THE PERSUIT OF HAPPINESS AND THE NANNY STATE..............

Ronald Reagan Quotes

Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives-Ronald Reagan this morning I read in my local news paper that the city of Cape Mays' (a popular tourist destination here in south jersey)elected city council had voted to ban all smoking on the beaches and public parks/lands in the city."The city council felt that second hand smoke was possibly dangerous and annoying.And that needs of the many took precedent over the few". Really? so now the city council(non of which are doctors or (rocket) scientists)now presume to know what is "best for every one". very Orwellian indeed. This is only a drop in the bucket across America of our ability to enjoy our "pursuit of happiness" that our founding fathers cherished so much as to put it in the declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it" http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html these are heady words indeed. But words, that the lives of thousands, of our for fathers thought enough of to lay thier lives down for.Today most citizens will barely lay down the t.v. remote. successive generations have fought and bled for the ideas expressed in the lines written above. The arrogance of any form of government to presume to order me and regulate with out reason a product that I can legally own,posses,use and ENJOY is repugnant to me. The C.R.A.,a non profit organization,Has been actively trying to limit the bands on  and restrictions(including excessive taxation)on premium hand rolled cigars. Their approach is a good one. That jobs will be lost and an industry unfailrly singled out.Given the current economic climate. I think this is a good approach but I think the argument needs to be elevated to that which it is.An attack of an oppressive government to decide what is "best for us" down to the nth degree. In essence what these laws do is turn otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals.In New york city the Ban has been so scoffed at that cigar enthusiasts have met in public parks and "herfed it up".holding such bans as ridiculous.In the mid nineties the state of new jersey went so far as to ban the sale of sunny side up eggs(due to possible salmonella) sold in any dinner or restaurant.(yes its true) after customers were shown on t.v news shows eating these "offending eggs" and the owners of dinners and restaurant refusing to stop selling them;the state rescinded the less than 6 weeks later. I have the right to make a fist but this right ends where your nose begins.WE all pay taxes,live peaceable lives but we also must respect how each of us chooses to do so.I am not going to light up a cigar and smoke others out. Out of consideration for others.In the same token if I'm sitting on a park bench alone smoking a cigar. And you come along and sit next to me and become "offended" by it,well then your just ignorant and self absorbed. So whats next? We all have been taught about rights and responsibilities. I don't want government deciding for me what is "best for me" because I'm to fucking stupid to know otherwise.That's what  the true meaning of laws that make otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals. All the best-SMOKIN JOE

THE B&M VRS THE ONLINE RETAILER ?

A few months ago on almost all the cigar enthusiast podcast there was much debate about the two.most of this talk was centered on the business end of both.Today I will discuss this view from the little heard point of view;the consumer. here we go.....

It should be said that a good B&M that has a friendly atmosphere a,good selection of choices,a good location and a place to gather with other enthusiasts is a must have.A friendly and learned atmosphere is the mark of a good tobacconist.The customer who comes there and is "talked down too" will likely go somewhere else.To an extant it is a teachers role in educating his costumers that will benefit the B&M the most.The old adage that an educated customer is your best customer.Its true.The more you learn the more you broaden your horizon and are willing to try new things you learn about.Nurturing this is self preservation for the B&M owner. A friendly and relaxed atmosphere with comfortable furnishings where the enthusiast can sit,smoke and discuss a variety of subjects is a must.I once saw a book club meeting at J.R.'s in north Carolina who were discussing transcendental writers of all things.Some B&M's offer a Private room where the "club members" can BYOB have access to large screen t.v.'s and variety of amenities such as private lockers,sports games etc. However I have seen for what several B&M's have charged vrs perceived value that  have not matched up for me.My view on this aspect is that if the area that the B&M is located can support this.(say in New York city as an example) then this is almost a necessary feature. However far to many B&M's should do away this feature as strip malls are not the place for these.
A good choice of selections is a must. My own B&M stocks the 'tried and trues " of the cigar world but as an example it took them  9 months to get 3 boxes of sizes of Nestor Miranda's art deco. I can find what I need there,the padrons',CAO,Perdomo,anything general cigar puts out.But say I want a Cro magnon or a 262? good luck. And there in lies where the online retailer comes in.
There is an important place that the online retailer fills for me. that of being able to get what I would like to try when I can not get it locally. this is where the line between the online retailer and the B&M lines begin to blur. Many B&M also have an online retail outlet. A good example of this is two guys cigar shops in new Hampshire. If I need a couple of sticks I'll trot off to my local B&M and pick them up.I also attend many of the promotions that the B&M holds.I can usually get very good deals on brands of cigars during these times. The online retailer for me provides some in house brands I like very much at a good price but that I will not find locally. It is a reality that in today's world the cigar enthusiast has much more access to information than when I started smoking cigars about 23 years ago. It is also a reality of the market,all markets for that matter,that the inter net has provided an outlet for cigar enthusiasts that compete with the B&M. But in that same sense there quite a few B&M's who are out there on line.like many of the mom and pop stores that where done away with in the eighties due to box stores the market for the B&M in my opinion is shrinking.You can bemoan this or not but it is a reality. The location and amenities of your local B&M will be crucial going into the future. But for me there isn't a VRS involved but simply emerging markets via the Internet and many B&MS' are in fact" saddling two horses". all the best-SMOKIN JOE