So NY state just raised the tax on packs of smokes by an additional $1.25. I know a lot of people out there are probably going "good", but honestly how is this reasonable at all? We are using our government taxation system to prevent behaviors people deem "bad" now? Since when? What happens when next week they decide that eating candy is "bad" and they aught to tax high calorie foods to extreme levels in order to prevent people from being fat?

I fully agree with the recent bans of smoking in public places because second hand smoke impacts people against their will. Using taxes to try to punish people for smoking is setting a dangerous precident in our world. If you want to smoke and don't care what it is doing to you then that is your choice. If you aren't going to force anyone else to inhale your second hand smoke there should be NO PROBLEM with this activity.

Why don't they tax booze the same way? why don't they tax mc'donalds? Why don't they tax skiing? Plenty of people fall down while skateboarding and get hurt....should we start taxing the hell out of that now? This is where we are headed as a society when the government has to come step into our personal lives and tell us how to behave.

If you smoke you should pay higher insurance premiums if you want to be protected; that is IT. Using taxes to combat behavior is scary 1984 shit and it should not be done. That's the bottom line.