Death and the Tyranny of the Nanny State

While the usual suspects are having a conniption over no charges being brought against the officers who used a choke hold on Eric Gardner resulting in his death, most of the media ignore the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Lessons from Eric Garner’s death and cigarette taxes

 Many people say his death is another case of white police brutality against black citizens. Lost in this public debate, though, is a key question: Why were police arresting Garner in the first place?

    Was he robbing a store or attacking innocent citizens? No, police arrested Garner supposedly for selling untaxed cigarettes. The strong-arm arresting process claimed Garner’s life, all over the sale of 75-cent loose cigarettes or “loosies.”

    High taxes produce underground markets for goods and services, and when these taxes are hiked, smuggling increases. Nowhere is this illustrated more clearly than in New York City.

    In the name of cutting smoking rates, New York has the highest state cigarette tax at $4.35 per pack. New York City piles on an additional local cigarette tax of $1.50 per pack. Since 2006, the cigarette tax in New York state has been raised 190 percent. In response, cigarette smuggling there increased 59 percent. More than half of all cigarettes consumed in New York state are smuggled, according to a 2014 report by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.~snip~

Eric Gardners death is the result of nanny state meddling in the private decisions of individuals.
The leftist busybodies that now inhabit political offices have decided to rule by "let it be written,let it be done" decree without actually thinking about or being responsible for these decisions.
The question really isn't about whether smoking cigarettes is bad for you (it is) it's really about whether the government should be the ones to oppressively regulate it through taxation resulting in a black market situation where the police basically become tax enforcers.
Then enforce the tax with force.
Instead of condemning "white cops" killing a black man people should be wondering why the nanny state busy bodies created the circumstances that led to Eric Gardner's death in the first place.

You also have to wonder what's next, will NYC police officers be wrestling people to the ground who are in possession of 32 ounce sodas?

It's not as absurd as you think.