Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Is there such a thing as a considerate smoker?
- Thread starter Marlat
- Start date
Not quite. If the government weren't in bed with tobacco, they'd double the tax on tobacco like Canada did.
Just cause our government isn't taking it upon themselves to force smokers to quit by making prices even more outrageous than they already are yet (I've already seen the price of a pack go up at least 2 dollars since I've been smoking, and I'm 23) Doesn't mean they aren't making a dime off it.
If you knew how much it was costing per hospital admission, you'd immediately know that we're losing $ on the deal.
Sorry, but that's just not good enough. "Occasionally" being considerate of children just doesnt cut it with me.
Smoking kills smokers and nonsmokers, it stinks and its disgusting.
Its probably one of the stupidest things humans do. I think the govt should triple the taxes on cigarettes and make it much more difficult for smokers to poison themselves in any and every way possible.
Thanks for that data. In the case of many states, a few patients could eat up that revenue with ease.
Thanks for that data. In the case of many states, a few patients could eat up that revenue with ease.
Realize that those figures are in thousands of dollars. So the total revenue from tobacco taxes was some 16.5 BILLION in 2008. However, in 2009, the total healthcare costs in the US was 2.6 TRILLION, so tobacco really doesn't pull in a whole lot against that, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could find figures showing that the total taxes from cigarettes does not balance out with the cost of direct health issues from them.
You also have to consider how many people the tobacco industry employs, too.
Ah. Given the thousands of patients, ultimately the same outcome. Apparently I needed to look at that figure with glasses on.
As in, walking down the street, walk by a kid walking opposite direction, I'll hold it in for a couple secs till kid is clear. If I was walking by a bunch of kids, or was somewhere around close quarters with children, I put it out, or leave and finish.
So do you believe everything that annoys you should be banned/persecuted? Sorry, the worlds alot bigger than that.
Cause we're all too f-ing stupid to make our own decisions. I smoke. I know its bad for me, but its also a great stress reliever/way to wind down. If you don't smoke I don't expect you to understand, but on the flipside, don't pretend you do either. Also wanted to add, do you also believe that all fast food should be banned? Obesities a pretty bad epidemic also. What about playgrounds, I bet their way up on the list for childhood injuries. And bathtubs, holy cow! They're f-ing deathtraps!!!!!
The bad thing is, it's hard to correlate smokers and their health issues. Just because someone's a smoker and has cancer doesn't mean the smoking caused it. But, I'm with you in that it's likely that the tax revenue in from tobacco does not equal the direct cost associated with it. Especially since the revenue from tobacco isn't being put into the healthcare fund "bucket".
Typical of a weak argument to have to resort to non-sequitur to try to make a point.As in, walking down the street, walk by a kid walking opposite direction, I'll hold it in for a couple secs till kid is clear. If I was walking by a bunch of kids, or was somewhere around close quarters with children, I put it out, or leave and finish.
So do you believe everything that annoys you should be banned/persecuted? Sorry, the worlds alot bigger than that.
Cause we're all too f-ing stupid to make our own decisions. I smoke. I know its bad for me, but its also a great stress reliever/way to wind down. If you don't smoke I don't expect you to understand, but on the flipside, don't pretend you do either. Also wanted to add, do you also believe that all fast food should be banned? Obesities a pretty bad epidemic also. What about playgrounds, I bet their way up on the list for childhood injuries. And bathtubs, holy cow! They're f-ing deathtraps!!!!!
Smoking has a direct, detrimental health effect on you, the smoker, and me, the non-smoker. If you want to smoke, so be it, I will defend your right to make that decision. If you want to inflict that onto other people though, sorry, I won't stand by your side in that case. This goes beyond annoyance - if it were just that, it wouldn't be such a big issue. I don't think the government should outlaw it per se, but apparently morals and consideration aren't enough for some people.
Also, just because I'm a non-smoker doesn't mean I don't understand people who do and people who are addicted.
Well so is masturbation and, frankly, one is a lot healthier. Though I do see a lot of problems arising from constant, spontaneous wank/finger sessions up and down city streets.
If you don't smoke I don't expect you to understand, but on the flipside, don't pretend you do either. Also wanted to add, do you also believe that all fast food should be banned? Obesities a pretty bad epidemic also. What about playgrounds, I bet their way up on the list for childhood injuries. And bathtubs, holy cow! They're f-ing deathtraps!!!!!
As a non-smoker, I'm sure I don't understand but, c'mon dude, comparing smoking to fast food and obesity? That's a bit of a stretch considering the topic of this thread.
Is that the figure to gross healthcare costs or "supposedly" tobacco related costs? Thanks
Also wanted to add that I'm pretty sure it was around 2009/10 or so that there was the last giant tax hike on cigarettes, which I'm sure influences those numbers quite a bit.
Given the co-morbidities and often a very unhealthy lifestyle as a whole, it's hard to say what lifestyle choices are true causes for any of their given health problems. Ultimately, they don't give a hoot and expect the tax payers to take care of it, which is often the icing on the cake.
A prof of mine mentioned that a few old studies showed that taxes alone 10 years ago would need to be about $7 a pack to cover the costs. Knowing the government, you'd need to create many more branches of government to distribute, oversee, manage, oversee managers, etc. Suddenly, the government would need to charge $20 for healthcare to get that $7 per pack.
As I said, that figure isn't easily available to me, so I cannot comment on that.
It still doesn't matter. The total revenue from tobacco was roughly 7% of the total healthcare cost in the US. Even a 10% increase in the tax rate of tobacco won't make a much bigger dent in that figure.
Agreed!
A prof of mine mentioned that a few old studies showed that taxes alone 10 years ago would need to be about $7 a pack to cover the costs. Knowing the government, you'd need to create many more branches of government to distribute, oversee, manage, oversee managers, etc. Suddenly, the government would need to charge $20 for healthcare to get that $7 per pack.
If it did not effect anyone but the smoker I would not care. As a libertarian I am all for people's rights to do whatever they want with their body. Its their body and should be their right.As in, walking down the street, walk by a kid walking opposite direction, I'll hold it in for a couple secs till kid is clear. If I was walking by a bunch of kids, or was somewhere around close quarters with children, I put it out, or leave and finish.
So do you believe everything that annoys you should be banned/persecuted? Sorry, the worlds alot bigger than that.
Cause we're all too f-ing stupid to make our own decisions. I smoke. I know its bad for me, but its also a great stress reliever/way to wind down. If you don't smoke I don't expect you to understand, but on the flipside, don't pretend you do either. Also wanted to add, do you also believe that all fast food should be banned? Obesities a pretty bad epidemic also. What about playgrounds, I bet their way up on the list for childhood injuries. And bathtubs, holy cow! They're f-ing deathtraps!!!!!
Unfortunately, smoking has a huge impact on non-smokers. As a result my personal opinion is that smoking should be made illegal in all public places. If smokers want to kill themselves and stink like an ashtray go right ahead, but keep it away from the rest of us who value our health and like being clean.
Maybe you guys could stick that nicotine in a syringe and inject yourselves. Problem solved for everybody!
