Quote:
Originally Posted by LikeAWillow
Because smoking imposes a negative externality on the public and taxing helps make the market efficient  |
It is a little acknowledged fact that many state govt.'s and the Fed. Govt. derive billions a year via direct and other taxes on the tobacco industry. It has been suggested that the Fed. could not operate without that tax. Ergo, cigs will never be banned.
As for the govt. involved in business. To some extent, business must be regulated to prevent theft. Theft comes at many levels including safety, which the govt. must also regulate. History has repeatedly taught us that the greed of men makes a truly free market impossible to sustain. I get the idea. But, drug companies need to be regulated to some extent. Ditto for the airlines, makers of automatic weaponry, etc. Do we really want hospitals and/or medical care essentially only for the rich (with the poor taking a scrap here and there), which is what will happen if history teaches us anything?
I suppose like in all things, the trick is to find a balance.