ban Opponents Turn in Petitions

January 8, 2003

The Pueblo City Clerk is in the process of verifying thousands of signatures from those who don't agree with the city's new smoking ordinance. Attorneys for the group against the ban turned in more than 10,000 signatures on Wednesday. If the signatures are determined to be valid, the smoking back will be suspended and the measure will go back to city council. Council could then repeal the ban, modify it or send it to the people for a vote.

story here

 

Rising Cost of Cigarettes May Help Smokers Honor New Year's Resolution to Quit So They Think

8 January 2003

I knew it! When taxes on cigarettes went through the roof, and smokers went to the Net, the Reservations and Rolling Their Own, and the states weren't realizing that revenue any longer, they turn the propaganda into spin that people are quitting. What a Big Fat Laugh!

And this is also just a promoter for Big Pharm!

The reason the Government is working to get us all to quit smoking, is so Big Pharm can get our money for quit smoking aides!

story here

 

 

Attorneys in tobacco litigation shower ORIN  Hatch with contributions

1 January 2003

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Despite a history of deriding trial lawyers, incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch has collected nearly $200,000 in campaign donations from a group of attorneys he helped in their battle for fees for suing the major tobacco companies.

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SMOKING BAN IGNITES LAWSUIT

1 January 2003 - New York

A group of Poughkeepsie-area restaurant and tavern owners has filed a lawsuit in federal court, saying a new smoking ban is unconstitutional.

article here

 

It's not about smoking, it's about constitutional guarantees!
29 December 2002-NYC

42 tyrants and a ring leader named Bloomberg

article here

Calif. Judge Clears Tobacco Firms in Case

January 1, 2002

A federal judge in California entered a directed verdict Tuesday in favor of the top two U.S. cigarette makers in a suit brought by the family of a deceased smoker, saying the plaintiffs did not bring enough evidence to back their claims that Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds were responsible for the smoker's death.

article here

 

Armed gunmen steal pallets of cigarettes

26 December 2002 - Merced, California

Armed gunmen bound three McLane Pacific employees early Sunday and, with the aid of a forklift, loaded up pallets of cigarettes and took rolls of state tax stamps.

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No smoking - anywhere

26 December 2002

We tell you this anecdote so you can warn your out-of-town friends: Come spring, when Mayor Bloomberg's tough smoking ban goes into effect, there will be a lot more people lurking in doorways.

click here

 

 

Georgia: Smoking bans slowly advance as lobbying increases (Anti Liar Alert)

24 December 2002 - Georgia

"I can understand what they are getting to, what they call that second-hand smoke," said Mittendorf, a 54-year-old electrician, as he pulled on a Doral Ultralight. " But it seems to me this country is more and more going to communism."

article here

 

Ban Opponents on Recall Warpath (Smoking Ban - Pueblo, CO)

19 December 2002

Meeting at Peppers Niteclub on Wednesday, an estimated 400-500 people organized their push to overturn the city's new smoking ban and recall the four City Council members who voted for it.

"This is dictating rather than governing," Losavio said of the ban.

Joe Koncilja said the ban was "without a doubt the dumbest move I've ever seen" and could just lead the city to ban other dangerous things.

article here

 

Hey, Boston get your butts over here!

18 December 2002

Smokers upset about Boston's decision to ban smoking in all restaurants, bars and nightclubs, will only have to take a quick trip across the river if they want someplace to light up.

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Texas, San Antonio to be Anti Smoking Battlegrounds

18 December 2002

An unlikely coalition of health and community action groups says it is poised to make Texas the 'most unfriendly state in the nation for big tobacco' in the coming year. The groups, which include health organizations like the American Cancer Society and community associations like the PTA, along with a core of experienced public interest lobbyists from Austin's political community, are pushing initiatives on the state and local level with the goal of outlawing smoking in all workplaces and public buildings in the state.

article here

 

New York passes tough anti-smoking law

18 December 2002

The City Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed one of the country's toughest anti-smoking bills, outlawing smoking in virtually all workplaces, including bars, nightclubs and restaurants. The most populous U.S. city would join California and Delaware in adopting sweeping curbs on smoking in public.

article here

 

New York Cigarettes Sales Could Be Out - (NO CIGARETTES)

11 December 2002

The state is warning there could be a "period of time" next year when no cigarettes are available for sale in New York, The Post has learned.

The state Office of Fire Prevention and Control is expected to release regulations soon that will require that by next July, only self-extinguishing cigarettes can be sold in New York.

click here

 

Boston Passes Ban On Smoking

11 December 2002

"I know a lot of bars around here that will go out of business completely," Javelli said.

Bar owners said that they are considering legal action to stop Boston's ban from going into effect.

article here

 

Council OKs Ban on Public Smoking (Pueblo, CO)

December 10, 2002

William Brooks, owner of the Oxford Bar and Grill, predicted a ban on smoking in his establishment would ruin him. "Essentially, you're running me out of business," he said.

click here

 

 

Maine: Colleges tighten reins on smoking

7 December 2002

Tyler Stanley, a senior and a member of the Student Senate, said some students think the new policies are Draconian, and are being pushed by anti-smoking zealots. He thinks further restrictions are unnecessary.

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Jobs to go as RJ Reynolds tightens belt

4 December 2002
Premium brand manufacturers such as RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris are suffering after a record number of excise tax increases by US states this year.

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Places NOT to Go.  You Are Not Welcome Here

 

Smoking Does Not Cause Lung Cancer (According to WHO/CDC Data)*
Yes, it is true, smoking does not cause lung cancer. It is only one of many risk factors for lung cancer.

research here

 

The risks of smoking are greatly exaggerated

20 November 2002

Too much is made of the 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. We're told these chemicals are so harmful that they are responsible for the deaths of millions worldwide. Untold in this "war on tobacco" is that each of the plants we consume consists of an equally daunting thousands of chemicals many of which are recognized poisons or suspected cancer-causing agents.

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NICOTINE TAX COMES UP SHORT

November 26, 2002-New York City

But it's still short of the $158 million projected by the Bloomberg administration when it imposed the nicotine tax in July.

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Smoke claim disputed

November 7, 2002

Dr Proctor said passive smoking could cause problems for asthmatics and there were people who did not want to be exposed to cigarette smoke but there was no scientific basis for a ban in public.
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How Smoking Saves Money

14 November 2002

The problem is that the health effects of obesity far outweigh the negative effects of smoking. Two Rand researchers, health economist Roland Sturm and psychiatrist Kenneth Wells, examined the comparative effects of obesity, smoking, heavy drinking and poverty on chronic health conditions and health expenditures. Their finding: Obesity is the most serious problem. It is linked to a big increase in chronic health conditions and significantly higher health expenditures. And it affects more people than smoking, heavy drinking or poverty.
article here

 

 

The Cancer of the Anti-smoking Puritans

7 November 2002

The spreading cancer of the anti-smoking Puritans should be of concern to free men everywhere. As economist Ludwig von Mises cautioned, "Once the principle is admitted that it is the duty of government to protect the individual against his own foolishness, no serious objections can be advanced against further encroachments."

The spreading cancer of the anti-smoking Puritans should be of concern to free men everywhere.

click here

 

 

 

State sues over online cigarettes

Washington - 2 November 2002

The state Department of Revenue estimates that perhaps 40 percent of the cigarettes smoked in Washington are contraband � smuggled in from out-of-state, bought at tax-exempt Indian smoke shops on reservations or purchased by mail or through the Internet. ( CONTRABAND????)

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Denver to go smoke-free? Tobacco foes seek ban in city's bars and restaurants

24 October 2002

"This is my business," he said. "Why shouldn't I let people come onto my property and smoke? It's our business, our lifestyle. If people don't like to smoke, they shouldn't come in."

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BLOOMY VS. BODEGAS IN BATTLE OVER CIG TAX

October 23, 2002 -- Mayor Bloomberg yesterday lit into bodega owners who griped on the steps of City Hall that their businesses will soon go up in smoke because of a dramatic drop in cigarette sales.

article here

 

 

Restaurants Fighting Proposed Smoking Ordinance (Albuquerque, N.M.)
22 October 2002

About 100 bar and restaurant owners are opposing a measure that would ban smoking in bars and all sections of restaurants in Albuquerque. The owners gathered yesterday at an Albuquerque nightclub, vowing to fight the proposal.

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Business clout sent Eden Prairie smoke proposal up in flames

21 October 2002

Eden Prairie's new smoking ban is drawing fire, but not from tobacco companies or other interests.

article here

 

The Bloomberg Way

21 October 2002

Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems not to care that he can be a lightning rod for frustration. He matter-of-factly talks about the fiscal pain to come for New York City, offering no sugar coating. That, as New York is learning, is the Bloomberg way.

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The Tort Tax

21 October 2002

Mayor Bloomberg's  case will be harder to put over now that he�s thrown in with the tort lawyers and their demagoguery in the matter of secondhand smoke. But it�s nice to see a leader of the city starting to engage on this issue.

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Bloomberg, Heckled, Presses Smoking Curbs

10 October 2002 ~ New York City Council Meeting

City Council hearings are sometimes important. They are occasionally well attended. But they rarely feature the mayor, a roomful of his hecklers and a man dressed as a giant cigarette.
story here

 

 

 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AMA working with 44 states to take away smoking rights.

Why is YOUR hospitals going smoke free? For The MONEY!

Why is YOUR Doctor after you to Quit Smoking? For the MONEY!

 

The Speech Given By Audrey Silk of NYC C.L.A.S.H.

Audrey Silk's Speech At The Rally - 26 August 2002

click here  

 

In California, where the Legislature passed a law in 1994 that banned smoking in all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, many tavern and restaurant owners feared dire economic consequences. Some studies, including one by the state's sales tax collection agency in 1998, actually showed an increase in sales after the law was enacted.

WRONG! The following study shows the REAL truth about how the smoking bans have HURT California:

SMOKING BAN IMPACT ON CALIFORNIA RESTAURANTS

Mr. Bloomberg, who has a school of public health named after him, is aggressively antismoking. When he lobbied for his cigarette tax, he insisted that he did not care whether the city made or lost money, but rather that the tax would keep children from smoking. He has been known to chide reporters for their puffing, and has takes slaps at the tobacco industry in speeches.

He has found a kindred spirit in Dr. Frieden, the health commissioner, who said when he was appointed that his main priority would be to combat smoking. Dr. Frieden has even produced a radio advertisement deploring secondhand smoke.

 

Funny that he didn't bring this out BEFORE the election, isn't it! And he sure is going against our President's wishes as well:

"The role of government is not to create wealth.
The role of government is to create an environment
in which the entrepreneur or small business or
dreamer can flourish.  And that starts with rule of law,
respect of private property, less regulatory burdens on the
entrepreneur, open banking laws so that all people
have access to capital, and good tax policy."

President George W. Bush
St. Petersburg University,
St. Petersburg, Russia
May 25, 2002

Cigarettes Up to $7 a Pack With New Tax

New York - 1 July 2002

RINO Mayor Bloomberg said: "If it were totally up to me, I would raise the cigarette tax so high the revenues from it would go to zero," said the mayor, who has said he hopes that the higher taxes will persuade smokers to quit and will prevent children from becoming smokers.

article here

N.Y. Smokers Vent About Cig Tax Plan

"What country do you propose we emulate? Certainly not America. You strongly imply that government raising taxes in order to change behavior is a voluntary 'decision' by those enjoying a legal product (97% of which are adults). Who nominated you dictator? Who nominated ... these nanny politicians and health nuts dictators. ...?" � A.S.

 

If you were to compare the facts currently you can purchase a 12 pack of beer for less money than one pack of cigarettes in NY State. Alcohol whose consumption is more deadly in the short time it remains in your system, to others around you than a pack of cigarettes. Statistically more people die in drunken driving related incidents than due to smoking related incidents.

 

New York raises cigarette tax $1.50 a pack

New Yorkers will have to shell out almost $6 for a pack of cigarettes as of Wednesday.

 

How a Tax on Cigarettes Can Help The Taxed

THE people who run the country's cities and states seem to have developed a new philosophy of government: when cash is short, hit up the smokers for more money.

NOURISHING CAMPAIGNS
1 August 2002 - Bangor Daily News

Health care cost in 2000 _of $117 billion, in MAINE. It gets worse.

Anything that sucks a half-billion dollars out of the Maine economy every year and that can be largely prevented and successfully managed should be a major issue in election season.

WOW! OBESITY HAS TAKEN THE PLACE OF TOBACCO -

article here

 

Online cigarette sales light up

Smokers who would rather fight than quit are trying to stave off nicotine fits without breaking the bank.

article here

 

 

Smoke screen/Phillip Morris Wants The FDA to regulate cigarettes

If Phillip Morris is SO against smokers and smoking, why don't they pull their tobacco products off of the shelves?  Why do they continue to SELL tobacco products?

29 July 2002-MSNBC Home

PM going to the House week of 5 August 2002 to work with Sen. Kennedy to have cigarettes regulated by the FDA.

article her e

 

Smoking taxes burn some holes

22 July 2002`The Washington Times

 As much as politicians and anti-smoking zealots hate to admit it, there are limits to how much states can tax tobacco. At some point, they may have to admit that the spillover consequences of high cigarette taxes might be worse than the effects of smoking.

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Hospitals moving to bar psychiatric patients from smoking/Don't go nuts in Maine

''Our first concern is about health and about patients, and it's high time we made the statement that smoking is not OK in a health care environment,'' Dr. Girard Robinson said.

 

More cruel and inhumane treatment by Maine's Health Care Facilities.

article here

 

 

Kopel: Paper blowing scientific smoke

Post's coverage of possible smoking ban in Fort Collins comes up short on 'facts

 

First of all, the EPA's classification of secondhand smoke as a carcinogen was declared void in 1998 by a federal District Court. The court found that the EPA "manipulate\[d\] the Agency's standard scientific methodology," acted in "complete disregard of statutory procedure," engaged in "circular" reasoning, appeared to have " 'cherry picked' its data", "deliberately refused to assess information," evaded review by outside experts, "changed its methodology" without explanation in the middle of the study, relied on contradictory and shifting scientific theories, and rigged the report to support predetermined political conclusions. (4 F.Supp. 2d 435).

article here

 

General Motors' Adoption of Smoke-Free Policy in All Ingham County Plants Hailed by Smoke-Free Environments Law Project of The Center for Social Gerontology

Goes into effect 5 August 2002.  Sounds like a good time to start a boycott against GM products!

Click here

 

 

Public smoking foes target the holdouts/MASS

that the public's health is more important than the bar or restaurant owner's wealth.

Mass is a FARCE!

click here

 

 

Tobacco woes

Crossing the line from smoker to criminal

It is a shame that exorbitant cigarette taxes are creating a new class of criminals for those looking for a reasonably priced product (" State's smokers run for the border ," Times, Feb. 17). Smoking is already a highly restricted activity to reduce harm to non-smokers, but that's just not enough for some do-gooders....

more:

It seems to me that the state is not in the least bit interested in the public-health aspects the tax has promoted. Have we seen an overall decrease in teen smoking? Or has anyone quit for good because of the tax? Where are those numbers? Seems to me that the only numbers published are those that have to do with the decrease in retail sales of tobacco and how the state is looking to spend more money to catch the cigarette bootleggers.

One thing is for certain, we will get taxed in some other way to make up for this shortfall!
- John Vawter, Port Orchard

  

 

Cigarette taxes to generate more revenue than corporate income taxes

Augusta, Maine - 4/17/2002 click here

 

The $95 million in cigarette taxes do not include Maine's portion of the tobacco settlement with cigarette companies, which will produce about $50 million a year for the state.

Yet they still spew that smoker's in Maine are costing more in health care. 

 

 

U.S. to seek cigarette restrictions

Will ask judge for curbs on marketing, manufacture, sale,

The Justice Department will ask a federal judge to impose tough restrictions on the marketing, manufacture and sale of cigarettes, as government lawyers show their hand for the first time in their three-year legal assault on the tobacco industry.

 

 

Most nonsmokers have no idea how far the demonization of smokers has gone, nor how much damage is being done by this "war" on one in four of our fellow citizens. And it is all based on manipulated science funded by special-interest groups well paid with money extorted from the smokers themselves. It's a sad and scary statement on what CAN happen in a free country when unelected zealots with an axe to grind in collusion with greedy pork-barrel politicians set their sights on one unpopular segment of society. - by Spinner

 

 

SPECIAL EDITORIAL ON SIDS

February 25 - HEALTH NAZISM: PUSHING AN INTRUSIVE FOOT IN OUR LIVING ROOMS

Click here to link to Forces International

 

 

States Look to Cigarettes as Way to Cut Big Deficits

Nowadays, cigarettes are not just for smoking. In New York, Connecticut and more than a dozen other states facing budget deficits, cigarettes and other tobacco products, ignored for years by legislatures with plenty of cash, are once again for taxing.

ActivistCash.com
ActivistCash.com states that its mission is to expose "where anti-consumer organizations and activists get their money." It attacks activists as "nannies," "anti-choice zealots" and "hypocrites" who pretend to represent grassroots citizens while taking money from foundations. How are activists "anti-choice" or "anti-consumer"? According to ActivistCash, they have a hidden agenda aimed at eliminating your right to eat, drink and smoke as you please in restaurants, hotels and taverns.

Blowing Smoke About Tobacco-Related Deaths
Actually, tobacco-related deaths occurs at an average age of
roughly 72, an age at which mortality is not unusual among
smokers and non-smokers alike. The unvarnished fact is that
children do not die of tobacco-related diseases. No matter
how you slice it, a high-intensity government campaign against
tobacco -- in the guise of "protecting children -- is disingenuous at best.  

SMOKING BAN IMPACT ON CALIFORNIA RESTAURANTS

 

 

Look Who's Talking

 

Brainstorming session at Maine's Partnership for a Tobacco-free Maine. The girls discuss strategies to ridicule smokers and celebrate good health. Half of the heifers appear to have weighty health problems of their own.  

 

ROBBER REINER'S LIES
AND HOLLYWOOD MONEY
WON AGAIN!

   

 

(Talk about Big Fat!)
Situational ethics?

When Reiner put River Phoenix in his movie, Stand By Me, and had him
smoke throughout, Phoenix was only 14 years old. Guess it's okay to
have kids smoke when it's for Reiner's benefit.

 

Email Maine Smokers Rights

 

 

 

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