My wife's reason.

[Wildcat]

You guys are making it hard to stay out of this.

[Quarlow]

 ;D ;D ;D  just a friendly discussion thats all. We don't want to get all excited and piss anyone of.
we are adults and if you can't express your opinions without someone getting upset then we should all go live in the bushes. I used to smoke too but after I quite I have become hypersensitive to smoke. It sets of asma in me plus I can smell the smoke with hound like accuracy much to the shagrin of experimenting teenagers around my house. My youngest decided she would see what it was all about with her friends and later when she came home she had just got in the basement door when I said to her down the stairs " you have been smoking haven't you" and my kids can't lie to me at all so she said " how the heck did you know that, god I can't get away with nothing around here". ;D ;D So then we had the talk and she has never smoked since.

[Hoss]

I will agree with you on this. No arguement at all. IMHO though, they should raise the price of them so high that no one can afford them. Of course that just sets up a black market cause where there is a will there is away. Of course I don't really agree with tex us to death policys, but this would be more like a tax us away from death.

OK, here is my issue with this.  Drive tobacco companies out of business and you will effectively destroy the livlihood of many tobacco farmers in the southern US.  Every year, more tobacco is exported from the US than is imported.  This is too big a business to just shut down. 

And, also, why should smokers be discriminated against.  The fact that many states are raising taxes on tobacco products to pay for roads and such infuriates me.  Do most smokers drive?  probably  Do most drivers smoke?  probably not.  Why should smokers foot the bill?

[Wildcat]

I understand you guys wanting to have an intelligent mature conversation on this (as do I) but based on past experiences on this forum, there WILL be some members that will be offended, or upset because there view points are not accepted by someone and complaints will be made about this thread being political and/or offensive.  Heck there were people upset with me simply because I was posting too many short comments or smileys. Look up and read the first part of "Running up post count" thread. That was started because several members (who did not want their names known) asked a friend to contact me and complain. I do not harbor hard feelings for these folks, they have to answer to their own conscience. I simply want to avoid that situation from repeating if I can. I think I came close recently by expressing my thoughts about how another member seemed to portray himself.  I can argue and debate without getting angry very easily, but not everyone can.

[Hoss]

Yeah, good point Wildcat, think we should just let it die.

[Quarlow]

Ok so how much do you pay for a pack of smokes down there. I guess I should remind you that you are talking to a Canadian. They are paying somewhere around $7 to $8 a pack up here so I now all about being tax to death. We get more taxes impose on us than probably most countries. But to say that you would put too many people out of work is like saying it is too bad they cloesd all of those asbestos mines and those poor people had to find other jobs. Perhaps we should open those mines and while we're at it lets reopen all those coke ovens that were destroying all the Great Lakes and polluting the worlds enviroment. Coal is one of the #1 polluting fuels there is but is right for canada to export it to china even though they are trying to get away from using it here. Is it fair to put those people out of work, no but maybe they could get jobs tending to the people with cancer cause by the product that the companys they work for are making huge profits on while the dumb suckers that are hook on must keep buying cause of their unhealthy addiction. We know that this product is not healthy for anyone and even though aunt eunice lived till she was 102 years old and smoked a pack aday there is no way you can argue about the problems to health it causes. So would it be fair to put these people out of work, about as fair as stopping me from selling loaded guns to children. That could be a profitable business and I wouldn't have to pay for the cost of burying the victims of that industry and I could put lots of people to work making them. If the government did put the tabacco companys out of business then they would have all that money to spend from the savings to health care and what they spend on telling us that we shouldn't smoke to provide other jobs for the Tabacco workers.

[Quarlow]

Yeah, good point Wildcat, think we should just let it die.

Ok so now I wish I had read this before my last post. Conversation ends here then or you can pm me either way.I hope no one was offended. I usually don't engage in politcal conversations cause everyone has the right to their own opinion. Sorry.

[classicrockgriller]

How about them Cowboys?

Did they play a good game or what?

[Hoss]

More of a Jets fan myself.  But yeah, they did play a good game!

[Quarlow]

I hear the yankees beat the the Vancouver Canucks again. ;) ;)

[Tiny Tim]

I just found out that I have an illegal (in Iowa) product on my shelves at the store.  Guess that's what I get for not going to work the past 6 months plus. :)

[Hoss]

And what might that product be?

[Tiny Tim]

190 proof Everclear.  Sounds like Bacardi 151 is on it's way out as well.

[Hoss]

What is the law?  I didn't know that stuff was illegal (of course, I don't live in Iowa either).

[Tiny Tim]

Haven't seen the law yet...just read a news report about some kid at a private college here in Iowa that went to the hospital with a .50 BAC, from drinking Bacardi 151.  The article said that the 190 proof Everclear had been made illegal a few months ago.