I know you are smarter than I! Too smart?...

Simply calm down...deep breath...OK, There are 2 sexes and, you will hate me, but, each has its own decision button. Wait for the demographics.

As for CA, if that sin tax was for the gen. fund, it would pass in a NY second.

Democracy is a funny old beast, mostly because the idea is that everyone gets a say in things, not just those with vested interests. Looking at the conservative side of politics, and the name they choose to go under in the U.S.,ie. Republicans, it strikes me that they appear to be hearkening back to the days of the first great republic, that of the Romans.

Whilst the U.S. was conceived with the ideal of governance of the people, by the people, for the people, the Roman model was far more about governance of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy. Like many right-wing idealogues, Ayn Rand comes to mind, they also feared the potential of the plebians(common people) and their response to this threat was 'bread and circuses', providing for the most basic needs of the populous in order to keep them mollified. In this they differed from the position that modern Republicans have taken, mostly because the ultra-rich no longer fear the regular rioting that was a hall-mark of the Roman plebians expressing their unhappiness. In most other respects, including attempting to rigidly control who was permitted to vote whilst allowing wide-scale manipulation of voters by the wealthy, they are pretty much bang on track.

With a corrupted SCOTUS and decisions such as Citizens United, the apparent path of American democracy is an inevitable march backwards to the days of the Roman republic, from which rose the dictators of Imperial Rome, an ever expanding and increasingly hollow empire which eventually fell, and fell hard. Knowing this, don't let the U.S. of today be doomed to repeating the mistakes of the not-so distant past.

I disagree with the assessment that big tobacco was the only thing that brought down Prop 29. It was just not a very good law. I don't think that people opposed the idea of increasing the cigarette tax, but didn't like the way the money would have been spent. There was no requirement the money stay in state for example.

I also don't like these sort of sin taxes because they create problems once they have the desired effect. When more smokers cut down or quit, the tax revenue declines. But no politician is going to want to be the one to vote to cut cancer research. So the money has to come from somewhere else. It's also voter initiatives like this, that put aside money for specific issues, that have helped to create the budget crisis in the state. A rather small percentage of the state budget is discretionary, which gives lawmakers very little wiggle room when revenues drop. Put the money in the general fund to help close the budget gap and it likely would pass. These sorts of taxes also tend to be regressive and affect the poor the most.

I also take issue with my fellow liberals on this issue. It seems that they want to treat drug addicts with compassion, give them help and treatment to get clean, etc. But smokers are to be treated with contempt. But smokers are in fact drug addicts. The drug is legal, but it's more addictive than all the illicit ones, including heroin. Instead, why not consider diverting some of the cigarette tax revenue toward smoking cessation? I just find it odd that there are those who want to fund clean needle programs, methadone clinics and such for people who are addicted to drugs they shouldn't be using in the first place (because they're illegal), but treat smokers like pariahs...

again awesome show, Miss R... RE: the Scott Walker recall... his win in Wisconsin didn't surprise me, considering the movers and the shapers of the Republican Party (Karl Rove, Roger Ayles et al) learned how to win (steal) an election from the master, Tricky Dick Nixon (campaign donations from Howard Hughes & Wall Street, oh and $1M bribes from the mob)... the Democrats don't have a chance, it's sad to say, but true

Why is the Republican reindeer guy naked with the animal? I know he's a conservative and they are kinky, but dressing up like Santa and playing naked with reindeer? Shouldn't there be some church ladies out there reporting this and feigning outrage?

So I gotta wonder out loud, the economy is in a funk, people are losing jobs and getting laid off and special interests just spent over $4+ million to win a vote on a piece of legislation?

Call me crazy, but If the republican aim is to eject Obama at all costs and everyone is screaming jobs jobs jobs *cough* code for kill womens rights and unions *cough*, then wouldn't the appearance of republicans and their supporters spending all this money in a time when people are getting into debt be a sign to regular people to that something is amiss?

I must be thinking too much.

Regarding the Cigarette Tax: NOBODY SHOWED UP TO VOTE!!!! (Can you hear me?) The polling places were empty. Less than 25% of the people eligible to vote actually voted! How scary is that? In Fresno County it was 17% If you get 51% of the vote but only 25% of the people show up, should that count? It was a Presidential Primary that meant nothing because our opinion doesn't matter. The news here was more about Walker and Wisconcin than CA. And as far as the $$$ from the Cig Tax was concerned: Cancer research is done to benefit EVERYONE not just CA. Who cares where the Research is done??? Why wasn't that the answer to the R J Reynolds ad? I'm losing that tiny grain of HOPE I've been hanging on to.

As a resident of Tennessee, and a devout liberal, I must say that there are better ways to raise revenue than taxing tobacco. It hurts small farmers in TN and Kentuckey, and honestly, people want to be able to have a smoke. You can fund cancer research with your taxes, but the reality is it's a self sustaining model, where smokers fund their own (and others) cancer research.

Give the smokers a break. ???