Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Only 135 votes vs. S-CHIP

Wow, that's discouraging. It's "health care expansion funded with a massive tax hike on smokers," says Michelle Malkin, who seems to have temporarily forgotten basic economics. It won't be just smokers, because it can't be. 

Supply and demand: Higher taxes will reduce smoking, so that total federal tobacco tax revenue will fail to meet the "fixed-pie" calculus of the Central Economic Planners, who will in turn act to fund the plan through general revenue. Meanwhile, costs will far exceed projections because of massive over-utilization. (The free-beer principle: If it's an open bar, your estimate of the amount needed to supply a party of X number of people will almost always be too low, and you'll end up making a beer run before midnight.)

You -- yes, you, the wheat-germ and alfalfa-sprouts organic tofu gobblers -- will eventually be taxed to pay for this boondoggle.

In three words: It Won't Work.

UPDATE: New Obama slogan: Smoke up! It's for the children!

3 comments:

  1. Especially with the program opeing up to those who make upwards of 300% of the poverty level for the family size.

    I have a family of 6, with 4 kids under 18. So, my poverty level is $28,769. That means I am eligible if my income level is under $86,307.

    Woot! Free healthcare for me!!

    I posted a link to the summary text. It says it all...

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  2. Start taxing food with healthy and organic labels..

    don't those people live longer anyway?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Or: "Obama smokes, so should you. . . . For your health."

    ReplyDelete