afutiledread:

Life just like smoke, is sometimes a hindrance to the eyes. Although all the while beautiful. In the wrong light, intimidatingly foreboding. It rises slow and then vanishes. The warm tar left cooling in your lungs. You lick your lips and think on it more. Life is smoke. Before you realize, it’s gone.

and once again I feel like a stranger in my own home.

This proposition is known as “The California Cancer Research Act”. It would add a $1 tax per pack on tobacco products to help with “life saving research for cancer and stop kids from smoking.” They claim it will raise over $500 million a year. At first it seems like a small price to pay and that it is a noble endeavor. They also claim that raising the price of tobacco will in turn force more people to quit.

However, in the proposition itself it says that money raised from this tax would not go directly into a cancer research fund but to a bureaucratic council who then deem how much of the money is used and where it goes. It also says that the money can be spent outside the state. Whats the point of taxing people in our state for cancer research in our state if you just want to send the money to another state to do it? It doesn’t make sense, and why doesn’t it make sense? This proposition is straight up solid gold bullshit.

This is just another way for money hungry bastards to use more bureaucratic nonsense to forward their own personal agenda. They don’t give a fuck about cancer research or this state. I have an idea how about instead of punishing people for making their own life choice you actually punish criminals? You know, welfare fraud, amnesty and free health care and education for illegals. Also, why do you need government to make cancer research off the backs of the tax payer? If California wasn’t in the shit hole it’s in now and the regulations and taxes weren’t already out of control wealthy and compassionate people would donate themselves.

It’s not that I don’t support research for cancer, but I don’t support these ambiguous propositions that use pretty language and pseudo-compassion. This state is out of control! 

Now, I am a smoker and no $1 tax isn’t going to stop me from smoking. It’s not really paying that extra dollar that ticks me off its the fact that these fuckers who write these things up know people are stupid and wont actually read and look into the details of this thing.

Here’s some info from the Propostion and its supporters:

*60 percent of all funds will go toward research into prevention, causes and treatment
*20 percent will fund smoking cessation and tobacco use prevention
*15 percent will pay for facilities and equipment to support research
*3 percent will help police enforce anti-tobacco laws and stop tobacco smuggling
*No more than 2 percent will be spent on administrative costs

Funds will be controlled by 9-member Citizens Oversight Committee from California’s leading medical schools, advocates for the prevention of tobacco-related illnesses and cancer survivors themselves.

See it looks nice and seems like a noble cause. Except I have a problem with terms like “Anti-Tobacco”. So it’s OK to trample all over someones personal choices to advance your own? What kind of crap is this? I bet these yuppie health freaks have no problem driving around in their big cars and flying on their personal jets. Lets get some consistency! You want to ban cars and airplanes too? All I ask is look into the thing yourself, it’s not what it seems and it’s just another way for this over reaching government to steal your money and trample on your freedom.