# Nys



## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

Upped there taxes on smokes by a $1.25 per pack.  What a crock.  Those sons on beatches need to figure out there financial crisis in other way than taxing smokes.  If they were using the money for cancer research then you may be able to sell me on it.  Heck if they took the tax money from all the smokes sold and put that into research there would be a solution by now.  

Its a cheap low blow to smokers.


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## ctenidae (Jun 3, 2008)

The last unprotected minority in America


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

Time to quit, me thinks.


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## krisskis (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> Time to quit, me thinks.



I agree 110%. But let me tell you, as a smoker, its much harder than you think. As soon as shit hits the fan and i get stressed out, i reach for a smoke. I quit both times i was preggers and for 8 months after while i was nursing, but always went back to it. My father died of lung cancer at age 62, he had quit 20 yrs before, so you think i would have incentive to quit. When he was sick i did quit, but after his death i started up again. My kids are always on my ass about it too. But then, they are usually the cause of most of my stress :-( I bought some yesterday, knowing that the price will go up today and got a prescription from a doc at work for Chantix, which a few people i know used and so far its working for them. I usually just go the cold turkey route, but i'll see how it goes. I'm such a loser.


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## Warp Daddy (Jun 3, 2008)

Guys PLEASE QUIT -- i really know just how hard it is to do so . Been there done that -------- The first 3 weeks is Hell 

.My first attempt lasted a year in 1970.  Then a favorite uncle died and someone OFFERED me one @ the wake and i caved .  

But in 1975 when i was flat on  my back in the hospital with kidney stone  #1 then i decided to HELL with it --the  evidence is too damn strong and dammit i WILL succeed .  


I WAS a 3 pack a day habit  also smoked cigars and a pipe then i QUIT COLD TURKEY  33 years ago  --the quality of life you gain is amazing


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

krisskis said:


> I agree 110%. But let me tell you, as a smoker, its much harder than you think.



I *used to* smoke...


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

Unfortunately that's the way society works when dealing with taxes.  You either raise taxes on products everyone needs and really can't say a thing about or you raise taxes on products only a minority of the population uses.  The latter the state of Maine is masterful at.

Maine already did that with tobacco and cites a decrease in the number of smokers as a result when there really is no way in telling how many people now purchase their cigarettes in NH where they are $4 a pack as opposed to $6.75 here.  

Just recently they put an additional tax on beer, wine and soda to help fund the state low income health care program.  They also said increasing the tax on beer will reduce underage drinking :roll:

In both tobacco and booze/soda, only a minority of people are going to stand up and fight it.


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## BeanoNYC (Jun 3, 2008)

Poor man's tax.  I can understand it in countries with socialized medicine as the cost to care for a smoker is higher.  Without socialized medicine in the States, I feel it's unfair to tax so much.  

I quit smoking in November of '07, but smoked a bit in Atlantic City recently after I put my grandmother to sleep and headed to the roulette table.  I still have the unfinished pack.  I'm surprised I didn't have a full relapse.


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## drjeff (Jun 3, 2008)

The lovely and brilliant legislature in CT unless they act in a special session next week to repeal it will be increasing our already nation leading gas tax by 7.5 to 7.7 cents a gallon depending on if it's gas or diesel because of a "gross receipts" tax on gas which resets each July 1st based on the average wholesale cost of a gallon of gas/diesel between 4/1/07 and 3/31/08.

I'm done with my close to a political rant.  Just make sure that any non CT resident that travels through our great state this summer, tops off the tank BEFORE you cross the border from NY/MA/RI


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## drjeff (Jun 3, 2008)

BeanoNYC said:


> Poor man's tax.




The lottery is also a great example of this


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> Time to quit, me thinks.




There's never a 'good' time to quit.  When you're hooked, you're hooked.  I hope to be smoke free by next season.

That said, the principal of going after a minority product user with taxes is wrong.  What if a state said, you know what, we're going to add a $5 tax to every lift ticket sold.  They'd show the millions it would generate for the state towards projects deemed beneficial to society.  As skiers represent such a small minority, the tax would go through quite easily.  

No denying its another incentive to quit though.


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## Warp Daddy (Jun 3, 2008)

Unfortunately many leg. decisions  are often  based on the concept  of  " low hanging fruit "


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## jack97 (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> I *used to* smoke...



Me too, I used to smoke. I tried several times before that..... once I got over the 2 month, it was easy. 

Hardest part was drinking coffee without a smoke.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

drjeff said:


> The lottery is also a great example of this



I more refer to the lottery as the 'idiot tax'  and I'll admit it, occasionally I'm an idiot.


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## nelsapbm (Jun 3, 2008)

My unscientific observations re: lottery.
Background: I worked in a small town mom&pop grocery store/gas station summers during high school and college. Of course we sold lots of lottery tickets. Keep in mind I pretty much knew everyone who came into this tore. 
Scratch tickets were bought predominately by folks whocould not afford to plunk down $5 for a few scratch tickets. Megabucks tickets on the otherhand, were bought by our more financially stable customers.
Just an intersting tidbit I wanted to share.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

nelsapbm said:


> My unscientific observations re: lottery.
> Background: I worked in a small town mom&pop grocery store/gas station summers during high school and college. Of course we sold lots of lottery tickets. Keep in mind I pretty much knew everyone who came into this tore.
> Scratch tickets were bought predominately by folks whocould not afford to plunk down $5 for a few scratch tickets. Megabucks tickets on the otherhand, were bought by our more financially stable customers.
> Just an intersting tidbit I wanted to share.



That doesn't surprise me so much.  I'd imagine many scratch lottery players are down and out and looking for that immediate gratification, same with KENO.  On the other side, my father is a relatively well to do retiree and completely secure financially.  He'll buy one or two lotto tickets a year when the jack pots are high.

One of my brother's best friends actually one 200 Grand once on a scratch ticket and he still probably throws $50 a week at the lottery.  If I personally were ever to win an amount so significant, I'd probably never play again figuring I had my one lucky day.


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## bvibert (Jun 3, 2008)

deadheadskier said:


> If I personally were ever to win an amount so significant, I'd probably never play again figuring I had my one lucky day.



That's the way I feel about it too.  Heck, here at work they have 50/50 raffles every month or so (the other half goes to an employee fund for picnics and stuff).  I played in a lot of them for the 9 years or so that I was here up until I won last summer (or the summer before).  I figure overall I'm still down money (won less than $200 IIRC), but I'm not gonna tempt fate and play anymore.


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## 2knees (Jun 3, 2008)

we've all been in the convenience store or gas station while someone has sat there and rattled off a laundry list of scratch games and lotto tickets they want.   And more often then not, it seems like the person probably doensnt really have the extra coin to be dropping 20 bucks or so on scratch tickets.  Its kinda sad, really.


I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly.  I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop.  I cant give it up entirely.  it sucks really.  Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old.  most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit.  I made it through my college years and then started.  oh well......


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

2knees said:


> we've all been in the convenience store or gas station while someone has sat there and rattled off a laundry list of scratch games and lotto tickets they want.   And more often then not, it seems like the person probably doensnt really have the extra coin to be dropping 20 bucks or so on scratch tickets.  Its kinda sad, really.
> 
> 
> I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly.  I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop.  I cant give it up entirely.  it sucks really.  Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old.  most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit.  I made it through my college years and then started.  oh well......



I have a good friend Pete who started when he was 49 YEARS OLD!    He had never smoked a cigarette in his life before then.  He's now 56 and has been a pack a day smoker since.  crazy


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

2knees said:


> we've all been in the convenience store or gas station while someone has sat there and rattled off a laundry list of scratch games and lotto tickets they want.   And more often then not, it seems like the person probably doensnt really have the extra coin to be dropping 20 bucks or so on scratch tickets.  Its kinda sad, really.
> 
> 
> I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly.  I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop.  I cant give it up entirely.  it sucks really.  Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old.  most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit.  I made it through my college years and then started.  oh well......



I started junior year in college.  2nd stupidest thing I have done in my life.


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> Upped there taxes on smokes by a $1.25 per pack.  What a crock.  Those sons on beatches need to figure out there financial crisis in other way than taxing smokes.  If they were using the money for cancer research then you may be able to sell me on it.  Heck if they took the tax money from all the smokes sold and put that into research there would be a solution by now.
> 
> Its a cheap low blow to smokers.



Screw that..cigs should be $50 a pack...due to how much smokers cost society in terms of healthcare..you should see all the tombstones we make for smokers who die before their time for smoking..

Make Cigarettes illegal and weed legal..


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Jun 3, 2008)

You can also buy a tin of Tobacco and roll your own..

Shit even at 10 bucks a pack..thats only 50 cents a cigarette..pretty cheap in my opinion..


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## Moe Ghoul (Jun 3, 2008)

I roll my own, my habit costs no more than $4/week. I use a Mascotte rollbox and buy some decent pouch tobacco.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

GrilledSteezeSandwich said:


> Screw that..cigs should be $50 a pack...due to how much smokers cost society in terms of healthcare..you should see all the tombstones we make for smokers who die before their time for smoking..
> 
> Make Cigarettes illegal and weed legal..



While I wont disagree with you in regards to how much smokers cost society due to the strain they put on the health care system; with that logic, Big Macs should cost $25 a sandwich.  Obesity is equally as bad of a problem.


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

2knees said:


> I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly.  I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop.  I cant give it up entirely.  it sucks really.  Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old.  most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit.  I made it through my college years and then started.  oh well......



Quit for your kids, man. I smoked before, during and after college. My wife actually smoked more than me early in our marriage which made it difficult for me to fully quit (I would take a few drags off her smokes). She decided to quit about a year before we planned to have kids. I could never imagine smoking now. It's been so long, I'd probably cough like a maniac and get dizzy after a few drags.

The bottom line is I really enjoy life too much to risk it getting cut short for something so unhealthy. It's one of the main reason I don't smoke anything anymore. Anyone that thinks pot smoke is not bad for you is delusional. I'm not a total health nut though - I still enjoy getting my drink on and while I'm not an unhealthy eater, I don't over analyze what I'm eating. I don't have much of a problem with people who smoke though. Totally their choice and the smell doesn't really bother me, unless it's indoors.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> the smell doesn't really bother me, unless it's indoors.



That's something I completely agree with.  I really don't understand how some people choose to smoke in their homes.  My gf's father and step mother are both heavy smokers and smoke in their small house despite the fact that her step brother lives there and has severe asthma.   :angry:

I had zero issues when states started making it illegal to smoke inside.  I've got no issues going outside to smoke at all.


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

GrilledSteezeSandwich said:


> Screw that..cigs should be $50 a pack...due to how much smokers cost society in terms of healthcare..you should see all the tombstones we make for smokers who die before their time for smoking..
> 
> Make Cigarettes illegal and weed legal..



The amount of taxes that are paid on smokes more than offsets the increase in healthcare,  Off course I have no info to back that up but I dont think I am off in my thinking.
Weed should be legal and they could tax the heck out of it and get off the tobacco bandwagon.

Along your line of thinking fat people should be taxed.  That fatter you are the more tax you should pay.  Pay up fatso


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## ComeBackMudPuddles (Jun 3, 2008)

deadheadskier said:


> While I wont disagree with you in regards to how much smokers cost society due to the strain they put on the health care system; with that logic, Big Macs should cost $25 a sandwich.  Obesity is equally as bad of a problem.




I'd be fine with that.  They're both harmful products (though Big Macs aren't addictive, so I don't think the tax should be more than the tax on smokes).  The high prices are tough on addicts, I mean, smokers, but hopefully they keep at least some kids from picking up the addiction, I mean, habit.

To me, the real scandal is that governments tolerate the production and sale of cigarettes at all.  Name another product that kills 50% of its users!  The government is too hooked on taxes generated by the product to outright ban it.

Yes, I'm an angry ex-smoker....

:flame:


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## ComeBackMudPuddles (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> The amount of taxes that are paid on smokes more than offsets the increase in healthcare,




You are way, way, way off.....


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## wa-loaf (Jun 3, 2008)

deadheadskier said:


> That's something I completely agree with.  I really don't understand how some people choose to smoke in their homes.  My gf's father and step mother are both heavy smokers and smoke in their small house despite the fact that her step brother lives there and has severe asthma.   :angry:



Or people smoke in cars with the windows closed and little kids it the back. :roll:



deadheadskier said:


> I had zero issues when states started making it illegal to smoke inside.  I've got no issues going outside to smoke at all.



Negotiating the smoker gauntlet getting in and out of the office kinda sucks. :evil:


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## ComeBackMudPuddles (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> Anyone that thinks pot smoke is not bad for you is delusional.




I'm no pot head, but I don't think that the smoke from weed has the same carcinogens like cigarette smoke (though I could be wrong).

Maybe someone from the Grateful Dead thread could chime in on this point?


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## wa-loaf (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> Along your line of thinking fat people should be taxed.  That fatter you are the more tax you should pay.  Pay up fatso



Sure, they have more healthcare costs that are avoidable, they should pay more for their health premiums.


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> You are way, way, way off.....



You can spin the stats anyway you want to say whatever you want.  Do you have numbers? 

If you wanted to start drawing connections booze could be argued just as destructive.


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## wa-loaf (Jun 3, 2008)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> I'm no pot head, but I don't think that the smoke from weed has the same carcinogens like cigarette smoke (though I could be wrong).
> 
> Maybe someone from the Grateful Dead thread could chime in on this point?



Smoke in your lungs is not good for them. Have you ever look at the water in a bong? Not exactly healthy looking.

That said there is no amonia and what not that is created in making cigarettes.


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

wa-loaf said:


> Sure, they have more healthcare costs that are avoidable, they should pay more for their health premiums.




Smokers pay more for there health premium but it does not stop there.  There should be a scale at every establishment that distributes food.  you get on the scale and they tax you on your weight.    Fat people would be up in arms.


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> I'm no pot head, but I don't think that the smoke from weed has the same carcinogens like cigarette smoke (though I could be wrong).
> 
> Maybe someone from the Grateful Dead thread could chime in on this point?





wa-loaf said:


> Smoke in your lungs is not good for them. Have you ever look at the water in a bong? Not exactly healthy looking.
> 
> That said there is no amonia and what not that is created in making cigarettes.



I don't know the specifics of the unhealthiness. All I know is that I've coughed enough in the past to know that what I was inhaling wasn't liked by my lungs.


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## ComeBackMudPuddles (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> You can spin the stats anyway you want to say whatever you want.  Do you have numbers?
> 
> If you wanted to start drawing connections booze could be argued just as destructive.





Yes.....Read this article from the CDC.  A brief snip:

"_Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body; causing many diseases and reducing the health of smokers in general. The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 438,000 deaths, or nearly 1 of every 5 deaths, each year in the United States. *More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. * [. . .]  Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in women. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with never smokers._"


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## bvibert (Jun 3, 2008)

wa-loaf said:


> Or people smoke in cars with the windows closed and little kids it the back. :roll:
> 
> 
> 
> Negotiating the smoker gauntlet getting in and out of the office kinda sucks. :evil:



Agreed on both counts.


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## 2knees (Jun 3, 2008)

smoking with kids in the car, house, building etc should be totally illegal.  

Quitting for the kids is the line my wife drops on me every single time she knows i've had a cigarette.  One tiny side benefit to having children is that i really dont smoke at all on the weekends until they've gone to bed.  Work is my biggest crime scene.  For whatever reason, my office still has a large contingent of smokers and its hard to break away from it.  I think if i could get through the work day, that would be a huge part of the battle.


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## Moe Ghoul (Jun 3, 2008)

Smoking indoors is obscene, unless you live alone. Nothing like getting out of a shower and drying off with a towel that smells like an ashtray. We stopped smoking in the house 10 years ago, and my wife quit smoking 4 years ago. I don't mind going outside to smoke, I enjoy it. It's amazing how foul a home can get with smokers inside. It permeates EVERYTHING. One thing I know, is I rarely go out to bars anymore due to DUI laws and nonsmoking bars. Call me whacked, but I like a cloud of blue smoke in my bar and the whole Casablanca romanticism around that.


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## drjeff (Jun 3, 2008)

wa-loaf said:


> Smoke in your lungs is not good for them. Have you ever look at the water in a bong? Not exactly healthy looking.
> 
> That said there is no amonia and what not that is created in making cigarettes.



Still our bodies lungs need fresh AIR not fresh smoke


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## wa-loaf (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> Smokers pay more for there health premium but it does not stop there.  There should be a scale at every establishment that distributes food.  you get on the scale and they tax you on your weight.    Fat people would be up in arms.



No, but some of this is already being driven by employers. There are a few cases of people who join a gym or change their eating habits getting discounts on their insurance premiums. And smokers and overweight people having to pay more.


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## BeanoNYC (Jun 3, 2008)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> I'm no pot head, but I don't think that the smoke from weed has the same carcinogens like cigarette smoke (though I could be wrong).
> 
> Maybe someone from the Grateful Dead thread could chime in on this point?



I don't foresee people smoking a pack and a half a joints a day.  Besides...there are other ways to receive a dosage of THC.


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> Yes.....Read this article from the CDC.  A brief snip:
> 
> "_Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body; causing many diseases and reducing the health of smokers in general. The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 438,000 deaths, or nearly 1 of every 5 deaths, each year in the United States. *More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined. * [. . .]  Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in women. The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with never smokers._"




Great info thanks.   Not sold.  To much spinning.   
Who is that movie star that everyone can be linked to I forget.   Thats how i feal about smoking.


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## jack97 (Jun 3, 2008)

2knees said:


> I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly.  I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop.  I cant give it up entirely.  it sucks really.  Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old.  most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit.  I made it through my college years and then started.  oh well......



I started in college due to the stress of making the grades and all the waiting around between classes. I found a way to quit even when work was filled with longer periods of boredoom and higher stesss. 

As Greg said, do it for the kids, if that doesn't work.... how are you keep up with the rest of the gang when they are ripping and lapping the bump runs?


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## drjeff (Jun 3, 2008)

wa-loaf said:


> No, but some of this is already being driven by employers. There are a few cases of people who join a gym or change their eating habits getting discounts on their insurance premiums. And smokers and overweight people having to pay more.



I've got no problem with this at all.  Folks need to start thinking about insurance for what it really is,  and that's basically a bet that the insurance company makes with it's subscribers about how little you'll use it.  If you have lower risk factors, then the chances of you becoming a major payout by the insurance company are lower and you should pay less.  Higher risk factors = more likely to become a big payout = should pay more.

Insurance companies folks I hate to break it to you,  but are FOR PROFIT companies, who make money by you using their services less.


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## jack97 (Jun 3, 2008)

drjeff said:


> Insurance companies folks I hate to break it to you,  but are FOR PROFIT companies, who make money by you using their services less.



Yep it's a bet, so if more people are smoking and overweight, then the rest of the population has to pony up to minimize the risk. Meaning higher cost for everyone. 

Looking at the obesity trend, I may not die due to obesity related issues but I will probably be paying some of the bills due to this problem.

http://www.obesityinamerica.org/trends.html


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

jack97 said:


> how are you keep up with the rest of the gang when they are ripping and lapping the bump runs?



He does just fine there; although I do hear him breathing heavy on some of the footage he takes.... :razz:


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## wa-loaf (Jun 3, 2008)

drjeff said:


> I've got no problem with this at all.  Folks need to start thinking about insurance for what it really is,  and that's basically a bet that the insurance company makes with it's subscribers about how little you'll use it.  If you have lower risk factors, then the chances of you becoming a major payout by the insurance company are lower and you should pay less.  Higher risk factors = more likely to become a big payout = should pay more.
> 
> Insurance companies folks I hate to break it to you,  but are FOR PROFIT companies, who make money by you using their services less.



I do however feel that the insurance companies should not be allowed to deny people coverage for pre-existing conditions and there probably should be some sort of cap on the premium. I'm all for finding some kind of middle ground where everyone can get and afford insurance, but that those who neglect their health do pay a penalty for it (beyond having bad health ).


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

BeanoNYC said:


> I don't foresee people smoking a pack and a half a joints a day.



Probably not. But still, I just don't like shit in my lungs.


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> Probably not. But still, I just don't like shit in my lungs.




Me neither I gave up eating shit a long time ago


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> Me neither I gave up eating shit a long time ago



Really? You still talk it a lot...


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## jack97 (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> He does just fine there; although I do hear him breathing heavy on some of the footage he takes.... :razz:




Naw, I willing to bet he can't lap flying goose, top to bottom. :wink:


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> Really? You still talk it a lot...



I walk the talk.  You would know but you dont come to big moutains.  haha


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> I walk the talk.  You would know but you dont come to big moutains.  haha



Wow. What a clever reply. Did you only ski Whiteface last year?


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## Dr Skimeister (Jun 3, 2008)

jack97 said:


> Me too, I used to smoke. I tried several times before that..... once I got over the 2 month, it was easy.
> 
> Hardest part was drinking coffee without a smoke.



When I quit smoking some 25 years ago, it was so easy to do once I acknowledged that it is more of a mechanical addiction than a chemical dependency. I convinced myself that I DIDN'T need a cig with the cup of coffee, I DIDN'T need a cig after finishing a meal, I DIDN'T need a cig when I got in the car, etc. It is so possible to reprogram your routine once you see what the routine is.


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> Wow. What a clever reply. Did you only ski Whiteface last year?



Nope was in squaw as well.  I meant to make it down to your bunny hill but my corn was acting up.


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## ComeBackMudPuddles (Jun 3, 2008)

It's been 5 years, 2 months, 1 week and 13 hours since I quit smoking....Still think about it at least once a week.  I'd like one now, actually.  Damn tobacco corporations peddling their death sticks!


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## Greg (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> I meant to make it down to your bunny hill but my corn was acting up.



Snuff out your butts on it; maybe you can burn it off like a wart.


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

Greg said:


> Snuff out your butts on it; maybe you can burn it off like a wart.



very clever  you crack me up


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## o3jeff (Jun 3, 2008)

Took me 3 tries to quit, my problem was I really didn't want to the first 2 times I tried so you have to have it in your head that you really want to quit before you even try.

Now whenever I smell smoke all over a person and their clothes, I think it smells disgusting and wondered why I did it for so long.


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## jack97 (Jun 3, 2008)

o3jeff said:


> Now whenever I smell smoke all over a person and their clothes, I think it smells disgusting and wondered why I did it for so long.




Hmm.... I don't feel that way. For me, old smoke and second hand smoke is still a pleasant smell. The only thing stopping me is that I don't' want to be a tool to the tobacco industry.


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> The amount of taxes that are paid on smokes more than offsets the increase in healthcare,  Off course I have no info to back that up but I dont think I am off in my thinking.
> Weed should be legal and they could tax the heck out of it and get off the tobacco bandwagon.
> 
> Along your line of thinking fat people should be taxed.  That fatter you are the more tax you should pay.  Pay up fatso



Hell yeah..legalize weed and let the governement tax it..and can't you guys grow your own tobacco???


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Jun 3, 2008)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> I'm no pot head, but I don't think that the smoke from weed has the same carcinogens like cigarette smoke (though I could be wrong).
> 
> Maybe someone from the Grateful Dead thread could chime in on this point?



The difference is that a couple puffs of good weed will get you stoned for a couple hours..while most cig smokers need to smoke a cig every hour all day long for the slightest buzz..plus you can always eat weed brownies which is better on the lungs but requires more weed..


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## dmc (Jun 3, 2008)

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah


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## 2knees (Jun 3, 2008)

BeanoNYC said:


> I don't foresee people smoking a pack and a half a joints a day.




:lol:


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## BeanoNYC (Jun 3, 2008)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> It's been 5 years, 2 months, 1 week and 13 hours since I quit smoking....Still think about it at least once a week.  I'd like one now, actually.  Damn tobacco corporations peddling their death sticks!



Looks like you're a member in good standing at the Q.


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## 2knees (Jun 3, 2008)

jack97 said:


> Naw, I willing to bet he can't lap flying goose, top to bottom. :wink:




I love a challenge.  I'll take you on, ttb, on flying goose.  If i win, you have to buy me a carton of cigarettes! :razz:

as far as keeping up with these guys, i can assure you, i'm not holding anyone back on a bump run.


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## dmc (Jun 3, 2008)

Quit close to 15 years ago... maybe more..

just decided i wanted to... and did...


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## dmc (Jun 3, 2008)

jack97 said:


> Hmm.... I don't feel that way. For me, old smoke and second hand smoke is still a pleasant smell. The only thing stopping me is that I don't' want to be a tool to the tobacco industry.



After NY and NJ banned smoking at bars...  I clean my drumset a LOT less...
Damn thing would be caked with smoke after a gig...


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## jack97 (Jun 3, 2008)

2knees said:


> I love a challenge.  I'll take you on, ttb, on flying goose.  If i win, you have to buy me a carton of cigarettes! :razz:



Got to lap it a few times to get a good workout. 

Carton of cig, three times ttb. If you lose, you buy me beer and we can split a pack. Damn I miss having a beer with a smoke in a dark lounge.


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## mattchuck2 (Jun 3, 2008)

To be honest with you, I could care less about upping the cigarette tax.  I made the decision a long time ago that it was not in my economic and health interest to take up smoking.

The lottery, on the other hand, is worth throwing a couple of bucks down every once in a while . . . If only for the couple of days spent dreaming about what I'd do with the money.

Like I said, I don't mind taxing cigarettes to the brink . . . But if they raise the taxes on alcohol . . . THEN we have a problem.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

mattchuck2 said:


> Like I said, I don't mind taxing cigarettes to the brink . . . But if they raise the taxes on alcohol . . . THEN we have a problem.



Don't move to Maine and if you ski in Maine, buy your booze out of state.  They just boosted the tax on beer, wine and soda considerably


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## tjf67 (Jun 3, 2008)

*Ok*

I here american tobacco smokes are better for you because the only thing it contains is tobacco.  That being said how are the brand name makers allowed to put all the deadly crap into them? 
They don't use lead in paint anymore


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Jun 3, 2008)

What about Chew..like Skoal and Copenhagen.  When I lived in Montana..2 out of three of my roommates chewed and I got curious and bummed some chew off of them..and it's gross..yet I get pretty blunted off chew..plus it makes you crap..which means...bathroom reading..If Dr. Jeff reads this..I know he'll mention the ill effects of chewing Tobacco..


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## deadheadskier (Jun 3, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> I here american tobacco smokes are better for you because the only thing it contains is tobacco.  That being said how are the brand name makers allowed to put all the deadly crap into them?
> They don't use lead in paint anymore



You might want to ask soda manufacturers the same thing or your deodorant company.  There are NUMEROUS products out there that people ingest everyday that contain known carcinogens or unhealthy additives.

Cigarettes manufacturers are the biggest culprits for sure; but there are many others products in a multitude of applications that are dangerous.


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## drjeff (Jun 3, 2008)

GrilledSteezeSandwich said:


> What about Chew..like Skoal and Copenhagen.  When I lived in Montana..2 out of three of my roommates chewed and I got curious and bummed some chew off of them..and it's gross..yet I get pretty blunted off chew..plus it makes you crap..which means...bathroom reading..If Dr. Jeff reads this..I know he'll mention the ill effects of chewing Tobacco..



Since you asked GSS, here's a photo of a long term dipper and his nice case of squamous cell carcinoma 







The *good* thing about dipping is that the changes that happen to the gum/soft tissue are typically self healing with no significant increase in long term cancer risk as long as you quit early enough BEFORE the cellular changes go from a reversible process(pre cancerous) to irreversible (cancerous).  If quitting isn't your thing, well then a surgical radicle neck disscetion with removal of a portion of your lower jaw, thenlikely radiation and chemotherapy are always an option  (i'll refrain from pics of this  )

So far I've diagnosed 3 cases of oral cancer in my 13 years of looking in peoples mouths.  That's never a fun conversation to have with a patient


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## Warp Daddy (Jun 4, 2008)

ARGHH  here we go again :   DOING THE BREAKFAST THING while lookin at this stuff The last couple 'o days makes me want to "shoot rainbows "


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## drjeff (Jun 4, 2008)

Warp Daddy said:


> ARGHH  here we go again :   DOING THE BREAKFAST THING while lookin at this stuff The last couple 'o days makes me want to "shoot rainbows "



Hey, atleast I refrained from posting the surgical pictures of what needs to be done to get rid of one of those lesions!


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## jack97 (Jun 4, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> I here american tobacco smokes are better for you because the only thing it contains is tobacco.  That being said how are the brand name makers allowed to put all the deadly crap into them?
> They don't use lead in paint anymore



Very little or no regulation.....there's a reason why some of the tobacco lobbyist were one  of the strongest groups in DC. They traditionally supported candidates that philosophically wants small government and deregulation.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 4, 2008)

GrilledSteezeSandwich said:


> What about Chew..like Skoal and Copenhagen.  When I lived in Montana..2 out of three of my roommates chewed and I got curious and bummed some chew off of them..and it's gross..yet I get pretty blunted off chew..plus it makes you crap..which means...bathroom reading..If Dr. Jeff reads this..I know he'll mention the ill effects of chewing Tobacco..



As Dr Jeff pointed out, it ain't pretty what chew can do to your grill.  I had a friend in High School who after dipping a tin a day for four years had developed cancerous cells.


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## tjf67 (Jun 4, 2008)

jack97 said:


> Very little or no regulation.....there's a reason why some of the tobacco lobbyist were one  of the strongest groups in DC. They traditionally supported candidates that philosophically wants small government and deregulation.




No doubt but if it is a public safety concern you would think it would trump the lobbyist


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## deadheadskier (Jun 4, 2008)

tjf67 said:


> No doubt but if it is a public safety concern you would think it would trump the lobbyist



behold the power of the greenback....well at least for now

worked for OJ


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