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Chassan's Blog

by chassan from Houston

Last Post 2 days, 16 hours Ago


ANTI-SMOKING PLAN MAKES NO SENSE

I don't get their thinking.

Billionaires Bill Gates and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg say they'll spend $500 million to stop people around the world from smoking.

How much will they spend in the U.S.? Zero, nada! 

One in five Americans smoke, or about 60 million people, so why not spend some of the money in the U.S.?

The campaign will concentrate on five countries where most of the world’s smokers live: China, India, Indonesia, Russia and Bangladesh.



The $500 million campaign will urge governments to sharply raise tobacco taxes, outlaw smoking in public places, outlaw advertising to children and free giveaways of cigarettes, start anti-smoking advertising campaigns and offer their citizens nicotine patches or other help quitting.

Gates and Bloomberg should spend some of the money in the U.S., especially since most of their money came from the U.S.

Your thoughts?

9 Comments |  Add a Comment

Member Comments Total Comments: 9
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PBMom read my blog view my photos
Jul 23, 2008 | 11:28 PM

Why don't they invest $500 million in solar power here in the US to help Mr. Pickens along with his wind power? There goes Bloomberg's chance to become president if he ever considered the idea.

HereAmI read my blog view my photos
Jul 24, 2008 | 7:45 AM

It is their money (I assume). Why would we choose to second guess how they choose to spend it?

Seems like a good effort aimed to help people get off of bad health habits. Yet, it is their health; who are Gates and Bloomberg to tell others how to spend it?

HereAmI read my blog view my photos
Jul 24, 2008 | 7:46 AM

If I had $500 million extra, how would I spend it? Hmmm.

Skyder read my blog view my photos
Jul 24, 2008 | 7:57 AM

As a smoker, I can tell you I don't need or want anyone as my saviour. They just need to "butt" out. Additionally, why would we care about people in other countries nicotine addictions? In Africa alone, their mindset is "Why worry about what can kill you in 20 or 30 years, when there are so many things that can kill you today?"

chassan read my blog view my photos
Jul 24, 2008 | 8:48 PM

PBMom,

When it comes to solar power, we to spend billions on that, not just $500 million.

HereIAm,

We can second guess how they spend their money because it's a free country. Besides, what's wrong with helping one's own country?

Skyder,
Cough, Cough, Cough, what did you say, Skyder? I can't see you through the smoke.

I don't care about smoking addiction in other countries, just here at home in the U.S., as is my concern. If the government wants to further raises taxes on tobacco products, I wouldn't be opposed to it as a non-smoker.

Sassy11 read my blog
Jul 26, 2008 | 7:41 PM

See this is what happens to people who acquire money. They forget about the people that helped them get there. What about the countless $$$ in the United States. How about giving that back to some of the many worthwhile charities in our country?

Okay, now on to what really bugs me. What about these people who smoke. I don't smoke, but boy do I stir up a hornet's nest if I suggest to them "Please, I can't handle the cigarette smoke. It seriously makes me ill."
Do you think I will get some compassionate people? No, they just blow smoke in your face. Chain smoke morning, noon and night. Your clean clothes suddenly start smelling like smoke. You run outside to get some fresh air. They apparently have enough energy to blow the smoke into your face. Wheel themselves down to a lower level floor of any hospital hooked up to an IV pole, just to take a puff on a cigarette. All the while complaining about their rights and why it isn't toxic to secondhand smoke.

chassan read my blog view my photos
Jul 27, 2008 | 5:13 PM

Sassy,

Many smokers are so used to smoking anytime they want that they don't give a thought to how irritating second-hand smoke can be to non-smokers, to how the smoke can make clothes smell and to how the smoke makes a room stink long after smokers have left.

Smokers just want their rights, the heck with everyone else's rights.

As a non-smoker, I don't hesitate to ask a smoker to move further away, if I was there first. And I don't allow anyone to smoke in my home.

Skyder read my blog view my photos
Jul 28, 2008 | 2:31 PM

Chassan,
First off... Smokers don't have any rights anymore. Secondly, you must be a lip reader if you can't "hear" what I'm saying because you can't SEE me through the smoke ;)
I can't speak for all smokers, but I do at least take non-smokers into consideration when I am smoking. I go away from all the entrances etc, don't smoke in non-smokers' homes, or smoke where it is not allowed.
Let me ask this question seriously.
I have been around second hand smoke for 43 years, of those 43 years, 28 of them have been first hand smoke as well. So, if this stuff is KNOWN to cause cancer, how long does it take? If I don't have it, then by all accounts, this stuff doesn't cause it. Granted it probably doesn't help, but it's NOT the cause.
As for the stink... yes, to a non-smoker, it is not pleasant, I'm sure. But what about other offending odors not left by smokers? B.O., flatulance, smokey exhaust fumes from poorly maintained vehicles... Where are the lobbyists against them?

chassan read my blog view my photos
Jul 28, 2008 | 9:15 PM

Skyder,

The EPA is the guy with the big club who will one day impose strict emission controls on the Houston area that will cause a major uproar. That day is not here yet, but it will be coming.

As to how long it takes to get cancer from first-hand and second-hand smoke, no one can answer that question. Some people can smoke every day and live to be 90, while others die in their 40s.

All we know for sure is that tobacco present a health hazard.

I'm pleased to know you're sensitive to non-smokers. Not all smokers are as sensitive.

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chassan

I love reading books, seeing movies, staying up with current events, running and watching what I eat most of the time--got to stay healthy. I blog here in my spare time, mostly late at night and in the early morning hours.

Member Since: 3/24/2007