Do you think Cigarette and Alcohol tax should be used to fund health insurance for the poor?

Question

And also, shouldn't there be a big tax on consumer electronics that should go towards health insurance for the poor?

Lets be honest here. The same people that claim they can't afford health insurance are the same ones that walk around with $200 iPods, have 50" Plasma HDTVs, Satelite, cell phones with expensive plans, etc, etc. A relatively high percentage of them smoke $50 worth of cigarettes a week, and drink at least $15 worth of Alcohol a week (that is assuming they are not alcoholics and are drinking at home).

You add all that up and we are talking maybe $400-600 in UNNECCESSARY goods and services a month.

Lets tax "DUMB SPENDING" to help pay for what it is they were supposed to be saving that money for in the first place.

Wow bucksbowl, you totall missed the point. Youre so busy preaching freedom and people's apparent right to spend their money on dumb things that you missed the fact that you are allowing these people to take away from other people's right to their money.

Don't you see that when poor people spend so much that they are forced to use tax money to take care of necessities that they are showing that they are not smart enough or mature enough to HAVE the Right to buy these things. Instead you want people that have the money (because of responsible behavior) to pay for this financial meltdown. Where is the fairness in that?

You libs just want to do whatever it is that you want to do, and screw everyone else. Personally, I think that makes you a very bad person, and you should be punished.

Answer 1

If it's the only way to get people healthy again--then I'm all for it.

BTW: Just for clarification?

I'm not a fan of IPods, wish I did have a 42" HDD TV, can't afford cable, don't own a cell, don't smoke, drink a little wine each day (tablespoon's worth)--and basically make do with what I have available at hand.

Answer 2

Problem is the poor are the ones most likely to be spending a higher percentage of their incomes on things like cigarettes and alcohol.

A sin tax to pay for welfare is like taxing the poor to give to the poor, after the politicians get their cut. The only result will be more poor people and more rich politicians. Tax anything too much and you mess up the supply / demand ratios and the sector becomes prone to illegal international smuggling and black markets.

You can make a legal bottle of tequila cost $40 or $50, but someone's going to realize they can sneak it into the country and sell it illegally wholesale at $15 and make a ton of money. So now, who's going to pay taxes for the extra law enforcement and prosecutions?

Answer 3

Heck yeah, let's tax all of those stupid things we all know people shouldn't be doing. After all, everybody knows that smoking is dumb, so lets tax those idiots. And drinking? Well, since I do drink about once a month, let's not tax that quite so much as smoking. And how about golf? I don't play golf, so we'll tax the hell out of that. Yep, we'll decide exactly what people should and should not do, and we'll tax the things we want to discourage. In fact, once Hillary gets her socialism, er that is, socialized medicine ideas passed into law, we won't just discourage things any more, we'll make 'em illegal! We'll have doctors do random urine tests and have them report people found to have been smoking. And anybody with a cholesterol count over 200 will be reported to the Federal Department for the Correction of Improper Behavior, because those people are obviously eating the wrong things. They'll get a warning for the first offense, but they better lay off the fries or else.
And 'ya wanna really get people health conscious? The Federal Department of Non-Elective Surgical Procedures will publicize the fact that anyone determined to have been eating foolishly in spite of two warnings will NOT get that by-pass surgery they need to save their lives. (naturally this won't apply to former presidents) That'll teach 'em.
Or, how about this. Rather than tax "dumb spending" or "dumb habits", let's allow people to keep the money they earn. We'll pretend that it belongs to them, rather than to the government, OK? And we'll pretend that none of us has the right to decide what someone else should eat or drink or drive or smoke! Just for a change of pace we'll all pretend we still live in a free country. Just for a little while, of course. My God, we wouldn't want people to start thinking that they should have the right to decide things for themselves.

Answer 4

No the irony is that poor people are heavy smokers. If they could be convinced not to smoke, they would be healthier, and they would have more money, but then the tax money wouldn't be there to help their kids..

It isn't a popular thought, but I think that the super wealthy and corporations should pay for health benefits for the poor. Because they are super wealthy, which means they won't even feel the sting.

It's not like super-wealthy people automatically do great things with their money, unless you think it's really important to have eight cars and ten homes. I know, I know, it's their right to waste their money. But anyone who can drop a thousand dollars on a dinner can't be serious when it comes to claiming hardship...

A tax on these folks won't hurt them a bit.

Taxing the poor makes no sense to me. They don't have the money.

Answer 5

in case you desire to smoke, pass forward and make my day. Smoke till you choke. I have not have been given any subject with it. I even have observed that many companies have long gone out of employer with the smoking bans. perhaps what we ought to constantly do is hire unlawful aliens to artwork in a smoking eating place and bar. in the event that they squeal, this is lower back to Mexico on a raft. shop the doors locked like a Nineteen Twenties SpeakEasy. enable the Mafia run it. i do no longer smoke. I drink some yet once you desire to get drunk it fairly is your employer no longer mine. as long as you pay for the booze, drink your self to loss of existence. i do no longer care. The Wimps interior the White domicile have ruined this usa. What precisely is Obama's veteran status? the only element he ever shot in his existence is a basketball. we've Billy Ayers butler working the country. i'm shocked Obama hasn't enable Ayer's chum Charlie Manson out of penitentiary yet. Obama smokes. What a hypocrite. Obama is throwing butts out on the White domicile backyard, passing law so as that small companies can no longer have smoking at their institutions.

Answer 6

No additional taxes for anything. The so-called poor are almost non-existent. Taxing one person and giving money to another is socialism. We have too much socialism in the US, now.

Answer 7

No, the poor should get jobs and buy their own insurance or work for companies that provide it. This is America, we all pay our own way.

Answer 8

We need the money to help Subsidize ADM to make Ethanol!

Answer 9

you bet ye.