Assignment America: Smoke screens/One of the best articles I have read!

United Press International ^ | 22 August 2002 | John Bloom

[Great Dane]

The burden of smokers longterm healthcare costs on our social safety nets is costing me money. That makes it my business.

It may interest you to know that even Congress admits smokers are paying their own healthcare and a lot of yours too.

[Great Dane]

Correction: I don't know WHY I typed Wisconsin. I am in Maine. Damn claws.

LOL, I was wondering if you had moved in the middle of the night.

[Great Dane]

I wish the other smokers would stop the denial at least. Smoking is a health hazard.

I dont know any smokers who denies there is a health risk, but there are many risks around...... breathing car fumes being one of thousands.

[SheLion]

 I wish the other smokers would stop the denial at least. Smoking is a health hazard.

The smokers in here are TRYING to point out that we were born in families of smokers. We have been around second hand smoke all our lives and we smoke.  We are all in great health. The propaganda put out about smokers dying young from horrible deaths is not materializing.

Why do you think that is.

Did you know that our Surgeon General put forth an article about obesity overtaking smoking as the nation's number one killer?  Maybe that is where your tax dollars are going:  to pay for the sick obese people on welfare.  You think?

Surgeon general warns obesity may overtake tobacco as leading preventable killer

"Some 60 percent of adults are overweight or obese."  There are 55 million American smokers, and even 60 percent beats US out!

I'm not trying to impune you, but one of my biggest pet peeves is the smokers that will show up in an area I'm at with my children & then have the gall to start smoking & not be willing to put it out on request.

What area are you talking about?  If your outdoors, then why on earth would you be mad at someone smoking?  The little wisp of smoke just trails itself out into the air.  How can that ever be a threat to you.

You leave or you put it out. MY VOTE! BAN SMOKING!!!!!

Your mentality on this issue is mind boggling.  Tobacco is a legal commodity.  If it were so dangerous, why is it not illegal?  Why have they not banned it?  Why?

Why is it ok for your rights to be intact, while others' rights are trampled on?  I can't figure this out.  Tell me.  Why is it ok for our rights to be yanked from us.  Smoking has been legal for hundreds of years.  HUNDREDS.

Why is it that when you leave your home, the world should be according to Lester Moore.

Tell me.

 

[SheLion]

If the government doesn't put those taxes towards healthcare, that's their (our) problem. Take it up with them.

Exactly!  The Tobacco Settlement Money pays billions into the state every year. To which WE SMOKERS PAY 100% OF.  That money was supposed to be used for education and health care.

However, the states are using it to "balance their budgets!"  I am sure you all have seen this in the news.  The lawmakers are using this money for pet programs totally unrelated to the smoking issue.  Maine is even using this money to sponsor "5" race teams at race tracks across the state.  While the poor people on welfare go without prescriptions.

I wish the non-smokers and the general public would wake up to this.  The state should be paying US for all of our support.

[SheLion]

Tell me, why is it that anti-smokers are such a nasty bunch?

yeaaaaaaaaa!

 

[SheLion]

Personally, as an 8-year old, I watched my favorite grandmother hack her cancer-ridden lungs up until she died... and that was enough to keep me from ever trying the habit

On the other hand, my one grandmother died at age 42, full of cancer, never smoked a day in her life.

My other grandmother lived to be 86 years old, and smoked three packs of unfiltered Camels a day.  Go figure.....

[SheLion]

As to "public" places - smokers are also taxpayers and therefore remain members of the public.

I like that!

[SheLion]

Well, I know I was a lot more productive when they allowed me to smoke at my desk - I never left it!

However, I liked the designated areas because I got to meet a lot of wonderful people!

I sure hear you there! I never left my desk.  Had my fan going, and the people always came over to my desk, because we had more fun.

And then, the designated areas: they were fun too, because that's where the fun people hung out.  I'm with you!

[SheLion]

 We have a bar. If we allowed only non-smokers in, we would go broke.

Boy! Your in Ohio. And you own a bar.  Keep your eyes peeled for any legislation like this that would try to ban smoking in your private business.  The lawmakers or the board of health have NO business telling you how to run your place.

Beware!  They are trying to get this passed all over the U.S.  You have to be alert and stand up for your rights if this comes to your town.

[SheLion]

 How come you're not screeching about drinking?

After I signed off last night, I was thinking about this very same thing.  I talk with another Fireman a lot, and you wouldn't believe the gory tales about pulling dismembered TEEN- agers out of twisted metal of cars after drinking and driving.  How about this one!

I know in southern Maine, we have lost a lot of youth this summer to drinking, driving and high speeds.  Yet, it's the smoker that causes more death in destruction in the anti's eyes. This isn't right.

[bimbo]

One point must be kept in mind:

Smoking Bans are not about your Health ... they are about Controlling your Life in yet another way.

[SheLion]

No more "disgusting" than changing diapers or cleaning up after a new puppy. Some of us have one of them new-fangled machines that just sucks it up, like some here should do.

I had a doby that would puke this gross slimy stuff. Now THAT'S disgusting!  Cat pans, iguana do-do.  An ashtray can hold no candle to this stuff. 

Plus, we too, have those new fangled gadgets that pick up all that yuk stuff. heh!

[tomkat]

... they are about Controlling your Life in yet another way

precisely !

as someone on another thread so succinctly stated the state of busy-body america, circa 2002:

what once was "to Serve and Protect",
has sadly become "to Observe and Collect"

[Jaidyn]

Ohio is watching for cars coming in from the south to hopefully find gobs of cheaper cigarettes. I have my own private program, a spinoff of NAFTA, where I order cigs from another country (six cartons of Winson for $14 per carton). Ohio is screeching about lost revenue but I lost revenue when two of the companies I worked for found things a tad cheaper in other countries. Why can't I?

[SheLion]

It's a hit with 75% of the voters.

However, even though 55 million adults smoke, that is still only 25% of the population.  Anytime you have polls and EVERYBODY votes, that is still only 25% not in favor of bans. Also, not all non-smokers vote for smoking bans.  And more non-smokers are starting to see that is a private property issue right.  This is what we are fighting for.  The Freedom to Choose what to do with a business.  It should be left up to the owner, NOT the Government and the special interest groups who make big bucks to take away rights.

[SheLion]

Cigarettes don't light themselves!

Thank you! Just like Guns don't kill people. People kill people.

[SheLion]

that the products of combustion from most fires are not as lethal as cigarette smoke.

Oh that's a crock!

How many guys at your station are obese?  I think you would much rather work with a smoker then some fireman who is obese.  You know yourself that you have to put on 2 men to cover the obese fireman!  They can't breath from being so overweight, and trying to pull a hose around is unbearable for them.  Most smokers are young and fit and can run circles around someone who is obese.  Tell me this isn't true.

[Jaidyn]

One of our firemen, assistant chief, just got busted for drugs. He admitted using drugs while on duty. He was suspended but the liberals are fighting to have him reinstated. Other firemen came forward (in his behalf) stating they had a similar problem at one time or other. The tenured fellow caused his own problems, yet he is blaming society. The cig censors are more concerned with us than they are with themselves.

[pittsburgh gop guy]

"Most smokers are young and fit... "

Uh - yeah right. I think all of the cigarette smoke has gone to your brains. In my experience, most of the smokers I know are usually overweight because they obviously don't care about their health. I wish more smokers tried to run - more people for me to beat in races. Next you people will be saying smoking is good for your health.

Smoking is a vice, an addiction. If you want to do it, go ahead, just don't do it around me or others that don't want to breath your polluted air. My position is the conservative position because I want to be left alone and not interfered with by YOUR ACTIONS. All this "smoker's rights" talk is very liberal: creating new privileges where there should be none. Why don't you guys get together with sharpton, jackson, the gays, et al; they are the ones that want special rights. Us non-smokers just want to be left alone and not exposed to the products of your vice.

And yes, I worked a good bit of motor vehicle accidents caused by drunks. Drunk driving is evil, and illegal - I always wanted to beat the crap out of the drunks because they usually escaped with injuries more minor than their victims. But that whole issue is a red herring in this case because we are discussing smoking and how wonderful it is for your health.