Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Smoke 'em if you got 'em -- Outside.

Governor Rod Blagojevich signed legislation Monday making Illinois the latest state to ban smoking in public places — including bars, restaurants and work places. The law goes into effect January 1, 2008. And now, two idiots speak their (alleged) minds:
"I feel like it's the Nazi regime coming in here, talking away all of our rights", said Tim Main, as he cleaned up Mike's Ten-Pin Lounge in Alton. "First they make it so you have to wear seat belts, and now they want to put a stop to smoking. What's next?"
Chicago carpenter Rob Nelson saw a chilly future. "It looks like I'll be spending a lot of time outside," he said.
Here's an idea: Quit smoking. Oh, that's right, you can't because you're weak and addicted. The alternative is that you won't blow your foul-smelling junk in my face and make my clothes smell like the inside of your lungs when I get home from a night out. What a pleasure it was to go out last Saturday night and return home without the disgusting stench of stale smoke. In New Jersey, the only public place where one can smoke is a casino floor - and we all know why. I don't feel the least bit of sympathy for the smokers who huddle around the doorway in the winter puffing away. Keep smoking. Soon, there will be more room for the rest of us. It's tobacco-induced Natural Selection. I know, we're all going to die of something, right? So, you may as well take the guesswork out of it.
And stop throwing your Goddamned butts out of your car window. I'd like to light it up and toss it back in. They don't disintegrate on impact, you know.
Legislation makes it harder on smokers, but the constant refrain is "they're taking away our rights". I don't hear too many of them say, "I guess I'll have to quit now", which would make sense. They keep smoking and keep complaining. It seems to me that the best way to stop complaining is to stop smoking. They must enjoy the complaining as much as they enjoy the smoking.
They do enjoy it, right? They must, for all the sacrifices they make - including their health. It sure looks like fun. There's nothing I would enjoy more on a 90-degree day than to hold a burning ember 3 inches from my face. Woo-hoo! And, why stay inside and hang with your friends in a climate controlled room when you can stand outside in rain, cold, heat and snow? For nearly six bucks a pack, they're surely getting their money's worth.
Since our government is full of tobacco-lobbied pussies, they will never ban cigarettes, so the next best thing is to restrict the smoking to the privacy of your own home. I suppose that's a compromise to the rest of the world, but if they are really interested in getting people to quit (rather than paying it the lip service that they do), then they would do the right thing and ban cigarettes. Whenever government is powerless to fight for our best interests, they make a law to turn people into criminals for doing something that they shouldn't be allowed to do in the first place.
Ask yourself, if cigarettes were a brand new product up for approval by the Food and Drug Administration, would they be allowed to be produced?

4 comments:

Kate Michele said...

Its been great around here...us Asthma suffers can now go out to eat and be able to breath AND eat at the same time!! :D

Do people still get smoke breaks? When I was working if I was a smoker I would of got twice as many breaks. Punishing the healthy with more work and stress....uh huh. good.

Sparky Duck said...

Hey, no calling me weak!

I actually dont mind if I have to go outside to smoke, definetly when it comes to eating, because who wants to smell my junk?

I will quit when I want to, but I also dont complain. But, I would also think more about quitting if I had to pay NJ prices for smokes

kimmyk said...

you cant smoke here in public places. i love it.
even in the bars. no smoking. love it.

they do get smoke breaks here though which sort of isn't fair. because i dont get a break, but my coworkers take them. at least 3 or so a day. don't get that.

Ladyred said...

I took breaks when I didn't smoke. I didn't think that people who smoked were allowed more just because they smoked. No one said anything to me. Damn good thing.

I used to smoke. And honestly, I hated the smell even when I did. But I don't now. The only problem I have is when people are standing right in front of the fucking doorway blowing their smoke in my face. C'mon. So I cough, in their direction.

I believe that if someone wants to use cigarettes, abuse alcohol or drugs or have unsafe sex or drive without their seatbelt or no helmet or no life jacket, then let them. They will end up dead and it's on them. I know it sounds heartless, but I'm really tired of the government and society trying to help people when they don't want it. I'm tired of spending my hard earned yet measly pittance of a paycheck on helping people who don't want it, or bitch about it. I'm so sick and tired of it. So I don't care if they smoke, drink, shoot up, etc. Of course, either way, I end up paying for their shit.

I'm moving.

Oh and by the way, I think it's Canada who has those cigarettes now that stop burning if they haven't been puffed on for a few seconds. Yay! Now they can't fucking kill themselves when they leave a ciggie burning in the bed!!