Election cycle always a time to shine…

Since I was a kid, I loved Halloween. Not the candy, but the creativity of the costumes, and trying to guess who was who. I used to love to try to out-do my friends when it came to elaborate get-ups. I also loved it because to me it meant the beginning of my favorite time of year.

Politicians love it, however, because it’s the perfect time to break out the masks and try to dupe the American public into what the average career politician could be if elected.

From The Hill…

WHIP COUNT: Democrats in favor of extending all of the Bush tax cuts

The following Democrats have come out in support of extending all of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts. A full extension of the tax cuts would include those individuals making more than $200,000 annually and families making more than $250,000. This list will be updated as more members make their position known. Please send updates and feedback to jay.heflin@thehill.com .

By The Hill - 09/18/10 04:15 PM ET

House:

Bobby Bright (Ala.)

Mike Ross (Ark.)

Ann Kirkpatrick (Ariz.)

Harry Mitchell (Ariz.)

Jim Costa (Calif.)

John Salazar (Colo.)

Jim Himes (Conn.)

Allen Boyd (Fla.)

Ron Klein (Fla.)

John Barrow (Ga.)

Sanford Bishop Jr. (Ga.)

Jim Marshall (Ga.)

Walt Minnick (Idaho)

Melissa Bean (Ill.)

Joe Donnelly (Ind.)

Brad Ellsworth (Ind.)

Frank Kratovil (Md.)

Gary Peters (Mich.)

Travis Childers (Miss.)

Larry Kissell (N.C.)

Mike McIntyre (N.C.)

Earl Pomeroy (N.D.)

Harry Teague (N.M.)

Michael Arcuri (N.Y.)

Mike McMahon (N.Y.)

Zack Space (Ohio)

Dan Boren (Okla.)

Jason Altmire (Pa.)

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.)

Jim Cooper (Tenn.)

Lincoln Davis (Tenn.)

Jim Matheson (Utah)

Rick Boucher (Va.)

Gerry Connolly (Va.)

Glenn Nye (Va.)

Senate:

Joe Lieberman (Conn.), an independent who caucuses with Democrats

Evan Bayh (Ind.)

Ben Nelson (Neb.)

Kent Conrad (N.D.)

Jim Webb (Va.)
Michael Bennet (Colo.) — “will consider a short-term compromise”
Mary Landrieu (La.) — “open-minded” to it, a one-year extension “probably would be good”
Barbara Boxer (Calif.) — supports extending tax cuts “at least 98 percent [of] Americans,” would review proposals for families above that threshold

Bricks and coal. That’s all you get when you hit my door. Bricks and coal.

Saw this one coming…

Caught this over at Hot Air…

Should the FDA ban menthol cigarettes?

Reason TV takes a look at a new effort by the FDA to bar menthol cigarettes in the US. It follows an already-imposed ban on flavored cigarettes, including clove, chocolate, and other flavors used in some brands. No one doubts that cigarette smoking is not a healthy pastime and can be terribly addictive, but do menthols represent a larger danger than regular cigarettes? Are they really a “gateway smoke” to hook teens, or just a consumer choice that carries the same risks that have always been present? Reason argues that this is just another tactic in a larger plan to impose a Prohibition on tobacco use altogether:

You have to go there to get the rest of the post and the cool old-timey advert.

As a person who makes his living with tobacco being a large part of my industry, I can say that I and others like me saw this coming a few years ago. A certain tobacco company signed their souls over to the devil in a pact with the FDA that allowed them to help write the new tobacco legislation in a bid to kill the competitive edge that a certain other company had due to the constant innovation of flavors and a steady bite being taken out of the market share. If this menthol ban goes through, at least four different styles/flavors will be removed from the market share of this direct competitor.

The certain tobacco company also assisted in the massively increased tax rates on tobacco products across the board, thereby cutting off their own nose to spite their face.

If you can’t join ‘em…