In an AP article on www.Pennlive.com by Martha Raffaele last week, she wrote that the Governor had become "at least the fifth governor to offer a state plan for near-universal health coverage, proposing higher taxes for smokers and businesses that don't provide health insurance to help pay for such an initiative in Pennsylvania."

Although politically, I'm more right of center on most issues, I voted for Mr. Rendell because he seems like a pretty fair guy, and with regard to his proposal, which would extend state-subsidized health insurance to almost 1million adults without coverage, his heart is certainly in the right place. After all, health care costs are ridiculously astronomical, and I'm in favor of anything that will bring the cost down. (I know my boss is.) But, according to the article, Mr. Rendell's plan includes the following: A "fair share" tax on employers who do not provide health insurance equal to 3 percent of their payroll. An increase in the state's $1.35-per-pack cigarette tax, and - here's the rub - a tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars for the first time, which would be supplemented with federal matching dollars.

"How can we sit there and tax cigarette smoking and not tax smokeless tobacco and cigar smoking when we know the health risks and the cost to the overall public health system are just as great?" Rendell said.

Of course, the details of the plan are far too many to get into in this forum, but one of the reasons I'm nervous is that a tax on "other tobaccos products" (OTP), which includes pipe tobacco, chew, and cigars may be just the beginning of a never-ending series of increases as health care costs continue to rise - and they always do. Currently, Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not tax cigars and smokeless tobacco products, and the governor has yet to decide how much that tax will be.

A follow-up piece in this past Sunday's Patriot-News gets into the nitty-gritty of just how difficult it may be for the governor to get a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco passed. Apparently, there is quite a strong tobacco lobby in Pennsylvania because the state earns millions of dollars in tobacco revenue. 16.2 million pounds of the weed were grown in 2006 alone. But precedent has already been set in other tobacco-growing states on all tobacco products, including North Carolina.

Although the tax increase on cigars is uncertain, all Indicators show that the cigarette smokers will definitely get hit again. As far as cigar smokers like myself go, I think it's more a matter of "when" rather than "if." Combine that with the ever-increasing public smoking bans and the vicious cycle of labeling smokers as heretics continues to spiral into a national anti-smoking rage and great fodder for talk-radio show hosts.

OK, we get it. We're not stupid. Smoking is not good for you, especially if you're a heavy smoker. But it's a pastime that human beings have enjoyed for centuries, and short of making tobacco illegal altogether, I don't think they will ever make smoking go away.

Of course I would prefer if the Governor would keep things status quo with regard to taxing cigars. If I have to incur a little extra cost at the counter to enjoy my cigars, I think I can live with that. I'm just worried it won't stop there. So if we can stop it now, let's do so. Governor Rendell seems like a man who's open to other ideas. Let's hope someone in the state legislature can come up with some sensible ones - and quickly.

~ Gary Korb