Cigars, Cigar Information and where to find Premium Cigars, Discounted Cigars and even Cheap Cigars

THE STARS ARE OUT; SO ARE CIGARS

Page 2 of 2

The program was estimated to cost $14.9 billion annually and Democrats complained that even so, some families would have to pay something and therefore wouldn’t be covered and Republicans were just as irritated that employers would be required to pay a minimum percentage of their payroll into the program.

It’s yet another defeat for another form of state-run medical care. The U.S. Congress has been unable to override two Presidential vetoes for a dramatic expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and last November, Oregon voters defeated Measure 50, which would have added additional health care coverage in the state, funded by a tobacco tax.

The clear message of these outcomes is that even liberal legislators – not to mention voters – recognize that using declining tobacco tax revenues to fund long-term health care insurance makes no fiscal sense. But that won’t stop health advocates from trying.

More on “Close but no cigar”:
Further to Monday’s item about the origin of the phrase, “Close, but no cigar” from the carnival ranks, reader J.G. noted that Boston Celtics fans were also familiar with the phrase in the 1960s thanks to legendary Boston radio play-by-play announcer Johnny Most.

Noting that coach Red Auerbach would light up a cigar when a Celtics victory was assured, J.G. remembered that “If the Celtics would lose a close game, Johnny Most would announce at the end of the game, ‘It was close, but no cigar.’”

Thanks, J.G., and to all readers for your comments and stories; if you have an item worth sharing, don’t be shy, and use the “Contact Us” button to send us a note.

Smoking bans reduce consumption only a little:
Anyone who thought that the start of public smoking bans in England last July would cause a major reduction in tobacco use is badly mistaken.

Figures released Tuesday by Imperial Tobacco, which has almost half the market share in Great Britain and just bought Altadis, S.A., showed that the impact of the ban on sales amounted to only about two percent over the course of 2007.

The company actually saw a larger decline in consumption in Germany, where cigarette sales shrank by six percent thanks to much higher taxes and some widening of bans by local governments. Imperial’s comments in its financial reports anticipated these reductions in volume, but also felt that consumption levels were likely to return to close to their pre-ban levels over time.

For the calendar year of 2007, Imperial’s preliminary financial report indicates that the company had a net profit of about $6.53 billion for the year (converted from British pounds). That’s a lot of money and indicates that Imperial’s buying spree may not be over.
~ Rich Perelman

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

Cigar Humidors and Cigar Accessories at Humidor Vault! Your online cigar humidor source, with rock-bottom pricing and fantastic customer support!

Like sports? Get news and commentary you won’t see in your morning newspaper at TheSportsExaminer.com! Join the examination!

A limited amount of classified advertising is available in this space on a weekly basis. For details, call Pat Harris at (213) 365-7965 or inquire by email by clicking here.

Have an opinion? You can send it using the “Comment” button below!

Don’t forget to register for our drawing for free cigars and accessories! Just click on the “Register & Win” button above; enter today!

Looking for a cigar party? Take a look at our exclusive list of hundreds of cigar events across the country, listed by state and date, only on CigarCyclopedia.com!

Bookmark

Email This

Comments (0) add comment