Conservatively Speaking

Yes and number 3) Less inheritance for the kids of parents who die of lung cancer.

As a life long non smoker I really don't care what the tax is on a cigarette. But on this I do agree with you Mary/Kevin. Just like prohibition you create criminals where none existed before and you will have an obligation to spend tax money fighting them. You do increase the black market/smuggling activities when you price something that people want outrageously via taxation or fees.

Additionally you get more crime like murder, theft, etc. I don't think the cigarette market is way over the line yet but it has crossed it because there is a black market for the product. I think further taxation on the product is not a good idea.

But Mary I don't believe you are against this tax increase for any of these reasons. I believe you simply are against any tax increases because you have pretty much said this in the past.

Until you leave that fantasy world where tax levies don't go up, that world of non-inflation, it's hard to take what you say seriously. One must always look for what you "really" are trying to achieve.

I for one know you are really just trying to starve government into being as small as possible so it gets out of the way of big business being able to run the roost without having to answer to anyone who might disagree with what they are doing in the "free" market. The free market that they want to dominate as monopolies.

Based on your above blog entry I would have to believe you support repealing most anti-drug, prostitution and other laws intended to stop people from engaging in behavior they want to engage in even when the behavior is not very healthy. I would hope anyway, otherwise you would seem to be quite inconsistent in your beliefs. These things have created tremendous black markets full of serious crime and with costs far greater to society than just letting people make their own free choices to engage or not engage in the behaviors.

That is all you can come up with? Black-market cigarettes will be more profitable and there will be an increase in cigarette smuggling?!? Who the heck cares.  The cigarette tax should probably be higher than it is.  Its a voluntary tax that nobody has to pay if they don't want to.