But think of the children!

This is crap government at work. There is a proposal before Congress to fund the SCHIP program (which funds children's health care by funneling money directly to the states). This is a worthy program, and I am sure it's having a good effect for the kids who qualify. The states have quite a bit of leeway as far as who qualifies for benefits, and are much better at distributing the benefits fairly and effectively.

The problem with the program today is it's underfunded. Of course it is... this is the USA where we have horribly over-priced medical care, and the system of distribution is broken from top to bottom.

But back to crap government-- how does Congress propose to increase funds to this program? By adding another tax on cigarettes of 61 cents a pack. Now I'd like to take a minute to inject a bit of logic into this debate, because "send poor kids to the doctor" and "tax those smutty disgusting cigarettes" both seem to make a lot of emotional sense.

I'd like to take a step back for a moment, and look at this from a class perspective. Who is this program going to serve? Lower class kids, that's who. Working class. Working poor. Kids from families who are too well off to qualify for Medicaid, but not well off enough to have private health insurance. They're working. They're trying. Their kids deserve to go to the doctor.

Now, who smokes? Smoking is, today, almost completely a class phenomenon. Rich, educated people don't smoke, poor people do. And in a family with tight finances, when it's time to divvy up the weekly paycheck, guess what? Cigarettes aren't on the "optional" list, they're up there with essentials, like the electric bill. Any household dollars that come out of the budget to cover the increased tax will come out of the "optional" items like fresh vegetables, nutritious meals, outdoor activities, after school care-- the very things that promote children's health, and that most doctors will recommend. Promoting health care for the children of the working poor is a laudable goal. Funding the program by picking their parents' pockets is not.