Page 172 – Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Profile in Courage: Snoop Dogg

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:April 30, 2021
Post category:Profile in Courage

Over the past 30 years, pop culture icons have come and gone. But, one fixture on MTV screens, Comedy Central roasts, and yes even cooking shows, has been Calvin Broadus Jr. (aka Snoop Dogg). The famed rapper got a rocky start in life by racking up criminal convictions and being accused of taking part in the gang violence that gripped America in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But, Broadus didn’t let his troubled past deter him from artistic breakthroughs and commercial success. Now, 28 years after his first studio album, Snoop Dogg remains beloved by his millions of fans and continues to strive to make the world a better place. Many may not be aware of his work outside of music, but his efforts in criminal justice reform initiatives have led to a renewed focus on rehabilitation instead of punishment, prompting policymakers to think critically about the failed status-quo. For inspiring generations of fans, and now making a difference in countless lives with criminal justice reform, Snoop Dogg is a Profile in Courage.

Consumer Watchdog Slams FDA Menthol Ban

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:April 29, 2021
Post category:Press

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intent to issue proposed product standards within the next year” which would ban the manufacture and sale of menthol cigarettes, as well as characterizing flavors in cigars. The FDA asserted that this is in line with its commitment to “reduce disease and death from using combusted tobacco products.” Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., also noted that the proposed ban could help “address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low-income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products.”

Biden’s Proposal for Higher Spending and Higher Taxes Threatens a Full Economic Recovery

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:April 29, 2021
Post category:Spending

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) expressed alarm about the number of costly provisions set forth by President Biden during his address to a joint session of Congress. These proposals cost trillions of dollars and are accompanied by a series of tax hikes that would devastate the economy, just as the end of the pandemic seems in reach.

Testimony before the Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee Regarding Taxing Vapor Products

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:April 28, 2021
Post category:Harm Reduction

Excise taxes on vapor products are regressive an unfairly burden low-income persons. In 2019, 59.2 percent of adult smokers in Wisconsin reported earning incomes of $24,999 or less. Further, 30.8 percent of adult smokers in Wisconsin earned less than $15,000 a year in 2019. Cigarette taxes are unreliable sources of revenue. Since 2011, cigarette tax revenue has decreased (on average) 2.6 percent annually.

World IP Day Celebrates Progress Against Current and Future Pandemics

Post author:Ross Marchand
Post published:April 28, 2021
Post category:Intellectual Property

April 26 was World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, a day to marvel at the innovations that make the modern world possible. Given the struggles over the past year to fight the coronavirus pandemic, IP protections have never been more critical. Thanks to America’s stalwart record in defending patent holders, drug manufacturers and testing companies have marshaled maximum resources to kick the deadly virus to the curb. But, we must not let down our guard; proposals to undermine IP rights are unfortunately a dime a dozen. This World IP Day, let’s celebrate and protect the entrepreneurs who are constantly redefining what is possible.

Testimony before the Montgomery County Council Regarding Taxing Electronic Cigarettes and Vapor Products

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:April 27, 2021
Post category:Harm Reduction

To address youth use of age-restricted products, as well as adult use of deadly combustible cigarettes, Montgomery County must urge state lawmakers to allocate additional funding from revenue generated from existing excise taxes and settlement payments and dedicate it toward tobacco control programs. Maryland woefully underfunds such programs and in 19 years has only allocated three percent ($276 million) of settlement payments and cigarette taxes towards tobacco control programs – including youth prevention. During the same period, the Old Line State collected $9.2 billion in cigarette taxes and tobacco settlement payments.

Biden Seeks to End the Costly War In Afghanistan

Post author:Dan Savickas
Post published:April 27, 2021
Post category:Defense

Later this year, America will mark the 20-year anniversary of its invasion of Afghanistan. Last week, President Joe Biden announced he will move to withdraw all U.S. forces from Afghanistan by mid-September. Even a cursory analysis of the human cost of this war – and the cost to the American taxpayer – shows that this is a prudent move by the administration. President Biden should stay firm and resist the critics calling for further delays of this long overdue move.

Testimony before the Bloomington City Council Regarding Banning the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Vapor Products

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:April 26, 2021
Post category:Harm Reduction

Many Bloomington youth are not using vapor products. In 2019, 83 percent of Bloomington high school students reported not using a vapor product and only three percent daily vapor product use. Further, combustible cigarette use is at an all-time low, with 98 percent of Bloomington high schoolers reporting not smoking cigarettes in the 30 days prior to survey, compared to five percent of high school students who reported daily cigarette use in 2004.

Tobacco & Vaping 101: 50 State Analysis

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:April 26, 2021
Post category:Harm Reduction

As lawmakers across the country seek to reduce youth tobacco and vapor product use, many have introduced and passed legislation that regulates, taxes, and in some cases, prohibits the sales of such products. This analysis includes state specific information on tobacco and vapor product use among adults in youth in all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. Each paper examines smoking rates among adults in the respective, youth use of tobacco and vapor products, and the effectiveness of tobacco settlement payments, taxes, and vapor products on reducing combustible cigarette use.

Alamy Stock Photo; Illustration

TPA Sends Letter to Homeland Security Committee on Postal Service Surveillance

Post author:David Williams
Post published:April 23, 2021
Post category:Postal Reform

Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is writing to express concern about the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) bulk data collection activities. On April 21, Yahoo News reported that the agency’s law enforcement arm, “has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts, including those about planned protests…” under an initiative called the “Internet Covert Operations Program” (iCOP). The agency’s refusal to explain this program to the American people is unfortunately not surprising, given the USPS’ long track-record in hiding information from the public.