We all know people who smoke, and if you've not heard about how expensive cigarettes have become yet, you will soon. Cigarette tax rose ridiculously high these last couple years. My question; Why aren't we taxing alcohol as high as were taxing cigarettes? As of January 2011, there is a tax of $4.35 per 20 pack of cigarettes in New York, while beer has only a $0.14 tax.
Let's look at the statistics really quick.
There are an average of 444,000 deaths per year in the US, due to smoking related illnesses.
There are an average of 100,000 alcohol related deaths in the US each year
Both smoking and alcohol, can cause disease and illness.
I'm sure smoking while driving causes a few accidents. I couldn't find anything about it killing anyone though.
45% of all accidents, are alcohol related.
Each year approximately 16,000 are killed in alcohol related crashes.
When you are a smoker, you know that cigarettes are bad for you. It says, on the pack, in plain English, that smoking will kill you and cause birth defects, if smoked by pregnant women. How about we solve it this way, Don't sell cigarettes to pregnant women! Duh! Then the babies won't be harmed. And smokers can take precaution and smoke away from other people. By doing this, they are harming no one, but themselves.
But, when you are under the influence of alcohol, your judgement is impaired. You don't know who you are going to hurt. Drunk drivers, not only hurt themselves, but they usually kill someone innocent, in the process. (And most of the drunk drivers, walk away without a scratch.)
My point is, People who smoke, know that they are hurting themselves, but they can prevent others others from being affected by their habit. People who drink, don't just hurt themselves. When was the last time you heard of cigarettes being the cause of a someone beating on their family? When was the last time you heard of a someone who was distracted by cigarettes, and ran over an innocent bystander? How about the last time you heard of a teenager dying at a party because of cigarettes? Smoking may kill more people, but alcohol hurts more innocent people.
So how does it make sense? Why does the government raise tax so high on cigarettes, and not bat an eye, at alcohol?
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_do_Americans_spend_on_beer_annually#ixzz1WIzL2C56
http://www.quit-smoking-central.com/smoking-statistics.html
http://www.come-over.to/FAS/alcdeath.html
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/26076.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/
http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/245.html
http://dui.lifetips.com/cat/61352/drunk-driving-facts-stats/index.html
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/economics/econ_facts/
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
10 Things I've Learned From My Ex's
Don't wait for them to end it.
You don't feel the spark anymore. And you're afraid of hurting their feelings. Don't be. In the long run, it hurts both of you more, if you fake caring. And from personal experience, it makes you feel like a horrible person when they find out that you've been faking for a couple months now. So breaking up with them may hurt their feelings, but it's okay, they'll get new ones. If you really care about them, you should know they deserve better than that.
You shouldn't have to ask for respect.
They grope you in public. Make fun of you about things that they know bothers you. Their friends treat you like crap and bad mouth you, and they don't defend you. They go on rants where they point out every little flaw about you. Seriously, I don't know why I didn't stand up for myself in all these situations. I won't be making that mistake again. You shouldn't have to demand respect. If your partner cares about you, they are going to want you to feel good about yourself. It's one thing when they call you goofy looking every once in a while. That's joking. But when they call you mean names, so often that you start to wonder if they are serious, they don't respect you. I have an ex who used to constantly grab at me and try to make out, in front of everyone. It made me feel like trash. Another would go on about everything that he thought I needed to change about myself. He would be so cruel about it and then tell me he was only being mean, because he cared. Yeah, right! Kick them to the curb. You deserve someone who thinks the world of you. Someone who cares about how you feel. If they are treating you like that, then they have some serious inadequacy issues to deal with.
You just had sex. Don't expect them to love you for it.
First off, don't have sex if you don't feel ready. Oh, how I wish I could take that back. I was a Sophomore, and he was a Senior. When he took me home, I accidentally let "I love you.", slip out. Ugh! Talk about embarrassing! The next day, he wouldn't even talk to me at school. When I walked up to him, he acted like the entire 3 months of our relationship, had never happened. Then, he broke up with me. In a note. It gets better. In a note, that he handed to his friend, who walked it over to me. Even his friend apologized for how much of a jerk he was. He then went and bragged to everyone that he took my "V Card". I didn't even know what that meant. Someone walked up to me and asked in front of everyone. It makes me feel dumb, that it took several boyfriends, before I admitted this to myself. Sex does not equal love. If they don't want to leave the bedroom, they only want you for sex anyway. (This goes back to the whole 'respect' thing.) So hold out. You'll find the 'keepers', if you wait until your ready. The ones who are willing to wait, are the ones who will be worth it. I'm not talking wait a couple weeks or months either. There will be some guys that will say they will wait for you, then keep asking if you're ready yet. Dump them. (:
Don't date friends.
I guess this would be considered pity dating as well. You have a friend that you love, as a friend. They want to take things up a level. If you aren't feeling the romantic chemistry, do not do it. It's a good way to end a friendship that was worth keeping. When this happened to me, he showed up the next day with roses, chocolates, and I love you's. Then, he was all depressed because I wouldn't say 'I love you' back. It was very awkward.
Date someone with goals.
If they don't have any goals more important than, "Find a way to afford booze for this weekend" you shouldn't even bother. If they don't care about taking care of themselves, then how are they going to take care of you? You want someone who you can rely on.
Don't expect them to change for you.
They won't. I dated a guy that I had been best friends with for a year. We did everything together. And he always bad mouthed his ex's. He made fun of them for still caring. Even after we started dating, he would make a game of playing with their heads. He'd text them, sweet talk them and say he wanted to hang out with them. Then laugh, when they text back asking where he was. I thought he'd be different with me. No such luck. The day after we broke up, he was already at it. Asking if I would come hang out with him. Thank Baby Jesus, I knew what he was up to. Turns out he was just asking me to hang out, so he could see if I would do it. Jerk!
Liar, Liar...
When he lies about stupid little things, chances are he's lying about a lot more than you think. Don't be fooled by his charm. I dated a guy for about 3 years. I moved in with him. I would catch him lying about little things. They were completely irrelevant lies. Turns out, he'd been cheating on me with his ex for a long time. All our friends knew, too. That was the worst part.
Snoopers
You lay your purse down, and he feels the need to go through it when you turn your back. Or maybe, you leave your laptop at his house, and he takes it upon himself to go through everything on it. Hidden files and all. Yep, happened to me. I kept a diary on my laptop, but I kept the files hidden. I mean, it is a dairy, after all. Suddenly, he starts quoting things he read, without realizing that he was doing it. Oh, I lost it. His excuse was that he wanted to read the book I'm writing, and stumbled upon the diary entrees. "Well I saw my name, so I had to read it." I don't think so. He had to have gone through some setting changes to even view them. He thought I was dumb. Makes me frustrated all over again. Especially considering that he would randomly accuse me of snooping through his things. I'd like to put it on the record, that I never did. These guys have some serious trust issues. It's probably a good idea to split, at least until they can figure out those issues.
Don't lose yourself.
When guys start asking you to change things about yourself that you love, ask yourself if they're really worth it. I've had a guy tell me that he would love me if I was different. I've even had one tell me that I need to get new friends, because the friends I have are stupid and he doesn't like me hanging out with them. No one is asking him to hang out with them. You like your style, he tells you to change it. You wear your makeup a certain way, he says it makes you look ugly. You like your music, change that too. Don't like things just because he does. If he really wants you to conform to everything he likes, then he already has a love of his life. That would be, Himself.
Don't settle.
If you ever start thinking that you could do better than the relationship you have. Take a break at least. It may just be that you haven't had the chance to miss them lately. And don't stay in a bad relationship, just because you are afraid that you won't do better. If someone is treating you wrong, chances are that there is someone out there who will treat you better. You can stay unhappy, with a man that treats you poorly. You can break it off and be happy taking care of yourself. or, you can break it off, and chance finding someone better for you.
You don't feel the spark anymore. And you're afraid of hurting their feelings. Don't be. In the long run, it hurts both of you more, if you fake caring. And from personal experience, it makes you feel like a horrible person when they find out that you've been faking for a couple months now. So breaking up with them may hurt their feelings, but it's okay, they'll get new ones. If you really care about them, you should know they deserve better than that.
You shouldn't have to ask for respect.
They grope you in public. Make fun of you about things that they know bothers you. Their friends treat you like crap and bad mouth you, and they don't defend you. They go on rants where they point out every little flaw about you. Seriously, I don't know why I didn't stand up for myself in all these situations. I won't be making that mistake again. You shouldn't have to demand respect. If your partner cares about you, they are going to want you to feel good about yourself. It's one thing when they call you goofy looking every once in a while. That's joking. But when they call you mean names, so often that you start to wonder if they are serious, they don't respect you. I have an ex who used to constantly grab at me and try to make out, in front of everyone. It made me feel like trash. Another would go on about everything that he thought I needed to change about myself. He would be so cruel about it and then tell me he was only being mean, because he cared. Yeah, right! Kick them to the curb. You deserve someone who thinks the world of you. Someone who cares about how you feel. If they are treating you like that, then they have some serious inadequacy issues to deal with.
You just had sex. Don't expect them to love you for it.
First off, don't have sex if you don't feel ready. Oh, how I wish I could take that back. I was a Sophomore, and he was a Senior. When he took me home, I accidentally let "I love you.", slip out. Ugh! Talk about embarrassing! The next day, he wouldn't even talk to me at school. When I walked up to him, he acted like the entire 3 months of our relationship, had never happened. Then, he broke up with me. In a note. It gets better. In a note, that he handed to his friend, who walked it over to me. Even his friend apologized for how much of a jerk he was. He then went and bragged to everyone that he took my "V Card". I didn't even know what that meant. Someone walked up to me and asked in front of everyone. It makes me feel dumb, that it took several boyfriends, before I admitted this to myself. Sex does not equal love. If they don't want to leave the bedroom, they only want you for sex anyway. (This goes back to the whole 'respect' thing.) So hold out. You'll find the 'keepers', if you wait until your ready. The ones who are willing to wait, are the ones who will be worth it. I'm not talking wait a couple weeks or months either. There will be some guys that will say they will wait for you, then keep asking if you're ready yet. Dump them. (:
Don't date friends.
I guess this would be considered pity dating as well. You have a friend that you love, as a friend. They want to take things up a level. If you aren't feeling the romantic chemistry, do not do it. It's a good way to end a friendship that was worth keeping. When this happened to me, he showed up the next day with roses, chocolates, and I love you's. Then, he was all depressed because I wouldn't say 'I love you' back. It was very awkward.
Date someone with goals.
If they don't have any goals more important than, "Find a way to afford booze for this weekend" you shouldn't even bother. If they don't care about taking care of themselves, then how are they going to take care of you? You want someone who you can rely on.
Don't expect them to change for you.
They won't. I dated a guy that I had been best friends with for a year. We did everything together. And he always bad mouthed his ex's. He made fun of them for still caring. Even after we started dating, he would make a game of playing with their heads. He'd text them, sweet talk them and say he wanted to hang out with them. Then laugh, when they text back asking where he was. I thought he'd be different with me. No such luck. The day after we broke up, he was already at it. Asking if I would come hang out with him. Thank Baby Jesus, I knew what he was up to. Turns out he was just asking me to hang out, so he could see if I would do it. Jerk!
Liar, Liar...
When he lies about stupid little things, chances are he's lying about a lot more than you think. Don't be fooled by his charm. I dated a guy for about 3 years. I moved in with him. I would catch him lying about little things. They were completely irrelevant lies. Turns out, he'd been cheating on me with his ex for a long time. All our friends knew, too. That was the worst part.
Snoopers
You lay your purse down, and he feels the need to go through it when you turn your back. Or maybe, you leave your laptop at his house, and he takes it upon himself to go through everything on it. Hidden files and all. Yep, happened to me. I kept a diary on my laptop, but I kept the files hidden. I mean, it is a dairy, after all. Suddenly, he starts quoting things he read, without realizing that he was doing it. Oh, I lost it. His excuse was that he wanted to read the book I'm writing, and stumbled upon the diary entrees. "Well I saw my name, so I had to read it." I don't think so. He had to have gone through some setting changes to even view them. He thought I was dumb. Makes me frustrated all over again. Especially considering that he would randomly accuse me of snooping through his things. I'd like to put it on the record, that I never did. These guys have some serious trust issues. It's probably a good idea to split, at least until they can figure out those issues.
Don't lose yourself.
When guys start asking you to change things about yourself that you love, ask yourself if they're really worth it. I've had a guy tell me that he would love me if I was different. I've even had one tell me that I need to get new friends, because the friends I have are stupid and he doesn't like me hanging out with them. No one is asking him to hang out with them. You like your style, he tells you to change it. You wear your makeup a certain way, he says it makes you look ugly. You like your music, change that too. Don't like things just because he does. If he really wants you to conform to everything he likes, then he already has a love of his life. That would be, Himself.
Don't settle.
If you ever start thinking that you could do better than the relationship you have. Take a break at least. It may just be that you haven't had the chance to miss them lately. And don't stay in a bad relationship, just because you are afraid that you won't do better. If someone is treating you wrong, chances are that there is someone out there who will treat you better. You can stay unhappy, with a man that treats you poorly. You can break it off and be happy taking care of yourself. or, you can break it off, and chance finding someone better for you.
Doctor Who
Who else is excited for Doctor Who coming back tomorrow? Seriously, the weeks drag on when your favorite show has a mid season break! Especially if you don't watch much TV. So I have 5000 channels and nothing to watch all that time. One can only take so much of the trash that passes for television these days. I can feel my brain melting when Jersey Shore and Secret Life commercials come on. And you know it's bad when you can hear how bad the acting is from another room.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110817_01/Lets_Kill_Hitler
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/news/bulletin_110817_01/Lets_Kill_Hitler
Introduction
I'm supposed to introduce myself here. And by introduce, I mean make a bunch of stuff up about myself, tell you how awesome I am, and maybe even drop a few names. But let's just skip that part and get to the good stuff. :)
All you need to know is that I'm Ashes, and I'm going to use this blog to share my experiences and let you know what I think is cool. Prepare to be amazed. ;)
All you need to know is that I'm Ashes, and I'm going to use this blog to share my experiences and let you know what I think is cool. Prepare to be amazed. ;)
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