New e-cigarette tax bill - join Popvox and oppose it

[rothenbj]

where the hell did everybody go on this? we got like 400 new opposition votes in the last week then all of a sudden it's nearly stopped in the last few days. what happened?

I'm thinking of printing up small rectangles with the link info and handing them out to all the tobacco users I run into asking them to oppose the measure and put the info in any social media they're part of. Apathy is quite an opponent.

I posted info on Boston's proposed ban in the Boston thread almost a week ago. 53 reads, but no responses. I guess they don't care about the proposed public ban. Typical of the smoking/ex-smoking population. Lemmings led to the sea.

 

[Rissa]

Here's the response I got from Blunt:

Thank you for contacting me about S. 1403, the IDEA Full Funding Act. As a former classroom teacher and university president, I understand the importance of education in students' lives and ensuring that special education programs receive adequate attention and funding.



Special education is vital to many of the students our public education system serves. When considering federal legislation affecting students and schools, I strongly believe that the federal government should have a limited role in education decisions. Funding and control of classrooms belong to states and to local communities--not to Washington, DC. I will continue to work to encourage policies that emphasize improvement in our schools and fight for greater local control because the best decisions are made closest to the students.



I appreciate you bringing your concerns about the electronic cigarette taxes included in this bill to my attention. Like you, I agree that increasing taxes is not the solution to our nation's fiscal problems. Our country is struggling to recover from the greatest downturn since the Great Depression, and the problem is not that Americans don't pay enough in taxes.



Should this or other legislation affecting these issues come to the Senate floor for a vote, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind.

 

[CalamityJan]

This is the response I recieved regarding my POPVOX posting. I was mad, now I am even madder that they are using disabled children as a justification!

Dear Ms. XXXXXX:

Thank you for contacting me regarding funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). I appreciate having the benefit of your views on this important matter.
A quality education system helps strengthen our society by instilling in our youth a strong foundation that will help them learn and succeed as citizens and individuals. Although govertionnment programs can never replace loving parents and a strong community, every child deserves the advantage achieved through a first-class education. To this end, IDEA established federal programs to support special education and related services for children with disabilities.
As you may know, the IDEA Full Funding Act (S. 1403) was introduced in the Senate on July 21, 2011. This legislation would reauthorize IDEA and provide appropriations through Fiscal Year 2021 to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. S. 1403 proposes to offset the cost of providing these services by increasing excise taxes on cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco. S. 1403 was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance for further consideration. As a member of this committee, you may be certain that I will keep your views in mind should S. 1403 or other relevant legislation be considered during the 112th Congress.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2934
Fax: (202) 228-2856
United States Senator John Cornyn, Texas

 

[Luisa]

This is the response I recieved regarding my POPVOX posting. I was mad, now I am even madder that they are using disabled children as a justification!

Dear Ms. XXXXXX:

Thank you for contacting me regarding funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). I appreciate having the benefit of your views on this important matter.
A quality education system helps strengthen our society by instilling in our youth a strong foundation that will help them learn and succeed as citizens and individuals. Although govertionnment programs can never replace loving parents and a strong community, every child deserves the advantage achieved through a first-class education. To this end, IDEA established federal programs to support special education and related services for children with disabilities.
As you may know, the IDEA Full Funding Act (S. 1403) was introduced in the Senate on July 21, 2011. This legislation would reauthorize IDEA and provide appropriations through Fiscal Year 2021 to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. S. 1403 proposes to offset the cost of providing these services by increasing excise taxes on cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco. S. 1403 was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance for further consideration. As a member of this committee, you may be certain that I will keep your views in mind should S. 1403 or other relevant legislation be considered during the 112th Congress.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent the interests of Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2934
Fax: (202) 228-2856
United States Senator John Cornyn, Texas

Go to one of his offices close to you. Talk to the staffer and take smokeless tobacco information with you. Leave it with the staffer and demonstrate the ecig to him. Generally,they are very receptive. If enough Texans do this,the message will get through. The letter you received is just a computer generated generic response. I have already visited 2 District offices. Give it a try!

 

[Vocalek]

And here is where to get the most complete collection of information on the comparison between smoking and smokeless I have yet seen.

Download the PDF files Appendix A (119 pages) and Appendix B (24 pages) from this page: Regulations.gov

Appendix A: Scientific Literature on the Comparative Risks to Health Presented by Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco Products

Appendix B: References

 

[MrsCasey]

Opposed S 1403

 

[sqirl1]

Thank you Royalgate, Joined opposed and commented.

I agree that this forum should take a larger stand in issues such as these by posting this in a place where more ECF members are likely to see it. You could make Special Alert Posts and place them as stickies in the general sub forum and other popular sub forums. If I owned ECF I know I would do that to maximize exposure.

I think ArtByLisabelle hit the support button by mistake and it's sad to see Eciggerssuck and BethMoore sound so hateful out of fear and lack of knowledge. (see the comments section) In fact I think I know who BethMoore and ElectricMan is from another forum.. Interesting.

It said I changed the pie chart, it's now at 94 % opposed but I am sure this is not the only source for commenting to Congress so who knows how this bill may really be doing.

I also think "eciggerssuck" is a double account from ElectricMan, they're both in the same district. Here's the mentality of these people: In the middle ages, if you committed a sin, you had to do a 100 mile walk to the Vatican to redeem yourself and wash away all your sins. the labor and pain involved in the walk is your punishment and the only way to redeem yourself. In these people's minds, smoking is a sin as, while a smoker, you are a burden to society and (supposedly) hurt others with second and third hand smoke. trying and failing until you finally quit in their minds is the equivalent to the 100 mile walk to the Vatican; because you were a smoker you deserve to suffer, you owe to all the people whom you've made suffer with your vile habit, and you haven't made up for it until you finally quit all nicotine on your own, and haven't redeemed yourself as a person until then either. People from QSMB etc, believe that by quitting smoking, they've completed their trials and have been redeemed and cleansed, and everybody else should have to do the same. to them these E-cigarettes are a get out of jail free card because to them, smoking is WRONG, smokers should be PUNISHED. we need to break this cycle by showing that smoking isn't a crime, it's not morally wrong, and smokers shouldn't be punished.

 

[canoeist]

SC has 7% support, 93% oppose. Less than 50 votes.

 

[Tendril]

Go to one of his offices close to you. Talk to the staffer and take smokeless tobacco information with you. Leave it with the staffer and demonstrate the ecig to him. Generally,they are very receptive. If enough Texans do this,the message will get through. The letter you received is just a computer generated generic response. I have already visited 2 District offices. Give it a try!

What a great idea, Luisa - Keep up the good work!

 

[the.vapyre]

Will you post us the exact link so it is easiest for everyone to vote? Maybe you did already but maybe you could put it on the first page.

IDEA Full Funding Act (The Saving Lives by Lowering Tobacco Use Act)
S. 1403: A bill to amend part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Please create an account at Popvox and OPPOSE this bill. It is a camouflaged attempt to increase the tax on safer alternatives to tobacco, including e-cigarettes, to the same as or more than cigarettes, and to increase that tax every year - inserted within a disabilities education Act amendment in order to hide it.

Please create an account - login - OPPOSE the Bill. Thank you.

--see this attached pic of the page for detail instructions--

 

[rolygate]

Fixed.

Don't understand how no one reported that typo/omission before... I think I was messing around a lot with the picture and forgot the main link - not sure how people even got to the right page

 

[rothenbj]

To bring it to the top of this thread, the link is in my signature,

 

[kvesicgirl]

I opposed it! Come on everybody, it only took 1 minute......

 

[mooreted]

Signed, sealed and delivered.

 

[beezer]

dunnnnnnnnnn

 

[Sophey]

Why, oh why, is there no orange dot in North Dakota?

 

[Vocalek]

Why, oh why, is there no orange dot in North Dakota?

Nobody lives there. It's too cold.

 

[b2d]

Done http://pvox.co/pFsdhC

 

[Allan.GH]

Done and commented upon. Thanks for posting that.

 

[TheJack]

done...

Users Say

POPVOX Nation:
7% Support
93% Oppose
(1,413 users)