'How can they tax me for trying to be pretty?

The New York Post reports:

New Yorkers who smoke and tan were twice burned yesterday.

With both the federal 10 percent tanning tax and the new $1.60 per-pack state surcharge on cigarettes now in effect, those addicted to nicotine and UV rays fear they may have to choose between bronzed skin and blackened lungs.

"How can they tax me for trying to be pretty?" said Jenna Goldschmidt, 19, an FIT student who tans three times a week and smokes a half-pack a day.

Jenna, because they can. What young people like Jenna don't understand is: socialism is a utilitarian project to confiscate wealth. The ends justify the means.