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MNBoxster · 01-03-2007, 11:22 AM

Hi,

If Health concerns were the only factor, the answer is simple - make cigarettes illegal. But, the issue is much more complex than that.

The Tobacco issue is really one of Money, Power, Political Capital and Clout, not to mention tremendous hypocrisy.

The Governments (State and Federal) rely on some $26 B annually in Cigarette Taxes, while they grant $600 M in annual subsidies to Tobacco Growers.

Frankly, I'm surprised that Michael Moore hasn't reared his ugly head over the issue, must have put the $400M he got from Farenheit 9/11 into R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company stock.

And has anyone really calculated the cost of eliminating Cigarettes? Think of the lost Revenue. The number of retail and shipping jobs which would be eliminated, not to mention the glut of out-of-work Healthcare Workers who'd be bagging groceries as their only means of supporting their families? And, Motorsports? Bye-bye.

Then there's the hypocrisy of those here who are appalled at the Smoking issue, all the while condoning, and even counseling, others how to defeat their Emissions Controls and even run straight pipes out the back of their Boxsters (I wonder what the Health risks are from secondhand Exhaust?).

The one thing I'm pretty sure of, at least the last time I checked, was that this is a board dedicated to Boxster Ownership and Enthusiasm. I find no relevance to having this discussion here and think Rich should padlock this thread. There are any number of forums and blogs for people to air their views in a more appropriate setting. As always, just my humble $0.02...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

01-03-2007, 11:22 AM	#18
MNBoxster Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA Posts: 3,308	Hi, If Health concerns were the only factor, the answer is simple - make cigarettes illegal. But, the issue is much more complex than that. The Tobacco issue is really one of Money, Power, Political Capital and Clout, not to mention tremendous hypocrisy. The Governments (State and Federal) rely on some $26 B annually in Cigarette Taxes, while they grant $600 M in annual subsidies to Tobacco Growers. Frankly, I'm surprised that Michael Moore hasn't reared his ugly head over the issue, must have put the $400M he got from Farenheit 9/11 into R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company stock. And has anyone really calculated the cost of eliminating Cigarettes? Think of the lost Revenue. The number of retail and shipping jobs which would be eliminated, not to mention the glut of out-of-work Healthcare Workers who'd be bagging groceries as their only means of supporting their families? And, Motorsports? Bye-bye. Then there's the hypocrisy of those here who are appalled at the Smoking issue, all the while condoning, and even counseling, others how to defeat their Emissions Controls and even run straight pipes out the back of their Boxsters (I wonder what the Health risks are from secondhand Exhaust?). The one thing I'm pretty sure of, at least the last time I checked, was that this is a board dedicated to Boxster Ownership and Enthusiasm. I find no relevance to having this discussion here and think Rich should padlock this thread. There are any number of forums and blogs for people to air their views in a more appropriate setting. As always, just my humble $0.02... Happy Motoring!... Jim'99 Last edited by MNBoxster; 01-03-2007 at 11:59 AM.