Reducing Alcohol And Nicotine Addiction

As usual, the budget targets those who are sitting ducks. The smokers and drinkers. The argument promoted is that by making items more expensive this will cut down the usage of the products. Like the rail system that prices up the fares way in excess of the 'official' inflation figure. This mask of official inflation disappeared a long time ago. The Emperor's New Clothes:

• An emperor who cares too much about clothes hires two swindlers who promise him the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they tell him, is invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position. The Emperor is nervous about being able to see the cloth himself so he sends his ministers to view it. They see nothing yet praise the cloth. When the swindlers report a suit of clothes has been fashioned, the Emperor allows himself to be dressed in their creation for a procession through town. During the course of the procession, a small child cries out, "But he has nothing on!" The crowd realises the child is telling the truth and begins laughing. The Emperor, however, holds his head high and continues the procession.

• The real problems are 24-hour legalised drinking and availability of alcohol nearly everywhere. Child alcohol abuse brings the scale of the issue into sharp focus. Cigarettes are the same and the alleged 'pricing something out of reach' can be interpreted as just a euphemism for maximi$ing £evenue.

The impression is imagined to be one of caring about the state of health of UQ (aka UK) Ltd citizens. The system encourages under-age drinkers and smokers. The younger a drinker or smoker then the longer will be the 'contribution' of this individual. They won't live long, but who cares? It's all short term logic (die before you get ill - DA). The government cannot since it appears to be too busy raising revenue by selling death. Death is already taxed. It will simply increase. It is quite logical that crime must increase in proportion to 'pay' for it.

Once the drinker or smoker becomes addicted (very quickly - DA), the addiction has to be fed. At it's most generous, any view can only imagine that government is absolutely stupid by imagining that these addictions can be just wished away by increasing the price. This produces a system that is simply cobbled together on the demands of the day. It is just bad luck (and a massive bonus) that increased tax revenue has to happen as a concomitant effect.

This is a crude and very simple delusion of government by government that is supremely patronising. It's also crude and very straightforward stupidity to raise revenue to help pay for the benefit system. This is a self-perpetuating system: pricing a product highly and forcing the addicted to find the money to finance the addiction creates more poverty and thus more state dependency. Ideally a drinker AND smoker. The hand that feeds is rarely bitten off and the increasing number of voters entering the trap will help re-elect the hand that feeds. Very crude and very simple, but also highly cynical yet effective.

It would be very interesting to determine what proportion of Labour voters are both drinkers AND smokers AND on benefits. AND those who don't bother with road tax or insurance AND the numbers amongst that group who drink AND smoke.

It would make a fascinating study,

but will NEVER, EVER happen.

That could NEVER, EVER be allowed.