‘Waarom geen zondebelasting op koffie?’
Een columnist breekt in een Californisch blad een lans voor het leggen van accijnzen op kopjes koffie, dit in navolging van de situatie met betrekking tot tabak. De columnist, volgens eigen zeggen een niet-roker, vindt het waanzin hoeveel wetgeving er over roken is verschenen.
“Most everyone, liberal and conservative, hates smokers. In my opinion, at times smokers get more crap than any other racial, sexual or religious group, mainly because we allow them to be hated.”
Scum of society.
There are more laws governing them than practically any other group. The media targets them more and more. There are commercials and multi-million dollar ads to make sure that the youth of America does not become future dregs that cloud up and make the world miserable for the rest of us. They can be found in every facet and group in the world.
We hate them and we love to hate them.
Smokers.
[..]
Random A.D.D. Moment: I believe we should tax coffee $0.10 per cup. Then put that money into schools. That would raise millions of dollars for public education. But people would freak out because they don’t want to pay $5.10 instead of just $5 even if it’s for children. You cheap bastards.
If people want to smoke, let them smoke. We don’t make Starbucks pay for ads warning about the dangers of caffeine. Senators aren’t passing laws saying that one can only eat greasy food at the age of 18. The media aren’t using creative tactics to keep us from sitting out in the sun too long.
All these things are unhealthy but we don’t care.
Smokers are shunned; we give them dirty looks when we are forced to pass through their smoke. I do it too, even if I know its mean. But I’m going to try not to. I will also give dirty looks to sunbathers blinding me with cancerous skin, tell every pregnant woman I see with a burger about the health risks of polyunsaturated fats to them and the child, ask a person with an espresso if they’re giving America’s youth the wrong impression, and tell each person cutting carbohydrates out of their diet that the lack of carbs can hurt your liver.
Or we could all lighten up a bit. If someone is smoking in the middle of the Quad, let them. It’s their last haven next to their home and car.
Now quit pestering them, and drink your addictive, $5, low-carb coffee.
