Raise the Cigarette Tax in South Carolina!

I am using today's article to urge the Governor, Mark Sanford, to sign legislation for a 50-cent per pack increase in taxes on cigarettes.  We have gone over the logic time and again.  To whit, smoking is bad for smokers and non-smokers.  Higher taxes cause fewer people to smoke.  We are in an economic depression, with insufficientto pay for vital services.  The income from this tax will be used transparently to help pay for these services.  Every other state has seen fit to raise cigarette taxes well beyond 57-cents per pack several years ago.  This is not an issue where Governor Sanford should be concerned about not raising taxes overall.  The need is clearly there, even though I am generally against raising taxes.  Please support this legislation.