Odessa

Certain taxes get me. One of these is the taxes on cigarettes, which some states are increasing. They want to spend it on health care, schools and the such. All very good causes and hey, its an "evil" habit so let's tax the smokers, right? But here's the rub - isn't smoking something we want to decrease? In an ideal world, wouldn't we be do away with smoking? Then what are these states going to do for revenue for these very good causes? I personally think that increasing cigarette taxes and using the funds for anything but smoking cessation programs is building a house of cards that will eventually collapse, buring the taxpayers with it. Taxes on something like cigatettes, for which we hope future generations will find little or no use, is fool hardy and shortsighted.

Recently three men with hoods went into a IHop and tasered a bunch of people and stole from the cash register and customers. They wound up shoot an guy that wouldn't stand by as they pistol whipped his son for protecting his granddaughter. Fast forward three days later . . . My mother and I pull into the parking lot of a neighborhood hardware store. I see a guy walking in with a hooded sweatshirt that covers his face that has a skeleton (the hood is a skull). Needless to say, my mother was not too inclined to go in. We waited until he left the store, not knowing if he and his buddy were going to hold the place up.

Considering the robbery, the guy was lucky the store clerk wasn't trigger happy! WTF do some people think!