WRITTEN BY JAMIE NEBEN
Don’t get me wrong. I believe that every American (and every world citizen) should receive health benefits. Does anybody have a problem with me saying that all children should be covered? Does anybody have a problem with saying that health care should be made affordable to everyone? What’s so complicated? Oh wait…how are we going to pay for it? Some of the options under consideration would hit us where it hurts, which is to say that we’ll have to pay more for the things we can’t live without. For instance, the following…
Smokers are not affected by the new law being proposed, but only after the largest federal tobacco tax increase recently went into effect, not to mention that one state after another is banishing them outdoors. Perhaps that means a ceiling was reached, if only temporarily. Combine that with the powerful tobacco industry and maybe that’s why even more taxes were not an option for this particular plan. Look, we know that there’s a link to cancer, but smokers are taxed enough already (and us non-smokers are receiving the benefit) so if we want to ultimately eliminate that “sin,” let’s put more energy into prevention.
And I’m sure you’ve heard about prohibition? Alcohol was made illegal in the U.S. by the 18th amendment and repealed by the 21st amendment. So why was it repealed? Was it the corruption and crime? Was it a political move for a lobby group? Maybe, it’s because Americans like to drink. In fact, many cultures enjoy “adult beverages,” going back thousands of years. I think we can all agree that responsibility is expected and required. We have strong laws to enforce against those people who don’t act accordingly. What about the rest of us? What about those who abide by the law and go to great lengths not to hurt anybody? Is that sinning? If not, why will alcohol be singled out for tax purposes? Our current economic climate is bad enough without further burdening the hard working man or woman who desires a cocktail after a long day, and the hard working bartender who serves it.
I like to have a sugary soft drink (ok it’s a Coke) every morning. I usually don’t even finish it. Would it be any better if I drank coffee or tea? Should I only drink freshly squeezed juice? Water?
Where will it end? I completely agree that we need to provide education and offer incentives to make us a healthier bunch of people. But for somebody (or group) to decide what’s good for us and what’s not, and then legislate those decisions, especially in economic terms, is taking us on a much different path than where our principles originated.