Cigarettes and Investing

I am not, I repeat NOT, licensed to dispense investment advice so don't interpret my following remarks as advice of any sort. These remarks are intended to be political commentary and nothing else.

As the Kentucky General Assembly goes back to meddling in our lives, we should look at the opportunities presented to us by their fiddling with our lives.

The state-wide smoking ban is on my mind. I oppose it for two reasons.

First, it is hypocrisy for the legislature to ban smoking. If the goal is to stop people from imbibing in a smoke, just outlaw the darn things. Get to point B without all the stops in between.

The legislature won't do it because it is just as addicted to tobacco as any smoker. There are 135 million or so reasons for the addiction suffered by the legislature. All the reasons have George Washington's face on them.

Cigarettes are a cash cow for government, and no one has the courage to advocate an outright ban. Just nibble, nibble, and nibble some more. Exhaust us with all the hypocrisy, and then wonder aloud why people aren't interested enough in government to go out and vote. No one wants to fool with it. Very few members of the legislature have the courage or intelligence of the citizen who drags himself out of bed every day to contribute to the 'General Welfare' by showing up for work. He pays his 'fair share', but he is so tired of the posturing and preening of the political class that he just falls on the couch when he gets home, and he tunes out the world.

The second reason I oppose the ban proposal is a little more tangential. These sorts of intrusions into the daily lives of citizens are like the heat under a teapot. Before too long, it begins to whistle to let off some steam.

The TEA Party movement of which I am a proud member is the outlet for the pressure built up on citizens by the arrogance of the ruling class. Many of them denigrate TEA Party folks as soreheads, latecomers to the party, know-nothings, and even racists.

Nothing is less true. Most of the folks with whom I associate are caring citizens who want Liberty above all else. Some are a little naive, but all in all, I will stand with them.

Society has traveled so far from the days when Liberty was valued above all else that our attempts to reclaim a small portion of it are met with ridicule from those who set themselves above us because our vision is a bit different than theirs.

We must work to defeat this smoking ban. If not, what will come next?

In the meantime, I am going to invest in Marlboro cigarettes. People will smoke just to show them they cannot be stopped. The teapot is boiling.