I'm just wondering what the average vaper thinks of this?

[englishmick]

That's because people do not like paying taxes, so it has always been a lot easier to get people to accept taxes on the "other guy". Their attitude is as long as the taxes doesn't affect me, it's ok. And our government is trying to encourage class warfare, by wanting to raise taxes on the "rich" saying that they are not paying their fair share. They raise taxes on the "rich" by calling it a millionaire's tax, and yet what they classify as a "millionaire" is someone making more than $250,000 a year, which in many high cost of living areas like NYC, is decidedly middle class. Since only the top 5 percent of the country earns more than $250,000 a year, it is easy to get the general public to accept this since the higher tax wouldn't affect them at all. What's sad is they say that the "rich" doesn't pay their fair share of taxes. And yet they ignore the fact that the top 5 percent of income in the US pays over 50 percent of all income taxes collected, while the bottom 40 percent of income pays zero income tax (and this bottom 40 percent only counts the people who actually work and earns reportable income).

Yeah sure, my heart bleeds for "the rich" and the living hell they have had to endure over the last 6 terrible years. That apart, you are right about targeted taxes. Pick on a minority for new taxes and everyone else will breath a sigh of relief and go along. Especially if the thing being taxed is something people feel guilty about (i.e. enjoy) like smoking or drinking.

 

[kaahn]

Yeah sure, my heart bleeds for "the rich" and the living hell they have had to endure over the last 6 terrible years. That apart, you are right about targeted taxes. Pick on a minority for new taxes and everyone else will breath a sigh of relief and go along. Especially if the thing being taxed is something people feel guilty about (i.e. enjoy) like smoking or drinking.

Follow that piper. Flat tax for the win! That is what you call "fair share". Shouldn't tax peoples habits...that's what has put california and other states in the position they are in...and their greed of course. Who would think in a million years a healthier alternative would come along that would pull thousands by the droves away from their cash cow?

 

[mattiem]

Well thought out and straight to the point. I like it.

kinda OT:

Back just after I joined ECF there was lots of talk about and donations being collected to help pay for a documentary about E-cigs (for lack of a better name). Does anyone have any idea as to whether or not this was ever completed? As I was then, I would be willing to get behind getting the word out with this project if someone picked it up and ran with it.

 

[englishmick]

Follow that piper. Flat tax for the win! That is what you call "fair share". Shouldn't tax peoples habits...that's what has put california and other states in the position they are in...and their greed of course. Who would think in a million years a healthier alternative would come along that would pull thousands by the droves away from their cash cow?

Now what we need is a healthier form of alcohol that gives you a nice buzz, but doesn't get you drunk or make you crash cars. No bubblegum flavours of course.

 

[englishmick]

Well thought out and straight to the point. I like it.

kinda OT:

Back just after I joined ECF there was lots of talk about and donations being collected to help pay for a documentary about E-cigs (for lack of a better name). Does anyone have any idea as to whether or not this was ever completed? As I was then, I would be willing to get behind getting the word out with this project if someone picked it up and ran with it.

I wonder if the folks who made that first video take donations. They have a track record and proven skills. If nothing else we can help by spreading their videos around a bit.

 

[jwbnyc]

I was just wondering...

Does the average vaper feel this is an effective message to use with the non-vaping public?
Does the average vaper think this is the most effective approach?

I'm still hoping that someday we hit on The Idea that makes a real difference.

This is an effective video.

But.

The use of ..... and ..... in the graphics undermines its usefulness as a PSA.

They really should remove that.

 

[AndriaD]

Now what we need is a healthier form of alcohol that gives you a nice buzz, but doesn't get you drunk or make you crash cars. No bubblegum flavours of course.

And if they could make such a critter that also wouldn't rot your liver, I'd be ALL OVER THAT!!!

Andria

 

[philoshop]

The MSM has tremendous control over the information that's allowed to be spread, and they take their marching orders from the same interests that are currently peddling the 'anti' propaganda. The result is that videos like this will never be shown on national television, as commercials or even PSA's.
Getting the message out is, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a truly grassroots effort. Send the video to everyone you know or even have casual contact with, and even your local MSM affiliates if you're in a small enough television/radio/print market. They will hopefully learn from it and maybe pass it along as well, and the message will get out. Turning to the MSM for any kind of help is basically the same thing as turning to the government for help in this case.

I don't do the social media thing, but every one of my e-mail contacts has received the link to this video and a brief explanation of why I consider it important. That's something that every one of us can and should do.
"All politics is local." -- Tip O'neill

Best Regards,
Mark
An average but motivated vaper.

 

[DC2]

I think The Idea is just visibility. We have to get out there and be seen. It would be great if we had a coordinated campaign of professionally produced really cool material displayed in every market. But classy videos like this distributed as widely as we can manage are a big step in the right direction. This video is pretty good. I hope they make more. We can't match the kind of operation BT can put together.

Just wanted to note...

The campaign that this video attacks in not a Big tobacco campaign.
It is a Big ANTZ campaign, funded by your tax dollars.

Between Big tobacco, Big Pharma, Big ANTZ, and Big Government...
We are facing a juggernaut of unprecedented proportions...

Which will make it all the sweeter if we can ever get truth to prevail.

 

[DC2]

Especially if the thing being taxed is something people feel guilty about (i.e. enjoy) like smoking or drinking.

That's pretty much the crux of this whole thing right there.

When we were smokers, most of us did feel guilty about it.
Whether we should have is another discussion entirely, but regardless, most of us did.

But with vaping, we no longer feel that way.
And now we're finally fighting back.

I don't think they saw that coming.

 

[DC2]

Back just after I joined ECF there was lots of talk about and donations being collected to help pay for a documentary about E-cigs (for lack of a better name). Does anyone have any idea as to whether or not this was ever completed? As I was then, I would be willing to get behind getting the word out with this project if someone picked it up and ran with it.

That would be the We Are Vapers documentary.

Here is the latest update...
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/we-are-vapers#activity

January 25th 2014

I would like to thank everyone that has supported this project! The process of making this documentary has been great and challenging.

I have now reviewed all of the footage that was originally shot (about 400 hours). There is lots of footage of vapers stories and some great interviews with Doctors and Scientists. The original intent of the documentary was to tell the stories of vapers to the world. If you search the internet and youtube these stories are all over the place. After lots of thought the footage we have lacks tension or other compelling / unifing thread. I have decided to add some elements to the movie that I will need to go out an film. I am working on adding footage that will tell the American story….. how this industry has transformed the lives of people not only by quitting smoking but also by creating jobs. For the tension element we will film the reactions of people and vendors to the deeming regulations when they are released.

Sincerely
Linc Williams
Director

Don't get me started on this one...
I donated a fair amount.

 

[mattiem]

Thank you DC2. An update would be nice since the last one was over a year ago

 

[DC2]

Thank you DC2. An update would be nice since the last one was over a year ago

I believe that the Director has shifted his focus, time, and efforts to being the Board Secretary of AEMSA.

 

[AndriaD]

Just wanted to note...

The campaign that this video attacks in not a Big Tobacco campaign.
It is a Big ANTZ campaign, funded by your tax dollars.

Between Big Tobacco, Big Pharma, Big ANTZ, and Big Government...
We are facing a juggernaut of unprecedented proportions...

Which will make it all the sweeter if we can ever get truth to prevail.

Do you know why Galileo is one of my foremost heroes? Because he knew that the truth will always remain the truth, no matter what anyone says about it. No matter what they say, or even what they ultimately do, the truth is still the truth, and WILL come out, no matter how long it takes. The harder they fight against it, the bigger the bite out of their .... when it finally does come out.

Andria

 

[AndriaD]

That's pretty much the crux of this whole thing right there.

When we were smokers, most of us did feel guilty about it.
Whether we should have is another discussion entirely, but regardless, most of us did.

But with vaping, we no longer feel that way.
And now we're finally fighting back.

I don't think they saw that coming.

I don't get that mindset at all, this hyper-moral need to feel guilty just because I enjoy something. I never felt guilty for drinking, even when I was a massive drunk -- I got sober because it was about to kill me, not because there was anything wrong with drinking. The only thing that ever made me feel guilty about smoking was when I was doing it indoors, and it was negatively affecting my son's lungs -- taking it outdoors fixed that right up.

I feel guilty if I've done something I know is wrong. Smoking and drinking, or vaping, enjoying myself, aren't in that category. Feeling guilty for enjoying yourself is as stupid as self-flagellation -- emotionally, it's the same thing exactly.

Andria

 

[englishmick]

Do you know why Galileo is one of my foremost heroes? Because he knew that the truth will always remain the truth, no matter what anyone says about it. No matter what they say, or even what they ultimately do, the truth is still the truth, and WILL come out, no matter how long it takes. The harder they fight against it, the bigger the bite out of their .... when it finally does come out.

Andria

The truth might well come out, thanks to the internet. My 23 year old grandson just moved in. He quit smoking and started vaping the day he arrived. Today he made quite a perceptive comment. We were talking about this information war. He said we are lucky this isn't happening 20 years ago. They would have been able to just sweep us under the carpet without any fuss. Now at least we have a way of communicating and planning our resistance. The internet really has made a difference to our ability to fight back.

 

[Robino1]

That's pretty much the crux of this whole thing right there.

When we were smokers, most of us did feel guilty about it.
Whether we should have is another discussion entirely, but regardless, most of us did.

But with vaping, we no longer feel that way.
And now we're finally fighting back.

I don't think they saw that coming.

I absolutely felt guilty for smoking. The powers that be did a mighty fine job of that. First by segregating me into sections. At first it was ok, we had the bigger section for smoking. But then they drew that line and the smoking section got smaller, and smaller, and smaller. That was the first start to making the smoker feel a tiny bit of guilt. Then they stepped up their game and started moving me to outside to have my cig. That surely did another hit to the guilt feeling. At that point I started feeling ashamed that I smoked. If they are trying to hide my habit from 'normal' people, I must be bad for smoking!

Then they labeled my cig habit by putting a 'sin tax' on it. Well surely I am truly horrible! My smoking was a 'sin'!

Yeah, they worked really sneakily and insidiously to make me, as a smoker, feel guilt and shame to smoke.

I will not let them do that to me again. You can see by their ramped up campaign that they are scared of us because we are fighting back this time. We saw the tactics they used in the past, we cannot let them succeed with the same. Do Not Give Them An Inch. They Will keep taking inches until they have us right where they had us before.

 

[Rotowoman]

Good video. Can I just have my own island, please with anarchy?