Afternoon all...I'm about to hit a nerve for some. The young folk will have to do some homework...because they cannot recollect this...so listen up!
At one time 9 out of 10 people farmed. The health issues then were very different. Seventy years ago we know we had not what we have today for our health. We have diseases now in high numbers that weren't just undiagnosed but were far and few. Our diets have changed radically. Look at the American Indian. In one generation the diet of the indian nation was eliminated, in it's a place, a creation of diabetes. Do your homework...don't just look the word up there young man/woman.
Once the farms were eliminated, the availability was gone... Manufacturing exploded. Women who once shopped at multiple shops for the variety of fresh foods that are soo good for us found themselves hired to replace men in the workforce. Cheap labor. Processed foods for all has become the usual...the everyday... I don't know too many women that still bake bread weekly, shop for fish at the fish store, shop for meat at the butchers, or have thier weekly fresh vegies bagged and ready to be used in the home for our families by the Fruit Man. "Anyone recall THE RAG MAN?"
So our life styles have changed. Our ability to be trim and healthy has seen a change. The indian saw the change in one generation, now we are, we have. Fathers and mothers no longer have the pleasure of a regular routine that is healthy. We all have to put in our 40hrs per week. It takes two paychecks to just survive. No one is home and no one is about to see to our food needs. Mothers work because Father lost his high paying job to two women. Progress hasn't helped us in this area. So with no one to fill the position of full-time mother we eat what our schedules allow and what has become common. It's not healthy. Now...we have faced the facts of the change in times.
Without a real treatement pardon...effective treatement, taxing tabacco again and again is a crime. Drug addicts get methadone for free. The legal tobacco user gets no break. Don't think a smoker doesn't realize that there will be a day that the Dr. Says..."quit or get your affairs in order". but hey...it's the only bad thing I do...I still bake bread...I'm home when my children need me. I cut coupons and protect with my life my grandmothers recipes. Without them I couldn't afford not to work full-time.
Leave the smokers be for the time being. Facts are the facts and I won't argue over it. If a tax is needed the answers are right in front of you, all of us. This is where I strike a nerve. Some people will love this...some will fear legal action. Here goes...
Eliminate tobacco tax from 1986 to date. Replace with ...are you ready... A One dollar per hour tax on companies that hire/advertise for bi-lingual workers. This tax, yes will be in accordance to the weekly schedule of the employee. Translators will be excempt in a medical facility..
If you don't speak english then you'll have to do like the rest of my family had to do five generations ago.. Bring someone with you to translate until you speak the language of this country that you chose to live in. "Comment est durement cela pour comprendre"
To eliminate smoking in one day...one year....5 yrs.... 10...with no successful treatment is a farce. Punish the drug addicts...punish the alcoholics... Punish manufacturers that use of cancer causing agents in all these lovely things we think we must have to be someone...or to have arrived. England and France are 10 years ahead of us. Why...because that is a huge chunk of the health issues. Place a tax where it will do good while other alternatives are found...sorry but I have to go...Dad is home with the kids and it's time for supper...then play for a bit outside....kids in at no later than 7 p.m. wash hands face and feet.....quiet play while dad reads the paper...or help mummy fold laundry....then dad takes over for story time....and off to brush teeth and bedtime... oops...the kids won't even notice there isn't a scheduled...chosen program tonight to watch...imagine that..
Tell me...who is brave/savy enough to take this on..and I'm not talking about checking under the kids fingernails.... Tax what is effective NOW... what has been done is the wrong way. If your weight is an issue your a target...if your habits aren't swell..your a target... but hey kiddo wait till it's your genes we point at.
p.s. chantix makes me toss my cookies....cold turkey...doesn't work for everyone...Our economy is in trouble...Effective taxation ... Put people back in thier jobs and mothers back where we're able to do better for ourselves and our children.
Look at societies structure and the changes we've crippled ourselves with...Tell me...How hard is that to understand?
exactly
· 1 year ago
you go girl
Dave
· 1 year ago
What the frack does this rant have to do with the topic? Looks like someone started hitting the sauce early today. Yikes.
Diane Keple
· 1 year ago
There should be a larger tax put on Beer and Alcohol as well. After all, liquor related health illnesses such as cirrosis cost millions. Not to mention the innocent lives taken away. If you smoke you're taking your own life, not some one elses. I do not smoke and I do not drink and I think this whole thing is very unfair. Raising the tax on cigarettes to pay for health care is just an excuse. Romeny put this health care system into effect why didn't he make sure Massachusetts could pay for it? I'm sure he did. And what's going to happen when national health care takes over? Will they lower the tax on cigarettes? No I don't think so, It's just an excuse to charge the little people more money as is the rising prices in everything else. We still don't know why the gas prices are so high and why it is being allowed to climb. Every one's hands are tied here. Government in control of our hard earned money ( for those who are fortunate enough to have a job),isn't this some form of Communism?
Sgt
· 1 year ago
I hope you don't vote.
Man we messed up.
Shaggy
· 1 year ago
Actually, we do know why gas prices are so high,it's called supply and demand. China and India. Also people like to blame some faceless,cruel oil co but those companies are own by everyday people in the form of stocks which btw are the only ones doing good right now.
Shaggy
· 1 year ago
I'm gonna hit the sauce hard today,but after reading the many posts here about obesity I will definitely make sure that it's lite beer. About 30 of them.
Hometowngirl
· 1 year ago
Good for YOU!! You said it ALL!! Nope , chantix didnt work for me either and it was very expensive for me and my husband- 3 months of it. Now they tell you how bad it is for you, but we tried! Yes I remember the Rag Man years ago. Have a good day!!
Boo Radley
· 1 year ago
ahhhh to dream.....got a warm fuzzy feeling reading that....thanks
btw....my dad tells stories of throwing rocks at the Rag Man's horse...
koolaidmum
· 1 year ago
Hi Boo...Your quite welcome sir. I too had a warm fuzzy moment when I saw the comment(s) recalling "How things used to be." It's a good feeling knowing there are still many of us out here.
Oh..and MIKE...if you can find employment in lawrence with a snap of the fingers that doesn't require you to speak spanish... You have the coin to toss.
Mike
· 1 year ago
So you are for sticking working women back in the kitchen barefoot with kids running around everywhere, tending to the home fire while the man is out hunting and foraging for the brood?
What happens if Mom and Dad are actually "Dad and Dad", or "Mom and Mom" ? Do they flip a coin?
Get a clue, and step into the 21st century.
portajuan
· 1 year ago
I recall the rag man. One white horse and one dark horse. I grew on Lexington St. and the rag man would come by each week. How about the peanut vendor down by the common?
vwjetta
· 1 year ago
What a friggin joke. Of course that Lantigua voted for it, anything to steal more money from tax payers to give to irresponsible, lazy and downright pathetic people of his city/country (DR.)
If you're going to tax tobacco then you need to impliment fat tax. You fat people cost the healthcare system far more money than smokers (THAT'S A FACT.) Being overweight is far more detrimental to your health than smoking.
I'm sick of these scumbags in office ruining the great commonwealth by making it live up to the nickname 'Taxachusetts.'
Hometowngirl
· 1 year ago
You are just plain ignorant about fat people, maybe you are UGLY and need to vent on over weight people-low self esteem problem HA????? We buy the cigerettes in N.H anyway so what's the difference? That's discrimanating against us smokers, like it's going to stop us from smoking, I've tried a million times .... bye the way I'm over weight and healthy so kiss ....................
vwjetta
· 1 year ago
It is not ignorance if it is a fact. You are not healthy if you are overweight. Ask any Doctor, they will tell you. If you truly believe that you are 'healthy' if you are overweight you clearly cannot be healthy, both mentally and physically. I'm sorry if the truth offends you so badly.
P.S You do realize that you are breaking the law by going to NH to buy cigarettes if you are a MA resident, right? It's called tax evasion. Way to be a 'Tax paying' citizen like you've stated in one of your other posts, meathead.
Hometowngirl
· 1 year ago
OH, you have never shopped in N H, YA RIGHT!!!
Commentard
· 1 year ago
Dude, I was with you until the whole tax evasion thing.
I see nothing wrong with an Oreo tax.
Starving oneself isn't healthy
· 1 year ago
The person that thinks it's tax evasion to shop in NH, is the same person convinced that "fat people" are hurting our healthcare system. Yeah, I really want to take the time to argue with someone of your high intellect.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
bye the way I'm over weight and healthy so kiss ...................... Great and I bet you protest every time you have to Fly Southwest because they charge your fat a$$ double to fly on their planes ..Or complain because a little kid is staring at your girth ... but keep blaming it on genetics, thyroid, and the bevy of other excuses the large and out of control population use ... never will you say "Im lazy and have no self control" because that would be admitting guilt
Shaggy
· 1 year ago
I will not blame anyone else for being overweight. I love food. All food. When some little kid looks at me,I say "hey kid, you think I'm fat now, wait til football season starts."
Dispickable
· 1 year ago
How bout a homosexual tax........look what the gays are costing the health system! Better yet, Iran doesn't have any, send them their quota of 10%.
Seriously???
· 1 year ago
what kind of ignorant comment is that.... what an idiot
Commentard
· 1 year ago
Umm... I have a feeling that was meant to be a joke.
I have the feeling
· 1 year ago
That jokes are supposed to be funny.
Dispickable
· 1 year ago
I have a feeling you'd "seriously" have to pay the h tax.
Mike
· 1 year ago
Those who strongly make negative comments about gay people are typically people who are angry and refuse to accept the truth that they are gay themselves.
Hometowngirl
· 1 year ago
Oh so you are one of those.... you think cause someone is gay they have aids, get a life PLEASE, we are talking about fat and taxes on smoking , guess I need one now, I pay my taxes and I should be able to smoke where I want but dont cause I'm not ignorant as some people, dont even smoke in my own house WOW!
mingyavalleyford
· 1 year ago
do these lawmakers care that we are in a recession. sure tke the last seven bucks out of our pockets some of us could have used for gas ps. love the people who voted you in office and can vote you out next election capeche
It's not a fact
· 1 year ago
It doesn't matter how many times you say it's a fact, but it's not.
cHicHi
· 1 year ago
Willy is despicable, he should be deported...maybe this illegal immigrant turned politico revolutionary will end up back in jail where he belongs and actually served time years ago, when someone finally catches up to his disgraceful antics.
Mamasota
· 1 year ago
Bochinchera you got actitud Willy wants the best for us. Were you wit him in jail, I think your gringa and don't appreciate him
Miz Jen
· 1 year ago
Its pretty sad that they have to find something else to raise the taxes on. Where is this tax money going? The highways are awful, and so are most of the major streets. If they are going to tax cigarettes then they should lower gas tax....
Tax marijuana
· 1 year ago
Need tax money? Legalize marijuana, and tax it like cigarettes.
Boo Radley
· 1 year ago
I smoked for years before quitting. What made me quit ? $$$Money$$$ Many people I know that quit smoking were motivated by a tax increase. Not saying I agree with sticking it to smokers (they've been beat to crap already with no smoking laws), but the tax increase will motivate many to quit.
at what price point does a black market get created for cigs ??
Mr.Me
· 1 year ago
Increased cigarette tax does nothing to motivate people to quit. The only thing it will do is cause more people to buy their cigarettes in NH or online. I haven't bought a pack of cigarettes in MA in YEARS, and I have no intention on ever doing so. Of course, more people not buying cigarettes in MA will effect the sales revenues and next year they'll be raising the cigarette tax again because they will claim (due to the drop in sales) that the increase caused people to quit.
Commentard
· 1 year ago
Just because it hasn't motivated YOU to quit doesn't mean it hasn't motivated anybody. You might be driving 5 minutes to NH to get your fix but I doubt there are many that live in the middle of the state that are going to bother. It'd probably cost them more to get there not than it will save.
jojo
· 1 year ago
I think it is pretty funny how people call Mass taxachusetts. I travel and there are other states so close to us that are so much worse. Like New York that has a 8% tax even on food and clothes where we don't have taxes on those necessities. I think it is also pretty funny how this person thinks being fat is far more dangerous to your health than smoking. When you smoke you are hurting yourself and others with the second hand smoke. When you are fat, it is only affects your own health.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
All you Fat Nay Sayers and idiots who claim this is going to make people quit .. Thats great but guess what .. if people quit smoking then where is that lost tax revenue come from next? How about a twinkie tax. How about Higher health care premiums for people deemed overweight even if they are pronounced healthy to reduce costs on us thinner Healtheir people? Also fact is a fact obese and Overweight people have more chronic problems Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue, Bad knees, Bad Backs, Breathing problems, Sleep Apnea, Depression, Thyroid, Gout, Infections, bad circulation... I can keep going.
So remember those smokers are keeping your taxes down ... without them Burger King is going to look like Tavern On the Green when you order your Dbl Whopper with Cheese tax monies need to come from someone
jojo
· 1 year ago
Obviously this person is a smoker who likes to hand his second hand smoke to everyone around so that they can get cancer like him/her. Do you know how silly that sounds to add special tax to BK?! That is like saying when you go to a restaurant like The Chateau or something, depending on what you order you may have extra taxes cause you might get cheese. What an idiot!!!
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
For the record Im a non smoker and you obviously have no ability to understand what I wrote. Let me use simpleton terms for you
When the smokers quit smoking maybe the state should implement a fast food tax to cover the lost revenues of smokers quitting and the self righteous non smokers who think it is a good idea because of second hand smoke ... you dolt.
Maybe if you took the Twinkies out your mouth and learned how to read something other than the ingredients you would have understood my posting...
jojo
· 1 year ago
you said cheese tax not fast food tax so I think you need to reread what you write before you assume that I don't understand what you wrote. I guess that makes you the dolt for assuming.
Mike
· 1 year ago
A simpleton using simpleton terms ... there's a strange but satisfying balance to that.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
And your contribution to this conversation is ... "Those who strongly make negative comments about gay people are typically people who are angry and refuse to accept the truth that they are gay themselves."
Wow your truly ground breaking in your in-depth analysis of musings .Your psycho analysis of somebody's postings deserves Pulitzer consideration..... You should be heralded for your contributions hell immortalized for all to see in the future ...
Looks like Mike is one of the many people pointing out the dim-witted elephant in the room.
All you can respond with is taunts and insults? Where's that superior intelligence that you apparently assume you have?
I'm laughing at you even more now.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Lastly HoHo I mean Jo Jo ..Obesity is the #1 Killer as it passing smoking in the United States ...So accroding to you Second Hand smoke causes a lot of death .. So doenst Drunk Driving
Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United
The government said 12,945 motorists died in a crash involving a legally drunk driver in 2005, compared with 13,099 in 2004. Alcohol-related fatalities also fell during that span: from 16,919 in 2004 to 16,885 in 2005.
But poor diet and physical inactivity caused 400,000 deaths
jojo
· 1 year ago
I guess you have to go to name calling because you realize your point doesn't matter. It's so sad that you have to go that route. The point of these comments is to say how you feel not call names. Pretty sad.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
My point doesnt matter????? ...... Denial is a sad thing JoJo.. you should try to accept your overweight and your second hand smoke claims hold as much weight as that person you strive to be.
The new tax law is targeting a select group just like If they implemented a tax on all people who were considered overweight and your narrow minded self rightgeous attitude would be crying foul ... so do us a favor Call Jenny Craig and see if they think targeting a single group of people is fair taxation. So when the smokers are all gone and the state needs money ..... I will push for a fat tax so I dont have to listen your heavy breathing, crumb covered mouths and your kool aide stained children whining
portajuan
· 1 year ago
I'm feelin a lotta love on this board
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Come on in Juan please add something ... Some point of validity ... im dealing with newbies and amateurs
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
An estimated 129.6 million Americans, or 64 percent of the population, are overweight or obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index -- a ratio of weight to height -- of more than 30. That usually means being 30 pounds overweight for a woman and 35 to 40 pounds overweight for a man of average height. More than 30 percent of adults in the United States -- or 59 million people -- are obese, according to the disease control centers. Serious health implications, like heart disease and diabetes risk, are associated with a body mass index of 30 and above.
If Americans continue to get fatter at current rates, by 2020 about one in five health care dollars spent on people ages 50 to 69 could be a result of obesity, 50 percent more than is spent now, another study, by the RAND Corporation, found.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that tobacco use was still the leading cause of death in 2000, killing 435,000 people, or 18.1 percent of everyone who died.
Yes In year 2000 Tobacco was the #1 Killer ... Guess what Is Now?? Being FAT
BMI
· 1 year ago
Because BMI does not take into account factors such as frame size and muscularity, varying proportions of fat, bone, cartilage, water weight, and more, BMI is not an accurate indicator of health.
For example, an NFL athlete is considered "overweight" by BMI calculations.
Nice try, but you fail as usual.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Sure thing skippy .. excuses are for fat people who cant think of much else they blame it on everyone else but themselves... " WAHHH The BMI is Unfair " Wah ... thing is youll never be an NFL athlete so whats your excuse
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Also BMI, an NFL player can run the 40 in 4.5 .. It takes a fatty 4.5 hours to run it ...
Mike
· 1 year ago
Hey Anti-nitwit: how fast can YOU run a 40?
Telling us here means nothing, btw: let's arrange for a public test of your abilities so that we can all gauge how much more athletically superior you are to the rest of us.
IOW: Put up or shut up.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Awww did I hit a nerve Mikey ... I never claimed I was Athletically superior .. I just claimed i wasnt fat and I was a non smoker
Also I didnt claim that NFL athletes would be considered overweight... according to BMI index ...
I did claim that an NFL athlete can run the 40 yd dash in 4.5 ... and If I could do that as well then your lame fatbody would be worshiping me every Sunday with your Hot wings and beer ... my point being that Yes BMI on NFL players is off the charts difference is they are athletic and workout Daily they don't sit on the couch feeding their faces day dreaming of what it would be like to be a NFL player .. and reliving their High School days.
jodi
· 1 year ago
maybe the methuen city council should start smoking and stop eating bunch of fatties!!!!!!
portajuan
· 1 year ago
Everybody just calm down. If you are not a smoker this will not effect you. If you are a smoker just go accross to NH and buy there. The only foks this is going to hurt are the store owners. Living so close to Salem NH is very benificial. For those who do not live near NH.....maybe time to quit.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Juan, Unfortunately this affects everyone. The state is using smokers as an excuse to pay for healthcare and revenue shortfalls. Problem is when the smokers quit who do they go after next ... You , Me and every other knucklehead on this forum but it seems that JoJo the Second Hand Smoke expert likes to think the Commonwealth is taxing smokers in the best interest of Your health and to make everyone a healthy happy citizen. When in reality Obesity is causing your health care to cost much more and is has become an epidemic and Id like to know when the Commonwealth is going to institute a twinkie tax on those who cant control themselves with food around . So I am ultimately defending smokers so that you and I dont have to pay the burden for others addictions when the smoker decides to quit
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Here ya go an article on Child Obesity in Lawrence.
You are an idiot! Lawrence public schools, perhaps?
Shaggy
· 1 year ago
Did you say Burger King. I love that SLOP. I gonna have a double whopper with cheese, while smoking some Lucky Strikes. emmmm good
Hometowngirl
· 1 year ago
HE HE, BK and a smoke , sounds good MMMMMMM!!
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Hey Kay, You should read .. Im defending your right to smoke without being heavily taxed ... as far as being fat that's your choice just don't ask me to subsidize your health care. There enough Lazy lifestyles being paid for as it is.
Hometowngirl
· 1 year ago
Who made you a doctor, I know skinny poeple that have sleep apnea too, it's caused from the throat, where did you get your degree from BK??? Maybe you are thinner but maybe you have a face that only your mother can love----- You have to knock overweight people, cause idiots like YOU think you are perfect-ya the perfect .........! You need to make yourself feel better by knocking over weight people- sounds like a very low sefl esteem for sure!!!!! Now I'll have a smoke from N. H!!!!
GRINGO
· 1 year ago
Trying to get back on point. I wonder if Willie Lantigua realizes the damage this will do on the scores of Bodegas in his district, if they go to N.H. for their smokes, soon they will car pool to get Beer, Wine and rice n beans, diapers etc there. He may be in trouble, the election is a few months away. This is a fatal mistake!!!!!
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Gringo, Where is the tax revenue going to come from when it is lost to those who go to NH and/or quit ...can someone answer that question please????
Rosie
· 1 year ago
If we lose the tax revune then maybe we won't have to support those fat lazy azzed welfare addictied people anymore because the moeny ran out? I can dream....
ChairmanOfTheBoard
· 1 year ago
Of course Barbara L'italien supports a tx increase! She always does.
get a life
· 1 year ago
Hey Shaggy,I just saw Anti-Haverhill hanging around Burger King fuming at all the working class getting a quick lunch. Now he will spend the rest of the day kickin the cat and flagellating himself.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Nope wasn't me .. I was eating my Chicken Ceasar salad at Burlington House of Pizza but thanks for thinking of me ..
Boo Radley
· 1 year ago
mmmmmm there's CHEESE on that right ?
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Certainly Boo ...but in Moderation of course .. excessive amounts of cheese could lead to obesity and ultimately death ...
second hand cheese is deadly
Wow, really?
· 1 year ago
ANTIHAVERHILL- I'll admit, your sarcastic comments make me laugh and I mean that in a friendly way. You obviously do your research on these topics... however it seems like every time I am reading an article you are the only person who seems to be the most rude and cruel with your sarcastic comments. I'm not about to start dropping names- I won't stoop to your level. And hey, you know, maybe you ARE smarter than me but I (and I'm sure a lot of other people) would rather surround myself with twinkie tax loving, BK gorging fat people ANY DAY than the likes of you! By the looks of it, you must sit at your computer all day, pulse racing just WAITING on the article you can comment on next while eating your rinky dink salad and feeling like a great and healthy person. Are you married? Do you have kids? I'm assuming not and I doubt you ever will with that attitude. Do yourself a favor and get yourself into some anger management, buddy.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Well thats fine your entitled to your opinion. Let it be known that Im not here to make friends and Im not looking for admiration and or anyone's support. The problem is nobody can engage in a conversation with facts. Also I feel strongly that one group is being singled out for nothing more than their addiction. Thats why i use fat people as examples. People pick apart smokers and nobody wants to own up to the facts where Obesity has taken over as the biggest killer of people. Smoking has been knocked out. 2nd When this tax revenue dries out guess what your wallet is next regardless if your fat or skinny so it doesn't matter either way. So im pointing out the fac tthat they are coming after everyone because the inability of state government to take care of the issues. Everyone is claiming that smoking causes healthcare to go up well if everyone quits you think they are going to Lower your health insurance premiums??? Sure and pigs will fly. So enlighten yourself on the facts rather than what my relationship status is or worry about whether your paycheck will be safe once smokers quit ... Not whether Im married, Kids. Obviously I capture your attention and your worried about what I write so therefore I am having an impact on your thinking .. and thats my whole objective
Dave
· 1 year ago
THe only impact you've had on my thinking is wondering why this blog doesn't have an "ignore" setting so I can remove your asinine rantings from viewing.
Go ahead ... post some put-down or other juvenile insult because I dare to challenge your limited intelligence. All I'll do is laugh.
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Ah Dave, I guess your comprehension isnt all that great here Ill quote it for you
"Let it be known that Im not here to make friends and Im not looking for admiration and or anyone's support. The problem is nobody can engage in a conversation with facts."
ANTIHAVERHILL
· 1 year ago
Lastly Dave if you actually read the point I was making from the get go maybe youd understand a littl more.
"People pick apart smokers and nobody wants to own up to the facts where Obesity has taken over as the biggest killer of people. Smoking has been knocked out. 2nd When this tax revenue dries out guess what your wallet is next regardless if your fat or skinny so it doesn't matter either way. So im pointing out the fac tthat they are coming after everyone because the inability of state government to take care of the issues."
Dave
· 1 year ago
@antihaverhill posted: "The problem is nobody can engage in a conversation with facts."
You've got the right. And you're one of the biggest offenders out here.
RedMenace
· 1 year ago
AntiHaverhill, What you're saying is true, and I love the way you're saying it.
someone is a joke
· 1 year ago
I think we need to ignore ANTIHAVERHILL. The 6th comment right under STARVING ONESELF ISN'T HEALTHY, he writes this- bye the way I'm over weight and healthy so kiss ...................... Then he complains about fat people. Sounds like he is confused about himself. Also when you look at the article about the guy putting together the white pride seminar, ANTIHAVERHILL states he loves his tacos, pizza and chicken teryaki. Sounds like someone is fat and denying it!!!!
Long Time Methuenite
· 1 year ago
The new cigarette tax in Massachusetts translates into an Economic Stimulus Package for New Hampshire. Up until now only smokers in border communities went over the line to buy cigarettes.Now more and more from farther away will travel to good ole Salem NH to buy. Dumb
BACKSTABBERS
· 1 year ago
State reps. Campbell & Lantigua have cut the throats of the Mom & Pop stores in their districts, unbelivabale !!!!!
jd1515
· 1 year ago
The reason we have "new" diseases today is because people used to die in record numbers from common colds and the flu, not to mention infections from even small cuts. Back when small farmers were the main source of agricultural and economic output, people, especially children, died so often from simple medical problems comparing the two eras is absurd. We hear so much about cancer and heart disease today because we've moved past other problems that usually killed people before they could contract more advanced illnesses.
To put it another way, getting caught in a cold rain today is a minor inconvenience that might lead to a cold. 150 years ago, that minor disease could lead to death. Of course, surviving longer may entail you get cancer later in life, which, if you had died after getting rained on, never would have happened.
koolaidmum
· 1 year ago
JD your really on target...truly you are... It does sadden one to think about soo many people that have lung disease that never smoked, or were not exposed to second hand smoke. A hard issue for the Lung Association is the fact that people don't donate because of the thinking that..."YOU MUST SMOKE"...and it's simply not always the case. Repeated taxation...Repeated<--is a justified gripe. Absurdity certainly catches the attention...as well as the fact that the human animal like many animals suffer disease to provide a stronger population or like Marlen Perkins said "it makes the herd healthier" Exposure to "other things" do contribute. We all know NOW that smoking is bad. It has a $$price$$. The method we're griping about was wrong. The lack of alternate options has not gone un-noticed. Just hit them again... JD...your alright...I like you.
FYI
· 1 year ago
The MA Department of Public Health has just announced that they will offer a free 2-week supply of nicotine patches to MA smokers who call the quitline during July and August. This is in response to the $1/pack tax increase which went into effect at midnight.
Please encourage anyone you know to take advantage of this FREE offer. Smokers need only call 1-800-Try-To-Stop (1-800-879-8678) to talk to bilingual counselors. The call takes about 10 -11 minutes, as the quitline counselors need to screen for medical issues. Spanish speakers should call the same number. Caregivers and natural interpeters are encouraged to assist the smoker in calling the quitline.
This is a great time to encourage people to quit tobacco!
cucumber
· 1 year ago
How about a stiff tax on viagra! The old hacks can afford that.
whats the problem
· 1 year ago
I do not understand why any time i mention that chief lavigne is gay it is removed. This is a FACT so why is being gay inappropriate? i have read alot worse than that.
Butch
· 1 year ago
Was she at the Regatta,last weekend??
Everyone Knows
· 1 year ago
No one cares that Chief Lavigne might be gay. The way she does her job is all that matters. Her private life is her own.
Rosie
· 1 year ago
Why do you feel the need to continually post that she is? No one cares. Get a life whats the problem. Its obviously a problem for YOU. Better look into that.
Rosie
· 1 year ago
Whats the problem, Why are you even posting this about the Chief on cigarette tax blog????
Good ole boy
· 1 year ago
Yeah and that'll be profitable too cause the old fools will want a cigarette after!
this is why rosie
· 1 year ago
rosie the problem I have is that she denies who she is. Thats not right . I can get over the fact that she is a thief but 2 things i cant get over is that she has a dui and that she wont admit to being gay. she is the one who wants the job that is in the public eye and guess what this comes with the job. why does she hide her gfriend jodi? because she was told to by manzi and that is not right. he is the one with the problem with it not me im just letting the community know why she wont come out.
Jennie
· 1 year ago
It would be a perfect time to quit smoking.It is not healthy anyways
HUGE PROBLEM
· 1 year ago
There is obviously a huge problem in this country. As I read everyones comments, we all have something to say about this so called "system" our government is running. Trust me, I'm mad about it too! It's not just on this page, I mean, my grandfather, my dad talk about it all the time- about how the system is failing us- all of us! The economy, housing market, EVERYTHING seems to be going downhill and I wouldn't be surprised if we are headed for another depression. It seems like NO person in politics seems to want to TRULY help save this "system"- with the good that can come from EVERY politician, there is ALWAYS bad with it. Nothing will ever HELP us without also HURTING us. And though we all have our different opinions, we all agree that this "way of life" is not working. Insurance companies- you are a joke! Politicians- such as Obama- who was on a talk show recently- apparently running for presidency has become about all the glitz and glam- not running the country. When are we- as a country, regardless of RACE (because it always seems to come down to that!) going to stand up for ourselves? (Myself included) We are letting our jobs, money, security, etc get taken from us and because no one seems to be standing up to that there IS a problem that is not being FIXED (because a politicians way of fixing things is a joke!) I think people smoking cigarettes is the least of our problems. It's like medicine- all it does is TREAT THE SYMPTOMS- NOT THE CAUSE. I hope to see a change in my lifetime (and I'm only 22). That's sad. Maybe I never will.
jamie
· 1 year ago
I am a smoking and understand that yes smoking is NOT good for you but yes people still do it. What I dont understand is that they keep going up on cigs, but not alcohol. How many times do you see someone leaving a bar and killing someone from smoking...Ya I thought so, you dont see that. What you see is someone leaving a bar and killing someone from drinking and driving and I dont see them raising taxes on that...Come on lets get our act straight!!!!
mouse
· 1 year ago
antihaveral- Have you been out to eat lately ?? you know , the last ten or twenty years or so ? Massachusetts has been taxing meals in restaurants for many , many years and that includes fast food places like burger king, McD, wendy's etc. don't believe me ? check your receipt next time, you will see a 5% meal tax on the bill. You didn't really think that Mass. would miss this opportunity to take more money out of our pockets, did you ?
LOVING LAWRENCE
· 1 year ago
I'M GLAD A PACK OF CIGS LAST ME 2 WEEKS OR MORE. MAYBE I'LL QUIT?????
susan
· 1 year ago
remember are goverment knows what's best for us.......the land of the free
All Comments
The young folk will have to do some homework...because they cannot recollect this...so listen up!
At one time 9 out of 10 people farmed. The health issues then were very different. Seventy years ago we know we had not what we have today for our health. We have diseases now in high numbers that weren't just undiagnosed but were far and few. Our diets have changed radically. Look at the American Indian. In one generation the diet of the indian nation was eliminated, in it's a place, a creation of diabetes. Do your homework...don't just look the word up there young man/woman.
Once the farms were eliminated, the availability was gone... Manufacturing exploded. Women who once shopped at multiple shops for the variety of fresh foods that are soo good for us found themselves hired to replace men in the workforce. Cheap labor.
Processed foods for all has become the usual...the everyday... I don't know too many women that still bake bread weekly, shop for fish at the fish store, shop for meat at the butchers, or have thier weekly fresh vegies bagged and ready to be used in the home for our families by the Fruit Man. "Anyone recall THE RAG MAN?"
So our life styles have changed. Our ability to be trim and healthy has seen a change. The indian saw the change in one generation, now we are, we have. Fathers and mothers no longer have the pleasure of a regular routine that is healthy. We all have to put in our 40hrs per week. It takes two paychecks to just survive. No one is home and no one is about to see to our food needs. Mothers work because Father lost his high paying job to two women. Progress hasn't helped us in this area. So with no one to fill the position of full-time mother we eat what our schedules allow and what has become common. It's not healthy. Now...we have faced the facts of the change in times.
Without a real treatement pardon...effective treatement, taxing tabacco again and again is a crime. Drug addicts get methadone for free. The legal tobacco user gets no break. Don't think a smoker doesn't realize that there will be a day that the Dr. Says..."quit or get your affairs in order". but hey...it's the only bad thing I do...I still bake bread...I'm home when my children need me. I cut coupons and protect with my life my grandmothers recipes. Without them I couldn't afford not to work full-time.
Leave the smokers be for the time being. Facts are the facts and I won't argue over it. If a tax is needed the answers are right in front of you, all of us. This is where I strike a nerve. Some people will love this...some will fear legal action. Here goes...
Eliminate tobacco tax from 1986 to date. Replace with ...are you ready... A One dollar per hour tax on companies that hire/advertise for bi-lingual workers. This tax, yes will be in accordance to the weekly schedule of the employee. Translators will be excempt in a medical facility..
If you don't speak english then you'll have to do like the rest of my family had to do five generations ago.. Bring someone with you to translate until you speak the language of this country that you chose to live in. "Comment est durement cela pour comprendre"
To eliminate smoking in one day...one year....5 yrs.... 10...with no successful treatment is a farce. Punish the drug addicts...punish the alcoholics... Punish manufacturers that use of cancer causing agents in all these lovely things we think we must have to be someone...or to have arrived. England and France are 10 years ahead of us. Why...because that is a huge chunk of the health issues. Place a tax where it will do good while other alternatives are found...sorry but I have to go...Dad is home with the kids and it's time for supper...then play for a bit outside....kids in at no later than 7 p.m. wash hands face and feet.....quiet play while dad reads the paper...or help mummy fold laundry....then dad takes over for story time....and off to brush teeth and bedtime... oops...the kids won't even notice there isn't a scheduled...chosen program tonight to watch...imagine that..
Tell me...who is brave/savy enough to take this on..and I'm not talking about checking under the kids fingernails.... Tax what is effective NOW... what has been done is the wrong way. If your weight is an issue your a target...if your habits aren't swell..your a target... but hey kiddo wait till it's your genes we point at.
p.s. chantix makes me toss my cookies....cold turkey...doesn't work for everyone...Our economy is in trouble...Effective taxation ... Put people back in thier jobs and mothers back where we're able to do better for ourselves and our children.
Look at societies structure and the changes we've crippled ourselves with...Tell me...How hard is that to understand?
Man we messed up.
btw....my dad tells stories of throwing rocks at the Rag Man's horse...
I too had a warm fuzzy moment when I
saw the comment(s) recalling "How things used to be." It's a
good feeling knowing there are still many of us out here.
Oh..and MIKE...if you can find employment in lawrence with a
snap of the fingers that doesn't require you to speak spanish...
You have the coin to toss.
What happens if Mom and Dad are actually "Dad and Dad", or "Mom and Mom" ? Do they flip a coin?
Get a clue, and step into the 21st century.
How about the peanut vendor down by the common?
If you're going to tax tobacco then you need to impliment fat tax. You fat people cost the healthcare system far more money than smokers (THAT'S A FACT.) Being overweight is far more detrimental to your health than smoking.
I'm sick of these scumbags in office ruining the great commonwealth by making it live up to the nickname 'Taxachusetts.'
P.S You do realize that you are breaking the law by going to NH to buy cigarettes if you are a MA resident, right? It's called tax evasion. Way to be a 'Tax paying' citizen like you've stated in one of your other posts, meathead.
I see nothing wrong with an Oreo tax.
Great and I bet you protest every time you have to Fly Southwest because they charge your fat a$$ double to fly on their planes ..Or complain because a little kid is staring at your girth ... but keep blaming it on genetics, thyroid, and the bevy of other excuses the large and out of control population use ... never will you say "Im lazy and have no self control" because that would be admitting guilt
All food. When some little kid looks at me,I say "hey kid, you think I'm fat now, wait til football season starts."
Legalize marijuana, and tax it like cigarettes.
at what price point does a black market get created for cigs ??
I think it is also pretty funny how this person thinks being fat is far more dangerous to your health than smoking. When you smoke you are hurting yourself and others with the second hand smoke. When you are fat, it is only affects your own health.
So remember those smokers are keeping your taxes down ... without them Burger King is going to look like Tavern On the Green when you order your Dbl Whopper with Cheese tax monies need to come from someone
Do you know how silly that sounds to add special tax to BK?! That is like saying when you go to a restaurant like The Chateau or something, depending on what you order you may have extra taxes cause you might get cheese. What an idiot!!!
When the smokers quit smoking maybe the state should implement a fast food tax to cover the lost revenues of smokers quitting and the self righteous non smokers who think it is a good idea because of second hand smoke ... you dolt.
Maybe if you took the Twinkies out your mouth and learned how to read something other than the ingredients you would have understood my posting...
Wow your truly ground breaking in your in-depth analysis of musings .Your psycho analysis of somebody's postings deserves Pulitzer consideration..... You should be heralded for your contributions hell immortalized for all to see in the future ...
good job retread.
Oh and in case you dont understand retread
retread -
Informal. a repeating, reviving, or reworking of an old or familiar idea, presentation, story, etc., esp. when unimaginative or hackneyed; rehash: a boring retread of a classic movie. Slang. a person representing older or previous times, ideas, policies, etc., esp. when they are deemed passé or tiresome.
All you can respond with is taunts and insults? Where's that superior intelligence that you apparently assume you have?
I'm laughing at you even more now.
Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United
The government said 12,945 motorists died in a crash involving a legally drunk driver in 2005, compared with 13,099 in 2004. Alcohol-related fatalities also fell during that span: from 16,919 in 2004 to 16,885 in 2005.
But poor diet and physical inactivity caused 400,000 deaths
The new tax law is targeting a select group just like If they implemented a tax on all people who were considered overweight and your narrow minded self rightgeous attitude would be crying foul ... so do us a favor Call Jenny Craig and see if they think targeting a single group of people is fair taxation. So when the smokers are all gone and the state needs money ..... I will push for a fat tax so I dont have to listen your heavy breathing, crumb covered mouths and your kool aide stained children whining
If Americans continue to get fatter at current rates, by
2020 about one in five health care dollars spent on people ages 50 to 69 could be a result of obesity, 50 percent more than is spent now, another study, by the RAND Corporation, found.
A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that tobacco use was still the leading cause of death in 2000, killing 435,000 people, or 18.1 percent of everyone who died.
Yes In year 2000 Tobacco was the #1 Killer ... Guess what Is Now?? Being FAT
For example, an NFL athlete is considered "overweight" by BMI calculations.
Nice try, but you fail as usual.
an NFL player can run the 40 in 4.5 .. It takes a fatty 4.5 hours to run it ...
Telling us here means nothing, btw: let's arrange for a public test of your abilities so that we can all gauge how much more athletically superior you are to the rest of us.
IOW: Put up or shut up.
Also I didnt claim that NFL athletes would be considered overweight... according to BMI index ...
I did claim that an NFL athlete can run the 40 yd dash in 4.5 ... and If I could do that as well then your lame fatbody would be worshiping me every Sunday with your Hot wings and beer ... my point being that Yes BMI on NFL players is off the charts difference is they are athletic and workout Daily they don't sit on the couch feeding their faces day dreaming of what it would be like to be a NFL player .. and reliving their High School days.
The only foks this is going to hurt are the store owners.
Living so close to Salem NH is very benificial. For those who do not live near NH.....maybe time to quit.
Unfortunately this affects everyone. The state is using smokers as an excuse to pay for healthcare and revenue shortfalls. Problem is when the smokers quit who do they go after next ... You , Me and every other knucklehead on this forum but it seems that JoJo the Second Hand Smoke expert likes to think the Commonwealth is taxing smokers in the best interest of Your health and to make everyone a healthy happy citizen. When in reality Obesity is causing your health care to cost much more and is has become an epidemic and Id like to know when the Commonwealth is going to institute a twinkie tax on those who cant control themselves with food around . So I am ultimately defending smokers so that you and I dont have to pay the burden for others addictions when the smoker decides to quit
http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_...
You should read .. Im defending your right to smoke without being heavily taxed ... as far as being fat that's your choice just don't ask me to subsidize your health care. There enough Lazy lifestyles being paid for as it is.
Where is the tax revenue going to come from when it is lost to those who go to NH and/or quit ...can someone answer that question please????
second hand cheese is deadly
Go ahead ... post some put-down or other juvenile insult because I dare to challenge your limited intelligence. All I'll do is laugh.
I guess your comprehension isnt all that great here Ill quote it for you
"Let it be known that Im not here to make friends and Im not looking for admiration and or anyone's support. The problem is nobody can engage in a conversation with facts."
"People pick apart smokers and nobody wants to own up to the facts where Obesity has taken over as the biggest killer of people. Smoking has been knocked out. 2nd When this tax revenue dries out guess what your wallet is next regardless if your fat or skinny so it doesn't matter either way. So im pointing out the fac tthat they are coming after everyone because the inability of state government to take care of the issues."
You've got the right. And you're one of the biggest offenders out here.
What you're saying is true, and I love the way you're saying it.
Then he complains about fat people. Sounds like he is confused about himself. Also when you look at the article about the guy putting together the white pride seminar, ANTIHAVERHILL states he loves his tacos, pizza and chicken teryaki. Sounds like someone is fat and denying it!!!!
Up until now only smokers in border communities went over the line to buy cigarettes.Now more and more from farther away will travel to good ole Salem NH to buy.
Dumb
To put it another way, getting caught in a cold rain today is a minor inconvenience that might lead to a cold. 150 years ago, that minor disease could lead to death. Of course, surviving longer may entail you get cancer later in life, which, if you had died after getting rained on, never would have happened.
or were not exposed to second hand smoke. A hard issue for the
Lung Association is the fact that people don't donate because of the
thinking that..."YOU MUST SMOKE"...and it's simply not always the case. Repeated taxation...Repeated<--is a justified gripe. Absurdity certainly catches the attention...as well as the fact that the human animal like many animals suffer disease to provide a stronger population or like Marlen Perkins said "it makes the herd healthier"
Exposure to "other things" do contribute. We all know NOW that smoking is bad. It has a $$price$$. The method we're griping about
was wrong. The lack of alternate options has not gone un-noticed.
Just hit them again... JD...your alright...I like you.
Please encourage anyone you know to take advantage of this FREE offer. Smokers need only call 1-800-Try-To-Stop (1-800-879-8678) to talk to bilingual counselors. The call takes about 10 -11 minutes, as the quitline counselors need to screen for medical issues. Spanish speakers should call the same number. Caregivers and natural interpeters are encouraged to assist the smoker in calling the quitline.
This is a great time to encourage people to quit tobacco!
the problem I have is that she denies who she is. Thats not right . I can get over the fact that she is a thief but 2 things i cant get over is that she has a dui and that she wont admit to being gay. she is the one who wants the job that is in the public eye and guess what this comes with the job. why does she hide her gfriend jodi? because she was told to by manzi and that is not right. he is the one with the problem with it not me im just letting the community know why she wont come out.