Taxes on Tobacco Are Just Part of a Program of Government Control over the Lives of American Citizens and the Ostracizing of Smokers is Just a Clever Trick.

No-one can disagree that smoking cigarettes is bad for one’s health, as this has been well publicized by health groups and anti-smoking lobbies for over 50 years.

Of course the tobacco industry remained in denial for a long time in its fight against mass litigation, and to some extent it still is.

However, it seems that society has adopted a one size fits all approach when it comes to smoking, in that we are told anyone who smokes will die from cancer by the time they reach 60.

Maybe that is an exaggeration and it certainly isn’t the case as proven by World War I veteran Henry Allingham, who died aged 113 in July this year.

The British soldier at the time of his passing had been the oldest man in the world, and attributed his longevity to “cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women”.

When Mr Allingham was growing up, smoking was an accepted part of social life, especially in the armed forces.

Now of course smokers are treated like pariahs and the scourge of society, and as such are being discriminated against with huge taxes on tobacco and regulation inflating the costs of smoking.

They do of course have a choice to spend their money on smoking or whatever they like so long as it is legal, but now smokers have few places to enjoy their vice.

Politicians have played a crafty game by publicly speaking out against smoking and siding with the health Nazis, whilst in private being happy to side with the tobacco companies knowing the economic benefits of a strong tobacco industry.

The smokers have been the losers as they have had to pay the price of political hypocrisy by paying for higher taxes on tobacco.

The campaign against smokers and their rights has been largely funded and managed by the pharmaceutical industry, which has a vested interest in making people quit smoking.

They have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into bogus scientific reports and international anti-smoking campaigns, knowing they stand to make even larger amounts in the lucrative smoking cessation business.

As a result smokers are suffering hugely unfair punitive taxes on tobacco, as well as being cast aside by society for being a walking cancer spreader.

Politicians from both sides in Congress have passed useless legislation that does nothing for public health, and nothing to reduce teenage smoking.

Such legislation has only served to raise taxes on tobacco, taxes on the middle-class and increases the control government has over people’s lives.

Smoking Bans Spreading

More and more cities and states in the U.S. are banning smoking in public places.

Whilst not everyone wants to share the habits of smokers, there are fewer places for them to hang out and they are being forced to stay at home as a result.

Where will the legislation end? Well it could mean other social activities being curtailed.

Drinking alcohol has just as many risks to the health of individuals, and can be a cause of liver disease and anti social behavior.

Like smoking though, this will only be the case if people drink too much.

It won’t be long before the health Nazis latch on to that when they are done with smokers, and lobby for a ban on alcohol in public places.

More Taxes and Control

As taxes on tobacco have increased, so too have taxes on alcohol.

This will no doubt continue as the U.S. Government pretends to take a moral stance on drinking and smoking, when actually they are just keen to snatch back taxpayers’ hard earned money.

We face more Government control whether we like it or not.

It seems to be case more often now that people are not allowed to take responsibility for their own actions, diet and habits.

Government is increasingly inclined to dictate to the public what they can or can’t do, so that freedom of choice is rapidly being eroded by the control freaks in Washington.

Staying Healthy

Staying healthy doesn’t necessarily mean not smoking or drinking.

It is wrong to punish people for having the odd guilty pleasure by enforcing higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol, whilst making people feel they are criminals for undertaking such activities.

They have been punished enough. Perhaps the U.S. Government will look also at fat people and force them to take exercise and eat more healthily.

The list of potential for punitive taxes and social discrimination could go on and on.

We are being controlled by governments that want what is best for them and corporate America, and not necessarily for the good of the people.