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by Setrepeoh
on Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:09 am |
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Endure the unjust taxes, insults, and bans for choosing a lifestyle different from everybody else? I thought taxation without representation was why we sought our independence as a nation. The US Congress passed a huge tax without our approval; State Governments have outlawed smoking in restaurants, and public buildings, even open air auditoriums are banning smoking....More and more, smokers are being persecuted and bled white from the people who are elected to represent us... Name any other citizen who has to pay such a ridiculous amount of taxes for pursuing their choice, singled out to pay more in health care group coverage and even required to take a blood test if they try to attest to no longer using tobacco?
How can we make this vicious cycle stop? |
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Setrepeoh
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Joined: Jul 08, 2009
Posts: 10
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by Smoker Sympathizer
on Sun Jul 19, 2009 8:53 pm |
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I think the hardest part about that is getting non-smokers to see that the systematic demonizing of the smoker is bad for everyone. It shows those in charge that all they need to do to get otherwise nice normal people to treat others in such an appalling manner is to fearmonger, exaggerate and keep repeating those exaggerations. Lots of times, I look at a new magazine and the articles inside and think, I've seen pretty much all of these articles in the last issue. But it's a new magazine with a new cover. I think the same principle applies here. The arguments the anti's use are not new, they're just quoted ad nauseum in almost every "health" article. Then people who read enough of these things start quoting them and it seems like those with the opposing viewpoint are alone. And nobody wants to be alone. As much as taking on the establishment is glamorized, no one actually wants to be the first one to do it, because oftentimes it means a tremendous loss. It could be of family, friends, career, money or a combination thereof. Oftentimes it's only when people start seeing how much has been lost for no reason or a poor one that there is a return to sanity. Then the pendulum swings the other way and the whole process begins again, like Hegel's dialectic. That's why we must constantly be vigilant in protecting all our freedoms. That's part of the reason that I, as a non-smoker, am very much on your side. You represent liberty; the anti's represent tyranny.
Also, unfortunately, smokers don't fight back. For some reason many seem to think they deserve the abuse they're given, and accept ban after ban, restriction after restriction quietly. What they should do is carry pocket calculators, whip them out every time an anti harasses them, and show the anti how much of the tax burden smokers carry and how much would be passed onto the anti if the smoker ceased to exist. Then the smoker should demand the anti buy him/her a beer to say 'thanks for paying an unfair and oppressive share of the taxes so I don't have to'.  |
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Smoker Sympathizer
Toker
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 86
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by garhkal
on Mon Jul 20, 2009 4:53 pm |
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| Too true, but then there are those of us who DO try and fight back but get lambasted so much, it makes it seem worthless to continue to fight. |
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garhkal
Enthusiastic Smoker
Joined: Apr 24, 2009
Posts: 278
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