Funding programs through special taxes... that don't work

[question everything]

I am not a smoker but when I heard that SCHIP will be paid for by increasing federal cigarettes tax I had to wonder about the poor smokers that continue to get squeezed. Still, what will happen if the smokers will finally "see the light" and quit smoking? How will we pay for all the health programs, including SCHIP?

Then we have the highway fund that gets its funds from federal gasoline tax. But when so many quit driving this past year, the highway fund found itself short.

Here in the Twin Cities metro, there is a bus company that gets its funding from sales tax on new cars. No one buys new cars, the company has to cut its service even though ridership has risen significantly.

Why can't we dump all taxes and fees and levies into one pot and get out whatever is needed? Yes, same for Social Security and Medicare.

Of course, we will then have to have good auditors and managers who will manage this pot..

[spanone]

1. the poor smokers wont get their taxes back if they don't pass schip..

i'm glad it's going to provide healthcare for over 4 million kids..

[Waiting For Everyman]

2. Stop smoking aids should be free -

subsidized with that money if it's going to go to anything. $40 for nictine gum or patches.

Yet few object to the outrageous unfairness because most are profiting from it. Typical of what ethics have sunk to these days.

[Horse with no Name]

3. Yet...the proceeds from the tobacco lawsuits were SUPPOSED to go for childrens healthcare BUT

the Bush DOJ decreased the amount from $130 billion to $14 billion, yet NOW they are going to get the money through the backdoor and go after the smokers.This is NOT fair.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/07/doj_official_to.html
>>>snip
Associate Attorney General Robert McCallum will be deposed this morning in a lawsuit seeking information about why the Justice Department drastically reduced the amount of damages it was seeking in a suit against the big tobacco companies.

Last June, following a lengthy trial, DOJ officials announced they were cutting the amount of damages they were seeking from tobacco companies, from $130 billion to $14 billion.

That decision prompted the lead attorney in the government's case, Sharon Eubanks, pictured above, to quit, saying that Bush political appointees undercut the government's case against big tobacco.

"The amount sought by the U.S. government was dictated by the political appointees of the Department of Justice," Eubanks, a 22-year veteran, told ABC News last year. "It was very difficult to work with political officials," she said, "I did not receive their support or encouragement."

[question everything]

9. The question is: can we go back and change the terms? (nt)

[DJ13]

4. I really believe this tax violates the campaign premise Obama ran on

You know, that the middle and lower classes were paying too much in taxes while the well off skated by with lower taxes.

Well guess which portion of the population comprise the largest percentage of tobacco users?

The middle and lower classes.

So here we have the first tax proposal Obama signs into law, and who gets fucked over yet again?

I had hoped Obama was a different kind of politician, but all Im seeing is just the same old crap with a (D) behind his name.

[1]

5. hey! but it's about the children! just because...

the burden for funding this bill is incredibly regressive and not sustainable, that shouldn't diminish our joy (and the great speeches and photo ops) for the children.

the 4 million that will be covered this year. and the 3 million next year. and the 2 million after that.

poor people love children too!

[question everything]

6. Oh, yes. It is for the children

So when smoking will drastically decrease, we can blame the smokers for... wanting to be healthy.

:evilfrown:

[sutz12]

7. I basically agree, except for the SS/Medicare ideas....

They should still be separate. SCHIP should be funded out of general revenues.

Hopefully, we'll get some form of UHC that will make this tax redundant.

[Greyhound]

8. Thank Raygun. n/t