C-SPAN2 starting tobacco coverage now

[Surf Monkey]

Senator Reid is calling for a vote on the Burr amendment.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Where is everyone who is supposed to be voting? That room looks empty!

 

[Surf Monkey]

I call BS

And you're demonstrably wrong. Smoking related illness places stress on the health care system, leading to higher costs. Smoking related illnesses also lead to higher insurance premiums for smokers and non-smokers alike. Do a few google searches and you'll find ample evidence that this is true.

Again, don't smear me as an ideologue. I'm a smoker. But I'm not going to blindly argue that smoking only hurts the smoker him or herself because the facts simply don't bear that out.

 

[boxhead]

uh...am i missing somthing? where are these people?

 

[Surf Monkey]

Where is everyone who is supposed to be voting? That room looks empty!

That's typical for the House and the Senate. Unless there's a quorum call, they don't attend the sessions unless they have something to say. And then, when there is a quorum call they only have to show up long enough to cast their vote.

 

[YKruss]

Can someone explain what does it means "Limit debate on a substitute to the tobacco Bill"
(that's what I see on the screen now)

Yury

 

[OutWest]

That's typical for the House and the Senate. Unless there's a quorum call, they don't attend the sessions unless they have something to say. And then, when there is a quorum call they only have to show up long enough to cast their vote.

which is totally wrong imho. I think that in order for them to be able to vote on any issue, they should be required to attend all related sessions in person.

 

[q258]

Smoking related illness places stress on the health care system

Pheww, wow: You didn't read the whole post did you...??

 

[halopunker]

which is totally wrong imho. I think that in order for them to be able to vote on any issue, they should be required to attend all related sessions in person.

But how would anything get done... I agree though. As TB has said in the past, a lot of their minds were made up a long time ago.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Pheww, wow: You didn't read the whole post did you...??

I read every word.

 

[Surf Monkey]

which is totally wrong imho. I think that in order for them to be able to vote on any issue, they should be required to attend all related sessions in person.

Can't happen. They have other stuff to do than sit in the chamber while some colleague prattles on and on about a bill that either already has the votes to pass or is already a dead issue. It looks bad to see an empty chamber, but the fact of the matter is that the business of the Senate and House happens more in their offices than on the floor.

 

[halopunker]

Lot more people standing on the floor...wish I had kept tally so far...

 

[Surf Monkey]

Lot more people standing on the floor...wish I had kept tally so far...

Quorum call. That's why they're all suddenly there. They mill around the podium as they cast their votes, then high tail it back to their offices.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Lot more people standing on the floor...wish I had kept tally so far...

I was just thinking that, and also that it'd be nice to have a counter on the screen.

 

[cowgal]

Counting on my fingers, I think there's about twice as many ayes.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I was just thinking that, and also that it'd be nice to have a counter on the screen.

Yeah, CSPAN is inconsistent about when they show counters. It's frustrating.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Counting on my fingers, I think there's about twice as many ayes.

Actually, it sounds like it's breaking right along party lines.

 

[eric]

The government tells you want you can and can't do with your body every day of the week. You can't walk into a store and buy ...... or ....... or Percodan or Codine. There are always going to be strictures on drugs because drug usage has an impact on the whole society, not just on the user. In the case of many drugs, the risk is so low that they're allowed over the counter. Others are so risky that you can't get them without a prescription from a doctor. What's needed isn't ideological crusades. What's needed is consistency in terms of risk assessment and the legislation of high risk behaviors. Smoking is more dangerous than many drug based activities that are expressly forbidden by the law. It's more dangerous than practically any widespread recreational behavior including drinking alcohol. But the main issue is that this bill treats e-smoking as if it represented THE SAME LEVEL OF RISK as smoking traditional cigarettes, which it obviously doesn't. That's the problem with it.

Again, the government either needs to deregulate tobacco or ban it outright. Any middle ground leads to the kind of unfair contradictions we're seeing happen around e-smoking.

So long as what I am doing doesn't interfere with your safety, security, liberty, and/or Happiness or the safety, security, liberty, and/or Happiness of others, then I don't see how it is of any of your concern. I understand that government imposes restrictions on what I can and can not do insofar as prescription drugs, illegal drugs and things of the nature, but even such regulatory matters as these I disagree with.

What you state here would directly interfere with my safety, security, liberty and/or Happiness if enacted. This is what liberty is all about, Surf Monkey. I respect your view, but I absolutely disagree with it. What you are saying here is that the government should be able make decisions for me, as though I am incapable of making them for myself.

 

[let_there_be_vaping]

Counting on my fingers, I think there's about twice as many ayes.

Agreed.

It was good to hear that my senator voted no, though.

 

[eric]

Agreed.

It was good to hear that my senator voted no, though.

Amen to that.