The Other Side...Avalanche Continued

[Kate51]

An email from former supplier of my Rollie tobacco, there's some movement in taxation on more types of tobacco products not previously included. Things to come are on the move.
WashingtonWatch.com - H.R. 4439, The Tobacco Tax Parity Act of 2010
A good read, the comments from readers will sound very familiar to other situations of late.
Check the little "mark-up" which will be imposed. Are these people insane or just out of control.

[(So) Jersey Girl]

Are these people insane or just out of control.

Assuming this isn't a rhetorical question, I'd say both.

[Vicks Vap-oh-Yeah]

This is more maneuvering by BT and BP to control the nicotine market. They're using our laws to crush their competition.

[TropicalBob]

There's a really accurate comment there from a tobacco shop owner. When taxes on roll-your-own tobacco went up, the shred set making RYO tobacco relabeled it as "pipe tobacco" -- for no other reason than to avoid taxes. It was and is a lie. A cheat. Shameful.

Now here comes the backlash from lawmakers.

In approving this, the taxation will indeed kill off a time-honored, casual, virtually harmless way to enjoy smoking without inhaling.

There are petitions being sent and I was an early signer. But what chance do we have against Philip Morris, anti's who want all smokers dead, the crushing debts of state and federal governments, etc? Zero. Zero!

Next target will be nicotine (the children are endangered!). E-smokers will be included by the zealots.

[Kate51]

It (HR4439) sure seemed to me like the tip of another iceberg showing through. Housekeeping at Congress must be an absolutely massive undertaking, they should hire more people! The latest maneuver of folding the Student Loan program takeover into the Health Care bill just shows there's no limit to how creative our "caretakers" can be. However the latter one gives it all the more importance not to pass that one.
I also did read the response comments from people, it's as if this country is on the verge of a cliff and slipping. A huge cancer, pardon the pun, is not in our smoking public it's in our government. Way beyond the concept of using a scalpel to clean it up, we need nuclear fission now.

[aubergine]

Bob, you are such a consistent optimist...

[basic_atheist]

Yep, it's business as usual. This is nothing short of another business strategy. As long as money exists we will continue to see this happening.

[somEDude]

Hi guys, my first post here. I feel sorry for the little old man who just wants to toot away on his pipe. And now he wont be able to afford to. Just started vaping a month ago and havn't had a cig for 3 weeks but before this I was one of the people buying "pipe tobacco" to roll my own. I feel kind of guilty now. I signed the petition but I know it wont make a bit of difference. Won't be long though till all the cigar companies from the Dominican, Honduras and Nicaragua start selling roll your own "cigar" tobacco. Maybe the government can use the tax dollars created from this to fight the black market that will pop up. Maybe they can use the same strategies they use in the "War on Drugs" cuz thats going really well.