Tobacco taxes through the roof, contraband through the roof. The reason why this happens is understandable to the slowest brain around – but, apparently, not to the writer of this piece or those who agree with him.
The solution advocated here is to get “as tough on those who sell illegal cigarettes – often openly – as it is on policing merchants who sell the legal variety”, that is, get tough on the Indians. Politician Bob Runciman takes advantage of the situation to get exposure, and says: "In tough economic times, with families and communities suffering, food bank lineups growing, this government is looking the other way as illegal activities siphon off at least $500 million a year".
True – but the solution is not to get tough”, but to reverse the political course, 180 degrees. Lowering tobacco taxation eliminates contraband and increase revenues to government. Stop the ministry of health’s persecution and denormalization of smokers: Prevent institutions from lieing to the people about the effects on health of active and passive smoking. Reverse smoking bans and give smokers social space, freedom of expression and dignity. Admit that the harms of passive smoking are a fraud.
The miracle would happen – and the governments know that, because they are not that stupid; but of course that will not happen. Why? Because those who have conned the public with the frauds on smoking would go to jail. Because antitobacco has become a fanatical ideology that can be eradicated only with force since force is the language employed against its victims. No normal person wants violence, prefering instead to be a victim of violence and fanaticism rather than to be like the violent anti-smokers . Sometimes victims get to love their persecutors: it is called Stockholm syndrome. Others prefer to be victims simply because they are either cowards, or they cannot even organize a piss-up in a brewery, let alone organize a structured opposition.
So governments would rather lose billions – better yet, make the people ose billions – than admit that antitobacco is wrong, irrational, suicidal and especially dishonest. So governments get tougher, and tougher, and tougher… until something gives, and that something is usually violence. That’s the price of the deadly mix of political stupidity and moral corruption.
Smoke away. Smoke Indian. Smoke well.
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