SCHIP: Care Enough to Smoke?

[pianomikey0]

There is no tax that liberals will ever oppose.  Of course, republicans don't either...

[donnyboyblue]

duh.....u can buy them but you don't have to smoke them....just make it a charitable contribution......peace out.

[prfsnlwannabe]

At least these aren't those late spoof ads that were done by antis in favor of OR's failed Measure 50, which I didn't care for.

On the other hand, these commercials really made me laugh, and were excellent. TimeToVoice is also right that the only reason Bush vetoed the bill was b/c he was opposed to the funding mechanism(increasing the fed tobacco tax) and an expansion of it, and NOT the existence of SCHIP.

[gardenlogic1]

Now there is a commercial I would love to see on TV.

[tiredmed]

nice

[alex8711]

Can cover households that make as much as $85,000, and "kids" as old as 25.

[martymefurst]

The greatest freedom of all is the freedom from fear: how has that been accomplished for 50 million people?

[TimeToVoice]

I don't believe there should be ANY bill at all! Take responsibility. If you cannot afford healthcare for your child, get yourslef into a better position before you have a child. If your employer does not have an insurance plan, QUIT and find one that does. Discourage people from working for that employer until he has to either get a plan or shut down for lack of help. Government can NEVER make things better. All they can do is take more of your money and make services worse.

[TimeToVoice]

Some on this thread apparently don't know that Bush did not veto the SCHIP program. Bush vetoed the expansion of the SCHIP program that would have included higher income families as well as illegal immigrants, neither of which should have access to this program.

[RecceMan90]

How true! Congress always will tax those who the media demonizes!

[chestymcbreasty]

the answer my friends is GETTING THE HELL OUT OF IRAQ NOW! then funding for this bill would be no problem. theres NO reason to unfairly tax smokers, just as there is NO reason to unfairly tax FAST FOOD. passing this legislation is only creating a precedent, for future taxes. We need LESS government, and FEWER taxes. We could probably all afford healthcare if we werent being over taxed. $750 a month from me...WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING WITH OUR MONEY???

[YouUnpatrioticIdiots]

(Oh and BTW I'm 10 no matter what my account info says I'm not dumb enough to think they let me in without being at least 13 or something. Duh!) Ok well this is just THE point we need to make, It's so obvious it's killing me but the liberals don't notice it. Shove it up their stinking noses! I don't want to have to take this shipp BS!!!

[jeffwoehrle]

Democrats = higher taxes.

Just another case in point.

[sorsime]

We aren't providing freedom for anyone in Iraq.Would you feel free if you had soldiers from another country walking around and patrolling your streets?We should butt out and let them destroy themselves and let them be ruled over by the horrible dictators that they will always have.If they had wanted freedom and democracy,they would have fought for it themselves.Fuck em'.

[RecceMan90]

You don't understand Dictators and the control and fear they place on the citizens they rule over. We will all know if Hillary becomes President, her buddies Pelosi and Reid will be quick to help trim our constitution!

[StoogeWatcher]

Oregon voters said no to raising cigarette taxes to fund an SCHIP-like program. Where is the liberal outrage now?

[cobalt100]

This is one of the best critical lampoons on SCHIP. Consider this, Congress has forced smokers to become unwilling philanthropists, yet smokers are deemed nasty and despicable. The vice that really causes more havoc and deaths is alcohol. But they can't touch that because most members of Congress use alcohol on a daily basis.

[Drivermatic]

Annual US Obesity related health care related costs are higher than smoking related health care costs by about 20 Billion. Looks like we need a FAT TAX.........come on folks lets tax every Big Mac. While we are at it, lets ban anyone from eating a Big Mac anywhere but an in a McDonald's too.....no more take out. I don't want to be exposed to second hand Big Macs

[ROKNWITCH66]

I like antimarxism's idea....tax the fat-asses

too! Smokers, Gluttons...and why not tax the

bubble gum Chewers?

[ReverandJim]

Liberalism is a brain disease!

[ReverandJim]

What will they want the smokers to pay for next? That's like me paying for a school tax and I don't have any kids!

I love the freedom that our troops are fighting for, Don't you?

[RETSF]

If the countires childern are ours how come only a small segement of society is footing the bill for their health care. The answer is: Because the majority of citizens don't want to pay for someone elses kids...Congress hasn't the courage to apply the tax burden to the whole country. Ole Nancy and that bunch are nothing more than socialists.

[thealmostperfectman]

Dumb idea!?

...let's consider dumb ideas...

Iraq. Nothing to do with 9/11, creating more terrorists than we can kill and draining a half a trillion dollars from the treasury. For that price we could have insured 250 million kids IN ONE YEAR!

you bunch of dumbfucks...

[Jorient405]

Really what's that again about creating more than we can kill? ...the death rate has been spiraling downwards in Iraq for months, yet you leftards keep peddling these myths. Keep spinning, real Americans can see you whiney Stalinist tools for what you really are.

[martymefurst]

By "real American," do you mean someone who lets AM radio talk shows and Fox News pundits tell them what to think, and not someone who was merely born here? Call people leftards all you want, it was YOUR boys that got us in this depressing mess from the beginning.

[Medievl]

And Germany had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor......

And it there are any "almost perfect men" in our nation, they are preventing the NEXT 9/11 by killing the terrorists THERE, instead of HERE.

[RecceMan90]

You are a perfect fool!  Are you Howard Dean?

[crowmd1]

But the huge profits are killing health care. We all know that now. Profit-maximizing insurance companies are bad economics. They make money by denying care, which is a terrible way to try to keep us healthy. (The Rockridge Institute's white paper on health care security has details.)

[RecceMan90]

Even more costly are the rediculous malpractice insurance, also people not paying their medical bills (ie illegal aliens)! The free market isn't perfect, but government controls kill more than any fatcat businessman (or woman) could!

[crowmd1]

There were 142 members of Congress who voted against extending health care to more poor children. Behind their rhetoric, their intentions are clear: they want to protect the health insurance market and the huge profits that go with it.

[therevolution2k7]

the man makes a great point, but how else is the government supposed to raise the money to suport the bill? This war has our government so far in debt that they are being forced to raise money in such desperate ways. The republicans are the ones to blame for the country running out of money, leaving the democrats little choice but to raise money by taxing cigarretts.

[Jorient405]

Idiotic. Have you seen the deficit? News flash -- it has been decreasing for months. Less taxes = more growth = more money flowing back into the treasury. It's simple supply side economics, but apparently not simple enough for leftists.

[americastandingtall]

Haha. 5/5

[ladybracknel]

Fantastic. Everyday I am grateful for my government's national health service.

[JustMightBeGod]

I LOVE IT!!! Absolutely love the vid. I still say SCHIP should be demolished. Wealth redistribution through government taxation is still stealing folks.

[antimarxism]

Obesity accounts for 16.6% percent of avoidable deaths in the US. Tobacco is at 18.1%. Where is the logic here of the tax hungry Libs?

Using the socialist Dems (il)logic, why focus ONLY on cigarettes when other temptations should be taxed that contribute to obesity (Mcdonalds, ice cream, candy, chocolate, etc...)

[Jorient405]

Who says that anything should be taxed in such a way, just because someone thinks you have bad habits or are too fat? Who decides these things, and what are the standards going to be, hmmmm? How fat is too fat? How fat do you have to be to be taxed at what rate?

[prfsnlwannabe]

Don't forget too that in virtually all states, obesity has overtaken smoking as the biggest health problem that each state is facing. So if you ask me, Dems should be looking in the mirror, and STOP obsessing about increasing the fed tobacco tax(and hiding by using the excuse of 'funding SCHIP'), just to appease anti-smoking groups. I'm tired of the darn hysteria that antis always reiterate, just in the end to only use the same tired junk science to justify bans and increased tobacco taxation.

[Fallschirmjager11]

Yah this Schip expansion is really stupid, if you didn't already know it adds middle class families to the government dole, families making 40-60,000 a year will have their kids on this program if the expansion goes through. The median household income in the US is like $44,000/yr right now which means most of those added would be in the top half of American wage earners...how could we in any way afford that? Who's supposed to pay if we put the top half on govt assistance too?

[menardo579]

How about taking some of those hundreds of billions of dollars we're wasting in Iraq and using that instead? Can't wait to see Mr. Smoking Guy on the front lines, leading the charge into Iran. You're all such heroes.

[Jorient405]

Yes, because in your little world, anyone who could have the audacity to oppose higher taxes to support healthcare for people who can afford to buy it on their own -- well shit, they must be war mongers, right? Hell, who says conservatives see everything in black and white. You're a fool.

[DancingTigerBait]

GREAT video!

When do we get the t-shirts that say, "Support children's healthcare--buy a carton of smokes today!" Or, "Uncle Same wants YOU...to smoke for children's healthcare"

LOL, did we really vote these people into congress?

[HairyChestnuts]

We seem to be government by hypocritical old bigots, they want to persecute smokers, yet fleece them for every penny first.

[dxcamp2]

When the Dems really want to increase our taxes, they bring our the big-gun rhetoric using kids, elderly and minorities. Always have, always will. Great video.

[bobc1002]

you know why they are doing this? cause of the health insurance companies don't want to pay for pre-existing conditions. Thanks people like Bush who love the insurance companies.

[pepsitexaco]

I like the But seriously folks look he gives her when he says "but it gets worse"

I love the 23% they don't get how funny they are.

[ehuggins78]

You douche. Are you really that dumb, or are you just pandering?

[greenteeth136]

Smokeing lobyists have reached a new hight!

Next: Congress promotes whore houses to pay for SCHIP!

The dito heads will swalow it whole! News at 11!

[smokeymischief]

So true! Everyone knows SCHIP covers illegal aliens, and millionaires, and pirates and robots and space aliens. If if all the money comes from taxing cigarettes, how are smokers gonna be able to afford to keep smoking???

[JDDammit]

Shame on you for questioning congress

[ilcchef2]

Good job!!! People need to educate themselves about this bill, I't will also kill the entire cigar industry and put hard working store owners out of business in this country as well as thousands dependent upon cigar sales here out of a job in the cigar prducing countries of central America, write your congressmen NOW!

[adrienebrooke]

oh congress. your ideas are so inspired.

[Konomizer]

Haha great stuff =x

[belcatar]

Awesome! I thought I was the only person who thinks taxing smokers for health care is the height of stupidity!

[tradingbr]

"its for the kids" lol

[TAMARLANE]

What happened to all the responses. This site has been cleansed of opinions. I posted one here myself.

Waste of time to comment here.

[danofdc]

You're obviously lobbying for smokers'. HHS estimates that smoking costs $52b/yr in health expenses and lost work - $220/person. People smoke, get sick, go to the hospital, and cost money which insurance companies pass on to the population in the form of higher premiums. Are you really arguing against making those CAUSING healthcare prices to go up to help to defray that cost? You're out for your own interests which, I can only assume, include cutting the cost of cigarettes. Shame on you.

[5M1L3]

Do it for the children, smoke one for the team.

Yeah our Congress has lost it.

Great video.

[wanealy]

Why won't you allow comments?  Right wing is getting really pathetic.

[pbilger]

Thanks cigarettes companies for the warning. Stop congress and let the cigarette companies off the hook again. I say tax the hell out of the cigarettes and more people will not smoke. But big companies like cigarettes companies loves the Rep party--Why because Rep's don't care about your health nor the American people.

[barrinmw]

...they tax cigarettes because cigarettes are an inelastic good for people who smoke them. Just like how the Romans used to tax salt.

And nowhere in the Vetoed Bill did it expand who they were going to give SChips to, it was only going to provide extra funding for people who already qualified.

[maxxmegakill]

funny as yell

[mmitchellhouston]

Now that's funny! And, sadly, too true!

[FranklinPatriot]

Whatever - smoking should be illegal - health care should be single payer coverage...if we had single payer health care - then we wouldn't have to pay for health insurance or tax ciggerettes. Asshole stupid commercial.

[mindchime]

You forgot, 60 percent of kids that want this already have private health care. Which means they want the government to support them, not take responsibility for themselves anymore.

[ZafrodO]

Hey! Look! We can make a video to sway the opinion of the desperately uninformed and gullible!

Reality check: Taxing cigarettes, a product whose use increases the need for health services, for health services makes sense. However, funding is not dependent on the number of smokers. This little skit is trying to make you oppose providing necessary care to sick children by ridiculing a situation that doesn't exist.

[EmanBos]

So tobacco use increases the need for health services for young children? Funny, I thought the increase happened with people age 60 and above. I'd heard about the old folks wanting to feel young, but this takes the cake! ;-) Wow. Never heard that before.

[ou8one2forme]

ROLMAO....

Hey, I guess I need a smoke!

That or just support Israel and they just might flip the bill for us!!

But remember boys and girls.. you have to join your military as soon as your old enough!

Ahhhh, don't worry those that are too young to join now, just wait a while and Bush might lower the age for ya's!

Either to smoke or join the military..

Peace

[hdragon82]

It's nice to know people care

[ThereasontN]

uuuuuh call me crazy but it's the COMBINATION of preventive healthcare we'd get through S-CHIP coupled with making smoking LESS ATTRACTIVE by increasing the cost that gets us to the next level.

[hollyhoodjoe123]

lol

[portera25]

No, it's not a dumb idea.

[keithan55]

LOL!  This is hilarious.

[monyeeet23]

LOL.

here in Indiana they raised the cigarette tax from 44 cents to 99.5

I wonder if its the same increase in other states.

[wanealy]

Ridiculously fake. Obviously funded by the right wing machine. This guy is not for real!

[stildaydreamin89]

ummm...

either way SCHIP works, it's for the better.

1. less people smoke because it's more expensive

2. we expand children's healthcare.

what's just dumb is when Bush vetoed it.

[EmanBos]

Dude, you can't have both of them. With decreased consumption, i.e., fewer smokers, there is less revenue for the program, so all of a sudden, you can't fund the expansion. It is unsound fiscal policy to rely on "sin taxes" for vital revenues, because if they perform as designed, the revenue stream will eventually dry up. The problem is that members of Congress are not concerned with sound fiscal policy, rather "fiscal policy that will get me re-elected."

[paanta]

Wait I don't get it. This is anti-smoking tax?

[TAMARLANE]

Probably won't get many posts from libs here. They don't deal well with reality.

[catflasher]

This is awesome.

[wanealy]

Yet another stupid oversimplification of a complicated issue. The only reason the Democrats did this is because the REPUBLICANS stalled any other tax hike. Bush, a shill for the tobacco industry is responsible, not the Dems.  Money for war: sure. Money for sick children: of course not. Where the hell are our priorities!

[beatboxbill]

I was just watching a Rep from Arizona presenting this before the Speaker of the house. It's kind of an bazaar request of American's, and a stupid one at that.

[themaster117]

Actually...

If people stopped smoking because of the cigarette tax, it would free up millions currently being spent on health care for people with lung disease. Of course, that would cut into the profits of the big tobacco companies. I wonder who's paying for this ad?

[EmanBos]

Erm, I don't think the kids are the ones with lung diseases, so their problems wouldcontinue to be unaddressed. Also, smoking is not the only cause of lung disease. Finally, how much of this "health care for people with lung disease" is paid for with public money, and if it is such a concern, why don't the officials in charge cut it off?

[Tobias2012]

brilliant

[positivepressure]

Yeah...I guess it's stupid to think that tax revenues from cigarettes would add up to anything. There are only 10-15 people smoking in the U.S., anyway. It's better to thin the herd before they get to smoking age cuz smoking is dangerous to your health. Vote against SCHIP...children's healthcare is overated.

[edger76]

FOR THE KIDS!!! lmao Make me the 24th subscriber!

[minmotstand]

How exactly is this a dumb idea?

America is falling behind in world trade because we don't cover our citizens health care.

Much of the reason why Europe does better than us.

[EmanBos]

The problem is the funding source. You want a public health care system that covers everybody? That's cool. Hopefully, you can find an equitable way to pay for it! Also, this program does not cover everyone.

[sonick808]

Classic !

[cloud1232006]

lol great... schip is socialism

[DailyPimpDotCom]

i smell a future viral video

[SovereignZuul]

Hah, funny commercial, CONGRESS HATES YOU.

[jumboband]

Why shouldn't smokers help fund health care? They create a huge amount of the cost (COPD, heart disease, etc).

[StevenAndrewMiller]

Great way to point out the stupidity of this program.

[LawsonHill]

That is such twisted logic. This implies that congress is encouraging smoking by taxing smoking.

[EmanBos]

Dude, you're still in "sin tax" mode. My guess is that you see tobacco taxes as discouraging consumption by increasing the overall price. And that's generally true. The problem is that in this case, decreasing consumption leads to decreased revenues which leads to a lack of funding for children's healthcare.

[EmanBos]

(Continued) So, in effect, Congress is banking on sustaining the smoker population if not increasing so as to ensure a steady stream of revenues. Otherwise, they would have to come up with a new tax, and they would be out of office if they did that!

[WIWHGMS]

Way to go! Brillant video!

[fullermarc]

hillarious

[fhornredmuse]

Fantastic PSA.

[JustJoelyouassclown]

LOL!!

[twopotatoesonecarrot]

Hire moar actors,.. really, these people are horrible.

[noseldnik]

Makes perfect sense to me to tax smokers.

[nikolai082700]

Ah, truth is a beautiful thing. Great video.

[RonaldEmmis]

This sums up how utterly bankrupt the Democrats in Congress are.

And everyone who voted for them last November is responsible for this. Did you vote for them? Look in the mirror - you support the comedy act of Pelosi and Reid, two of the worst loser comedians in charge of national policy.

[TheMooniniteProject]

urban legend.

[TaylorThaHick]

LOL - communism by any other name would stink as much!!

[plargo8]

This video is moronic.

[ampdead]

Brilliant.

[EditoratIP]

This is great. Cuts through the garbage to make clear what Congress is really trying to do.

[princetrumpet]

Very funny... well done, succinct, and on target!

[shakybarnes]

Let's tax wacking off -- we'll pay off the national debt.

[incorrectLEFT]

hilarious and true!!!!

[cheeseburger12]

Ha.

[geekWithA45]

Darn. I just quit smoking. Now I'll have to start all over again.

Gee, thanks, Congress! ;)

[grayokc]

For the children, I smoke nearly a carton and a half a week. I'm proud to say I'm doing my part!