This time they are increasing fees on tobacco retailers to attempt to convince them to stop selling cigarettes and cigars.  The previous fee for all stores in NYS was $100.  Now after a huge increase and a sliding scale have been added it could be as much as $5000.

We have been reading here on thebatavian.com that people have been caught smuggling cigarettes out of the reservations.  This new fee is only likely to increase the cigarette black market.

I enjoy the occasional cigar.  I will more than likely buy them online now unless Angotti Beverage keeps their little cigar area open.

Background: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090814/BUSINESS/908140328/New+state+fee+intended+to+force+out+tobacco+vendors

 

(Footsteps in the Sand)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Refreshed from a wonderful weekend but still perplexed.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about the weekend first.
JOE: Carol and I dined with friends, walked to the Farmer's Market, swam in our friends pool and best of all returned to Spiritus Christi for an emotional reunion with fellow travelers on life's path.
CALLIOPE: Sounds great. Why are you perplexed?
JOE: Last night Carol told someone of our joyous spiritual experience. The response was to try to pin down her beliefs and see whether we fit into the other person's neat box of religious beliefs.
CALLIOPE: Do you?
JOE: No. In our search for a context for our spiritual journey, some people seem to insist that we see things from their point of view and tell us what we can or should do rather than accepting our choice to follow our own path of discovery of our relationship with God.
CALLIOPE: How do you feel about that?
JOE: You sound like a counselor. We don't like to be put into someone else's box no matter how much they say their words are motivated by concern for our souls.
CALLIOPE: Understandable. What do you plan to do about it?
JOE: Probably be a little more careful about who we choose to share our enthusiasm for our journey with.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps a wise course.
JOE: Agreed. Talk with you tomorrow.