I think any idiot along with the brightest of the bright would tell you that smoking and drinking tons of soda is bad for you. I also think that most of us (myself included) wouldn't blink an eye about taxes on things that are bad for you - to try to deter you from doing those things.
As a citizen of the United States, it is your right to (for now) smoke as much as you can afford or want to, and drink as much soda as you want to.
By the way, rock climbing can be dangerous for you. So can being a librarian - those paper cuts could get infected...and watch out. Working in a mine is dangerous. Parachuting is dangerous. Driving a car has risks as well as flying in a plane. Having baby after baby and no job is detrimental to the health of the baby and the taxes of others who support your ever growing family. People are living a lot longer these days, putting a great strain on our Medicare system.
Shall we start adding taxes to these dangerous and overburdened things as well? Start sterilizing the baby vending machines? Perhaps not recommend that 80 year old grandpa get a pacemaker? I bet they all drank soda or smoked for good portions of their lives.
I digress - my point is not whether you should do this or that, what is more dangerous, or what puts strains on our Medicaid and Medicare budgets.
It's the fact that our NYS representatives, in their infinite wisdom, cannot and basically REFUSE to get our fiscal house in order. They can't pass a budget. They can't budget.
All they can do is find new things to tax.
"Paterson said he would still like to include his tax on sugary beverages in the budget, saying just like the approved $1.60 per pack increase on cigarettes approved this week, the soda tax would help lower people's risks for health problems -- which ultimately costs the state billions of dollars in health-care costs."
(Warning: Angry rant ahead.)
Well thank you so much for finally giving a shit about our health NOW - only when your incompetence cannot forge ahead on a budget.
You didn't give a rat's ass about our health until this budget crisis hit.
Now all of a sudden you are breaking agreements with the Native Americans - cutting services for mental health and seniors - moving the tax breaks on clothing to "special times of the year" - and talking about soda taxes because it would improve our health.
Oh please. You care as much about my health as you do about the taxes I pay. You don't.
Albany - you suck.
Keep fiddling while Rome burns.
I pray to Joe Pesci that you are all voted out of office within the next few voting cycles - or someone with some freaking brains and balls gets in office and reforms this clusterf*#ck of a State.
Maybe we should require that all public employees and those elected to office should not smoke or drink alcohol or soda. MY TAXES pay your salaries. Since my taxes pay for your purchases too, I have a vested interest in your health and what you spend my money on. When you spend my taxes to buy cigs, drugs, beer, soda....I guess I can demand that you stop doing that. You are costing me more money.
Can they tweak the breathalizer to recognize carbonated soda and tobacco smoke?
2 comments:
I think this November election we are going to see more incumbents then ever voted out. To many politician's have been riding on name recognition and not results for to many years. Time to say bye-bye!
Albany stinks and the good news is more voters are finally paying attention!
So that soda tax is going to save lives and money!?
The additional taxes in reality are going to stress people out which causes high blood pressure/heart attacks etc.
So it's kind of a wash. :)
The politician's always know what's best, just ask one of them.
I find it amusing that the assembly can't figure out how to budget - they budget every single year....it's not a new concept this "budget thing". It's something we elected them to do EVERY YEAR.
They can't close the budget. We have an almost $10 BILLION deficit - and they can't figure out how to budget.
Mayoral Control just passed int he Assembly....and they CAN figure out that it's better for city residents to take their voting rights away for their school board and hand over control to one person. The Mayor.
Instead of enacting a law to enable city residents to have a say in their budgets by voting for their RCSD budgets (like suburban districts do), they have figured out the problem with the city school district and they can act on that right quick and pass legislation to give total control of the RCSD to one person who will be accountable. The Mayor.
But the budget....now that's a totally different story. The major task they have to complete, and they can't do it.
But we trust them with knowing what's best for the RCSD when they can't even budget our State.
What the hell is wrong with us that we keep electing these people again and again?
I'm starting to think it's not Albany that's dysfunctional - it's us idiots that keep electing them!
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