NEWS - 2009

You should be furious about paying an additional $13.50 for a carton of cigarettes.  Obama pledged there would be no new taxes on any one making under $250,000 dollars and then turned right around and signed the SCHIP bill.  For those of you who may not know what SCHIP is, it is a Federal and state funded program for children to receive free medical insurance.  Obama, using your money, is expanding it to include 4 million children of illegal aliens and millions of families making up to $85,000.   So if you don’t have health insurance for your children sign up today, at least, some American smoker's will be able to reap the benefits! http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/

Rep. Henry Waxman

The Democrats heady with power have passed a bill that would put under FDA and it has been signed by the President.  What does the mean? The cigarette you know and enjoy will no longer exist.  The bill HR 1103, sponsor Henry Waxman (known to have ties to the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation) passed the House faster than a four alarm fire!   Highlights of HR 1103 are as follows:

1.Nicotine is an addictive drug.  Really??? They seem to have forgotten that it is a natural substance found in many vegetables!

2.Tobacco use is the foremost preventable cause of premature death in America.  It causes over 400,000 deaths in America. LIE!  Read Lies, lies and damn lies!

3.It is in the public interest for Congress to adopt legislation to address the public health crisis created by actions of the tobacco industry. Another LIE.

4.Tobacco dependence is a chronic disease, one that typically requires repeated interventions to achieve long-term or permanent abstinence.  I.E.  anyone who smokes is mentally incompetent to make a choice.

5.Because the only known safe alternative to smoking is cessation, interventions should target all smoker to help them quit.  What they really mean here is to force your to quit.

6.Recent studies have demonstrated that there has been no reduction in risk on a population wide basis from “low tar” and “light” cigarettes and such products may actually increase the risk of tobacco use.   Oh really?  Try a Carlton and then a Camel and let me know if there is a difference.

7. to ensure that the Food and Drug Administration has the authority to address issues of particular concern to public health officials, especially the use of tobacco by young people and dependence  on tobacco; We have laws on the books in every state not to sell to minors under the age of 18.

8. to authorize the Food and Drug Administration to set national standards controlling the  manufacture of tobacco products and the identity,  public disclosure, and amount of ingredients used in such products;

9. to provide new and flexible enforcement authority to ensure that there is effective oversight of the tobacco industry’s efforts to develop, introduce, and promote less harmful tobacco products;

10. to vest the Food and Drug Administration with the authority to regulate the levels of tar, nicotine, and other harmful components of tobacco products; to promote cessation to reduce disease risk and the social costs associated with tobacco related diseases; and to strengthen legislation against illicit trade in tobacco products. Smoke them if you got them cause you won't have them long.

To read the full text click here.

This is just the bill,  FDA will introduce regulations which may be stronger than the bill itself.

What are the tobacco companies doing?  Nothing!  Phillip Morris  has plenty to say against their own product, so does RJ Reynolds and Lorrilard.   If you were looking for help from them FORGET IT!

Obama's health care plan would include lower health insurance rates for everyone but smokers!  People who smoke will pay a higher premium. How much higher that is not defined yet, however, in other countries were there is socialized medicine smoker's have been denied surgery and treatments.  We should expect the same to happen here, if you smoke you might as well go to Mexico for health care cause you won't be getting it here unless you quit.

That is not fair!  We have already been hit by a Federal tax to fund health insurance for illegal aliens, and many states are looking once again to raise taxes on tobacco to balance their budget.

The European's are fighting back....they have won in the Netherlands, Italy and Germany!  We on the other hand do nothing say nothing but keep allowing the government to clobber us for using a legal product.

It is time to write to your Congressional Representative in the House and Senate and let them know that this is totally unacceptable.  Obesity and Alcohol cost the tax payers far more than smokers.

In today's New York Post (7/23/09) the Secret Service are rumored to say that Obama still smokes.  That's fine by me because it is his body and his business but to punish the rest of us for doing the same thing is just plain wrong!

Don't hesitate do it now!