To the editor:

Oh great, they are thinking about raising taxes on tobacco products again. Even though I am a smoker, I have been in full agreement with the new laws surrounding smoking in public, but I don’t understand why they continue to tax only tobacco.

Why is the tax on alcohol not being raised? According to a January 2010 white paper on underage drinking by the Kansas Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, Kansas has not raised the beer excise tax since 1977 and has lost 72 percent of its value since that time. If beer taxes had kept up with inflation, the excise tax would be 64 cents instead of 18 cents per gallon. The national average excise tax for wine is 80 cents. The current Kansas tax is 30 cents per gallon. By increasing the per-drink excise tax just 10 cents, an estimated revenue of $97,381,400 could be generated.

Woman killed in hit and run.

Death from alcohol poisoning.

Child abuse from alcoholic parent.

The next time you are out driving with your family, just think, do I want to meet someone on the road that has had three or four cigarettes or someone that has had three or four drinks. Secondhand smoke might cause health problems in 20 or 30 years, but that drunk driver can kill your entire family now!