Adversarious1 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 SMH... Mark Leno is a moron.... EVERY "brand" he cited is a "brand" owned by "Big Tobacco". Pay attention to what happens here in California, folks. Laugh at us all you want...but anybody who follows politics knows California is typically only the first lemming to jump off the edge of the cliff. 'Nuff said.
iQuit Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oxNM1pUoOn4"frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> This one is not in the news, but it should be.
Bebop Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) I'll join you..... SMH Edited April 17, 2015 by Bebop
bcartervol98 Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 Luckily for me personally here in Tennessee we tend to take what California and New York do then do the opposite. I went into freak out mode long ago but realized prohibition has never worked effectively. Worst case scenario IMO is we pay a little more sin tax.
Tam Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 I'll join you..... SMH Is there room on the wall for my head too? Bebop 1
aufin Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 How come no one addressed the elephant in the room shown on the opening statements ...... 2.5 billion in tax revenues the bill is expected to generate? In my opinion, that's the ultimate goal. I don't believe anyone actually gives a rat's *** whether we smoke/vape/chew/dip, whatever as long as they get their tax dollars. But.....politicians always "know better". $2.00 tax on a pack of smokes. What's that add to a 10ml bottle of juice? If a 10ml bottle is supposedly equal to a carton of smokes I would guess around $12.00. Glad I mix my own. I think on my 2 yr anniversary tomorrow I'll go to the mall, find a spot, sit for a while, vape and wave to everybody walking by.
Earthling789 Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 Okay, I'll step back onto my soap-box.... That's the problem... politicians "expect" that money to be rolling in, and they spend it years before it actually shows up (and rarely does these days because over half the country is unemployed or under-employed). The tobacco settlements were supposed to go for "public health initiatives", but our politicians have played the shell-game and spent 80-90% of the expected money on other things... because it was never about "public health", it was about the MONEY... now they are panicked because people are doing what they wanted them to do... stop smoking... and now their cash-cow of sin-taxes and settlement checks is dying.... and states are poised to default on loans, bonds, and other unpaid projects. Politicians want vaping to be classified as "tobacco products" so they can get a win-win... 1) sin-taxes on the e-liquids and gear, and 2) by classifying vaping as a tobacco product, they can hold Big Tobacco hostage by forcing them to pay-up even more on the settlement agreement. Big Tobacco is forced to push more money to the states this way... which is why they (as an Oligopoly, a legal monopoly) are strong-arming politicians to pass laws to outlaw vaping or at least pass the sunset clause to make all vaping gear but THEIR e-cigs illegal... then they can have the lion's share of the market (to make-up for their losses in analog sales, and provide what the states "expect" them to pay, per settlement agreements). It doesn't take a Master's Degree in Economics to figure this crap out! And, I'm sick and tired of our government spending money they don't have (and then raising taxes or creating new taxes to cover their over-spending). It's a never-ending cycle! Now, if you or I write a check for a $200,000 home (without any money in the bank) and try to use the excuse that "Well, I've got a plan to hit the lottery, so the money will be there in a few weeks"... and see how that flies! But, this is exactly what our government is doing DAILY! I am 100% against any sin-taxes on e-cigs, e-liquid, or hardware. I am 100% against any politician who pushes for such laws or taxes. Politicians like the one in the video should be out of a job tomorrow, IMO! Big Tobacco is threatened by vaping. I say let them be threatened... let the free-market run them out of business, or at least reduce them to a minor force in the economy. But this is not going to happen until "We The People" stand up for our rights and our freedoms... reduce the economic strangle-hold our government has on us... and return our country to the free-market society that allowed us to prosper decades ago. Our government/politicians need to be required to take a few Economics courses... then they'd realize that lower taxes (and fewer things taxed/regulated) will evolve a stronger economy (more jobs, more sales, better salaries), which will in turn provide more raw-dollars flowing into the economy, and thus into the government coffers. Basic math is a strange concept to our government... I would much rather have 1% of $1M, rather than 75% of $10,000! We cannot keep this pace of tax/spend any longer! Pretty soon the only ones with jobs in this country will be government employees... and without US to provide their income, how will they get paid?? Vaping -vs- Big Tobacco is bringing the disparity and hypocrisy of our government's spending policies to light, and we must win! If we don't win this battle, then the war is lost for everyone (not just vapers).... [steps off soapbox] Tam, vaping_jake, Adversarious1 and 3 others 6
Adversarious1 Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 Earthling, I wish I could like that last post 1000 times. Well said.
Earthling789 Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 (edited) Thanks Adversarious1! I said something a while back to a co-worker... and I think it's relevant in this thread... Vaping is to Big Tobacco as the bicycle is to the Big-3 Auto-makers... yeah, think about that... The bicycle is a less harmful mode of transportation, but it is not a threat to the Big-3 because not enough people are trading cars for bikes... BUT, if they DID? Politicians would be in a panic... no more gasoline taxes, no more registration fees and taxes, no more property taxes... auto sales would be through the floor, politicians wouldn't be getting their kick-backs and lobby money... Suddenly, there would be a huge push to impose higher taxes on bicycles, registration of bicycles, licensing of bicycles, odometers on bicycles (so they could tax you on the miles), charging for parking of bicycles, fees for transfer-of-ownership of bicycles.... It may not happen in the US, but it has (to some degree) in other countries... bicycles, scooters, motorcycles... all are a threat to the economic wealth (for state/local/federal governments), and the moment they cut into those profits... taxes, fees, regulation goes into effect! It's NEVER about public health, or the health of the individual, or individual choice... it's always... ALWAYS... about the MONEY! A few years ago, vaping was considered a "fad"... a small niche market... but now that more and more people are dropping analogs in favor of vaping, we've peed in the Cheerios of Big Tobacco AND government... which is why we're the target we are today. If everyone in the country parked their car, never bought a new one, and decided to ride a bicycle every day... you better believe bicycles would be produced by Ford, GM, and Chrysler, and they'd have huge fees/taxes/registrations, we'd have to have a bicycle license, and the newest 2-wheeler from Ford would likely cost $8,000 (because it would come with gov't mandated seat-belt and air-bags, a 6-speaker JBL stereo, and back-up camera (as an option, of course)! Huffy and Schwinn would be pushed out of the market because they'd not meet new "safety standards"... It gripes my rear-end knowing that my neighbor over-paid for a Prius and gets a gov't pat-on-the-back in the way of tax incentives for getting 40mpg in their hybrid... yet I ride a motorcycle that produces less pollution (smaller engine), causes less damage to road surfaces, and gets 50% more MPG! Where's my tax incentive?? Oh, that's right... it's not an AUTO... Edited April 18, 2015 by Earthling789 Compenstine, Tam and Adversarious1 3
Tam Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 Ever think about running for office? You are the kind of people this country needs... and I'm not even going to insult you by calling you a "politician". Adversarious1 and Earthling789 2
bcartervol98 Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 Priuses just piss me off in general. Earthling789 1
aufin Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 But.....but.....but, earthling, it's for the children, don'tcha know, and for the betterment of society. Wish I had the wherewithall to start a public demonstration. Just too busy trying to work and make ends meet. I'd be near the front of the line donating some bucks supporting producing a documentary or PSA in favor of the vaping movement. Agree with tam, when ya running for public office?
Tam Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 Well, at least I know I'd get two votes Sorry, sadly only one vote. I'm not a US citizen, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be out there getting other people to vote for you. Earthling789 1
Bebop Posted April 18, 2015 Posted April 18, 2015 I'll vote for you Earthling! And don't worry, I won't believe a thing they say about you just before they damn you to oblivion... Earthling789 and Tam 2
FXRich Posted April 21, 2015 Posted April 21, 2015 Earthling I'd vote for you too. But you wouldn't win because the politicians would make up stuff about you and make you sound like the scum of the earth. I hate Prius too (overweight and underpowered) When I get behind one with my Dodge (400+ hp) I want to give them a push.
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