We all love to sit around and moan about how awful things are. It's hard to get active when we have to make a living and raise our kids. Direct activism is hard. We thank all those who devote years making the world a better place. At the very least, please take a look at these petitions prepared by activists who are making a difference. Sign them. Numbers are taken seriously by the politicians who have forgotten that the anti-smoking agenda does not vote. Smokers vote and it's time they be heard.
CONGRESSIONAL ALERT
Liberty Alert: Beware The FDA Regulating Tobacco - The idea contained within this bill is an outrage! Those Americans who care about the concept of limited government need to alert the public and to make their feelings known to their elected Federal representatives about handing over carte blanche authority to the FDA to regulate the cigarette industry out of existence.
What [Senate Bill 1177] will do is to vest the Department of Health & Human Services, through the Food and Drug Administration, with sweeping powers to place burdensome regulations on the tobacco manufacturers and retailers.
Essentially, Gregg-DeWine will enable the FDA to place restrictions on anything to do with the manufacture, distribution, and promotion of tobacco products. Thus, the FDA has license to do everything possible to place the kind of killer regulations on the products that will lead to the death of the cigarette industry in our country. Many of the costly regulatory provisions will take its toll on retailers because they will be unable to comply or else pay an exorbitant cost to do so.
Paul Weyrich has listed excellent reasons this bill must be killed. For smokers it all boils down to cost and availability. Once the Food and Drug Administration gets its clutches on tobacco the price of all tobacco products will rise. Sure, we're used to escalating cigarette costs but once the manufacturers are under the FDA's thumb the price will rise dramatically, irrespective of any state tax imposed. Before long you will have to buy more cigarettes than you do now because the FDA will reduce the permissible amount of nicotine that can be contained by a cigarette. This step down will occur several times until there is no nicotine at all. At that point the next step will be to ban tobacco. No constitutional measure will be needed as was the case for alcohol early last century. Prohibition of tobacco is the intent of this bill.
Write your senators now. Tell them that you oppose this bill in its entirety. Keep it brief and simple. To find your senators enter your zip code into the "Go" box in the "Contact Congress" box in the left margin of this page.
FDA control over tobacco products.
According to news releases, media reports and Capitol Hill insiders FDA
control of tobacco products is not the "done deal" the
proponents were expecting, although it is not totally off the table.
It will continue to lurk in the background for some time to come.
Tobacco Free Kids said that talks broke down on the deal because of "loopholes" that would limit FDA authority and only permit congress to ban tobacco products. The statement from Philip Morris, who is pushing for some type of control, blames the breakdown in talks due to insistence that FDA be given the ability to ban the sale of tobacco products to adult.
Both statements are essentially correct. The spin is just different depending upon which side of the issue is speaking.
The goal of TFK and all anti-smoker organizations is eventual tobacco prohibition. The goal of PM is a total monopoly of the tobacco market. Both seek to use FDA control to accomplish their ultimate goal. The goals are wrong and the proposals must be stopped. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) is a major proponent of FDA control of tobacco and is opposed to any changes in the proposal which would prohibit FDA from banning tobacco. It is highly unlikely this will be finished prior to the November recess, but it will return in January. Now is the time to contact your Congressional members (House and Senate) and tell them you oppose FDA control of tobacco products.
HR 2824 Internet and Native American Taxation issues A new version of this legislation adds telephone and internet sales to those sales of tobacco products subject to taxation, including those sales made by Native American sellers.
The purpose of this legislation and similar measures is to protect the tax revenue base of states which have chosen to balance their budgets on the backs of smokers an other users of tobacco products.
Smokers who choose to purchase their products in ways that save them a few dollars are being singled out differently than all others who choose to shop via telephone or the internet. This legislation must be opposed and opposed loudly. Congressional delegation must acquire backbone to tell their home state legislatures the reason states are losing tobacco taxes to other than brick and mortar shops is because tobacco taxes are too high.
To find your Congressional Senator or House Representative just type in your zip code
Despite the evidence that smoking bans inhibit growth in the hospitality industry and in many cases drive small businesses into financial ruin, the New York State legislators are considering, yet again, imposing 100 percent smoking ban on the entire state.
Similar measures have been contemplated for the past several years and in each case a flurry of citizen lobbying killed the bills. You can kill the new bill this time. All it takes is a phone call, a letter or an email to your legislator. They work for you. Make them kill the new smoking ban bill. We link to New York C.L.A.S.H. for specific information.
We demand a return to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution with inclusion of ALL Americans, including smokers, in the anti-discrimination statutes of this country.
http://www.geocities.com/americansall/DIGNITY.htm
PETITION TO HALT EXCESS TAXATION ON TOBACCO
Tired of paying huge taxes on tobacco? Think gouging smokers to balance budgets and provide services for everyone? Check out the petition to halt excess taxation.
http://www.petitiononline.com/smokers/petition.html
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