Oh so now the critisism of smoking is somehow limiting peoples freedom to own guns, seek employment, marry, purchase homes, and basically better themselves in ways that those freedom hating socialist countries do now allow. And who takes care of these people when they run to the doctor with the many well known and common sense side effects from that wonderous freedom we call smoking. Come to think of it I don't think the gun grabbing countries have banned smoking and vices, I think they have much laxer drug laws than we do here.
Actually I used to be unsupportive of anti-smoking laws, I thought it to be an assault on "freedom" myself. That was before I had to listen to the reasoning from the smokers claiming that smoking wasn't harmful, and George burns smoked therefore smoking is not bad for you, or my dads favorite, "it's not the tobacco, it's the paper, that's why I smoke cigars"
Or "you gotta die of something". I really get a kick out of the 2 pack a day smoker that goes from doctor to doctor because for some reason non of the quacks can treat his "allergies".
I work in a hospital and have seen firsthand the differance between a smoker with knee replacement surgery and a non-smoker with knee replacement surgery. I have to walk past the er to get to the employee parking lot, for some reason the smokers conglomerate outside the er door. The ground is littered with cigarette butts and the outside of the building actually smells like smoke! This, in spite of the fact there is a smoking area not even 50 yards away. I guess it's hard to walk when you can't breathe.
My friends aunt has emphesema and congestive heart failure, she has to perform regular breathing treatments and carry around oxygen. Do you think it stops her from smoking!!! Hell no!! She's been unable to work for the past decade and has pretty much lost everything, so at least the goverment picks up the tab. Ya gotta die of something though right, she's been dying the past 10 years. Get's medicaid, food stamps, and other charity handouts, still manages to scrape up enough change for some smokes, I mean, you gotta die of something right.
I think it's funny that the smokers use the same arguments homosexuals do to justify their lifestyle yet look at how many "freedom hating" homophobes are on the site.
touche'