Polls: Society & Politics

1st, Can we MAKE someone quit? What sin tax percentage is it going to take to make them quit or are subsidies for tobacco farmers the real problem? Tobacco use is linked to HALF A MILLION deaths annually in the US alone.

Are people who can't quit "weak"?

FYI: smoking cessation products and programs are subsidized under MANY health insurance plans in the U. S. Almost all health insurance plans cover tobacco cessation treatments. Additionally, "Pay to Quit" direct cash programs have been shown to improve cessation rates among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults.

Is it the (declining) social acceptability of cigarettes that's the problem? FYI: Smokers, if you wanna get laid quit NOW! A Match. com survey revealed:
• 57% of survey respondents said they would NEVER date a smoker
• 89% of respondents preferred not to date a smoker
• 56% of women surveyed would NEVER date a smoker
• 46% of men would NEVER date a smoker

Currently in the USA, the FEDERAL tax is $1.01 per 20 pack of cigs. The lowest STATE tobacco tax in the USA is in Missouri, at $0.17 per pack of cigs. NY is $5.35 per pack. Accordingly, the average price of a pack of cigs in Missouri is $6.11, while in NY it is $11.96.

Profitability varies, as an example, in 2018, Imperial Brands reported a profit margin of 46%. Retailers, however, often experience low profit margins, typically between 4-6%.

Is all of this for nothing because of the rise of vaping?

E-cigarette products can have markups as high as 400% and HAVE NO federal taxes. State taxes vary from 95% of the product to a.05¢ nickel per product. Worldwide smoking trends are declining, though the number of smokers remains high. As of 2020, 22% of the world
used tobacco w/ significant gender differences: 37% of men & 8% of women smoked. Smoking prevalence has decreased by 27% for men and 38% for women since 1990.

Dare I ask about your views if you see a pregnant woman smoking? 😳

if you've done any amount of reading on Europe's first contact with the native Americans you have likely come across a prophecy that "white people from beyond the sun would come and bring about total destruction."

Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted not to release the results of their investigation into president-elect Donald Trump's attorney general pick, Matt Gaetz, despite growing calls to make the findings public ahead of his confirmation hearing. This comes after two women testified before the committee and said that they were paid for "sexual favors" by the ex-congressman.

I try to break the bubble, being liberal, by watching right wing. It's not easy...

Will his nomination be withdrawn by Trump?

Will he be indicted this time with more evidence?

Will he cut a plea deal and rat out others if Trump doesn't pardon him (in time or at all - remember Gaetz ALREADY asked for a post J6 pardon & didn't get it)

Will he be intolerably exposed & withdraw himself pre / during the confirmation hearings?

Will Trump issue a preemptive or pre-Senate vote pardon for him if he can delay action against Gaetz until his innaugruration?

PLEASE Recall Freshman Representative Madison Cathornes (R-NC) claims of "cocaine, orgies & espionage".

Specifically he stated: "The sexual perversion that goes on in Washington... being kind of a young guy in Washington, where the average age is probably 60 or 70 -- [you] look at all these people, a lot of them that I've looked up to through my life, I've always paid attention to politics. ... Then all of a sudden you get invited -- 'We're going to have a sexual get-together at one of our homes, you should come.' ... What did you just ask me to come to? And then you realize they're asking you to come to an orgy. ... Some of the people leading on the movement to try and remove addiction in our country, and then you watch them do a key bump of cocaine right in front of you. And it's like, this is wild."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/madison-cawthorn-orgy-cocaine-controversy.amp

I would have liked to put the timeline units in Scaramuccis but I thought not everyone is familiar with that measurement system...

Judge on the 9th circuit court of appeals is reviewing a case where a female only nude spa denied entry to a transgender woman. The judge likened the female-only policy to Jim Crow. Do you agree?

I think it’s crazy.

www.dailymail.co.uk/.../...ment-nappy-consent.html

President Joe Biden, reversing an Obama era policy, has agreed to give Ukraine anti-personnel land mines, a move seen as an attempt to slow Russian troops who have been steadily advancing in Ukraine's east in recent months.

With much of the civilian population already evacuated, Ukraine argues that the tactical use of "non-persistent" mines poses minimal risk to civilians and is absolutely essential to stem Russia's advance.

The US "non-persistent" mines differ from Russia's as they become inert after a pre-set period of time. They are electrically fused and require battery power to detonate. Once the battery runs out, they will not detonate.

The Kremlin has vowed to retaliate for the US provision of missiles & now land mines. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, setting out new conditions under which the country would consider using its arsenal. It now says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault on Russia.