While I haven’t injected a lot of my political opinions on this blog [yet], I think in this post I’ll change that a bit. From my blogs on the state of government control in the auto industry, I think you can deduce which side I tend to lean toward.
But I like to think of myself as open minded, realizing that both sides can bring good things to the table. One of the cases where I disagree with those generally of a like mind is on the issue of smoking. Today’s business pages got me thinking on this topic again, with a report following Washington’s latest tobacco legislation.
While the staunch conservatives say “big” government has no business adding taxes to cigarettes, banning all smoking in a private-owned business, etc, I happen to like many of these rules. I especially enjoy that for the past eight or so years here in New York, smoking has been outright banned in restaurants. Smoking section or not, you still leave a dining establishment that allows it smelling like an ashtray mixed with kitchen grease. You can’t eliminate coming out of a restaurant smelling like grease, but one-for-one isn’t so bad either.
Fact is, government bans heroin, cocaine, and other drugs deemed harmful. Even thought it’s maybe not as harmful, couldn’t tobacco fall under the realm of dangerous drugs? It is after all addictive and has absolutely no long term benefits. In fact, all it does is destroys the quality of life for the user. Conservatives generally don’t cry foul over government control of other harmful substances.
As a quick aside, I think certain drugs may have been provided by God and/or through the natural cycles of hybrid breeding that can be beneficial to mankind. One is medical-use-only, controlled marijuana. The cannibus plant appears to be able to relieve the suffering of patients using chemotherapy and subject to other ailments. A topic for a whole new blog, I suppose.
While liberals trumpet this week’s tobacco reforms as a victory, one has to wonder, if they succeed in getting all or most of the American population to quit smoking, what’s going to happen to all the tax revenues? Tobacco is levied with big income for the government. States are already dealing with multi-billion-dollar deficits. Eliminating tobacco revenue isn’t going to help this.
How about the banning of labels such as “light” and “ultra light”? While I agree these can be deceptive, because people think they’re smoking a “safer” cigarette, what if some smokers just prefer having a little less potent of a puff? Surely these products will continue to be produced, albeit under different names and with the mandated larger warnings.
One more bit of policy I tend to side with the left on is healthcare. I believe affordable health insurance should be a right provided to every American. But it also shouldn’t be society’s responsibility to foot the bill for people who willingly harm themselves. Checks and balances need to be instituted into this system so that those who take care of their health aren’t paying for those who’ve chosen to smoke, roast in the sun, etc. We need to see what works and doesn’t work in the systems used in places like Canada and Great Britain. See what’s superior in our own system, and what’s lacking. I believe by combining the best of all systems, along with vigilant self-care and individual accountability, that the United States can reinvent the healthcare quagmire into something that is affordable, sustainable, and benevolent toward all citizens.
But I like to think of myself as open minded, realizing that both sides can bring good things to the table. One of the cases where I disagree with those generally of a like mind is on the issue of smoking. Today’s business pages got me thinking on this topic again, with a report following Washington’s latest tobacco legislation.
While the staunch conservatives say “big” government has no business adding taxes to cigarettes, banning all smoking in a private-owned business, etc, I happen to like many of these rules. I especially enjoy that for the past eight or so years here in New York, smoking has been outright banned in restaurants. Smoking section or not, you still leave a dining establishment that allows it smelling like an ashtray mixed with kitchen grease. You can’t eliminate coming out of a restaurant smelling like grease, but one-for-one isn’t so bad either.
Fact is, government bans heroin, cocaine, and other drugs deemed harmful. Even thought it’s maybe not as harmful, couldn’t tobacco fall under the realm of dangerous drugs? It is after all addictive and has absolutely no long term benefits. In fact, all it does is destroys the quality of life for the user. Conservatives generally don’t cry foul over government control of other harmful substances.
As a quick aside, I think certain drugs may have been provided by God and/or through the natural cycles of hybrid breeding that can be beneficial to mankind. One is medical-use-only, controlled marijuana. The cannibus plant appears to be able to relieve the suffering of patients using chemotherapy and subject to other ailments. A topic for a whole new blog, I suppose.
While liberals trumpet this week’s tobacco reforms as a victory, one has to wonder, if they succeed in getting all or most of the American population to quit smoking, what’s going to happen to all the tax revenues? Tobacco is levied with big income for the government. States are already dealing with multi-billion-dollar deficits. Eliminating tobacco revenue isn’t going to help this.
How about the banning of labels such as “light” and “ultra light”? While I agree these can be deceptive, because people think they’re smoking a “safer” cigarette, what if some smokers just prefer having a little less potent of a puff? Surely these products will continue to be produced, albeit under different names and with the mandated larger warnings.
One more bit of policy I tend to side with the left on is healthcare. I believe affordable health insurance should be a right provided to every American. But it also shouldn’t be society’s responsibility to foot the bill for people who willingly harm themselves. Checks and balances need to be instituted into this system so that those who take care of their health aren’t paying for those who’ve chosen to smoke, roast in the sun, etc. We need to see what works and doesn’t work in the systems used in places like Canada and Great Britain. See what’s superior in our own system, and what’s lacking. I believe by combining the best of all systems, along with vigilant self-care and individual accountability, that the United States can reinvent the healthcare quagmire into something that is affordable, sustainable, and benevolent toward all citizens.
The Smoker's Pit—complete with fire hydrant. Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort, South Carolina.
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