Clearing The Air

We all pay the price.....

Is a phrase used by local anti-tobacco group to try to make the claim that smokers cost society money. However, studies show that the extremely high taxes smokers pay for their habit more than offset any "societal costs" by a long shot. More facts here:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2005/12/do-smokers-cost-state-money.html

And this Dutch study proves those who live longer are actually a greater cost burden on society and our healthcare system:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2008/02/new-study-logically-proves-non-smokers.html

One thing the local anti-tobacco group aforementioned doesn't address in their "we all pay the price" phrase is the societal cost we all pay when their smoking bans destroy hospitality businesses and thereby reduce tax revenues to local governments. And we all pay the price for the massive unemployment caused when tens of thousands of bars & restaurants close after their smoking bans are enacted.

So ClearWay MN couldn't be more wrong, smokers more than pay the price for their habit, and if you all remember the S-CHIP program, which "insures the uninsured" by way of increased tobacco taxes, does so on the wallets of smokers. Therefore smokers pay their healthcare costs and the healthcare costs of non-smokers.

The price we all pay though is the price of increased taxes to offset the reduced tax revenue to local government when smoking bans destroy the hospitality industry.....and the cost to society of supporting massive new numbers of unemployed hospitality employees, vendors, suppliers etc.

In case you missed the embedded links above:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/08/city-of-st-paul-demands-tax-hike-for.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/01/100-bars-and-restaurants-put-out-of.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2009/03/worldwide-economic-meltdown-and.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/02/smoking-bans-good-public-policy-or.html

posted by marcus aurelius @ 5:21 AM