I don't think the reason behind present spate of smoking bans is much at all related to attitudes/behavior of smokers rather it is the nanny-state mentality the do-gooders have engendered. I don't think the folks passing these laws give a flip about attitudes one way or t'other; they're all for we know better.
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N
norminn
It has a lot to do with money, as well...cost to employers and M'caid in covering health issues. Of course, we will all die someday, so the "end of life" rise in health costs eventually tolls. Personally, those with bad habits save the gov't. money (SS benefits) by dying sooner :o) OTOH, not justifying smoking but I'm wondering when the huge increase in obesity (many non-smokers and quitters) will overcome the savings in illness and/or dollars brought about by smoking cessation. Smoking (and some other really bad habits) came about, in part, to decrease appetite.
The US has lots of insane practices that cost us dearly, like "sex sells"...sexually explicit ads geared to teens, crap food ads geared to toddlers, and pharmaceuticals that nobody in their right mind would use.
Of course, three of the four major resources that built this country are outlawed or unpopular....sugar, tobacco, slavery and cotton.
K
Kurt Ullman
There are a fairly large number of studies suggesting that smoking is actually a money maker for governments. While they lose money in the short run to higher medical costs, etc., they more than make it back from the savings related to their dying younger.
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gfretwell
I doubt there are even that many short term medical costs. Most smokers avoid the doctor because they get preached at to stop smoking.
They live in denial about their ailments until they are on death's door and die soon after that.
T
Tony Hwang
Hi, No wonder. It is proven smokers have quite a bit lower IQ compared to non-smokers. They are big burden to our health care system.
W
willshak
In NY there is. No smoking in government buildings, no restaurants, no workplaces, and any enclosed spaces occupied by other people.. You can't even smoke in the stands of Yankee Stadium, which is an open air stadium. I don't know about the other NY/NJ stadiums.
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gfretwell
That is the myth but not true in the long run because they die before they have all the expensive old age procedures like cataract operations, hip replacements and all those pills old folks take. The burden on "entitlements" is far less. Non-smokers may live to be
100 but a smoker might not even get to Social Security and Medicare.
C
connondick
Run a jumper wire across the REVERSE/FORWARD switch and your drill will go both REVERSE and FORWARD at the same time. This will get boring jobs done quite as fast.
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The Daring Dufas
It sounds like you're being respectful of others. I'm reminded of some experiments with the honor system, some newspapers will be put out on an unlocked rack with a coin box listing the price. A certain class of people with class (no pun) will unfailingly pay for the paper they take but inevitably, the papers and or coin box is stolen. I think the number of jerks in the population is increasing. That's why I like the concept of two legged vermin traps.
TDD
T
The Daring Dufas
Hell, tobacco does indeed enslave people!
TDD
T
Tony Hwang
We have to look at it two ways. Even tho they live mostly shorter life they have more ailments of various kinds than non-smokers. How many fire is caused by careless smoking resulting in loss of life and property? They stink. Their house inside stink, their draperies don't last long. And second hand smoking is as deadly. In my city only place they can smoke is inside their house.
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Kurt Ullman
Most of the fire deaths, though, are the person doing the smoking. Also fire related deaths from smoking run about 2300 a year. Hardly a major contributor to overall deaths. The loss in property is
hardly a cost to society or government.
I am skeptical of some of the second hand smoke proclamations, largely because the first big one (appeared in JAMA or New England Journal of Med.. I'd have to dig it out) cooked the books. They used a 90% confidence interval. Most studies (including almost all of them used in the analysis) use a 905% CI.
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Tony Hwang
Hmmm, In my house we treat 3 things like poison. Sugar, Salt, Milk.
K
krw
You're close; think TAXES.
M
me
well said!!
and so true!
crazy isn't it?
N
norminn
On that note, let's discuss alcohol and narcotic medications....
N
norminn
Let's outlaw fireplaces while we're at it...they stink up the whole neighborhood. As for second hand smoke, I doubt it does more harm than gas-guzzling SUV's.
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Jim Yanik
" snipped-for-privacy@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
cotton isn't "unpopular" or outlawed....just not profitable compared to foreign sources. Tobacco and slavery are immoral.
Now,in addition to the secondhand smoke problem.... People who smoke are overwhelmingly LITTERBUGS; they toss their cig butts all over the place,along with the rest of their smoking trash like disposable lighters,wrappers and empty cig packs. The scumbags empty their ashtrays in parking lots. Now,some fool is going to say that it's only a few bad ones who toss their cig trash,but the vast amount of evidence alongside our roads and outside building entrances says otherwise.
They also start fires.
K
krw
There is still a *lot* of cotton farmed in this country.
Tobacco can't be immoral. How can a plant have morals?
Some people are immoral, that isn't to be denied.
I see a lot of beer and soda cans around, too.
Not to mention fast food wrappers and a whole host of other things. Let's shut 'em all down!
So does lightning. Let's ban that too.
H
HeyBub
But we can fight back.
My favorite retort when some granny lady starts flailing me with her umbrella all the while screaming "You godless Communist! You can't smoke here!" is "It's all right madam. I'm French."
Sometimes I say: "Put it out? You've got to understand, punk, I'm a grenade and this cigarette is my pin. So you have to ask yourself one thing: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you punk?"
On occasion I use the Nixon Response: "Put it out? We believe that it IS out."
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