Steve, as always, has a unique take on this Cocktail Tax being proposed by a study New Futures. Bottom line – a new tax to be levied against individuals for the collective cost of $1.15 Billion (and $251 million in direct social costs to the State) for the effects of over drinking (a “per-drink alcohol costs recovery charge”).
Let me state that again: ding individuals for a perceived crime or hurt against the collective. Once again: we see the subtle nuance of which is more important in the eyes of the Left: the individual or the group. Somehow, the Left has twisted the responsibility of people to behave sociably and responsibly as at least an offense against us all (and perhaps, rising to the level of a crime). Certainly, mere offense or serious crime, somebody has to pay but this is where the Left’s predilection of always disavowing personal responsibility for one’s own actions (unless it is a TEA Partier carrying a gun and a Gadsen Flag – then lock them up, throw away the key, and equate them at the level of being sex offenders) fires up once again. If one sins (or just a few), then ALL are considered to have sinned against the Collective.
One might make the case for the “A recovery charge” to reimburse tax payer monies expended by having to take care of drunks and the effects on their families (who then need State Aid). Just as with a car-lock breathalyzer, then, the responsibility is then placed upon the offending perp (because that is how society is starting to categorize them – slippery slope time again). $251 Million is a good chunk of change – but once again, we see the Left deciding that the Collective should not be injured by an Individual (although the thinking used to be the reverse before the Progressive Movement – as in the Bill of Rights). But given the inability of the Left to place blame where it truly lies, they have no problem in Collectively punish everyone under the misguided precept “if you drink, you sin against us” (in some ways, these Progressives are even worse Moralizers than the back-row Baptists they constantly rail against in saying “don’t push your values on me!”). But they have the right, seemingly, to push their values on the rest of us.
I also have a question – $1.15 Billion minus $251 Million leaves an amount to be collected by Government for this Cocktail Tax of about $900 Million. Pray tell, what is the rationale that Government get all that money for someone merely taking a drink? Its like the carbon tax / RGGI taxes: “it’s for global warming” yet how does Government taking money going to solve that problem?
Or is this just yet another scheme to create yet another revenue stream for embiggening Government?
