Phillip Morris.... Tax Deductible?

Philip Morris - Tax Deductible??                   - 10/10/2002

So, I'm watching the news and I see this lady in California got $28 billion dollars from Philip Morris for smoking and now she has terminal cancer of the lungs and liver.  I'm thinking, "hmmmm.... I should probably stop smoking"....  And then I grabbed my pack of Marlboros...  So, am I logical to think that because I smoke cigarettes made by Philip Morris therefore paying off this $28 billion dollar judgment to this woman, who is then going to give the money to go to helping keep children from smoking and stuff like that....  Well, I don't really want kids smoking either - it's a bad habit to have.  Believe me, I know.  I'm 23 with the lungs of an unhealthy 60-year old... So, I'm wondering if maybe I am in effect contributing to charity...and can I claim this on my taxes?  If so, that means I can write off my cigarettes... I smoke over a pack a day...  That amounts to a lot of money, that is for sure.  I wonder.....  well, logically it works, but legally it probably doesn't.  Maybe I should ask H&R Block.  They'll probably think I'm crazy, but hell, the IRS gave out fucking a shitload of money to some black people for a slave clause in the tax law that never even existed.... How retarded are those people up there, I wonder... if they do that sort of thing, surely they can let me write off my cigarettes... jeez... it's not THAT much...  If that got out there though, and they had to do that for all the smokers out there - apparently around 46 million adults - then I'd be willing to bet somehow Congress would have to step in because that would be screwing around with their money (tax dollars)... Then cigarettes would be outlawed, like prohibition..... 

I did think it was funny though that there was the testimony of the CEO of Philip Morris in 1998 saying if someone would prove to him that smoking cigarettes had caused one person to die, then he'd shut down the doors to his factories.  Yeah, right, isn't Marlboro the #1 kind of cigarette in the country...??? That is a huge company, making tons and tons of $$$$$$.  They own KRAFT, I think.  As in Kraft Macaroni & Cheese... hahahaha....

It would be a nice tax right off though... It's a thought, damnit....

Bush administration vs veterans

Bush Administration cuts $1.5 billion from military family housing. The Bush Administration cut $1.5 billion for military family housing, despite Department of Defense statistics showing that in 83,000 barracks and 128,860 family housing units across the country are below standard. ("Nothing But Lip Service," Army Times, June 30, 2003; "House Appropriations Committee Approves $59.2 Million for Ft. Hood," U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards Press Release, June 17, 2003)

Bush Administration underfunded veterans' health care by $2 billion. The Bush Administration's 2004 budget underfunded veterans' health care by nearly $2 billion. ("Vets Health Low on Bush's Priority List," The Hill, September 17, 2003; "Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003; U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, September 2002)

Bush Administration proposal would end health care benefits for 173,000 veterans. More than 173,000 veterans across the country would be cut off from health care because of Bush Administration proposed budget cuts and its plan requiring enrollment fees and higher out-of-pocket costs. ("Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003)

Bush Administration budget cuts force more than 200,000 veterans to wait for health care. Over 200,000 United States veterans have to wait more than six months for a medical visit because of health care shortages. ("VA Health Care Funding Alert," Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Press Release, January 31, 2003)

Bush Administration opposed plan to give National Guard and Reserve Members access to health insurance. Despite the war efforts of America's National Guard and Reserve Members, the Bush Administration announced in October 2003 its formal opposition to give the 1.2 million Guard and Reserve members the right to buy health care coverage through the Pentagon's health plan. One out of every five Guard members lacks health insurance. ("Bush Opposes Health Plan for National Guard," Gannett News Service, October 23, 2003)

Bush Administration cuts $172 million allotted for educating the children of military personnel. The Bush Administration's 2004 budget cut $172 million of impact aid funding. Impact aid funding assists school districts by making up for lost local tax revenue from tax-exempt property, such as military bases. These education cuts will especially affect school-age children of troops serving in Iraq who reside on military bases. ("Support for Troops Questioned," Washington Post, June 17, 2003)