From: Reginald Braithwaite-Lee <?????????????????>
Subject: A Dissenting Voice...

Hello All <===~~~

Since we have so much in common, I thought I'd take a risk and voice a
little dissent.

I love cigars. But I'd give them up *immediately* if I could save just
one cigarette smoker's life.

Not everyone agrees with me (obviously). Here's a sampling of reasons
I've heard:

1. The right to kill yourself with cigarettes is important.
2. It's the thin edge of the wedge... next they'll take away my vote...
3. Good idea, bad law/implementation/methodology

I'm personally in the third camp.

I don't belive we have some important right to do as we please,
especially when most of the cost of lung cancer is borne by society (at
least it is here in Canada). No surprise, I'm also against the
proliferation of weaponry and in favour of the minimum wage. I also
don't belive that in order to keep some important freedoms we have to
allow total anarchy. IMHO, the right to make a living by selling a
device which kills the user is well on the other side of reasonable
freedoms.

But these laws I hear about... whoa!  What nonsense. Either cigarettes
are bad (my belief), in which case ban them outright and balance the
jobs and political unrest against the lives saved and productivity
gained. Or cigarettes aren't bad (who's kidding whom???) in which case
let the kiddies buy them.

Enough! Smoke while you still can...

--
Reginald Braithwaite-Lee
?????????????????
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[ With respect to the costs being borne by society, the health care
does not come for just the price of the taxes.  Support implies
control.  TANSTAAFL, after all.

And please recall that in the past, jazz music was also been labelled
"bad" by much of society, and that motorcycles are a demonstrably more
dangerous form of transportation than cars. Your argument would also
subject both of these to prohibition: one on the grounds that it is
considered "bad," and the other on the grounds that it incurs risk to
government-supported lives.

IMHO, I agree with Bill Clinton on this: "Adults are able to make
their own decisions about smoking."  And should be. -S. ]


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