With Republicans like Mitch Daniels who needs Democrats?

Mitch Daniels is at it again...

In his first year he wanted to levy a "temporary" 1% additional income tax on Hoosier families making over $100,000 per year. He failed.

In his second year he levied a new tax on the sale of fireworks.

In his second year he TRIED to raise cigarette taxes; but, failed.

In his third year he is going to try to raise cigarette taxes again. He wants to raise them by 25 or 50 cents a pack...

Did you know that Indiana is projected to receive 457.7 million dollars in revenue this year from cigarette taxes and from the tobacco companies for the settlement of the lawsuit the States brought against the tobacco companies?

Indiana will spend a total of 10.8 million dollars in that same period on efforts to get Hoosiers to stop smoking! Indiana will SAVE zero dollars of this revenue to pay for the future healthcare costs of smokers...

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommends Indiana spend between 34.8 and 95.8 million dollars in that same period to get Hoosiers to stop smoking...

You can read the full report at:
<http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements/>

For many years Indiana has been taxing cigarettes and taking the money it has received from the tobacco companies and using that money to fund various programs all over Indiana that have nothing to do with health...

So Governor Mitch Daniels (Republican) wants to raise the cigarette tax and use that money for various things. If he gets a 50 cent per pack increase he wants to:
1. Fund health insurance for 200,000 low income Hoosiers.
2. Spend an additional 24 million per year to get Hoosiers to stop smoking.
3. Earmark 11 million dollars to expand access to vaccinations for children under age 2.

What is Mitch Daniels smoking in his spare time in the Governors office?

I would have NO PROBLEM if he raised the cigarette tax and put 100% of the money from that tax into a fund to help Indiana pay for the future health costs of those who smoke. That makes sense...

It makes sense to me that those who smoke should be the ones to pay for the health effects of their own habit...

Taking money from smokers and using it to support programs that have NOTHING to do with smoking makes no sense and is just another income redistribution plan...

I bet AWB, Andrew Kaduk, and Tim Zank are all proud that they voted for Mitch Daniels...

Good grief...

It looks like Mitch Daniels is going to create an Indiana health insurance plan for low income Hoosiers AND push for all day Kindergarten... Is he a Republican or a Socialist?

Mike Sylvester