Having to say how stupid it is to be against the law to smoke in a smoke shop is about as obvious as saying the sky is blue and grass is green.

 Anyway, many of you have probably come across all kinds of crazy laws in different towns and cities across the US that forbid smoking in tobacconists and cigar lounges.

 If you can spare 60 seconds, you can help do something about it.

 There is an online petition you can sign for "The Tobacconist Preservation Act"

"The Tobacconist Preservation Act is a proposed Federal Law which will preserve and protect Tobacconist and consumer rights to smoke in retail Tobacconist stores."

I just signed it and added my comments as such:

It is just purely logical that educated adults should be able to make their own life choices that do not effect other people. This is part of the "pursuit of happiness" one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence. We do not need, nor do we want government to dictate what is "good for us". 

The Tobacconist Preservation Act

If you're reading this website, you probably know all about SCHIP and tobacco taxes. It has been discussed to death and I do not want to beat a dead horse. Instead of discussing the politics of it, I would like to raise the issue of logic ... or lack thereof.

I scanned a bunch of news stories and press releases about it this morning. There were a bunch of them as President Obama signed the bill yesterday.

I was prompted to make this post while reading this press release:
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-04-2009/0004966727&EDATE=

Basically it talks about what a wonderful thing it is to have the State Children's Health Insurance Plan law (SCHIP), and implies how righteous it is to have the evil disgusting smokers pay for it with increased taxes on tobacco products.

Aside from health insurance, keep in mind they are also talking about how troubling it is that use of small cigars and cigarillos has increased amongst youth, and I can picture them nearly kneeling down to praise the Lord that there is proof that increasing taxes on tobacco products decreases their use.

Ok, fine. Like I said, let's skip the politics for a moment and consider the absence of simple basic logic.

Please note this line from the above referenced press release:
"For years there has been an established correlation between increased taxes on tobacco and a decrease in consumption rates. This is especially true among price-sensitive youth and young adults," Healton said. "The signing of SCHIP into law is indeed a momentous victory for the public health community on several fronts."

Yes, but those two different fronts compete against each other!

Victory #1: The kids get health insurance and it is paid for by tobacco taxes! Woo hoo! Let's start the celebration!

Victory #2: The oh so misguided young tobacco smokers will decrease their use of tobacco because the prices went up from the taxes! Great!!! Except for the fact that lower use of tobacco equates to lower tax revenues from it, which now negates "Victory #1".

I guess no one told them there would be math involved.

The art of cigar making and the art of an illustrator have been blended for a good cause: raising funds for El Museo del Barrio, a Caribbean and Latin American cultural institution in New York City.

La Flor Dominicana founder Litto Gomez is involved in this effort.

You can read the article here

I love living in Florida for many reasons. I like the palm trees and beaches, the warm weather and that most of the cigar manufacturers are here. You can get just about any cigar and you can smoke outside year round ... or can you?

 I am currently bi-coastal in Florida, living part time in both Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, but that is another story.

 Either way, it is too cold to smoke outside in either place today. It is 30 degrees in Tampa and 40 degrees in Ft. Lauderdale.

 Yesterday,  I smoked a Gurkha cigar by the pool with my laptop as I wrote an article for this site. It was cold though, and I had to come inside right after I finished.

 Today it is too cold to do that without a jacket on. Now I have a better understanding of what our poor BOTL up North go through when they want to smoke a cigar outside in the Winter. Now I feel bad for making fun of them in the past.

Nah! No I don't! Ha ha ha!