I quit smoking..... cigarettes that is. I just cannot deal with the rise in price since the new tax was added. I have switched to little cigars, which are not subject to cigarette taxes and I will thus be saving half the amount I was paying. I found these charming little cigars that are cherry flavoured. I can't actually taste the cherry but it does leave a lovely odour in the air.
At the risk of sounding like some weird conspiracy theorist, which it is becoming exceedingly difficult not to do in the US these days given the proliferation of over the top scare mongering tactics which are used to justify the rampant plundering of our rights in the name of Homeland Security (wasn't Nazi Germany called the Homeland?), I believe that the reason cigars are not taxed like cigarettes is that they are predominatly smoked by those of the male persuasion. Let's face it, it is men who dominate our government and big business.
As it is quite clear to anyone living (actually that's a misnomer, one would have to be dead not to notice) in the US, big business is the god to which our politicians kneel to worship. One only has to turn on the television to see that the majority of adverts are for prescription drugs. My recent favourite is for restless legs. For fuck's sake, have you ever heard of anyone with restless legs? Do you find yourself sitting in a chair when your legs begin to twitch? Perhaps you are not sleeping at night as your legs are constantly moving? I just cannot take this seriously especially in this country where the majority of the people seem to have difficulty sleeping because they are ill and have no medical insurance, or they are hungry and have no food, or they are totally stressed becasue they can't pay their bills as they have no job. NOT BECAUSE THEY HAVE RESTLESS FUCKING LEGS. There you go, big drug companies rule the air waves and as sure as I will reach for a smoke as soon as I wake each morning, it is equally likely that they rule the country.
So thanks gents for protecting your own and I'll just quietly slip in and join you in your cheap smoking room.
I will have to purchase a new cigarette case, or in this instance, a new cigar case. Fortunately I have my eye on a sweet little container with, you guessed it, a skull on it.
Never worry my dears, I will still be pursuing my ambition of being the last smoker.
