Psojka RP,601
This place IS my vacation
Okay, so as some of you know, i am writing an argument research paper over the negative attitude and stereotypes of cigar smokers and the smoking laws and bans that affect our economy and OUR way of life for my english class.
i cannot for the life of me come up with a title!!!! and many brothers also wanted to read the finished product. So, i am going to post my paper in this thread and whoever wants to read it and post their idea for a title (or any other helpful suggestions) may do so! whichever title i think is the best-fitting................................................that person gets a nice fiver from me!!! :clap:
thanks guys, and good luck! i really appreciate it :tiphat:
(i have left out citations and things like that for the ease of reading)
Should a person be punished for doing what they do to relax and blow off steam? Should the government be allowed to single out a minority to tax higher than the rest of the people? Are we as citizens allowed to be told what we can and cannot do for enjoyment and entertainment? These are questions that the people who have been given the negative label of “cigar smokers” find themselves asking in the wake of a dispute that has been going on for more than fifty years. A dispute between men who love their cigars and the rights they deserve and the federal government who sees the tobacco industry as another pocket to get their hand into. The taxes and programs aimed to regulate and downsize the cigar and tobacco industry by the federal government is not only borderline unconstitutional, but unfair and unjust as well.
Dave is a twenty-nine year old college professor and avid cigar smoker and enthusiast. He smokes a cigar a day minimum. After a long day’s work at his university, it is how he relaxes, blows off steam, and prepares himself for the next day. Much like some people come home, pour a soda and sit on the couch with the television remote, Dave chooses to enjoy a cigar; That is the best way he can think of to relax. Is that any better or any worse than junk food and television?
There are many misconceptions behind cigars and their not-so-close relatives: cigarettes. Cigars in fact have the lowest nicotine content of any and all tobacco products out there. Yes, your high school health teacher was wrong when they told you that one cigar has as much nicotine and chemicals in it as an entire pack of cigarettes. You do not inhale cigars; ergo no smoke gets into your lungs. Yes there is the slight chance of throat cancer, however very hard to obtain unless you are a three cigar-a-day person. And finally: Yes, there is a huge difference between those awful Swisher Sweets and a nice premium cigar. Swisher, and Black and Mild uses the same type of tobacco as many cigarette makers and even inject their own nicotine and chemicals into them; they are more or less a big cigarette wrapped in brown paper. A real cigar consists of tobacco and nothing else.
The tobacco can come from a variety of places, but mainly from South American countries. The big four are Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. The industry has come a long way since the early 1900’s. Locals in the countries of the origin of the particular cigar company produce the cigars by hand, using very little machinery to this day. They work all day every day, for just a few dollars a day. South American countries rely on their tobacco exports to keep their economy afloat. The more the American government taxes the tobacco, the more the countries producing it will hurt from the decrease in sales. While our government thinks they are protecting us and keeping us safe, they are really hurting our economy and the economy of other countries that rely on the American purchases of tobacco.
In the early 1900’s, cigars were a much bigger part of life than they are now. The first law about the production of tobacco was actually a law ordering farmers to grow it to keep up with its rising popularity. Cigars were a tool used to bring people together for conversation and family gatherings. Baseball games were over-crowded with cigar smokers. Many government officials smoked them, regardless of their party alignment. That is one reason that there is such a negative outlook on members from one party to the other. Cigars brought great people together, regardless of their political views; they were a means by which things got accomplished and by which people socialized. It was not uncommon for a person to walk down the street, cigar in hand, and be greeted by everyone around him; the cigar carried a sense of friendliness and wisdom in a person. In today’s world, if someone were to walk down the street with a lit smoke, people would most likely have a much more belligerent attitude towards the person. Thanks to the government’s propaganda and anti-smoking campaigns, cigar smokers now have the same negative connotation as cigarette smokers and even drug and alcohol abusers.
This brings us to another important question: Given that cigars have the lowest nicotine content of any other tobacco product, should they be lumped into the same category as cigarettes and smokeless tobacco? Since 2009, President Obama has signed many pieces of legislation determining where a person can and cannot smoke. The liberals in the house and senate would ultimately like to get rid of the cigar bars, lounges, and smoke shops all together even though they will never admit to it. As of 2011, there are still eleven states that do not have a uniform state-wide smoking ban; Indiana is one of them. Next in the eleven closest to Indiana is Kentucky; no surprise there, they used to be the leading state in tobacco exports just a few years ago. Other states include Texas, Wyoming, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia. As we look at the states who have no uniform ban on smoking, there seems to be something in common within all eleven states: For the vast majority of the time, these states have remained conservative republican states. It is not a surprise then that under a newly formed democratic-controlled government we are seeing more and more smoking bans and regulations take hold all over the country. Many cigar smokers feel that they should be kept under a separate category.
Although the government thinks that it is using deterrence effectively and keeping us safe through the use of more bans and laws that restrict smoking, they are in turn hurting the economy that they promise to promote when they take office. In 2010, an estimated one billion dollars was spent on premium cigars alone. While this number doesn’t come anywhere close to what is spent on cigarettes each year, most people would say that is a good thing. That one billion was spent both at cigar shops and lounges, as well as online retailers. The tax collected on all those sales is in the tens of billions range. The government then puts that money back into whatever they feel as necessary expenditures; roads and highways, the education system, and the most recent: the healthcare reform system. It is now understandable why cigar smokers think they should not be punished for something that is nearly harmless. More and more cigar enthusiasts are writing to their legislators, bringing to light these statistics and facts. While it has made somewhat of a difference, there is still much work to be done to reverse this false stereotype. You are more likely to be killed on a golf course by a stray ball than you are from smoking cigars.
Should our government place harsh bans and restrictions on something that is nearly harmless if done responsibly? Why are cigarettes and cigars in the same category when clearly cigars contain none of the things that the government doesn’t want you to be exposed to? Cigars used to be a way of life, community, and recreation. Now, they are looked down upon. Where will our ‘protectors’ draw the line? Are they going to start banning golfing because there is a risk of getting hit by a ball or getting a sunburn? There is a fine line between enjoying a cigar and smoking a cigarette. Cigarette smokers have to smoke, while cigar smokers get to smoke. It is a privilege of enjoyment that has been a part of the lives of many Americans for years, and now that life-long hobby is threatened by a governing body who thinks they know what is best for its constituents.
i cannot for the life of me come up with a title!!!! and many brothers also wanted to read the finished product. So, i am going to post my paper in this thread and whoever wants to read it and post their idea for a title (or any other helpful suggestions) may do so! whichever title i think is the best-fitting................................................that person gets a nice fiver from me!!! :clap:
thanks guys, and good luck! i really appreciate it :tiphat:
(i have left out citations and things like that for the ease of reading)
Should a person be punished for doing what they do to relax and blow off steam? Should the government be allowed to single out a minority to tax higher than the rest of the people? Are we as citizens allowed to be told what we can and cannot do for enjoyment and entertainment? These are questions that the people who have been given the negative label of “cigar smokers” find themselves asking in the wake of a dispute that has been going on for more than fifty years. A dispute between men who love their cigars and the rights they deserve and the federal government who sees the tobacco industry as another pocket to get their hand into. The taxes and programs aimed to regulate and downsize the cigar and tobacco industry by the federal government is not only borderline unconstitutional, but unfair and unjust as well.
Dave is a twenty-nine year old college professor and avid cigar smoker and enthusiast. He smokes a cigar a day minimum. After a long day’s work at his university, it is how he relaxes, blows off steam, and prepares himself for the next day. Much like some people come home, pour a soda and sit on the couch with the television remote, Dave chooses to enjoy a cigar; That is the best way he can think of to relax. Is that any better or any worse than junk food and television?
There are many misconceptions behind cigars and their not-so-close relatives: cigarettes. Cigars in fact have the lowest nicotine content of any and all tobacco products out there. Yes, your high school health teacher was wrong when they told you that one cigar has as much nicotine and chemicals in it as an entire pack of cigarettes. You do not inhale cigars; ergo no smoke gets into your lungs. Yes there is the slight chance of throat cancer, however very hard to obtain unless you are a three cigar-a-day person. And finally: Yes, there is a huge difference between those awful Swisher Sweets and a nice premium cigar. Swisher, and Black and Mild uses the same type of tobacco as many cigarette makers and even inject their own nicotine and chemicals into them; they are more or less a big cigarette wrapped in brown paper. A real cigar consists of tobacco and nothing else.
The tobacco can come from a variety of places, but mainly from South American countries. The big four are Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. The industry has come a long way since the early 1900’s. Locals in the countries of the origin of the particular cigar company produce the cigars by hand, using very little machinery to this day. They work all day every day, for just a few dollars a day. South American countries rely on their tobacco exports to keep their economy afloat. The more the American government taxes the tobacco, the more the countries producing it will hurt from the decrease in sales. While our government thinks they are protecting us and keeping us safe, they are really hurting our economy and the economy of other countries that rely on the American purchases of tobacco.
In the early 1900’s, cigars were a much bigger part of life than they are now. The first law about the production of tobacco was actually a law ordering farmers to grow it to keep up with its rising popularity. Cigars were a tool used to bring people together for conversation and family gatherings. Baseball games were over-crowded with cigar smokers. Many government officials smoked them, regardless of their party alignment. That is one reason that there is such a negative outlook on members from one party to the other. Cigars brought great people together, regardless of their political views; they were a means by which things got accomplished and by which people socialized. It was not uncommon for a person to walk down the street, cigar in hand, and be greeted by everyone around him; the cigar carried a sense of friendliness and wisdom in a person. In today’s world, if someone were to walk down the street with a lit smoke, people would most likely have a much more belligerent attitude towards the person. Thanks to the government’s propaganda and anti-smoking campaigns, cigar smokers now have the same negative connotation as cigarette smokers and even drug and alcohol abusers.
This brings us to another important question: Given that cigars have the lowest nicotine content of any other tobacco product, should they be lumped into the same category as cigarettes and smokeless tobacco? Since 2009, President Obama has signed many pieces of legislation determining where a person can and cannot smoke. The liberals in the house and senate would ultimately like to get rid of the cigar bars, lounges, and smoke shops all together even though they will never admit to it. As of 2011, there are still eleven states that do not have a uniform state-wide smoking ban; Indiana is one of them. Next in the eleven closest to Indiana is Kentucky; no surprise there, they used to be the leading state in tobacco exports just a few years ago. Other states include Texas, Wyoming, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia. As we look at the states who have no uniform ban on smoking, there seems to be something in common within all eleven states: For the vast majority of the time, these states have remained conservative republican states. It is not a surprise then that under a newly formed democratic-controlled government we are seeing more and more smoking bans and regulations take hold all over the country. Many cigar smokers feel that they should be kept under a separate category.
Although the government thinks that it is using deterrence effectively and keeping us safe through the use of more bans and laws that restrict smoking, they are in turn hurting the economy that they promise to promote when they take office. In 2010, an estimated one billion dollars was spent on premium cigars alone. While this number doesn’t come anywhere close to what is spent on cigarettes each year, most people would say that is a good thing. That one billion was spent both at cigar shops and lounges, as well as online retailers. The tax collected on all those sales is in the tens of billions range. The government then puts that money back into whatever they feel as necessary expenditures; roads and highways, the education system, and the most recent: the healthcare reform system. It is now understandable why cigar smokers think they should not be punished for something that is nearly harmless. More and more cigar enthusiasts are writing to their legislators, bringing to light these statistics and facts. While it has made somewhat of a difference, there is still much work to be done to reverse this false stereotype. You are more likely to be killed on a golf course by a stray ball than you are from smoking cigars.
Should our government place harsh bans and restrictions on something that is nearly harmless if done responsibly? Why are cigarettes and cigars in the same category when clearly cigars contain none of the things that the government doesn’t want you to be exposed to? Cigars used to be a way of life, community, and recreation. Now, they are looked down upon. Where will our ‘protectors’ draw the line? Are they going to start banning golfing because there is a risk of getting hit by a ball or getting a sunburn? There is a fine line between enjoying a cigar and smoking a cigarette. Cigarette smokers have to smoke, while cigar smokers get to smoke. It is a privilege of enjoyment that has been a part of the lives of many Americans for years, and now that life-long hobby is threatened by a governing body who thinks they know what is best for its constituents.
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