Double Speak!

As most of you are probably aware, the Senate today passed a bill which would put the Tobacco Industry under the regulation authority of the Food and Drug Administration. Many people are applauding this landmark legislation which has been in the works for over forty years. People like me, however, are a little worried about the precedents this law will set.

Now for the sake of this argument I will agree with those who feel that smoking is the ultimate evil in our society. Cigarettes are evil and those who smoke them are "unhealthy" and shady individuals, blah, blah, blah. Ok! I get it! Smoking is a choice and certain people have decided not to while others enjoy it. I chose to smoke and I chose to give it up. That was a personal right and freedom that I had. The right to choose to commit a legal action.

However, this new legislation would allow the Food and Drug Administration to step into a "PRIVATE" industry and tell them how to run their business. Tobacco companies will be forced to give up the list of items contained in its product. It will be forced to cut back on its advertisements. It will be forced to drop the labels "light", "mild," etc. from cigarettes. It will even be forced to change the amount of nicotine in its product. All the while the same industry which the government has just stepped in to control will be forced to pay for all of this regulation. Really? Is any of this constitutionally allowed? As of right now, due to previous lawsuits, the Tobacco Industry has been forced to run ads against its own product. I find all of this to be completely ridiculous. This legislation will allow the government to make decisions for a private group under the guise of the greater good. Their hopes are to ween people off of this evil product. The issue here is that it sets a horrible precedent. What will be the next industry which the government will deem "unhealthy" and force to regulate? Now, our economy is not socialist (yet), but, this does lay down the framework for eventual government control in all industry. Something that is the exact opposite of free market capitalism.

Now, the prime issue I take with this legislation is the double speak from our politicians. I am beginning to wonder if politicians have short memories or they just don't care what they do. The reason I think this is because of a piece of legislation brought up a few months ago. Now, the hopes of this bill will to be able to change a product that people are addicted to and hope that they will never use it anymore. Yet, a few months ago the government passed SCHIP (children's healthcare reported on this blog a few months ago) and raised taxes on cigarettes. The reason why they raised these taxes was to pay for the whole program. Now, I ask the government this! If people stop smoking won't we raise less tax revenue to fund this and other programs? What will we have to tax instead? Didn't this administration promise me that my taxes wouldn't go up a dime? Seriously? I just don't understand how these politicians work.

Now to make it clear, this is something that both sides of the aisle have supported. It has been the first time that I've seen legislation pass with support from both Democrats and Republicans. I find it funny how both sides are willing to curb your freedoms. I find it funny how the first time these guys have worked together there are issues of constitutionality in a bill. Washington D.C. is just getting more and more out of touch and ridiculous as the days go by.

By the way, is there any way we could regulate KFC and have them give us the secret recipe for their fried chicken? I would actually support that.