Our Incompetent, Dishonest Legislature Strikes Again ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL (Jan. 2020)

Editorial

MA Legislature Passes the NH Economic Development Act

January, 202o

You have to hand it to the Democrat Party-controlled Massachusetts State Legislature. When it comes to stupidity, only California can beat the level of destructive incompetence displayed on Beacon Hill.

The Democrat Party controls both the house and the senate in Massachusetts. And it’s those very same democrats who pretend to care about “freedom of choice” when it comes to – say – abortion.

You know, because “nobody should tell anyone what to do with her own body”.

Yet, these same dishonest hacks have now banned Newports and other menthol flavored cigarettes because – get this – they really want to “protect the children.”

Yet, when a woman in Massachusetts – or anyone for that matter – wants the “freedom to choose” putting menthol cigarettes into their bodies, these same “pro-choice” democrats no longer favor the “freedom to choose”.

Weird huh?

This is the same legislature, by the way, that just legalized marijuana, proposing publicly funded injection cites for HEROIN, and is constantly trying to legalize other, more harmful drugs.

Do they really think legalizing pot will decrease the use of pot by “the children”?

Do they really think heroin injection sites are going to decrease the use of heroin by “the children”?

Do they really believe legalizing other hard drugs will “protect the children”?

Of course, they don’t.

But when it comes to menthol cigarettes?

THAT’s when they really care about children.

We spoke to local state representatives and senators who voted for the cigarette ban and asked about the hypocrisy.

As if they had all rehearsed it in advance, each legislator gave the same answer; they each cited some “study” that showed children who smoke cigarettes prefer flavored cigarettes.

Which brings up a logical question, if it’s already illegal for kids to smoke cigarettes, do these feckless dupes in the state legislature think that banning menthol cigarettes will stop kids from smoking cigarettes altogether?

Of course, they don’t. The excuses they give are lies. Remember when the legislature raised the cost of cigarette taxes by another dollar per pack? They claimed it was to pay for former smokers who got lung diseases from smoking, and that the money would go into a special fund to pay for their healthcare.

Within less than a year, all that money collected from the new cigarette tax went into the state’s general fund. You know what the legislature did with that money?

They blew it. Yeah, it’s gone. To hell with kids who have lung diseases.

But, now we are supposed to believe they care about kids?

LOST REVENUE

The worst part of the menthol cigarette ban is the millions in revenue lost by small businesses in MA when their regular customers go to New Hampshire to buy menthol cigarettes, and pick up milk, bread, and other incidentals that used to be made at say – Mike’s Market in North Andover, or Howe Street Superette in Methuen.

How does this help Massachusetts? It doesn’t, of course, and yet, your local legislators couldn’t care less.

As long as they have something to brag about at election time, to hell with the local businesses who now have to lay people off or work more hours to make their mortgage and pay their bills.

It’s obvious that most of our elected officials in Boston have no clue what the function of government is supposed to be in a free republic. While they are busy banning menthol cigarettes, more people died of opioid abuse than were killed in Vietnam or WWII. They haven’t even begun to tackle that problem.

But, rest assured, come election time they will all pat themselves on the back claiming to have “protected children” by banning menthol cigarettes.

When that happens, please remember to ask them how banning menthol cigarettes while making pot and other drugs legal “helps protect the children”? When they change the subject or spout meaningless talking points, force them to answer the question.

We asked more than a dozen legislators that exact question and not one of them could answer it in any meaningful way.

They should all be ashamed of themselves. And you should be telling them that when they knock on your door looking for a vote come November. ◊