Knee-jerk response of no tobacco tax is gutless

It is unfortunate that a whole political philosophy has become a knee jerk. We all have had our patellar tendon struck with a doctor's percussion hammer. When tension is applied rapidly, fibers are stretched. This creates an arced impulse to the spinal cord and back to the nerve contracting the quadriceps femoris muscle. The whole sequence occurs without thinking. It just happens. It is a reflex.

Not without a degree of frustration one sees the increasing existence of political reflex or involuntary stimulus response to important issues. The problem with reflexes is there is an absence of thought. Reflexes are simple and easy; babies do them. You touch the palm of a newborn, they grasp without thinking about it. You stroke the cheeks of a hungry infant, and they root for the food. We don't need political babies in this time of complexity. We need more than ever thoughtful actions, not reflexes.

The recent rejection by a legislative committee of an increase in the tax on tobacco is an example of this reflexive style of governing. The tax committee voted down a proposed augmentation on the current tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. It didn't matter the scientific evidence, the public's will, the moral imperative, the common sense or reasoned thought. Thinking stopped. The reaction was a knee jerk.

A debatable political position was placed ahead of the lives of people. That is unconscionable. Smoking tobacco kills people. The ones it doesn't kill it makes sick and miserable. Eighty to 90 percent of people start smoking before they are 21. These kids are less likely to start if a pack costs more. State after state has shown that when the price of cigarettes goes up the number of smokers goes down.

The knee-jerk reaction of no tax increases as the defining political priority dismisses the thoughtful distinction between good taxes and bad taxes. The political slogan should not be "no new taxes" but no inappropriate taxes. Taxes are both necessary instruments of government and are valuable tools of sound public policy. Therefore, thoughtfulness should be the order of the day, not some rote political chat. The appropriate tax on cigarettes would be high enough to curtail adolescent smoking. A reasonable tax would be consistent with the scientific data. A fair tax helps pay for the costs targeting those who create the burden because of their actions. A sensible tax is one that influences people toward healthy behavior.