Texas and Sin

From an article in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram yesterday (4/26/2009) I selected this quote:

AUSTIN — “Sex. Smoking. Alcohol. These are among the so-called sins the Texas Legislature is considering regulating — for better or worse — this session. From a statewide smoking ban to a 10 percent tax on entry fees to sexually oriented businesses, lawmakers are looking at tightening restrictions. And in the case of potentially allowing liquor sales on Sundays, they’re also looking at loosening them.”

Whatever happened to the old adage “you can’t legislate morality,” and such? I guess if the tax on smoking reaches a high enough number, many or most will eventually quit, if they don’t die first. Charge enough tax to get into one of those sexual oriented businesses and maybe people will stop going – at least as often. Make it harder to get booze and tax it like it was a deadly viper killing our citizens in ever increasing numbers and maybe. . .no wait, what was I thinking?

We’re not interested in stopping, or even slowing, the booze trade. Never mind the devastation it brings into our society, the crime and death, the destruction of family, and the ruin of countless numbers of people. Instead, let’s make it more readily available if indeed that will stir up more revenue (??????) for the State.

Here’s a question. Someone out there surely knows the answer. How many lives are lost or damaged to the point that they are no longer useful to society because of smoking or smoking related diseases (provable) each year? Well, that’s too many. Let’s stop all public smoking. Now, how many lives are lost or damaged to the point that they are no longer useful to society, how many families destroyed, how many wives and children assaulted, how much crime committed under the influence, how much money spent on DWI enforcement, repair of damage, incarceration, trials, lawyers (prosecution), how much rape and and incest, and other sex crimes related to alcohol abuse? Shall I go on? No, you clearly see the point.

I don’t get it! If smoking demands our regulatory attempts to stop it, and sexually oriented businesses are targeted for increased taxes and scrutiny, why does booze get a focus on providing it more freely?

I have no idea what the “numbers” are. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol. But I am confident I am much more likely to die at the hands of some drunk on the highway than from second hand smoke. So here’s the conclusion from my perspective – I’ll take smokers over drinkers anytime. And if I get run over by some guy lighting his cigar, well, you can ignore this rant.