Head Democrat Orders FDA Director to Ban E-cigs or Resign

[Eskie]

Answer: Credit, the magic answer to every economic question that families now have. We are a nation of infants. If you don't have it but you want it, why wait? There is an old song, never more true than today: Dollar Down and a Dollar a Week.

Credit card debt in the US per household is around $6,500. Over half of all households have the ability to pay their charges in full each month. The total amount of debt carried is around $500 Billion dollars, which if you include that which is paid of each month (not an issue as non-interest paying, unless you can't pay) of $1 Trillion dollars. Auto, $27,000, student loans, $46,000.

Any type of debt combined (revolving or lines of credit, second mortgages and everything else you want to dump in) $132,000 per household, or $13.5 Trillion dollars in US consumer debt.

While I think the days of layaway have passed, I agree with you that it would in fact be better than the debt load we now carry. At least then you're not paying interest and get the item when you pay it off, rather than what we have now and instant gratification.

 

[CMD-Ky]

But like all infants, we must have it now. We have lost the ability, as well as the desire, to distinguish between that which is needed and that which is wanted. Wants are now defined as needs.
Bankruptcy filings and the attached schedules are instructive.

Credit card debt in the US per household is around $6,500. Over half of all households have the ability to pay their charges in full each month. The total amount of debt carried is around $500 Billion dollars, which if you include that which is paid of each month (not an issue as non-interest paying, unless you can't pay) of $1 Trillion dollars. Auto, $27,000, student loans, $46,000.

Any type of debt combined (revolving or lines of credit, second mortgages and everything else you want to dump in) $132,000 per household, or $13.5 Trillion dollars in US consumer debt.

While I think the days of layaway have passed, I agree with you that it would in fact be better than the debt load we now carry. At least then you're not paying interest and get the item when you pay it off, rather than what we have now and instant gratification.

 

[RoseB]

A friend of mine works at a health food store. She received a sample box of non nicotine vape supplies. One of the products is being sold as juice for dripping/tincture. One look at the product, and I knew I would never vape it. Not sure if I can post pictures of it

 

[Eskie]

But like all infants, we must have it now. We have lost the ability, as well as the desire, to distinguish between that which is needed and that which is wanted. Wants are now defined as needs.
Bankruptcy filings and the attached schedules are instructive.

Ah, bankruptcy figures. Those get interesting. 60% of bankruptcies are primarily related to medical bills ( there are some numbers reporting even higher but they include job losses from illness). Of that 60% the majority had health insurance of done sort, yet deductibles, and co-pays, as well as out of network costs incurred, still exceeded their ability to pay.

It makes sense when you look at the low savings reserves most people have, so any stress on their budget pushes them over the edge. Of course there's all that credit card debt they're on the line for as well, and who wants to give up that nice new car they financed because they need it to get to work.

But it's tough to get all upset over the average American given their government sets the example of spending more than you can afford, and why budget deficits have pushed national debt over the $20 Trillion dollar point. But they still hand out tax cuts because that's what gets them elected.

The really funny thing about it is we carry on about Chinese imports but never consider what the largest export from China to the US really is, and how bad things would go if that ever stopped. Their export? US dollars, and if they ever stopped buying treasury bills our economy would collapse as federal spending had to finally be limited to tax revenue. Social Security and Medicare would be impossible to fund, and even defense expenditures would have to be reduced. Fun times.

 

[CMD-Ky]

I think I am going bow out of this, Dick Durbin was the topic, sorry I brought up debt. I detour a lot.

 

[oldude 61]

Well that particular Senator is still a Richardhead.

Richard Cranium

 

[VHRB2014]

We don't have an appropriate emoji for this one? ECF, everything is not always rainbows and unicorns.

 

[Vaperer]

If it was just about vaping it might not be THAT bad, but you are right everything is getting completely insane in this country. People wanting full fledged socialism, sharia law, wanting government to control what we eat, drink, vape or not, etc. I don't even recognize this place any more. I am actually strongly considering retiring out of the country to try and escape the insanity before it fully takes over. Considering Panama or Chile as the current top prospects. I have not checked on their vape laws yet so that might rule one or more of them out.

I was thinking the same thing but I would lose 30% of my pension if I live overseas. That's Social Security Law

 

[Armor1]

Senator Dick Durban has told acting FDA Director to Ban e-cigarettes within 10 days or Resign after a third vaping death. Seems to me this is not an FDA problem but a DEA problem since it involves black market T.H.C.

At the same time big tobacco running more and more ads for Juul.

 

[bobwho77]

OP shows colors and makes this political, when it's just one of 100 Senators making a statement. A stupid one, but one of no import. In what world is Durbin the "head Democrat"? He's not the Minority Leader or President of the DNC, and he doesn't even chair a comitee.

I can't believe that so many of you are blind to the fact that the Republican party has always been the voice of banning things. The Drug Control Act of 1970 comes to mind. Remind me, who was the President at the time, and why did he lobby Congress so hard for the bill and get on TV to declare a "War On Drugs"? A war that drugs are still winning.

It was a Democratic administration that slow walked this whole thing. Then a new (very anti-vaping) President appoints, not one, but two FDA Directors that have made anti-vaping statements, and even written anti-vaping articles. BTW, did you check out yesterday's op-ed in the Washington Post by our current FDA director? A must read, believe me. He must be a closet Democrat, right? Maybe even the Head Closet Democrat.

Since vaping has now been deemed a tobacco product, the FDA has no authority at all to ban it. It is the law that no tobacco products can be banned.

For the record, I am a registered independent. I usually vote for candidates from the Libertarian Party, or occasionally a Democrat. Never a Republican. Among other things, they like to ban stuff (Democrats would rather tax something than ban it, as a general rule). Many of them also want to impose Sharia law on us, only under a different name.

I've argued ever since I joined ECF that turning vaping into a partisan issue was a bad idea.

 

[bobwho77]

No. Socialist is used to describe what the Democrat party has become. They sound like a government sponsored Turbo Tax commercial. FREE FREE FREE FREE. Don't worry about who's going to pay for it.

 

[bobwho77]

And then there's this...

CNBC: Trump administration readies ban on flavored e-cigarettes amid outbreak of vaping-related deaths.
Trump administration readies ban on flavored e-cigarettes amid outbreak of vaping-related deaths

Still think that this is strictly a partisan issue?

 

[Rossum]

Still think that this is strictly a partisan issue?

It's never been "strictly partisan" but at the national level, the overwhelming majority of those agitating for bans have been members of one party, while the only strong defenders of the industry have been members of the other party.

 

[Don29palms]

And then there's this...

CNBC: Trump administration readies ban on flavored e-cigarettes amid outbreak of vaping-related deaths.
Trump administration readies ban on flavored e-cigarettes amid outbreak of vaping-related deaths

Still think that this is strictly a partisan issue?

Yes I still think demonrats have lost their ever loving minds. It's not just about vaping. I'm not worried. If the demonrats gain control everything will be FREE FREE FREE! IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT.

 

[AttyPops]

It's never been "strictly partisan" but at the national level, the overwhelming majority of those agitating for bans have been members of one party, while the only strong defenders of the industry have been members of the other party.

Would that be the industry (tobacco, pharma) that's now running a coup and taking it all over? Or the other, grass-roots vaping industry?

 

[Rossum]

Would that be the industry (tobacco, pharma) that's now running a coup and taking it all over? Or the other, grass-roots vaping industry?

I would say that Senator Ron Johnson and Representative Duncan Hunter have been strong defenders of the grass roots vaping industry. Can you name a single Senator or Representative from the other party who was?

 

[Pippo3]

If it was just about vaping it might not be THAT bad, but you are right everything is getting completely insane in this country. People wanting full fledged socialism, sharia law, wanting government to control what we eat, drink, vape or not, etc. I don't even recognize this place any more. I am actually strongly considering retiring out of the country to try and escape the insanity before it fully takes over. Considering Panama or Chile as the current top prospects. I have not checked on their vape laws yet so that might rule one or more of them out.

No. Socialist is used to describe what the Democrat party has become. They sound like a government sponsored Turbo Tax commercial. FREE FREE FREE FREE. Don't worry about who's going to pay for it.

I give you an example, and sorry for my bad english. Most of us here in Europe have a pretty strong Welfare State but we are not communist, because we don't have a planned economy and our economies are based on free market capitalism. We can say "mixed economies". Including UK, which has some things that you could call socialist (e.g universal healthcare) but despite this, they have a great vaping policy. So in my opinion it's not about right wing and left wing, big government or less government... it's about the intelligence and the hands free of our politicians. With "hands free" I mean politicians that work for the interest of citizens and not for lobbyists, Big Pharma and other big corporations... this is the biggest problem which has the whole world

 

[zoiDman]

I would say that Senator Ron Johnson and Representative Duncan Hunter have been strong defenders of the grass roots vaping industry. Can you name a single Senator or Representative from the other party who was?

Senator Richard Burr (R) has also been a Loyal Defender of e-Cigarettes as Harm Reduction.

 

[RoseB]

Both political parties suck. You have to look far and wide to find a politician with any shred of decency. Ultimately, it comes down to money.

Now that we have that out of the way. If you haven't emailed your state's politicians, then get on it. You might be surprised at the response. Telling your story is helpful.

 

[Mazinny]

I would say that Senator Ron Johnson and Representative Duncan Hunter have been strong defenders of the grass roots vaping industry. Can you name a single Senator or Representative from the other party who was?

Although Duncan's efforts have arguably hurt, rather than helped vaping.