CIGARETTE TAX

Targeting one group of citizens is discriminatory

The session has barely begun, and that Rexburg Republican In Name Only, Brent Hill, is already talking about raising taxes. How can he call himself a Republican? Sorry, Brent, but it feels good to hurl a right-wing epithet at someone who may deserve it. Raising one tax to allow a reduction in another tax makes no sense, and raising a tax that targets one group of Idahoans is discriminatory.

Brent, maybe you, as a white, financially fit male, have never personally felt prejudice. But didn’t you take a course in sociology which taught you about how ruling classes feel better about themselves when they can oppress other groups? Where is your empathy? Do you see a pattern emerging? The Boise city ordinance keeps citizens who smoke out of private businesses and public parks. Ada County considers not employing people who smoke. Is this rational? A governmental body discriminates in hiring practices as a matter of policy. Smokers aren’t welcome on the BSU campus. Keep that underclass poor and unemployed. Is this a good way to stimulate the economy? An Ada County boss or a City Council member said, “Smokers have no rights.” The excise tax on tobacco should be reduced.

WILLFORD KING, Boise

Smokers will still smoke

I would like to comment on the idea of raising cigarette taxes on a segment of the population that is already struggling to make ends meet. Politicians seem to really like this idea — they figure they’ll raise more tax revenue and make smokers quit, all at the same time. Sounds great on paper, but it doesn’t work that way.

As a store owner who interacts with customers every day, I can tell you that instead of quitting, many smokers just find other ways to get their cigarettes. And they have plenty of choices — there are many Internet sites, Native American smoke shops and black-market dealers out there who will be happy to serve them. When that happens, legitimate store owners like me — who do our part to enforce the law by checking IDs to make sure customers are of legal age — just lose money while these other vendors who are breaking the law profit handsomely at our expense.

The real irony is, the state loses tax revenue, too. It’s no wonder that many states have discovered — big surprise here — that they didn’t collect nearly as much revenue as they thought they would.

STEVE DIOBANZO, Meridian

Other factors contribute to rising health care costs

I am not a smoker but I am against the proposed 219 percent increase in the Idaho cigarette tax. Smokers have been banned from everywhere, now you want to raise their taxes? There are many contributing factors to the rising cost of health care, one being obesity. Obesity-related health issues including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure cost Americans $147 billion in 2008. In Idaho, 26.5 percent of Idahoans are obese, 16.9 percent smoke. Among Idaho children, 15 percent are obese, 8.9 percent smoke. Smoking rates are declining, obesity rates are increasing. Would a tax on sugary drinks and junk food decrease the rate of obesity? Would a tax on video games encourage kids to get more physical exercise? Employers can refuse to hire a smoker, but not someone who is obese, due to protection under the Americans for Disabilities Act. Who costs more in health care and lost productivity? Sadly, obesity has become the accepted norm. Look around you, how many people do you see smoking, and how many are overweight or obese? You tell me, which is the greater risk to the future of our country and our children?

PEG SCHICK, Donnelly

BOISE SCHOOL LEVY

Without levy, schools face dire consequences

I am a parent of a child in the Boise School District, and when I think about what his future could be like if the levy on March 13 doesn’t pass, I feel sick to my stomach. Without this desperately needed revenue, Boise schools will find it impossible to continue their tradition of excellence, and as we have seen in neighboring districts, the consequences will be dire.

KIM ERWIN, Boise

Teachers are there for kids; now, voters need to step up

I have two children, ages 7 and 12. They attend Grace Jordan and West. The teachers who my children have been blessed with are fabulous. They go above and beyond to give our kids the education that they need. They are always there when we need them.

MELODY WILSON, Boise

MEDICARE

Cuts could force family physicians out of business

In coming weeks, Congress will be considering Medicare physician payment in legislation that could determine whether many family physicians can remain in business.

The debate begins with the conference committee on the payroll tax extension, which will decide whether to temporarily prevent a 27.4 percent reduction in Medicare physician payment set for March 1. That’s important, because Medicare pay reductions set off a cascade of cuts by private insurers who peg their physician payment to Medicare rates. A Medicare cut this deep threatens to push more than one in 10 family physician practices out of business.

We need permanent reform. A temporary extension keeps your doctor’s office open for a short time, but it perpetuates a bad system at an increasing cost.

We can help end this cycle of threatened cuts and temporary fixes by telling Reps. Raul Labrador and Mike Simpson that we want the conference committee to propose a stable Medicare physician payment system — one that starts with a long-term extension of current payment while Congress replaces the flawed Medicare payment formula. We need a system that allows doctors to plan their businesses’ future and ensures they remain open to meet their patients’ health care needs.

MARY BARINAGA, M.D., Boise

F-35 EIS

Air Force mission’s noise is incompatible with Boise

The just-released Boise F-35 EIS confirms that over 10,000 residents from Maple Grove to Columbia Village within 5 miles of the airport will have their homes reclassified as “Not Suitable for Residential Use” by the FAA when the proposed 72 F-35As arrive and begin flying their 14,000 sorties annually. Fourteen hundred sorties will be with full afterburner and 1,400 will be at night. Four schools and 13 day care centers will exceed government noise levels for learning, and over 300 cases of hearing loss are estimated. All of this is documented in the 980-page EIS.

A comparison between the negative impacts at Boise and the other three sites under consideration makes it clear that Boise is totally incompatible with this type of Air Force mission.

Two public meetings are scheduled for Feb. 27 and 28. Hopefully state, city, airport and county representatives will be in attendance to explain why they continue supporting this plan with its now documented devastating consequences. After all, they are the elected officials who brought this catastrophe to us.

I am the chairman of the SaveOurValleyNow.org group trying to inform citizens what the F-35 mission will do to our Valley.

MONTY MERICLE, Boise