you have just been elected to be Governor of Florida!As you know, being the chief executive of the Sunshine State entails a lot of responsibilityyou are the face and executive of the state government.Though Florida is a mostly market-based economy, the government spending and tax decisions legislature votes on and you sign into law do have somewhat of an impact on the Florida economy.In your first year as Governor, you and the state legislature are faced with some difficult decisions pertaining to cigarettes.Cigarette smoke and the health conditions that emanate from it are considered by many to constitute a public health crisis.You think there needs to be a change in how Florida deals with cigarette use.

After consulting with legislative leaders from both parties in Tallahassee and consulting with high-ranking members in your own administration, you are faced with two cigarette policy options during your first year as Governor:

Option 1 Sales Tax Increase

• Increase the state sales tax on a pack of cigarettes from $1.65 to $3.

Option 2 Complete Prohibition

• The manufacture, possession, sale, and consumption of cigarettes in Florida are made illegal.

Write a short paper about this policy problem and state which policy proposal you would ultimately pitch Floridians and to the legislature.In the paper be sure to:

• Explain the pros and cons of each policy
• Explain why you chose the policy you did (Policy 1 or Policy 2) and why the other policy is inferior
• Relate your analysis and justification of the selected policy option to concepts studied in Chapters 4 and 5
• Provide examples, hypothetical or from the real world, to flesh out your argument