A carton of smokes in NYC is now about $150. In upstate, a cheap brand like USA Gold is about $90. I stocked up on the Indian Reservation just before the Sept. 1 drop dead date, and they were $39 a carton. Thanks to Obama's PACT act, you can no longer ship cigs through the mail. So, the owners of the cig outlets on reservations are SOL, out of business.

I have also taken up e-cigs. It's water vapor, nicotine, and flavoring in a smoke-free, clean little device. I will use this to gradually give up the regular cigs. I am not participating in this rape of a tax. Nope. I also will not participate in any of the NY gambling schemes, like scratch off tickets and powerball. They're not extracting one dime more of me than possible. In addition, I will give favored status to state employees when it comes to my apartments, thereby getting some of my property taxes back.