Smoker be damned

Is it right to oppress one group of people for the benefit of others? I think if it is worded like that most people would say no. I believe we had a war when Lincoln was our President over that very subject. Today however if it is worded fancy and if appeals to the majority it seems we will go along with it.
If I was to say is it fair to put a higher tax on one group of people for the greater good of the majority of people what would your thoughts be then? I think most people would say that was a bad thing but there would be people that say that would be a good thing but if I was to say lets tax tobacco users in the state of Utah so that we could drop the sales tax on food the majority of Utah’s population would say OK! But it is still wrong friends and that is what the dink Huntsman would like to do. Currently tobacco users are taxed .70 cents a pack but he is proposing rasing that to 3dollars a pack and dropping the state sales tax on food . We all know that smoking is wrong and that it raises serious health problems but last I checked this is America land of the free where we are able to make smart decisions as well as dumb ones. This purposed tax will do two things as I see it. One: people who smoke will just have less money. They are not going to stop smoking and people who are on a tight budget will forgo other stuff such as food , paying for there kids to play sports, not going to movies, not letting there kids go to movies etc. The majority will not go with out there nicotine dose it is a powerful drug. Two: other states will be getting some of the tax money the state would have gotten under the present tax. Idaho is .57 cents a pack, Wyoming is .60 cents a pack and Nevada is .80 cents a pack. I can see people making the trip once a month and buying their months supply across state lines. Does Idaho really need us to contribute to the wellness of their state more? We already sink thousands into their school systems when we buy lottery tickets and I don’t’ need to explain Nevada, Wendover, Vegas… need I say more? Sure not every smoker will make the trip but many will.
Tax money aside this is still wrong, people have been taxed for the benefit of others through out history. Christians were thrown to Lions for the entertainment of the Romans, blacks were free labor for whites in the United States, these are certainly much more horrific than taxing a smoker but the principle is still the same. We mustn’t burden the minority just for the benefit of the majority. This is United States of America and we are better than that.