Americans: do you really want to protect your right to vape?

[tescela]

As I'm sure you understand, it is all a money game in the U.S.

Why don't we have PACs in place so our voices will actually be heard? How many people here would be willing to donate $1,000 to a Vapers Rights PAC?

Unfortunately, I'll bet most vapers would make excuses about how they "can't afford it right now" (or some similar BS), even though vaping (vs smoking) can easily save a person that much in a matter of months.

If every vaper in the U.S. were willing to donate $1,000 to Vapers Rights PACs, the political parties would be passing legislation to preempt (at the federal and state level) indoor vaping bans. They would probably even be passing legislation to subsidize smokers' transition to PVs. (If you think I'm exaggerating, then just do the math and compare it with candidate and party contribution numbers. Vapers' potential political influence is staggering.)

Having been active in the smokers' rights movement (and an early-adopter of harm-reduction strategies), I think it is fair to say that I've seen this movie before. Talk is cheap (very cheap...as in, pretty much worthless). We can either organize and put our money where are mouths are, or be marginalized, ostracized and treated as second-class citizens (and forced back to death-by-analogs). Take your pick.

It may suck, but don't delude yourself. This is the world we live in.

 

[tescela]

10,000 vapers x $1,000 each = a $10 million fund for lobbying politicians. Does anyone doubt that this would radically shift the political winds in our favor?

 

[SmilingSlasher]

That IS truely American.

Have a problem?...........

Throw some money at it!


What about our rights as humans, screw American Rights, I'm talking about the Rights of every person to choose for themselves if they wanna do something (as long as that something doesn't burden or harm another person).

Money is WAAAAYYYYY over rated. People need to "nut up or shut up"......and quit depending on money to solve everything.


420

 

[tescela]

This is simply the way American politics works. Crying about it won't change anything.

Vapers are going to pay out this money one way or another. We can either donate and influence the political process, or we can pay it in taxes on the tobacco products that most vapers would be effectively forced back to using.

Will this unassailable logic persuade vapers to pony up the money now and protect their right to vape?

If not, then does anybody really think that logical arguments submitted by vapers will persuade politicians not to vote in accordance with the will of their political contributors?

All this talk, in the absence of a widespread willingness among vapers to donate significant sums to PACs, is like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

After getting progressively marginalized by society for merely smoking a cigarette, why do vapers still cling to idealistic notions of the political process, instead of facing reality?

 

[Janetda]

tescela,

I love the idea of a vape-PAC, and it's true that we MAY save money by using e-cigs. However, there's a big difference between spending $50 or $100 on an e-cig order and having $1000 in-hand to donate to anything. While there maybe people who have a bunch of money in savings that they can draw from, I don't think all of us have those resources. I certainly don't. I can donate maybe $100. Do you think we could do something effective on a smaller scale?

 

[Sig-man Floyd]

many people vape in an effort to cut costs, as well as the obvious reasons, and don't have a grand to throw around, or if they did may have better uses for it.
Setting up a nonprofit that accepts paypal donations may get you there quicker.

 

[Paranoyed]

That IS truely American.

Have a problem?...........

Throw some money at it!


What about our rights as humans, screw American Rights, I'm talking about the Rights of every person to choose for themselves if they wanna do something (as long as that something doesn't burden or harm another person).

Money is WAAAAYYYYY over rated. People need to "nut up or shut up"......and quit depending on money to solve everything.


420

True but the voice of the American population is mute without the power of money behind it. Welcome to the new world order where the national color is green.

 

[SmilingSlasher]

True but the voice of the American population is mute without the power of money behind it. Welcome to the new world order where the national color is green.

Yeah......We all need tee-shirts that say....."Welcome to the NEW America. Your Rights END Here!!!!!"

 

[markarich159]

Money is WAAAAYYYYY over rated. People need to "nut up or shut up"......and quit depending on money to solve everything.

Absolutely right!! PAC payoff money for legislation was certainly not what the founding fathers had intended. And the logic that; "well, that's just the way politics works, nothing you can do about it" is a cowardly cop-out. I'm glad the founding fathers didn't have that attitude.
The math is meaningless anyway; 10,000 vapers x $1,000 = $10,000,000; so what. BT & BP laugh at that amount, compared to the monetary resources they can throw at legislators.

It's going to come down to some type of civil unrest on a massive scale(and I'm not just referring to the vaping situation) to change the current direction this country is headed.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilence; well we haven't been too vigilent over the past several decades. The cost of that lack of vigilence has been high and may have to be paid back in bloodshed.

 

[Navajo]

10,000 vapers x $1,000 each = a $10 million fund for lobbying politicians. Does anyone doubt that this would radically shift the political winds in our favor?

yeah i got to doubt simply becaue although 10millions sounds like a large sum of money when you enter into politics its not .10 million for a politican to stand up and advocate for us isnt enough.it is a start try the pay pal donation idea i seen above .instead of rying our own PCA just yet get with a smokers lobby i know it may not be the best way to go but like us they want their rights just because we are former smokers dosent mean we need to alienate smokers also.

 

[Walrus]

George Carlin on Rights v Privileges... NSFW language. The part on Rights starts at about 4:25.

YouTube - George Carlin -Rights and Privileges

 

[SmilingSlasher]

George Carlin on Rights v Privileges... NSFW language. The part on Rights starts at about 4:25.

YouTube - George Carlin -Rights and Privileges

I know that bit!!!

" You don't have "Rights" in America......You have "Privileges"." "Rights can't be taken away...... BUT "Privileges" on the other hand.....You can do away with those at any time."

 

[kodykills]

wow.. $1000. i dont make that in 3 weeks. And i have a family to support, and im living in a country thats in recession. Im not giving someone who i dont know 1k of my hard earned money just to piss it away. Yeah right..

 

[tescela]

wow.. $1000. i dont make that in 3 weeks. And i have a family to support, and im living in a country thats in recession. Im not giving someone who i dont know 1k of my hard earned money just to piss it away. Yeah right..

1. A PAC is set up for a specific purpose (e.g., to disseminate the funds to political candidates and political parties). It isn't something that gets "...... away."

2. How much are you saving by vaping vs. smoking? If vaping is banned, then you lose those savings. In other words, you are going to spend the money one way or another.

kodykills, based on what you've said, I am very sympathetic to your financial plight, but unless we are willing to open our wallets, then our cause is doomed.

 

[jdg]

I have to concur with the majority sentiment here; I simply can't spend a tenth of my yearly income on what amounts to a donation to our worthless legislators... yes, I am that far below the poverty line, and I'd bet more than a few of our members here are as well.
Where our money could be pooled effectively, I think, is in independent testing. I've started to make a few contacts at South Dakota State University to see if there's any interest in testing e-cigs... not looking so hot yet, but I have hope.

 

[Janetda]

I really love it when people talk about all the money you save with e-cigs. I don't think I've saved all that much and I've been vaping for seven months. I we all understand that we have to fight and money maybe what's need to grease the political wheel. And if you've got $1000 bucks just sitting in the bank then great, donate it to a PAC. But what you're not getting is that most people don't just have $1000 in one lump sum. Even if we're saving money with e-cigs, we're talking about a couple of bucks here and a couple of bucks there. Now, if you want to discuss donations of $5 - $100, then maybe we can do something.

This is why the rich rule the country, not because the people don't care, it's just that we don't have the ante to play the game.

 

[grouch]

i firmly believe George Carlin was the smartest man in my life time, if not ever.

 

[SmilingSlasher]

Hopefully Ol' George is sitting in Heaven (the Heaven he didn't believe in) thinking....." OK, I was wrong about ONE THING!! Not to bad."

 

[southjerseydeedee]

Everything will pan out in the end. Write your letters, educate yourself, and vote. How many of us went to the government website and lodged our comments on the proposed legislatin? I did. Take your $1,000 or $100 and put it where it belongs - into the e-cig industry. Support the industry and strenghten it by power purchasing. Stock up and be ready.

 

[kodykills]

what we need is testing. And LOTS of it.