News in Brief: State Rep Calls 'Crack Tax' Unfair

New York Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry has a problem with Governor Eliot Spitzer's proposal to collect sales tax on the illegal drug trade: It's unfair to the drug dealers.

He said, "This component adds another financial hardship on people who don't have a lot of money."

Additional criticism of the so-called 'crack tax' include the valid point that drug dealers are already breaking the law by selling illegal drugs; why would they hesitate to fail to send that state its cut of the proceeds?

Also, there is the minor matter of said drugs still being illegal, so any dealer that did pay up would also be tipping off the authorities to his/her presence, and, in turn, be risking the confiscation of his/her entire inventory, and probably be awarded a lovely set of silver bracelets to go with a nice long-term vacation package.

In light of these trifling matters, it's easy to see how Assemblyman Aubry's worries of hardship should take precedence.