Being a nonsmoker I pay little attention to the price of cigarettes but when I saw this sign today I could not believe my eyes. I thought this was an astronomical amount of money for one pack of cigarettes. My husband said since this was in the suburbs it was much less than in the city of Chicago. When I Googled it I found out that on April 1st in the city of Chicago cigarettes will be $9.00 a pack. Can you believe that?
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Yes, I can believe it and it makes me mad. I don't smoke cigarettes either but taxing cigarettes like the local and federal government does is simply wrong. That isn't freedom and liberty. Cigarettes aren't good for you, but everyone has a right to choose on their own without the government taxing you to death.
ReplyDeleteAh, feeling much better now... :)
Thankful I'm not a smoker, but I have sons who are. And while I agree with Ted, maybe this will make my sons sit up and take notice that they cannot afford to smoke any longer. Their father died from cancer from smoking. Yet, he had quit 18 years earlier.
ReplyDeleteMy DH smokes those little cigars. His went up too. He said a pack of cigarettes sell for $5.00 here in NE Arkansas.
I have noticed that some of those on lesser incomes are the ones that smoke. How do they afford it?
Good find for the photo theme.
Can't understand why anybody would want to smoke. Not just for the cost in money,but to your health as well. Nice shot.
ReplyDeleteI am not a smoker, but my mom is, now I know where her pay check goes! Ouch!
ReplyDeleteGood use of the theme. I didn't realize cigarettes cost so much - not a smoker. People here do go to the Navajo reservation to but them - no taxes. Now I know why! I agree with Ted - the government has no business taxing something so much just because they know it's unhealthy
ReplyDeleteA very eye-opening picture. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteGood one for the theme, Mary Lou.
ReplyDeleteWhat?! $9.00 a pack? I've never smoked but my dad did and it killed him. I think tobacco should be oblitereated from the planet but as long as somebody, government or corporations, can make a buck,it will be a problem. Your shot is very thought provoking and has sparked an interesting discussion!
ReplyDeleteTalk about your money going up in smoke! Thank goodness I stopped smoking 30 plus years ago. Yippee! Don't miss that stinky habit at all.
ReplyDeleteGreat way to use the theme and a thought provoking shot.
ReplyDeleteNice clear shot! My brother smokes & because it was getting so expensive, he started buying them from an Indian Reservation in NY (along with a whole lot of other people) Maybe 2 years into it, the State of NJ Divison of Taxation demanded all the records of these transactions from the Reservation and he had to pay sales tax!!! Something like $4,000! He wasn't given any option to pay it off...NJ told him it had to be paid by a certain date or they'd add interest!!!! GOVERNMENTS!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI too get a little mad at this over taxation. But the politicians do what ever they want in order to get more money. Too bad we couldn't tax them at a 99% rate on the money they get from the lobbiests. Great shot and take on this theme.
ReplyDeleteHopefully it will also encourage people to stop. I work in a nursing home and it is so sad to see how many people have diseases due to smoking.
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