I also hope that this thing gets defeated again, for reasons above and beyond freedom and all the laudable goals mentioned in this blog.

See, if we can keep the nitwits fighting about tobacco, we keep them pinned down.  

(and I do realize that quite a few well meaning folks are involved in this, and am not attacking them.  I'm saving my ire for the ones that are obviously gleeful at the chance to use their government to attack a group of folks that they happen to not like... read comments on this legislation in your newspaper, or certain blogs, and you will see what I'm talking about)

If and when they win this fight, they aren't going to disband, they are going to find something else.

And we all know that taxing soda will improve the public health, transfatty acids are a blight on our republic, and super-sized fries are literally killing us.

A long time ago I read the forward to book called Rich Dad Poor Dad  in which the author described his first money making scheme.

See, he and his buddies were going through their neighborhood, collecting used toothpaste tubes.  After they had a good amount, they proceeded to start a fire and melt them down... Why you ask?

They wanted to get the lead inside the tubes.  Yes, that LEAD.

They were making their own coins.

And it got me thinking about life in the fifties, and I realized how unenlightened people were.

See, I'm guessing that one of their neighbors, after waking up and eating eggs and steak for breakfast, and maybe a scotch for fortitude, went off to work... and smoked the whole way.

Then they went to the office, smoked some more, had some meetings where everybody smoked,  and ate another big steak for lunch, then went and picked the kids up to take them to the movies.

 Smoking the whole way, with no seat belts or car seats for the kids, they went into the movie theater.... which had ashtrays in the arm rests.  They then watched some horribly patronizing and sexist and racist and conformist movie, (which I'm sure was approved by HUAC) until Mom said it was time-- and they rushed to the hospital, where they awaited their latest increase in their carbon footprint... I mean little brother.

And the Dad sat in the hall smoking, and the doctor pulled the kids out with tongs, probably with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, and the family went home.  Where Dad had another drink, brushed his teeth with lead lined toothpaste, put his last cigarette out in the ashtray next to his bed, and rolled over to do it all again the next day.

And somehow our species has survived.

I don't doubt the health risks (to myself), and intend to quit the first Saturday after the first Tuesday in November of next year-- I've got some big campaigns to work on.