America is the greatest nation in the world, mainly because we as Americans have so many personal freedoms. Unfortunately, many of these freedoms are being handed over to our government.

One of our greatest freedoms is the ability to thrive in a free, capitalist economy. The beauty of such a system is that it is run by the people, not the government. Choices in our life, such as whether to buy cigarettes, are left up to the individual citizen, and should not be regulated by any government agency. However, our government is walking a slippery slope with what and how it regulates, especially regarding tobacco.

In March 2007, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver signed a bill raising a tax on tobacco from 36 cents to $1.36. The tax is so high that even generic packs of cigarettes can easily can easily cost more than $5. While those of you who don’t smoke may not care about this tax, many, including myself, feel this is an example of government crossing lines it should not.

Tax hikes on cigarettes are extremely hard on smokers. Statistically, a majority of smokers are lower-income individuals. Putting this sort of pressure on lower-income families, simply because someone in a government position deems tobacco “evil,” is completely absurd, and should not be tolerated.

What really gets under my skin is not even so much the taxes themselves, but the reason for the taxes. Taxes on products such as alcohol and tobacco are commonly referred to as “sin” taxes. This sort of rhetoric is disturbing. What is the government trying to say? That it has the moral authority to label an action a sin? Taxing tobacco because it is a “sinful” practice is ridiculous. We live in a free county. If I choose to smoke and develop lung cancer, then that is my God-given right to freedom of choice. What’s next? Should we tax McDonald’s because its food can lead to heart disease? Of course not.

Where is this type of government regulation leading our country? Think about this, and follow it out to its logical conclusion. Are we to assume that any potentially harmful substance or action can be regulated by our government? Should the government regulate sexual activity, as it can lead to contracting STIs? Hamburgers lead to heart disease – should we tax them?

Do we really need “big” government governing “big” corporations? Who wants the same government that so gracefully handled Hurricane Katrina handling and judging our biggest businesses?

Calling an action such as smoking wrong or sinful is the job of parents and guardians, not the government. Government needs to stay out of personal choice, and let us, as responsible people, make these choices on our own. Taxing an item to deter its use is unreasonable, and is a clear example of government playing Big Brother.

So should we continue to call cigarettes sinful, and tax them accordingly? I certainly hope we do not. Why? Because it is the responsibility of free people and parents raising free people to make these sorts of judgment calls. If we give our government the power to label actions sinful and tax them as they wish, we will lose the one thing that makes America so great: personal freedom of choice.

– Chris Potratz is a junior in

journalism and mass communication from Dallas, Texas.