TheAgitator.com
Chicago: Sponsor of Terrorism
Monday, April 5th, 2004If history is any indicator, that’s a plausible outcome of the city’s drastic 82 cents-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax. One pack of cigarettes in Chicago now costs six bucks, second only to New York City.
You’d think that Chicago would know a thing or two about black market crime. Apparently not. Look for smugglers to start bringing cigs in Indiana, and making a fortune doing it. In New York, the problem has gotten so bad that pot dealers have switched to smuggling cigarettes. They’re more lucrative and generally don’t carry jail time if you’re caught.
If Chicago’s lucky, small time dope dealers are all the new tax will attract. New York’s cigarette black market finances international terrorist groups, including the IRA, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda. Remember the Buffalo Six al-Qaeda cell? Financed with black market cigarettes.
What’s worse, tobacco taxes are terribly regressive — poor people spend a greater percentage of their income on cigarettes. They’re also more likely to smoke. So any alleged new programs the new tax funds will be underwritten by Chicago’s poorest. According to the Congressional Budget Office, cigarette taxes also grow more regressive over time. That is, to the extent that they encourage people to quit smoking, they tend to encourage middle and upper income earners to quit, as they’re the folks who can afford more expensive methods of quitting, can afford to replace their tobacco fix with another vice, or are generally happy enough in life that they can do without the comfort that comes in a cigarette.
More crime. A more lucrative black market. All fincanced by poor people.
Nice move, Chicago.
Well, they already had a lottery. Soon the idle rich can be truly idle on the backs of the poor….
Think that’s bad? Here in London, cigarettes cost 5 pounds per pack. With the current exchange rate, that’s about $9. Outrageous. Even the black market cigarettes here are more expensive than in my home state of Virginia.
These people haven’t a leg to stand on, and they know it. I’ve rarely seen a “fact sheet” so chock full of vague, unsubstantiated, egregiously false information.
What did Daley’s thugs do at the 1968 Democratic Convention, if not engage in state terrorism? Considering that Chicago is about the closest thing in the U.S. to a monarchy, nothing would surprise me. Check their web site – every other taxpayer-funded activity is named “Daley-something”. Kind of makes it hard to challenge the incumbent, don’t it? I contend that they know exactly what’s going to happen, and they intend to profit from it.
thank god I moved out of Chicago a few years ago, or otherwise I would have had to sell a litle more of something else to afford my cigarettes.
Stupidity survives! The same perverted thinking that made alcohol the vehicle to finance the crime syndicates we enjoy today are now crafting another vehicle that will now finance another mob type syndicate.
Whenever our esteemed leaders wish our attention to generate trouble they just pass a law against it and we just go around it like the bootleggers of the twenties and thirties. History proves only that we either don’t study it or believe it if we did study it and we must enjoy repeating it for the present generation.
I must agree with Bob on the Chicago monarchy. Those people wouldn’t know what it would be like without a Daley guiding their every step.
Even when voters fail to show up they have nice people williing to place their vote for them. They call it serving the public and the voters believe that a stuffed ballow box is better than no box at all.
It ain’t gonna’ change! Bet on it.
Meanwhile, government both subsidizes tobacco-growers *and* funds anti-smoking programs.
Only gubmint can work this inefficiently.
Chicago: Terrorist Sponsor
Radley Balko writes: Chicago: Sponsor of Terrorism If history is any indicator, that’s a plausible outcome of the city’s drastic 82 cents-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax. One pack of cigarettes in Chicago now costs six bucks, second only to…
The EU is big into anti-smoking stuff like banning it in public places, yet it pumps loads of money into the coffers of crap tobacco growers pockets in southern Europe.
What would be really cool would be if all drugs were equally available, and an objective analysis of each ones relative risk was worked out. This could then be displayed alongside the drugs, or taught at school and we could stop pretending that alcohol and cigarettes and heroin and coffee and paracetemol are totally different things.
Please explain to me how coffea nd heroin are the same?
Duh. Chicago and Daily know exactly what they are doing – and the black market will profit big time.
Wade: I agree – all drugs should be available. Coffee is a drug as sure is heroin. Try keeping coffee away from a three pot a day drinker and see what happens.
The whole war-on-drugs is so bogus – just a bogus as funding tobacco growers and then taxing the users.
duh duh duh – just keeps monies in the coffers. all about money/greed/profit.
At least it’s a regressive tax and that beats a progressive tax.
I’m a reporter in Chicago doing an article on the impact of the new cigarette tax hike. If any of you are willing to be interviewed, please e-mail me ASAP at medillreporter@yahoo.com Thanks