Smokers Info » debate

No consensus in Legislature on tobacco tax

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 07:31:48 +0000

Legislation raising tobacco taxes is expected to face more debate today, but despite early optimism Tuesday, there is no consensus on how high the tax should be and how the money should be spent. Negotiations between House and Senate leaders that had appeared promising ended with no agreement Tuesday. Senate leaders had warmed to a bigger increase than they had previously wanted, but changed their minds after learning the state m ... Jump to full article >>

Lowell smoke ban law, but debate smolders

admin — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:36:16 +0000

Councilman Donald Huseman, R-1st, is still fuming about the recently passed clean air ordinance. On Monday he again asked the Democratic majority if they would consider talking about exemptions for the comprehensive smoking ban. “I have to bring up the clean air ordinance again,” Huseman said, adding the officials have opened a “can of worms” by passing such a comprehensive smoking ban without any exemptio ... Jump to full article >>

The rise, fall and rise of John Boehner

admin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 06:23:05 +0000

Just before Thanksgiving 1998, John A. Boehner hit bottom. The Ohio congressman, once a comer in the Republican Party, was unceremoniously removed from his post in the House leadership. Boehner’s colleagues had a win-at-all-costs mind-set; he saw no point in antagonizing the Democratic minority just because he had the power to do so. That night, Boehner commiserated with his closest friends at Sam and Harry’s steakho ... Jump to full article >>

BBC leaders’ debate: Gordon Brown admits David Cameron is set to take power

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 06:39:52 +0000

In his closing statement, the Prime Minister made a last-ditch plea to voters, acknowledging for the first time that Mr Cameron is on course to take the keys to Number 10. He said: “I know that if things stay as they are, perhaps in eight days’ time David Cameron, perhaps supported by Nick Clegg, would be in office. “But I have the duty of telling you this evening that while we have policies for the future, t ... Jump to full article >>

Call for debate on smoking

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:10:56 +0000

Recently Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) and the state were successful in their defense against a damages suit in which three people had sought ¥10 million each for health problems — cancer and pulmonary emphysema — allegedly caused by smoking. Still, the Jan. 20 Yokohama District Court ruling, which the plaintiffs appealed Feb. 1, includes points that JT and the government should seriously consider. The ruling covered the period fr ... Jump to full article >>

Why a Ban on E-Cigs Would Be Wrong?

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:07:14 +0000

The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to protect the public’s health and safety. So why is it trying to block the sale of an electronic alternative to cigarettes that can save people’s lives by simulating smoking without burning tobacco? Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine in a vapor composed mainly of the food additive propylene glycol. ThereR ... Jump to full article >>

Fiery rhetoric fills smoking debate

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:32:16 +0000

Wichita bar owner Larry Doss wasn’t interested in dense academic studies on tobacco consumption, anecdotal accounts of fatalities tied to cigarettes or declarative statements by high-paid lobbyists or bureaucrats. Doss appeared at the House Health and Human Services hearing Wednesday to denounce municipal smoking bans authorized by government interlopers in private affairs. He is the owner of Walt’s Great American Spo ... Jump to full article >>

McConnell leads GOP opposition to health bill

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:09:45 +0000

For weeks, Democratic leaders gritted their teeth whenever Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell airily dismissed suggestions that Republicans would work to slow the health care debate. The Democrats thought they knew better. Under McConnell’s leadership during the 111th Congress, Republicans have attempted to filibuster – block legislation by defeating efforts to cut off debate – more than 30 times. To Democra ... Jump to full article >>