Category: Health and Wellness
Yesterday I was stunned to discover the contents of the average cigarette..Formaldehyde embalming fluid...Arsenic ...Ammonia...found in bleach...Carbon Tetrachloride..found in dry cleaning fluid..Carbon monoxide found in car exhausts... ...Lead!...Radon!...And the real beauty..Hydrogen Cyanide...Toxic gas!..
I think smoking is horrible. It makes you sick and others around you too. Did you know that secondhand smoking is worse than smoking a cigarette yourself??? Please show some consideration to others!!! Thanks.
*sexy*
wow! personally I've never smoked and have never even had the urge to try it ... happy smoking peeps, literally, lol
Yes I am aware of that and if smokers want to kill themselves that is their perogative..anyway Glasgow will very shortly be a smoke free city,as lighting up in pubs ect will soon be illegal..thank feck!
amen.
now if they'll just extend that to the rest of britain ...
I think given the power of nanny state it wont be too long in coming..
good! disgusting habbit! nothing worse than going out and coming back smelling like an ashtray! even more annoying when you don't smoke!
I hate smoking. I am living in a family where everyone smokes - only I have never done it, and never intend to, and i'm proud of it. It's disgusting. Some people say "Smoking is cool, it shows your coolness", some say "it belongs to a glass of beer" ... all nonsense!!!
Same here. I live in a family where my grandad has the occational cigar, my gran has always smoked like a chimney, claiming the life of one of my twin uncles when they were born 10 weeks early back in 1964, For all i know, I could've been passive smoking because I spent most of my time with my grandparents when I was little, and now the uncle that survived and his girlfriend're both smoking. i tried a fag once just to find out what it was like! ouch ouch ouch ouchy ouchy is all I can say. It was bloody painful, it's bloody disgusting. Never, never again!
smoking is soooo nasty...i'll never date anyone who smokes...i can hardly breathe when i'm around it.
I don't smoke, and can't stand it! I don't even allow it in my apartment I make them go outside.
Troy
Same here, Beautiful_Dorian. I can hardly breathe when I am around someone who smokes, either. And t he way the clothes smell afterwards - it#s just ... yuck.
I don't like to be around smoke either. I, myself, don't do it, and don't have the urge to. I wish the people around me didn't smoke. I try so hard to be an inspiration for them to quit. I try to help, without nagging, but what can you do? It's their choice, but it's so sad, because you sit there and watch what they're doing to themselves. I just try so hard to help, and everyday, I just pray that someday, somehow, I will get through to them, before it's too late.
I cannot stand it any more.
I use to smoke and I am so glad I quit!
I have trouble when I am around some one who smokes.
Both my husband's family and my family are smoke free! Hurray!
As a light smoker and a smoker's rights advocate I had to say my piece here. Yes, many cigarette brands do have additives. That's why it's very important to either buy loose tobacco which doesn't contain any (most doesn't) or to buy premade additive-free cigarettes. Anything will kill or harm you if you do it in excess, even water which we all need to live. There are actually certain benefits from injesting moderate amounts of nicotine, from preventing Ultzheimer's and Parkinson's for up to five years, to helping the mentally retarded with motor skills to preventing a certain kind of lun cancer in people who work with asbestos (and only them). You'll find these facts and alot more at
http://www.forces.org
I'm sorry their site is so rambly and huge these days. It used to be very nice and clean. Another good site with info is
http://www.smokersclub.com
I'm not saying smoke a pack a day, that everyone should smoke or that it's the most healthy thing in the world. I'm just saying that most of what people hear is hype, designed for fear tactics and to put money into the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies. If, however, someone is really concerned about tar and other natural things that everyone must admit comes from cigarette smoking, they can try an electronic cigarette. This is a device with a battery, a flavoured cartridge and an atomizer to heat up the liquid in the cartridge. There's no smoke and you don't light it. There's only an ordorless vapory mist that quickly disappears. The cartridges come in varying levels of nicotine strengths and some don't have nicotine at all. You can find more information at
http://www.e-cigarette-forums.com
Yet this doesn't deal with from tobacco smokers. Despite all my advocacy, I do agree that we could be a little more considerate of those around us, those who don't try to bully and threaten us into quitting that is. I'd never smoke around someone if I knew it made them sick or if they politely asked me not to. That said, these bans in resteraunts, bars etc have gone too far. There's such a thing as ventilation, a fact which most people seem to have forgotten. Also, if these business owners or customers are so worried, let them make their own buildings smoke-free. I, for one, don't wanna sit next to a smelly, obnoxious drunk or get hit by one in the street. Yet no one does anything about them. Meanwhile, businesses are hurting cause who wants to go to a bar where they can't smoke?
Here here! I like the occasional cigar - outside and when my wife and daughter are gone, or when I'm out with friends who do. We've yet to ban food and require intravenous feeding because some overeat. I'm also for the common courteousy of not smoking around people who are bothered by it. But I've been perturbed more than once by someone walking into a designated area to tell us all off.
i do not smoke. weird as it sounds, i like the smell of certain brands. if they tasted like the aroma, i'd be a gonner for sure.
all that aside, Iam concerned by the vehemence of anti smokers. You better enjoy your chocolate candy big macs, doritos and caffeine. I've heard rumblings that junk food and caffeinated beverages are the next items on the horizon for nanny government. You know we have to be save from ourselves, blah blah blah. .
Another thing, for those of us who want our loved ones to quit, I know heroin addicts, alcoholics, and crackheads who have quit all those big addictions but still can't shake the cigarette. Tobacco calms people, increases creativity, and wakes up the brain.
There is a very interesting BBC Horizons episode that I found online where they classify the 20 most dangerous substances by a scientific method, not by hype. Tobacco is actually somewhere in the top 10 but it was below alcohol (at top 5) but way higher than Ecstacy (at 18 with no direct deaths confirmed in the UK).
But it sort of support my view that drugs should simply not be banned at all, but taxed and regulated.
My issue with smoking is simply that it stinks and I can't get the smell out of my clothes after I've been to a smoking br or club or days. I'm more than happy to let smokers have their own bars and clubs and even fine going there occasionally. I have friends who smoke and it's fine with me. It's all about choice and before the total smoking ban there was no place us non smokers could go, dance and drink the night away, and not smell like old tobacco the day after. That I had issues with, butnow the reverse is true, that no one can go light up anywhere, which seems equally problematic. It's all about choice. I've tried cigars once or twice, they're quite ice, apart from the horrible taste you get in your mouth a few hours after smoking them, still, with good whiskey or glass of cognak on the patio cigars are a luxury and something special, definitely something I'd try again. The only thing I've smoked a couple of times is called argile, and is some sort of middle eastern flavorred tobacco smoked through a water pipe (not an illegal substance), it's actually brilliant.
So, yes, smoking smells discusting tonon smokers and you simply can't get away from cigarette smoke in clubs and restaurants, and I do not want a return to these days, but I don't see why you couldn't have smoking and non smoking clubs and establishments or rooms, ventilation doesn't really work, however good it is, I smell just as much smoke sitting i a non smoking and smoking section of a restaurant, at least any that I've been to (may be they got super efficient systems somewhere, but I haven't come across them).
turricane, that's exactly how I feel but didn't wanna bring politics and conspiracy theory into it. Yes, now it's smokers. We're an easy target since there's been hype going on for years. But soon it'll be something else, and I agre with you. It'll probably be food and drink. While I certainly don't advocate legalisation of hard drugs, cigarettes, caffeine etc are things that people should have a choice on, not be forced into one camp or another.
But why should hard drugs not be legalized? May be not the most addictive and destructive drugs, cocaine, heroin and crack pretty much, but Ecstacy, LSD and similar drugs are, in fact, very much something I wouldn't mind see legalized (I havenot tried any illegal substance actually, not on my way to doing so until I turn may be 50, but E is definitely something I'd want to try some time, and don't see why I shouldn't be allowed to).
cheers
-B
I am a smoker. started a couple years ago. Its bullshit that anyone has a god damn right to tell me where i can light up. if some dipshit can get drunk grab me by the tits and not get shit, i can fucking smoke you fucking bastard pro-banning smoking assholes! its my civil liberty to smoke if i choose. I have every right to light up to calm down. and raising the price is bullshit too. tax the fuck out of beer to fund the prison system so we can lock up drunk drivers who fucking kill people. while ya at it. tax the fuck out of shit like pills that are sold over the counter so called weight loss pills. they dont work, and will kill ya quick. just watch daytime television, its all there people suing cause someone took something to lose weight and died from suicide. those pills are just legal meth!
Huge huge hugs. I can certainly understand your frustration and I'm right with you on the drunks. I also don't want some junkie, stoned out of his/her mind, to kill me ither or to attack me cause he thinks I'm some kind of deamon or something. If they wanna make an isolated island for them to do their experimenting, fine. But not around me. And then we still have to worry about people having memories of bad trips and getting weird. None of that with cigarettes, just a smell that some people may not like.
wildebrew, i'm with you to an extent. In my opinion, keeping marijuana illegal is the stupidest thing ever. I've been around a long time, my kids think since dinosaurs walked the earth, and have never heard of anyone who smoked herb, pot, grass, or whatever the term is today, killing anyone. The only time that happens if it is adulterated by something an unscrupulous dealer put in it.
as for other drugs, I am very much split. if we think about it, far more damage is done by prescription meds which are abused then by so called hard drugs like heroin and crack. wildebrew, you lived in europe i assume. what has happened in the netherlands where everything was legalized?
Other then leaving an unattended one lying around which catches something on fire, cigarettes aren't that big a deal to me. the amount of people killed maimed or whatever by drunk drivers has got to be higher then smokers. ditto the family violence, etc. etc. etc.
And then we have gambling. the lotery, slots, and all that crap Another big thing which damages a whole lot of people.
if someone wants to risk delung cancer, that is their choice. the constitution allows us to persue happiness. no where does it say we have to be protected from our choices by an outside entity. where's my coffee and pork rinds.
Turricane.
I don't have an immediate answer regarding the Netherlands, I think they have been having some issues. However, I did see a comprihensive article on bbc.com regarding Portugal, who legalized all drugs in small quantities and (well decriminalized them) and put more emphasis on counselling. The crime rate there has dropped significantly and, apparently, people say entire neighbourhoods that one dared not go into before are now pretty save. I can try and look up the article for you, the news story is 3 or 4 months old.
The only problem I have with pot is some of my buddies in college who smoked it were convinced it made them better drivers, which is very wrong, it changes their perceptions hugely and tends to make people's estimation of ditances and speed completely wrong, so it is dangerous and people should note that, also I find stoners excessively boring, at least if I do not smoke up with them (which I haven't been tempted to, not sure why, but pot holds no fascination to me, the good old beer does a fine job).
I disagree with Jenny that she has a right to fire up anywhere, people are not allowed to drink in the streets and I have my right to keep myself free of the discusting smell of cigarettes,, and I also think smokers premiums for insurance should be higher and they should definitely not be allowed to sue tobacco companies for huge compensations if they get sick, nor their families. They know the risk, even if some choose to deny them, and I do not want to pay additional premiums for lung cancer therapy of a smoker, of course obese people and drinkers should pay higher premiums too, so this is a huge and complex issue.
The problem with ahrd drugs, or the problem we might be able to rid ourselves off, is the crime surrounding the distribution and acquisition of the drugs, the murders between rival gangs who fiance themselves with drug smuggling and sales etc, addicts and people who are high may do stupid things, but you can also make the drug taking itself very uncool by making it more of a government controlled plan. This has worked in Switzerland where heroin is now provided and peoplpe can smoke or shoot up in safe centers, it's gone from being a cool drug to being a pathetic drug. If we can remove that "cool" status, tax the drugs to pay for prevention and treatment and take away the financing of criminal networks by legalizing the importa nd distribution, I think we can have a mch better society to live in. Of course it's hard to find the exact way to do this, it's something a few nations are trying out, and I am not suggesting a utopia outcome. But I hope politicians will stay open minded enough to change the approach. After all we can buy guns anywhere, no problem, why not drugs?
wildebrew, for the record, if you live within washington, dc city limmits, you may not legally purchase a fire arm. of course, contrary to the noble goals fo the people who voted for this, that doesn't stop the gang bangers. e they can go in to any neighboring jurisdiction. there are plenty of businesses who are able to assist them to self destruct.
health insurance should not and must not be tied to life style choices. the government is not our mom. if we choose to act like idiots, the consequences of ill health or whatever should be enough. What right does some troll of a bureaucrat have to judge me? Contrary to popular belief democracy lets us be idiots. Autocracy has governing bodies to control us.
As a young person I was a daily pot smoker. Now, I have no desire or interest. It just frosts me that people who can benefit medically from it have to break the law.
no one should drive in an altered state. That includes people who take over the counter cold and cough remedies. Many of them have as much relaxant as an alcoholic drink.
I did not know the information about portugal. If you could find the article, I'd be most interested.
Just little tidbits of fact.
First, you can't just waalk into a store and buy a hand gun, then walk with it down the street. Not only in Washington D.C., but anywhere in this lovely country. You have to get fingerprinted and have a background check and a waiting period of ten days for a hand gun. In some states, even for long guns. and in some states, its not even legal to buy a hand gun without a buying permit. first tidbit of fact.
second, most of the hipe that is said about smoking, aka, secondhand smoke, was found first in a study done by the EPA. Thats the environmental protection agency for those of you who don't know your alphabet soup, Now, you'd think that this would be a good place to get information from, after all , they studied it right? Wrong.
The EPA, when finished with the test, found that secondhand smoke posed absolutely no, absolutely no risk to anyone in the slightest. So, you may ask, why do we have all these government tight wads saying secondhand smoke kills children and causes pleague and causes global warming and causes soccer moms to drive SUV's? Well, when the EPA found out that secondhand smoke did nothing, they weren't happy, so they lied. The report they released was a lie, they made it up.
Other companies have done tests and released true reports of findings, but the government won't change its stance because, its very difficult to tax a product that no one thinks is dangerous. You don't see a national puppy and kitten tax do you?
Second, those chemicals that were listed so long ago in this board post, most of them can be found in a lot of things. Foods, paints, drinks, plastics, beauty products and skin care products, can all contain chemicals that, by just looking at the name, you'd think would be poisonous. But then, what do we know about poison. Did you know that your best friend and mine, the almond, was once one of the most deadly poisons? did you know that there is very little difference between almonds and cyanidee? Does that make you want to go get an almond joy? If you didn't know they weren't dangerous, probably not.
so I say, lets not just go on what we're told next time. Lets not just scan a chart of a few numbers and say, "they must be dangerous, look whats in them." Next time, lets do some research and find out why those numbers and statements are what they are.
As for telling me I can't light a cigarette in public, when the only reason you can give is you dont like the smell, does that mean I can tell you you can't go out in public because I don't like your perfume choice? Can I tell you I don't like how much skin your clothes are showing, and that your not allowed to wear that shirt or those pants in public again? Can I tell you you have to get a haircut because I don't like the way it looks? Can I tell you your not allowed to walk your dog because I think its annoying? No I can't, because those are all your choices. You choose your perfume, your clothes, your haircut, and your dog. Why can't I choose my cigarette, and have you live with the smell?
Silver Lightning!!!bravisimo!!!!!!!! You da man!!!!!! Oh by the way in some circles, wearing perfume is socially unacceptable. someone might have asthma and not be able to handle it, so ladies putting on your red door or calvin cline is really poison and you are very selfish. i have a friend, I kid you not, who when I got in her car, grabbed one of those carbon filter masks that people wear when the air is bad and covered her face with it. She claims that perfume gives her a headache. Hey, i've known her for four years and this must be some kind of new development. she said my perfume was an invasion of her personal space. well her mask was an afront to my personal dignity. so boo ya. Instead of working and cooperating together, this world is fast becoming the home of a jillion people screaming me me me as loud as possible.
I had a librarian in high school who was alergic to my cologne. We worked out a system where I'd pick out the books, lay them on the table, then call her to tell her I was ready. then go back into the stacks, and she'd come pick up the books, check them out, then set them back on the table.
that is how it should be. None of this, I don't like your habit, so its now illegal. There are even some places that require you to stand twenty five feet from the nearest building to smoke. I personally think you should have to stand fifty feet from the nearest person to talk loudly on your cell phone. You don't see that being a law.
Is it annoying, absolutely, but we can't just make everything that annoys us illegal. Otherwise, all the smokers in the world, which is a majority, would get really pissed off at all the people who say smoking is bad, and annoy the hell out of us, and then guess what would be illegal.
I agree with the smokers. No, I don't think people should sue companies for their's or their family member's choices, but that's the way this country (USA) has gone. Oh, here is one for you. The US government does not regulate the amount of MSG (Can't spell what it stands for but if anyone wants I'll look up the info) that is put in foods. MSG helps us to develop addictions to food and it stays in the fat cells and makes it harder to lose weight. I hope I remembered all of that accurately. Anyways, the government isn't doing anything about this problem, and in my opinion weight problems have a lot more (at least obvious) health risks. Again, if anyone wants I'll look up the info relating to this...I haven't looked at it in quite a while, so, I may not have everything stated exactly accurately, but I believe the basics are exact. I'd look it up before posting, but it's late at night, and I wanted to write it before I forgot what I was thinking of from reading this board. LOL. Anyways, yes I'm a smoker, and I don't go out to eat as often as I use to. Also, a lot of my family smokes and they don't go out and eat as much since smoking has been banned in this town. Luckily smoking hasn't been banned in the town my Mom's from or she'd never go out to eat...I do believe in using manners. I don't smoke around those who I know it effects negatively, but why is it one way or another? If smokers respected nonsmokers why can't we be respected in return? I know not all smokers respect others, but then again not all drinkers, drivers, pet owners or parents respect others, and none of that is being treated like a crime in this country! Oh, and I also agree with legalizing the lesser of the illegal drugs. In my opinion that could go a long way towards taking the "cool" tag off of drug using. :)
silver lightning that was an excellent way you and your librarian handled the books. all this perfume hater i was talking about would have had to do is to ask my husband to change seats with her. but no, i't was more impressive to show power and control. you know, the thought that always occurs to me, is what would this country do if we had real problems like famines, wars, or mega natural disasters. all these so called issues would have much less importance i think.
oh yes, I tiotally agree about the cell phones. have you ever noticed the people who yell the loudest on them have the least interest topics on which we can eavesdrop?
oh here is one more thing my husband just told me last evening. at his work, they received an email which said the following. itg is ok to complain about a woman's perfume or a man's cologne, but you must never mention someone's offensive body odor because that would hurt their feelings. what is wrong with this picture?
I think a lot of things are wrong with that picture. First, why is a place of work telling you what you may or may not complain about? If you have a complaint, who is going to tell you you may not complain about it? that seems wrong to me.
Also, I personally think that people being offended and having their feelings hurt is a good way to make them fix the problem. If you go out and buy a bar of soap, and leave it on there desk with a note saying, "Here, use this, for all our sakes", they may get the picture.
I can't stand these people that pussy foot around things. Say the truth, say what you feel, and stop worrying about what's going to hurt other people's feelings. Usually, you can't tell what is going to offend someone anyway, so why try and do so. And if you get your feelings hurt often, toughen up, the world is not going to slow down for you to plop down on the curb and cry every time someone says you don't look good in pink. Grow up.
End of that rant.
There is a part of the story I forgot to tell earlier. that EPA test I mentioned, was thrown out by a federal court because they lied. Well, the WHO, or world health organization, did another test. You may think that they found some drastic change in smoking right?
The basic jist of what they found is this: 10 out of ever million people who do not live with a smoker will contract some sort of lung or mouth or throat cancer, or cancer of some kind, which is usually said to be caused by secondhand smoke. 12.5 out of every million people who do live with a smoker, will have the same thing. thats two and a half people per million. Stastically speaking, that isn't even worth measuring.
So the only reason that nay sayers have left is, "it smells bad", but guess what, people who do nothing but complain about other people's lifestyle and life choices, are some of the most annoying people on this planet. I would personally rather smell bad then be an insufferable whiner. You choose what you want to be.
Gods bless you guys. This is so so refreshing. I too find everything wrong with that picture. You should be able to mention it to the person if he/she smells bad. what's the difference whether the stink comes from perfume, cologne or body odor? Smells are smells, especially if you're stuck working with that person every day. I hate political correctness and all the bullshit that goes along with it. I'm a very up front and riect person. I also have a bit of a story, and this is the only time I think the bo rule was justified. My Grandma worked with a woman who constantly smelled. Everyone made fun of her. It tusn out that the poor woman had some kind of disease or medical issue that she couldn't control. She'd put on deodorant several times a day but it was no good. Finally, the boss told them all to be quiet and to not say anything to her. Grandma took her on the side and suggested she put vinegar with water under her arms. The woman did, every day, and never smelled again.
Eehm, Silver Lightning .. you'd rather be bad than a whiner .. what exactly have you been doing in the last 4 posts of yours .. looks a lot like whining to me, just saying.
Not that I disagree, but just because you smoke doesn't mean you cannot be a whiner, toughen up kid.
I'm super happy they've banned smoking because I dislike it, I'll be unhappy if they allow it again but I'll deal with it. It's just as much of a right not to deal with the stink as it is yours to provide it, so it's just a balance of opinions, right now I'm on the happy side of the law and that may well change.
With health insurance, I'm perfectly fine with people acting like idiots and put themselves at risk, what I am not fine with is paying the bills for them with my ever going up premiums.
The reason I think though it's impossible to really do much about it is that everyone's got some risk factor, be they genetic or because of a lifestyle choice, climbers, sports guys, obese people, smokers, sheep shaggers, drinkers, it's pretty hard for one person not to be any of these things (except may be a sheep shagger, that's more of a rural tradition I understand, oops, did I offend someone?).
Anyways, I'll dig up that bbc news story link later and post it.
In the meantime, happy smoking.
-B
Actually, I have a right to a lifestyle of my choosing, its constitutional in this country at least. However, as the bill of non-rights states, you do not have the right to not be offended. No were in any law book does it give you the right to not be offended. If you don't want to smell smoke, go somewhere wear there are no smokers, not ban the smokers themselves. It is on your shoulders, not ours, from a legal standpoint. If you don't agree, read the constitution, and you will. Or just wait until one of the things you've chosen to do with your life is threatened because it upsets other people.
Oh, and you obviously don't know the difference between whining and vehemently voicing and defending an opinion.
Aaah, well, the definition seems to be that if you are a smoker you are vehemently defending your opinion, but if you are a non smoker it's whining, pretty subjective interpretation that, and, wow, the good old constitution. Americans are so obsessed with their constitutional rights they never remember that may be we have responsibilities to each other and a little bit of consideration goes a long way. Just because one has the right to be an arrogant jerk (and I am not saying anyone on this board is, mind) one really does not *have* to be one.
There's tons of conflicting studies on the effects of smoking and I am not convinced by the ones you dig up saying second hand smoking isn't harmful, that being said I have little respect for the EPA, if they had any say the U.S. would may be stop trying to invade the middle east for oil and look at alternative energy in all earnestness.
But then again it's of course one's constitutional right to ride a Hummer around smoking and shooting one's gun, and we really wouldn't want to take such rights away, oh no, eeee ha.
Anyways, off topic, I'll let you back to your righteous preaching and touting of the advantages of smoking and the considerate nature of smokers everywhere.
Most insurance companies do charge higher premiums to their smoking subscribers. the larger problem with high insurance premiums for all is, the greed of these companies. I heard a statistic the other day (with all this recent healthcare reform talk)that said since 2000, insurance companies profits have gone up 430%.
Why is it called greed when a company tries to make money? When Mc'Donald's decided to allow people to supersize burgers and fries, why didn't people get mad about that? It technically was based on greed. A company is made to make money, that is the only reason one would start a business. Just because you don't like the fact that the money their making comes from your pocket, does not make it a sin for them to charge more money in the places they feel will pay the most. Thats what business do.
As for our consideration to others. Who are you to say that I have a consideration to anyone else? I am not here to make anyone else's life better. I am here to make my life better. You can't legalize responsibility to others. If you want to go out and volunteer at soup kitchens, tha your hoice, you do not have any moral or legal obligation to do it. You have no obligation but the one to yourself.
the difference between whining and defending ones opinions is, we aren't trying to take away your rights. Never have we tried to get a law passed saying you can't complain about our smoke. You've tried to make laws to take away our rights. There in lies the difference.
wildebrew, wake up and smell the coffee if that odor is not offensive to you. the reason health insurance rates are going up is because we haven't gotten smart and killed all the greedy blood sucking lawyers. whoops. sorry.
your or my life style has very little to do with the fact that health insurance claims are growing. your carrier is a business, and since so far, this is a capitalist nation, proffit is the motivator for it to exist and succeed. lawyers, hospitals, doctors, and pharmaceutical manufacturers need to make money. I would say get their cut but that is rude. So in order to get a smaller piece of a pie and pay more for the privelege, the premiums must go up.
I notice that you no longer live in the eutopia of socialism called iceland. We are glad to have you in our country. Could your managed care there be one of the reasons you came here so you could lobby to make us like you and you can move on again?
Didj you know that etna for one is a health insurance company associated with organized crime? Many syndicates use these people as money launderers or whatever nepharious stuff they do.
since this is a litigeous society, it stands to reason that our premiums will go up in to the stratosphere. Lawyers have convinced us that it is financially more beneficial to blame others then to take responsibility for our own actions. cigarette smokers sue the tobaco companies. stupid lazy people blame fast food instead of themselves for being too busy or uninformed about nutrition to cook and therefor being obese. it goes on and on and on and on.
Get a grip!!!! Put the blame where it belongs instead of picking on the victim.
Another thing wildebrew, why is it that a smoker can defend his right to indulge and you call it whining. You are expressing your opinion as is he. It is the typical liberal view to blame someone's emotions or call some stupid. Much easier to do that then to address the issue at hand. You might have to challenge your view point and gasp, it might change.
I am a non-smoker but I have to side with the smokers on this one, and support their right to smoke.
cigarets suck!!!! i hate them with a passion.