Poll Detail
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Do you support the state's plan to increase the state cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack?
Yes
58%
No
42%
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Member Comments
View Comments: | 1-25 |26-30 | Post a comment
| lenstodd | |
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04-09-08 10:15 PM
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Omce again New York finds another way to tax it;s citizens. Good grief, we cant keep the govenor in his place, cant keep Bruno in his place, but by od they can all come together to write anothe tax legislation! Amazing!!!!! No wonder everyone is trying to seel, and move away!!!!!!
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| gville | |
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04-09-08 9:55 PM
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InnocentParty, where did i ever mention anything about obesity? If you are a responsible parent, then you should try not to expose your children to smoke, eating mcdonalds regularly as well as any and all other factors that influence their health! I agree there are alot of potential hazzards and thats why we should minimize it. Im sure you cant change the pollution in the air yourself but smoking around children you can! Simple, not to mention it would be good for you too...if you care.
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| gville | |
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04-09-08 9:53 PM
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FireKatt you mean Rocky1's readings about genes must mean that you have the "genes" to quit. hmmm. Its all a decision!
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| FireKatt | |
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04-09-08 8:07 PM
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I smoked for years. But I have quit and it's just over two years now. I quit cold turkey...no gum.... no patch....no pickpocket emptying hypnotist..just threw them away and never bought another pack. It was hard for three days about...and then every once in awhile I had a real urge but made it through. Withdrawal from cigarettes is as bad as from alcohol. What did it take for me to quit? My little girl had friends over and my daughter came up to me with tears to please don't smoke in front of her friends. Yep..I was an embarrassement to my kid. That was my wake up call..no tax increase, no banning from the store, no Mother Sarah's shaking thier finger at me. But to those who do smoke...they have the right, and I agree wholeheartedly with James!
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| rocky1 | |
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04-09-08 5:29 PM
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My apologies Michael. I must have read your statement wrong, but after going back and rereading, I see that I did. Once again, sorry!
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| michael13339 | |
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04-09-08 4:28 PM
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I was making a statement when I said raise the taxes so I can quit,and while you are at it outlaw them as well(that was a joke to the state for raising the taxes.)I wasn't saying that if you raise the taxes I will be able to quit.I enjoy smoking bad or good,I would like to quit someday,but today isn't it.My other statement was towards those that have never smoked a day in their life and think it would be great if the state continues to rip us off as smokers.
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| bjfassett | |
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04-09-08 2:58 PM
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I am a smoker and no matter where you go there is smoking ! So walk the other way ! I do not understand the reason for hiking up the price of cigs ? Do they think it will stop people by forcing them to go in debt ? Yes, i will continue to smoke and yes i feel even if i say NO to the price going up it will . The wages of other things should be going up not cigs ! Wow this future is a bright one i can see it now !
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| JamesD | |
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04-09-08 12:00 AM
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I abhor smoking, and I'm usually the last person to champion "smokers' rights"...but it's pretty disgusting to see our lawmakers use feigned concern for peoples' health to justify the exploitation of smokers. They know that most smokers aren't going to quit the habit because of the tax increase. Heck, they don't want smokers to quit the habit because, if that happened, they wouldn't have this wonderful financial resource to draw money from. Basically, they're exploiting a bunch of addicts in order to fill their coffers. That's pretty galling, especially when you consider that New Yorkers are already ridiculously overtaxed.
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| ryebread | |
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04-08-08 4:45 PM
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Anyone who continues to smoke is just feeding the beast. The beast wants you to smoke, wants you to be an addict and wants you to spend all of your money trying to kill yourself.. Want to fight the government? Quit smoking now. The only ones who lose when you quit is the beast itself and the tobacco companies. They hate you anyway, why support them while contributing to your own demise??
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| Galvin | |
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04-08-08 2:22 PM
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Cigarette Taxes are another way of taxing the poorer and undereducated members of our community. Alhtough there are educate smokers and wealthy people who smoke it is reality that as a whole in scociety when income and education rise cigarette purchasing decline. I am not a smoker and I do not support smoking, but I disagree that our government should be taxing our poorer citizens more than our wealthy ones. A cigarette tax is easy due to the addictive nature of the beast, but what about an increasing luxury tax? Why not add an additional 3-4% on top of boats and expensive cars? (Because it would reduce spending on these extravagences and thus slow the economy) As a country we need to revise all tax laws to even out the burden.
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| rocky1 | |
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04-07-08 4:19 PM
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Sorry to be back,but InnocentParty is absolutely right Michaal. You are an admitted smoker who wants to use a tax as a crutch to get yourself to quit. You don't need that. Just throw the pack away and don't smoke another one. Cold turkey beats out money anyday and your self esteem will be much better for it.Innocentparty should not have to pay for your desire to quit.
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| Iworkforaliving11B | |
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04-07-08 4:19 PM
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And just like I do not expect there to be a tax put on Double Whoppers with cheese (hold the onions extra mayo) I do not expect there to be additional taxes put on my vice of choice. This is just New York Trying to get extra money out of it’s people while putting an “ it’s good for you” spin on it.
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| Iworkforaliving11B | |
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04-07-08 4:18 PM
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While science is still debating whether or not second hand smoke kills or leads to asthma or any other of the dozens of "UNFACTS" being spread. Lets look at real life. Adult obesity is up from 19% in 1997 to 23% in 2002.(i'm sure that it’s been on the rise since then) with approximately 59% of upstate New Yorkers classified as either over weight or obese. That equals over 1.4 MILLION adults in upstate New York as overweight. and almost 860,000 as obese. Source excellusbcbs****. This alone cost excellus blue cross blue shield 1.1 BILLION "in additional medical care". Mind you these figures are just for upstate New York, and this is only one insurance company. I ask you who pays for this rise in cost? Do I as a smoker who stays in shape and eats right(buy the way I run a 1437 two mile) have an obligation to pay for you who eats at McDonalds five days a week. Is it my responsibility to pay for your diabetes, hypertension and heart conditions? I say no it is not.
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| InnocentParty | |
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04-07-08 1:50 PM
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Michael, what will you do to replace cigarettes once they are not as readily available/affordable? Will you pick up another hobby? Eat more to suppress the nicotine cravings? What will you do? It may, in your opinion be healthier for you to quit smoking. That's great. Let's hope what you replace it with entails you living in a plastic bubble in a completely sterile environment. That is the only true solution to even a slightly possible medical-issue free lifestyle.
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| InnocentParty | |
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04-07-08 1:44 PM
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Very well said Rocky1!!!!!!! Well said!
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| rocky1 | |
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04-07-08 12:16 PM
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continued: I am truly sorry to hear of your friends passing, but are you aware of the latest study just released last week and covered by all the major networks? A study paid for by 3 countries, the US, Canada and Europe found that people are born with a gene, and they located that gene, that marks if a person will be a smoker and who will get cancer. Long story/study dispells the myth. We can't control our genes.You can hate the smoke, but don't discriminate against the smoker.
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| rocky1 | |
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04-07-08 12:09 PM
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Sorry for the ramble, but it was a point that I was trying to make in the short space you are allowed. Let's try this. Like Michael said, raise the tax so I can quit. That is the problem, he should just quit. Innocentparty enjoys smoking, so she should be expected to pay higher taxes that will be distributed towards your healthcare or something you enjoy? Investigate and see how the MSA money was spent in NY. Golf courses, roads are a couple of places the money went and then they sold out the bonds. Standards and Poor gave Albany an unsatisfactory rating for that. Then when they need money again to fill a 6.5 billion dollar deficit, they look to innocentparty to ante up again? As for the school taxes, note I said I love kids, but the point there was like a nonsmoker who thinks smokers should pay over and over again, why should a person pay over and over again for someones education? You are correct when you call educating a philosophy, but it is not a law.
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| michael13339 | |
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04-07-08 11:32 AM
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opinion and everyone elses is completely off the point.
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| michael13339 | |
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04-07-08 11:32 AM
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I am a smoker,have been for about 13 years.Do I want to quit?Absolutely,but for those that have never lit up a cigarette in their life,please do so and carry that habit for a few years, and then try and quit and see hard it is to quit.I say raise the cigarette tax to the point that I cannot afford them,while you are at it outlaw them,stop making them easy for me to get to.We all now the effects it has on our health and the people around us,we don't need to be reminded of that. The whole topic of this article is"Do you support the states plan to increase the state cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack?" that is a yes or noquestion,so why is everyone complaining about who is right or who is wrong on health insurance.To be honest with everyone it does not matter if we agree or dis-agree with the question,we are not important enough to get a vote.Nobody ask us when they raised the price of gas,or how we felt about it,so arguing about this topic is pointless.And making snide remarks a
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| InnocentParty | |
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04-07-08 10:59 AM
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Sorry, correction, "usedtolive's comment about ROCKY1 not contributing...."
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| InnocentParty | |
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04-07-08 10:58 AM
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I'm a smoker and I only cost my health insurance provider the cost of a physical each year as well. Oh wait, that's a lie...I'm female so I cost them a pap smear as well. As for usedtolive's comment about not contributing to society because his children are out of school, you can't pick and choose what ANYBODY contributes. A smoker (by choice) contributes with the already extreme taxes he/she pays on a pack. Why keep raising it? Like I said before, let's tax to excess anything that is a "luxury" or a "habit". If I read usedtolivethere's posts correctly, he/she has no problem with smokers contributing to society by paying school taxes when they have no children in school but he/she also believes that people should not be able to engage in their own vices? How is that fair?
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| usedtolivethere | |
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04-07-08 10:18 AM
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Also, like G'ville said. If you don't want to pay the cigarette tax, give it up. If you don't want to pay school taxes, sell your house.....sheesh, what a bunch
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| usedtolivethere | |
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04-07-08 10:16 AM
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rocky, you ramble. I cost the healtcare system one physical per year. I don't know how you infer "big time" from what I wrote. My best friend died from lung cancer, never smoked, but lived in a house full of smokers, so that would be the last time that I saw someone die from second-hand smoke, and you have the nuggets to tell me I've never seen this? How dare you! Comparing school taxes to health care is condescending. Our countries philosophy has always been to provide an education for everyone. So your kids being out of school means that you no longer wish to contribute to our society? Like I said, you ramble.
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| InnocentParty | |
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04-06-08 10:24 PM
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So gville, exposing and allowing children to become obese is healthy? So much better. Keep feeding children McDonalds and BK. Keep letting them eat potato chips and drinking soda. Heart disease caused by obesity is as much a health issue as smoking. Cirrohsis of the liver caused by drinking alcohol is up there as well. Almost anything/everything one eats, drinks, and does is a potential health risk. Breathing the air is unhealthy and it's not just due to second-hand smoke. It's exhaust fumes from vehicles. It's fumes from the factories. Let's tax air. I'm sure you won't mind paying tax on your air, gville, when nobody smokes cigarettes.
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| rocky1 | |
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04-06-08 5:05 PM
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I would agree with you, usedtolivethere, if it were true that smoking causes all of the horrendous conditions the anti's and crooks say they do. It is actually people like you who cost the health care system big time. When is the last time you saw someone die of secondhand smoke, child or adult? You haven't, it is a lie for more money. My kids have been out of high school for 13 years now, college is paid for, I love kids, but why should I be paying for your child to go to school,gville? Seems to me I paid that a long time ago. Smokers pays your health coverage, how about picking that bill up yourself, even if it means getting a second job or a first one for that matter!
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