All my life, I've been a law-abiding citizen. No violation greater than a speeding ticket, no record, and no jail time. I "served my country" for four years. In spite of knowing that many of our laws are immoral, unjust, and just plain oppressive, I have complied with them. I've "played by the rules", because I understand that even if rules are decidedly imperfect, when we all play by the same rules, we all suffer or gain more or less equally.

I've believed that what we see wrong with government should be changed through political means, and have been very active in trying to do that... again, playing by the rules.

I've often described myself as being like a mule rather than a horse. Both are beasts of burden. You can work a horse to death, but, at some point, a mule will decide to stop, and won't even respond to a whip. You can beat it to death, but it isn't going to be dumb enough to work to death.

This mule has reached it's limit... the rules have changed... it's a new ballgame... no more voluntary compliance. The Minnesota legislature, is about to soak 20% of our population with a 105% increase in tax on a completely legal product that harms nobody and that is already excessively taxed. A 75-cents per pack cigarette tax being called a "health impact fee".

Health impact fee, my ass

Remember the Minnesota Tobacco Settlement? It was an outrageous rip-off of smokers all over the nation, supposedly to repay the state for healthcare costs attributed to smoking. The money extorted from that corrupt kangaroo court settlement has been used to impose even MORE restrictions and more costs on Minnesota smokers. Now the state is using the same phony justification for still more theft.

Cigarettes are already taxed FAR more than any other product. Look again at the shameful numbers:

Perhaps the legislators, who refuse to limit their spending to the revenue they have, no matter how much they have, believe that smokers can be pounded on forever? Perhaps they believe us to be so addicted that they can just soak us again and again, and we will be helpless to resist?

If this incredible tax increase is actually implemented, this is what I will face individually. It will cost me an additional $65/month. I live on about $1500/month, so I choose my expenditures carefully. $65, which is just the INCREASE I'm facing, is more than I spend on clothing, more than I spend on entertainment, or on eating out (the smoking bans have taken most of the enjoyment out of eating out, so that cost has already decreased).

Think again, legislators. I'll tell you what this smoker's response is going to be. I will pay NO taxes on tobacco products. That means that not only will I not be paying the 75 cent increase, but I'll stop paying the 71 cents the state has BEEN receiving from me. Instead of gaining an additional $65, the state will find themselves LOSING $53 each month.

Try balancing your budget on that, you sick governmental thieves!

My response may well mean giving up one of the few remaining pleasures I have, but I will derive new pleasure from realizing that our corrupt politicians... of both parties... will have one less sucker on which to depend.