Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

This makes me angry.

Bush =@$$H0LE

I kinda agree with Bush here, that's a first. I think it's ridiculous to keep increasing the taxes on cigarettes. Good to help poor kids but how about getting the money from somewhere else? Like a general tax increase maybe..

Still it's asinine to put more tax on cigarettes for this. It's petty. Put a 50 dollar tax on automobiles, they cause what.. 7000 percent more dead children than cigarettes?

The leading causes of death in the U.S. as cited by governmental agencies such as the The National Center for Health Statistics show heart disease, cancer, stroke (cerebrovascular diseases) and chronic lower respiratory diseases as the leading four causes of death. Accidents, including automobile accidents, come in fifth.

See - http://thecommunityguide.org/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

Chronic lower respiratory diseases in particular are highly correlated with cigarette smoking. Heart disease is radically impacted by smoking. Then of course there's lung cancer.

"In the United States, cigarette smoking is responsible for about one in five deaths annually, or about 438,000 deaths per year." - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

See - http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

According to The National Safety Council, the number of all motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. in 2003 was 44,757.

See - http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

The health care costs associated with cigarette smoking are enormous.

The Economist sums up Bush's compassionate-conservative veto;
"...He said that expansion would mean shifting the programme's focus away from poor children. Better off parents might be tempted to drop their private coverage in lieu of the government option, nudging the country down the dangerous road to nationalised care. Mr Bush objected to the tax increase. And although this White House is not known for fiscal restraint, it thought the expansion would cost too much. Mr Bush had previously said that a $5 billion spending increase would be about right."

http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9906843&top_story=1

They also note that 12% of people under 21 in the US lack any health insurance.

I fail to see how it is the Federal Government's responisbility to provide quality of life benefits to those unwilling to get it for themselves. I grew up in the projects and my parents did what was necessary to get us out of there.

Between welfare checks, food stamps, child credits and unemployement there is no reason for the parasites to go out and get a job. Yet you look in their house or trailer and you will probably find a big screen TV with surround sound system.

Bush was on target with this one. Just because it is a popular bill does not mean it deserves to be made into law.

Thank Shiva that when my daughter had no health insurance the STATE OF ALASKA ponied up half a million bucks under TEFRA insurance (aka Katie Beckett) to pay for her liver transplant. I wonder how many kids Bush could have insured with his pet war.

It's rare to see an anti-Bush video 'round here!

It's about time someone told the truth: George W. Bush causes cancer, drowns puppies, makes black people poor, planned 9-11, devalued the dollar, drowns kittens, summons hurricanes, killed Harry Potter, rigged the price of oil, collects cans for Skull-n-Bones, broke up Guns-N-Roses, drowns babies, kicks tires, tears the tags off mattresses, allowed Osama to escape on purpose, causes red tide, spots on dishes, acne, psoriasis, throws atheists to lions, plays poker with Jesus, supports Israel, drowns fish...the list is endless.

If only someone had the COURAGE to blame Bush for everything wrong in their lives and in the history of the world!

One thing to remember: Everyone who voted against this bill has GOVERNMENT SUPPLIED HEALTH CARE. Including Bush. Including gazillionaires like Cheney, who's had all those heart operations...with your tax dollars.

They just don't want you or your children to have the same care.

And QM, I think it's pretty fair to blame Bush for his own veto. Duh.

this should get like a kajillion votes...for the sheer insanity of it all.

From Paul Krugman - So, President Bush says that Democrats are endangering children’s health, by sending him an S-chip bill he won’t sign. Abraham Lincoln had something to say about such arguments in his Cooper Union address:

That is cool. A highwayman holds a pistol to my ear, and mutters through his teeth, “Stand and deliver, or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!”

With the billions in waste and Medicare and -caid fraud on top of the trillions spent on "free" health care, it's foolish to demand higher taxes for ANY reason.

I think it's funny how much you hear Americans (generalization) shout about higher taxes. We in Europe have taxes set extremely higher than yours and we live contently, work less hours, have better health care and better pensions.
I think what we did in Europe was take the extra wealth and make life more leisurely and what the Americans did was take the wealth and work extra hard so they could just buy more stuff and drive heavier cars.

America is funny like that, they have enacted round after round of tax cuts that are basically running off the social expenditure pushed through in the 50s and 60s, for example the infrastructure that will now require billions to get back up to spec, in fact states now are thinking of privatization as one method to solve this. Lunacy.

QM mentions billions and trillions wasted on Medicare and supports Bush SCHIP veto, I mean seriously you ever do economics 101? You're arguing for fiscal responsibility from a President who gives out no bid contracts in Iraq?

Several states are suing the government for that, the fact is that cost of living for most states have risen while SCHIP benefits haven't.

While Bush claims the SCHIP would be a waste of money at the same time he is pressing for larger increases in spending to fuel two wars that are sapping the US economy of funds, but you know who cares about them darn poverty stricken kids when you gots them terrorists to hunt?

Private healthcare is insane. QM and the others who drank this piss from the corrupt assholes who runs the US, and gets buttfucked by the medical industry (as well as the cigarette industry, the oil industry, and every other industry) on a daily basis: Wake up people, its all fucking LIES. lies and scare tactics, thats what you are being fed. You will NOT drown in taxes with "socialized medicine" you wont wait in endless lines, and no, people will not say "screw my health, others will pay for it", anymore than they set their houses on fire just to see the fire-brigade come running.

I live in a country where all healthcare is free, ie: paid for by public means, and fuck all if I'd trade it for your system. I've never been admitted to a hospital in my adult life, but my share of taxes that go to save other peoples lives, I'll pay with a smiling face, infact, the safety of healthcare is pretty much the best reason I can think of to pay taxes at all.

Is our system perfect? hell no, probably never will be,but nobody has to sell their house or live on the street as a result of getting cancer. To me, thats proof enough that there is atleast a little fairness in the madness.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'kids, insurance, health' to 'kids, insurance, health, daily show, jon stewart' - edited by HistNerd

QM mentioned GWB broke up Guns N Roses.

Is that really supposed to be under the "bad things" list?

"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result I make a lot of decisions." You can't make this stuff up!

...throws atheists to lions...

No, that was Bush Sr. I don't think Dubya could correctly identify a lion.

we seriously need to move to a private crime insurance program in the US. I'm tired of my tax dollars being wasted on police calls in high-crime areas. I've never needed to call the police, so why should I have to pay for them to patrol the shitty parts of town where I never go anyways? forget this socialized policing mess.

John Sewer, nothing to talk about since 1995. Awesomely boring assault on common sense. Cannot find the funny. Did I miss anything?

For the uninformed: USA does have socialized medicine in the forms of Medicare and -caid. They do some good but overall are a rip-off. The new balance being struck is government utilizing private health insurers where possible.

Socialized medicine is a crapshoot. You may have a "right" to "free" health care but that doesn't mean you won't end up on a years-long waiting list for a critical operation, that is, if some bureaucrat even decides you deserve one.

Tiny oil-rich nations with minuscule populations and no defense budgets shouldn't be making such comparisons anyway.

Wow, stats about death rates from morans.

You think the CDC lies about smoking risks? Why would they do that? Go look at their budget.

While you run around saying automobiles are fifth in death causes, why don't you try looking at preventable deaths, or stats from those under 40. MOST OLD PEOPLE DIE! And the likely killer is... heart disease, respitory, blah blah...

Yes, smoking is linked to all of those causes, but so is being overweight, diabetic, sedentary, etc. So only true morans can make the leap to blaming all dieing people on cigarettes.

Facts... Smoking may shorten your life, but automobiles will kill you, and your loved ones. Suicide is the leading killer for certain age groups... Anyone citing RETARDED STATS THAT FACTOR IN THE MAJORITY OF OLD PEOPLE ARE LOSERS.. Again, Cigarettes might "kill" you when for are over 60. Until then, worry about alcohol, cars, and people.


FIVE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH, USA, AGES 15-24, 1998
(1) Accidents 51.8% 12,752
(2) Homicide 21.3% 5,233
(3) Suicide 16.3% 4,003
(4) Cancer 6.8% 1,670
(5) Heart Disease 3.9% 961

See the picture

I want to vote more than once for this.

people who voted against this post cause cancer with stupid... oops! was that said out loud? And by out loud I mean typed methodically via keyboard? Whats this clicky buttong "submit new comment" do? Oh well lets dive in head first and find out.

Cybrbeast and all that agree with you, I would like to kindly reply and hope not to appear to be "flaming" you

In regards to your comment, unfortunately, we are not given a choice about our president. What is the option if we impeach? Dick Cheney? Not a chance, he is even more of a non-thinker and even less of a "decider man" as Bush calls himself.
Considering our electoral system is rigged, and we have a president that does not even consider public opinion, continues a costly war, and all the while we cannot even maintain our quality of life here as far as healthcare is concerned for the lower and middle class.

I myself was turned down for medicaid for a life or death surgery on my spine, whilst at the same desk, an illegal alien was given "emergency healthcare". At the time, I made around 17k a year, which is not enough to even cover healthcare here and eat, let alone have a decent place to live if you are not living with others, which I do to help not waste space.

"Our" cars, with regard to your "generalization" are actually more inclined towards the most fuel efficient options we are "allowed" here in the U.S. while the big oil companies are still holding back alot of the better more "green" options. The upper class people are the ones with the S.U.V.'s and all that land-yacht trash. So pleae forgive them, for they are ignorant unless they are carrying 5+ people.

I think if you actually had real information to go on, you would find that alot of Americans would pay higher taxes in order to get better healthcare. But you see, due to our tax system, our government with Bush in office has pushed the highest tax rates on the lower, and middle class while reducing the tax rates in the higher earning tax bracket.

As for as your more liesurely life, I think that is up for debate if you are to consider "Europe" do you also consider all of the other areas in your "Europe" where people don't even have basic necessities like running water and
simple healthcare?

I feel your points are valid in many ways, but denying the very basic healthcare people need, while spending money on a "war" that "Europe" and all it's neighboring countries should be also doing what they can to help end, is an afront to what the human condition needs to work against in order to blossom.
We should try bringing back a justice system to replace our "legal system" and I truly hope that you, as fellow people on the same planet consider bringing our President Bush to charges just like he did with other "dictators", and you will find that alot of us support you.
Sinerely,
A Naturalized American Citizen

joedirt: Since your comment appears aimed at me. First off it's "morons" not "morans".

It's not a revelation that people in the 15-24 age group are more likely to die of accidents, homicide or suicide when compared to older segments of the population, nor does it refute my position. Look at other age groups and the picture begins to change radically. You do not have to be elderly to die or be seriously ill from lower respiratory disease, cancer, etc.

Do I think that the CDC or NCHS are infallible in the ways they produce statistics, or that there isn't a multitude of ways to view that data? Of course not. But it's better than making things up out of thin air. These are credible efforts to assess causes of death in the U.S., inherently imperfect as they may be.

Heart Disease as a term, covers a variety of illnesses, and of course you are correct to suggest that not all of those are linked to smoking cigarettes. I didn't claim that. Neither does the CDC or NCHS. However, for one to discount the influence that cigarette smoking has on chronic lower respiratory diseases and the associated deaths, chronic illness and related medical costs is absurd. The evidence is overwhelming. I certainly did not blame cigarettes for all deaths as you suggested. Likewise, I agree that other lifestyle choices are an incredibly important part of the picture.

By the way: Debating someone's position is all well and fine. Calling someone a moron and a loser isn't so nice. I suspect that you're probably a perfectly nice guy most days. So am I. Best of luck to you.

(My apologies to all for being fairly off topic.)

Cigarettes have large negative externalities, namely second hand smoke. Therefore it's both good for public health and good for the economy to have high taxes on cigarettes. The only benefit of having low taxes on cigarettes would be to assist stupid people in wiping themselves out of the gene pool.

Second hand smoke does jack shit outdoors, which is where smokers are forced to smoke now. Car/truck emissions are just as harmful.

I actually support Bush with this one, taxing fast food will do much more for younger kids, revenue and health wise.

Mr jwray, kindly take your head out of your ass, I smoke because it's enjoyable as do my friends. I have the revenue to continue if taxes are increased with no change to my lifestyle. A buck twenty a week just means one less beer on the weekend.

However, many people who work shitty jobs smoke, and they won't stop smoking because of ~40 cents more per pack. They'll end up having to drop 8 bucks more a carton. Assuming they are heavy smokers (which is the kind of smoker who ultimately die earlier/leads to illness), that'll end up costing them ~312 dollars more a year to smoke. That's 312 dollars they can't spend on healthy food (more McDonalds means more cardio problems), transportation, clothing, entertainment, pumping money into the service industry (that they probably work in), or put into savings. 312 dollars a smoker is quite a bit of revenue that won't be entering the economy anymore.

When you're up on your high horse please be considerate and look down at all the "stupid people" and try to have a hint of empathy. If not, at least fall off it and break your smug neck.

The more expensive a thing is, the less of it will be consumed. It's simple economics. You may say you won't cut back at all, but a lot of people will. Anyone can quit.

Hey stop marking my comments as inappropriate. You can smoke all you want, and you can not take your kids to the doctors too for all I care. But don't equate the two and ask for my help in not sucking at life.

*dead

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