Now I'm aggravated.
I wrote in this very blog back on 27 April 2009 this and it doesn't seem to have made a jot of difference as we once again are faced with our government and an interest group meddling with the way that people choose to live their lives, as detailed here.
So they think that by increasing cigarettes to $20 they will save us?? One word "ALCOPOPS!" springs to mind and what a huge success that was. How is it reasonable for increased taxes to be placed on something that people decide to do to themselves, that effects only them, and is legal? Is there confusion out there on what smoking can do to you? With all the information that people have been confronted with, wouldn't you think that they are well aware of the risks associated with smoking? Ofcourse they are, but they choose to do it anyway because it's THEIR BLOODY CHOICE.
I applaud the Cancer Councils work on prevention, detection and treatment of cancer. It is important work. But do they really have a right to insist the government make it more expensive for people to make a personal decision to smoke? I don't think so. People still have a right to disregard their guidance if they want to, and should not be financially penalised for doing just that.
An argument recently put to me was that people requiring treatment for smoking related illnesses are a drain on our health system. I'm not so sure about that, as the tax on cigarettes is quite hefty already and so I believe the nations smokers are already covering their medical expenses (I haven't done the sums, maybe I should).
I'm a non-smoker, but I'm concerned that the taxation system is being used as a control mechanism to force people to make personal decisions deemed desirable by the government. This practice threatens individualism. What price do we put on that?
I've heard that argument before too. Sure smokers put a burden on the public health system.
ReplyDeleteSo does everyone else that uses it!
I thought that the point of a public health system was to provide health services to everyone, equally, regardless of what they did in their personal life.
Must be a lot of illegal drug addicts who use the health system.
Probably a lot of crims who need to go to the hospital from time to time.
Instead, apparently it's smokers - who have a legal habit - that get bullied for clogging up the health system.
I mean, the double standard is blatantly obvious.
Yes, but smokers are the easy target these days. They are getting very shabby treatment from bureaucrat's and the media.
ReplyDeleteI once had a boss who said unless you drink, smoke, and have lots of sex your not doing your bit for the country. His logic was that the taxes imposed on tobacco and alcohol aided the wealth of the country and the sex was necessary for production of future smokers and drinkers.
I felt I should have put forward a sensible counter-argument, but couldn't think of one at the time.
What your boss told you sounds like a slightly (only slightly) more sophisticated version of what we went around telling one another as kids: 'I don't smoke, drink or swear. Oh shit, I left me cigs at the pub!'
ReplyDelete