Are we kidding here?
Smoking is voluntary. Yes, I understand addiction. Been there, done that. Smoking is voluntary. The tax "hurts poor smokers most"?! Give the bleeding heart a rest, folks. Cigarettes too expensive? Don't smoke!
On the flip side, I don't support legislating morality (which is exactly the purpose of high taxes on cigarettes). Either make them illegal or leave them alone. We're watching them move now from taxing cigarettes to outlawing the Big Gulp. When will New Yorkers get tired of their government nanny-sitting them? If those citizens continue to elect governments who want to "protect them from themselves", then they get what they deserve.
New York should be a model of what government should NOT be. I think I'll go have a smoke now....
