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The syntax of sin tax

Rick Casillas
The Commuter

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

After an extensive hiatus from all things social networking, I foolishly decided to drown in self-indulgent shrine making and got a Facebook account. Honestly, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. After fighting down an urgent desire to commit seppuku I swallowed my shame and begun spelunking about, searching for friends current and old and generally wasting time until American Idol came on (another secret shame). When lo’ and behold what do mine eyes find on the screen but a group against the upcoming beer tax. Not being an avid drinker myself I was unaware there was even such a thing in the works but not in the least bit surprised.

An increase from $2.60 to $49.61 per barrel according to CNN, which works itself out to 1900 percent, but I have no intentions of doing the math. The real issue isn’t the actual change but people’s reactions. When we were told from the mouth of our freshly elected liar in chief to read his lips we would “not be paying new taxes” unless we were one of the wealthy elite, I high fived myself in cautious optimism. But in a clever turnabout way, a liberal Congress under Messiah 2.0 has managed to slip the bill to us anyway. Many of you have probably waved your hands at the cigarette tax hike because either you don’t smoke or even further you think it’s a nasty habit and should be stamped out; and hell, if making those dirty second hand breathers pay more will do it, then by golly all the better. But the problem facing every chain-smoking-alcoholic-freight-crew-member at grocery stores across America now is that their income is not able to handle the massive change. While Obama may be able to afford his two pack a day habit (Google is your ally, friends), others, read not the wealthy elite, may suffer when the thieving curve gets set too high.

The issue, as I stated earlier, isn’t so much the habit as the reaction, sadly we are prone to waving our fingers when it’s someone else’s nastiness and not our own. As is the trend in demonizing behavior in America, we first target the habit, then the person, and finally eliminate it altogether. While some may think smoking is gross and dangerous and should be systematically removed from the behavior of Americans. You might like talking on your cell phone while driving, or being married without having to renew your license every five years, or flushing your toilet as you please; everyone has their sin, and sadly there is someone out there that will judge you for it. Even more troubling is there are those that will go further and attempt to legislate your behavior because they feel they possess the right to dictate to you how you should live. Demonization through taxes is not new in practice, and as is the method we are being told that this beer tax will be used to help fund programs to help stop dangerous drinking. Which makes sense, according to all politicians I’ve ever listened to, taxes are only used to build children’s hospitals and create anti-drug ad campaigns; (which are totally working by the way) but being a silly dumb American I’m sure the government has a better use for my money than me, after all, I would just waste it on things I need like rent and car payments, and I hear there’s a shortage of thousand dollar toilet seats in the Senate.

The point here is no one, and I shall repeat in capital letters for emphasis, NO ONE should be ostracized for engaging in a perfectly legal activity by the government. Every person has a right to judge another; if you don’t like drinking, fine. Turn up your nose and blog until your fingers fall off, but once Uncle Sam takes a hand in the browbeating it becomes an issue. Examine your own behavior before you lay a critical eye on others, some day they will find your sin and tax it, whether your pleasure is looking at online pornography in a Bible- belt state or owning a successful business you may not like the shoe when it’s on the other foot, because it’s the wrong size and has no arch support.

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