This paper is not for rookies. It is loaded with data, and well worth your read. Despite me occasional cheap shots, I do ponder and at times puzzle over you posts.

- from the palm treo

However, there's another point that doesn't seem to be getting any attention. If you put more money into children's healthcare, will that result in more or less healthcare for children?

Remember that the supply of healthcare, particularly primary care, is relatively inelastic. The quantity tends not to expand when more money is spent. That means that we'll be spending more for the same total amount of healthcare. And we'll be raising the base pay for pediatricians and pediatric nurses (both of whom make a couple of multiples of median income) without raising them enough to attract practitioners from other specialties.

Today, Steve Verdon scraper in hand, joins James at the bottom of the barrel. Keep your eyes on the (gasp) increase in tobacco taxes, and ignore any benefits such an approach may provide. And if you are skilled enough at moving those shells around, you do not have to mention that opposition to this approach exists in the Senate. The bill has not even been passed for Presidential signing!!!

Sigh, Obama must truly be a dangerous man if this is the best they can come up with.

Contrast a cigarette tax with say income tax, property tax, sales tax, etc. While a person might live without income, property, or ever buying anything it would be very difficult. We might regard those as fundamental taxes that for general purposes are involuntary.

So, once again when a Democrat lies the importance of that lie is subject matter rather than the act itself. Honesty is only important if the subject is important. America is really in trouble if that is the attitude. Bush falsely accused of lies is held to a standard this Kenyan pretender isn't. Tea Party anyone?

LOL. I love Zelsy's indignant tone here. He is totally outraged over this "lie" about raising taxes, looking sneeringly down his nose at those outrageous lying liar Democrats. But that little matter of the justifications for the Iraq War, well not a peep about those lies--in fact, I'll bet Zelsy doesn't even think they were lies.

More faux outrage from nutjob righties. By the way, Zelsy, maybe you and your rightwing loon buddies should bone up on just what the Boston Tea Party was all about before you start appropriating the name for your little reactionary get-togethers.

Actually this is a good point. Some people probably will quit. Which means, if they are estimating an increase in tax income from the raising of this tax, and a lot of people quit and balk at $10 a pack costs, then the intended purpose of the tax-to fund health care-means fewer dollars to spend, but the need for healthcare isn't going to go down.

This is one of those lies that works-because too many people think pledges to not make taxes go up apply only to income taxes. Sin and gas taxes are always fair game, but these are the kinds of taxes that probably disproportionately affect the poor and working poor the most.

(it encourages people to quit)

It encourages other people to go buy a gun and start looking for targets.

Anyway, my question is this: Would you folks rather have a tax on tobacco, or on capital gains? IIRC, Verdon frequently mentions that you don't want to raise taxes on things that you want people to do. So do you want people to smoke, or to invest?

Of course I agree that the pledge was a political shading of the truth, or a lie as we normal people like to call it. Oh, no, it was so bad that we've got the old "Obamessiah" insult - wow! Verdon has become a bit shrill lately, much like Benen over at the Carpetbagger but in the opposite direction. Calm down, guys, and I may listen to what you say more closely.