How to Meet Budgets?

[Lammie]

Looks like a pain in the butt row crop to me.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Looks like a pain in the butt row crop to me.

Just don't sell any of it or you'll be in big time trouble. There are only 4 states that can legally sell commercially grown tobacco. The native Americans have been fighting this for years because some want to commercially grow it in other states.

 

[backhoeboogie]

With cigs at over six a pack, I quit again.

Name brand were $27.99 a carton in Florida. I brought ten cartons home with me.

 

[HerefordSire]

I say tabloid newspaper/magazines like the Enquirer, Star, etc...

Newspaper companies are dropping like flies because of free online news. Wouldn't you know it the last ones standing are likely to be the less reputable ones and the same ones staring at (poor) people in the checkout isle of the local supermarket with a catchy front page.

 

[HerefordSire]

Naturaly I'm for taxing anything that I don't use, but as Margaret Thatcher said "the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of everybody else"s money" ( that's paraphrase, I don't have the exact quote) .

Larry

It looks like the majority system is working as intended Larry. It doesn't matter what is fair or morally right or wrong. What matters is the populous (sometimes... as the addicted poor people didn't get a chance to vote about this issue yet...they were forced to accept it). So if the US is ever populated with the majority of another race other than caucasion, for example, then the minority must speak their language in schools if the majority votes for it?

 

[john250]

Looks like a pain in the butt row crop to me.

Or a cure for AIDS.


http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbc ... 9904050401

 

[HerefordSire]

These are not diamonds or rare art collections. This is tobacco.


MILFORD, Conn. - Connecticut police say that a weekend theft of cigarettes from a Milford warehouse is now estimated to be worth about $1 million.

Police say the thieves who broke into Montano Cigarettes, Candy & Tobacco Inc. stole some 15,000 cartons of cigarettes, ten times the initial report,

Police say the theft was well planned. The burglars disabled lighting and security systems at the Boston Post Road warehouse then used a ladder to scale a concrete wall and enter through a roof access hatch.

Police say some of the action by the thieves was caught by surveillance cameras.

Montano sells cigarettes, candy and other goods to convenience stores in the area.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/hc- ... 6893.story

 

[Jogeephus]

We used to work convicts. We had all sorts but I remember one guy in particular cause he was a cigarette smuggler like Backhoe. They locked him up for going to the Carolinas and buying cheap cigarettes by the case and loading them in his car and selling these "non-taxed" items in Georgia. I forgot how many years he was serving but it was a good stint of hard labor for cutting our glorious state out of its share of the cigarette tax. I was always real careful around him cause he was so "dangerous". (I always wondered this, but assuming he was doing 7 years, how much do you think it cost our state to protect us from this villain.) Whatever the cost, I'm sure it was worth every penny.

 

[ga. prime]

I say tabloid newspaper/magazines like the Enquirer, Star, etc...

Newspaper companies are dropping like flies because of free online news. Wouldn't you know it the last ones standing are likely to be the less reputable ones and the same ones staring at (poor) people in the checkout isle of the local supermarket with a catchy front page.

My favorite newspaper, the "Weekly World News" quit publishing a year or two back. Website is not near as good. Here's T-Boone with some alternative energy options:

 

[HerefordSire]

Speaking of taxes, I think its time we explore the possibility of a flat tax again.

Question: " I understand that Congress is considering a so-called 'flat' tax system. How would this work?" Answer: "If Congress were to pass a 'flat' tax, you'd simply pay a fixed percentage of your income, and you wouldn't have to fill out any complicated forms, and there would be no loopholes for politically connected groups, and normal people would actually understand the tax laws, and giant talking broccoli stalks would come around and mow your lawn for free, because Congress is NOT going to pass a flat tax, you pathetic fool." ~Dave Barry

Never mind.

Flat tax for all products except for tobacco targeted @ poor addicted people? It is mighty strange the law doesn't apply to alcohol at the same time. I don't know of anyone ever that has been injured as the result of a smoker driving an automobile.

 

[HerefordSire]

A consumption tax on all products. When you do this, you will bring the underground economy into the tax system. The underground economy is probably as large as the regular economy.

I saw the other day where the #1 cash crop in California was marijuana. A consumption tax would get the tax money when those dollars were spent.

However, if you don't want to do this and only tax one item: tax television viewing. :lol2:

Very interesting about the underground economy. In a way, we already have a consumption tax. Name one product we do not pay a tax on when we consume it? I could see taxing cable and satellite television usage. Makes me wonder why they didn't go after something like this that is shared by all classes and races. How would your wife feel if they taxed consmetics and the guys that don't wear makeup weren't taxed at all?

 

[HerefordSire]

I don't know how they figure that. Seems awefully low if you look at the numbers. I had just figured it in my head using some rough figures but I wasn't in my think tank. However, I went to my think tank and sat down and smoked it over using a little sharper mind and here is how I figure it.

The terrible big carbon foot-printed farmer in the US produces tobacco and jobs for the industry. The industry uses 1.6 billion pounds of domestic tobacco per year and inports nearly a quarter billion pounds. This creates lots of private industry jobs - which as we all know is a bad thing due to environmental reasons. This greedy farmer is rolling in money since he gets to pocket about $2.40/lb. or $0.04/pack. Of course, he has to hire lots of help and buy lots of equipment, fertilizer and fuel to produce such a windfall profit - but I'm sure his banker gives him a break every chance they get. Since it takes about 1.9 lbs of tobacco to make a 1000 cigarettes this works out to roughly 2.63 cartons per pound of tobacco. Or roughly, 53 packs per pound.

Placing a $0.62 a pack fed sales tax on top of the existing $0.39/ pack sales tax would equal $1.01 /pack. But you also get to add the new state tax which is going to be $1.00/pack which should bring the total near $2.01/pack. Things get a bit muddy here and but there is also a state $0.255 /pack sin tax on the federal taxes or maybe this could also be assessed on the combined excise taxes which would add another $0.50 per pack which brings the total to $2.51/pack. But then the county can add their own excise tax if they choose. On top of this add the sales tax of say 7% which brings the taxes on a pack to around $2.73/pack which is a pretty good return for your investment. ($144/lb taxes)

Since I don't have the figures on hand, I'm just going to guess that about half of this stays here and is used for cigarettes. If this is the case then there should be about $144 billion for us to fund our pet projects and such. So undoubtedly, if the 30 billion figure is correct we must only use 10% of our crop and export the rest. With 90% export market this again is a reason we should definitely crack down on it. Afterall, just think of how bad we must be polluting the oceans. Maybe this is just the money ear-marked for the children's health programs this is supposed to fund and the rest of it will go to dolphin research and woodpecker relocation programs. You know, the important stuff. Don't know. Don't really care. What is important is that we build a larger government. I think this whole idea is utterly fantastic. I mean, when we crimminalize tobacco users while at the same time decrimminalizing the use of marijuana it will only be a matter of time before we can employ the same system on weed. Fantastic idea. I guess the tax on the weed could go to subsidize all the jailers this will put out of business and maybe be serve as the seed money for a new Homeland Ecological Defense Agency.

HS, per your request, attached is a picture of my 'think tank design'.

What is next? Guns and ammunition?

 

[Jogeephus]

Lammie, here is some bacca grown by a rogue villain in my area.

Tobacco or bacca -as its called here - was a way of life. Most everyone I know spent their childhood years topping and cropping bacca. It is awefully hot and nasty work but everybody did it. I know of two doctors, one NASA rocket scientist, a USGS geologist who all will admit it was the bacca patch that made them successful. Or should I say, the fear of having to go back to the patch. From 6:00 a.m till dark was the schedule. Lunch was long and playful - usually spent at the creek or a pond to cool off and get the nasty tar off of your body. It built character and taught work ethic. Of course we don't need this anymore.

But I'm on a tangent - sorry.

Back on the subject of meeting the budget, what about taxing energy? This would almost work like a flat tax since the people using the most would have to pay the most. We could possibly scare everyone into thinking that the sky is falling or something like that and convince them this tax will be good for them cause a portion of this will be used to save the world. Of course we would again be placing a tax on people that don't make over $250,000. So to right this, maybe we could create an unearned energy credit and give this to our constituency.

 

[Jogeephus]

Hold the bus! I think I got it! Since so many people want a flat tax but so many of our esteemed colleagues in the accounting industry and law firms don't - LETS COMPROMISE! Let's keep our current tax code AND put in place a flat tax on top of that! Taxing Taxes. Been doing it on tobacco and liquor for years so why won't it work as a blanket treatment.

HS, you gotta admit - this is the answer. Definitely a six pipe problem but it finally dawned on me. Now be honest. This was the answer you were fishing for wasn't it? ;-)

 

[HerefordSire]

Looks like a pain in the butt row crop to me.

Just don't sell any of it or you'll be in big time trouble. There are only 4 states that can legally sell commercially grown tobacco. The native Americans have been fighting this for years because some want to commercially grow it in other states.

Very good advice. You next post should be edited.

 

[HerefordSire]

Looks like a pain in the butt row crop to me.

Or a cure for AIDS.


http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbc ... 9904050401

Nice post.

 

[HerefordSire]

We used to work convicts. We had all sorts but I remember one guy in particular cause he was a cigarette smuggler like Backhoe. They locked him up for going to the Carolinas and buying cheap cigarettes by the case and loading them in his car and selling these "non-taxed" items in Georgia. I forgot how many years he was serving but it was a good stint of hard labor for cutting our glorious state out of its share of the cigarette tax. I was always real careful around him cause he was so "dangerous". (I always wondered this, but assuming he was doing 7 years, how much do you think it cost our state to protect us from this villain.) Whatever the cost, I'm sure it was worth every penny.

That is a scary story. There are thousands and thousands of people doing time for taking a pack of cigarettes without paying for them.

 

[HerefordSire]

Branson, Missouri looks like a good place to live. Notice the income, or poverty level distribution, appears to almost agree with the state excise tax magnitude.

 

[HerefordSire]

Here is where the additional money is going...

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization
Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 was one of the first pieces of
legislation passed by the 111th Congress and signed by
President Obama on February 4, 2009. The Act extends
and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program
(now referred to as CHIP, not SCHIP) which was enacted
with bi-partisan support a decade ago as part of the
Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA). CHIPRA adds $33
billion in federal funds for children's coverage over the next
four and half years, and is expected to provide coverage to
4.1 million children in Medicaid and CHIP who otherwise
would have been uninsured by 2013.

Together with Medicaid, CHIP has helped to reduce the rate
of low-income uninsured children by expanding eligibility
levels and simplifying enrollment procedures. Coverage
gains helped to increase access to health services for
millions of children, but 9 million children remain uninsured
even though roughly two-thirds are eligible for Medicaid or
CHIP, but not enrolled. As CHIP was set to expire in 2007,
Congress passed two versions of CHIPRA with bi-partisan
support but both bills were vetoed by President Bush. A
temporary reauthorization of CHIP was passed in December
2007 to extend the program through April 2009. This brief
provides an overview of the key provisions in CHIPRA 2009.

.
.
.
.
.

Legal Immigrants. CHIPRA 2009 would allow states the
option to provide coverage to legal immigrant children and
pregnant women during their first five years in the country.
This five year ban was imposed in 1996 as part of welfare
reform but has been lifted for other public programs such as
food stamps. Undocumented immigrants would continue to
be ineligible for CHIP.

Citizenship Documentation. The DRA citizenship
documentation requirements for Medicaid would now be
required for children in CHIP like Medicaid. But, the bill
would allow states to comply with these requirements for
both Medicaid and CHIP by using a data matching process
with the Social Security Administration (SSA).

http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/7863.pdf

 

[HerefordSire]

Tobacco and Terror...Click to enlarge


http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Cig ... 042408.pdf