Confession

Hello, my name is Val and I am a SMOKER! I have made many tries at quitting and failed every time. Dial down filters, gum, patches, cold turkey, pills - Nothing worked for me. PLEASE skip the pep talks! Forget trying to get me to quit. What I want is to be left alone with my archaic habit. Why are you tormenting me!

My view of the "government research" proving the dangers of "second hand smoke" is equivalent to my view of "Reefer Madness" as a true documentary on marijuana. Long ago in my youth I smoked both. I saw the movie, RM, and laughed my head off! That anyone could believe the totally exaggerated hype presented as truth appalled me!

Silly me! Someone ALWAYS believes it when they see it on TV or in a movie....sheesh! The government always tells the truth. So now they have "documented proof" that second hand smoke will harm innocent bystanders. RIGHT!

Look, Government of Michigan, I grew up in a home where the parents and most of visitors smoked. One Grampa smoked a pipe. If Mom had tried to tell him to smoke outside he would have laughed his butt off. Uncles and Aunts smoked, cousins smoked, most of my parents friends smoked. Now the word smoked looks funny...a little like I had smoked the other stuff. Anyway, four of us kids, same environment - two smoke, two do not. None have health problems related to lungs.

In the same home people drank. To excess. Now there are some stories for you. Two grown men trying to leap to their feet from flat on their backs on the floor, flopping like fish, because they saw some one on TV do it and they were drunk and it seemed like a good idea to prove they could do it, too. Fights and accidents caused by drinking marred our lives. Same kids, 1 had serious drinking problem, one drinks "socially", 1 drinks medicinally and 1 doesn't drink.

I have one aunt, never said a bad word in her life, never touched drink or smoke but died of cancer. Mate's Grama, a true lady, same story. Two of my great aunts (sisters) both smoked. One still puffing away at 83, one died at 86, still smoking. That is my experience or "research" on smoking and drinking. It doesn't show any consistency with yours at all.

Why, after already taxing us into the ground, are you trying to make all work places, including bars and restaurants, nonsmoking? Have a little compassion!

OK, you want everyone to quit smoking, for whatever reason. Goodie! But please, don't make stupid laws that we can't smoke in work places! We are allowed to breathe fumes of paint, welding gases, plastics and other toxic chemicals at work. Most employers don't care how many people gripe about nasty fumes, if it's making them a buck.

According to your "research" we are all going to die soon anyway. Can't you wait 20 years? That gives us all time to die off and you 20 more years to brainwash the next two generations.

I don't see you making any laws that you can't DRINK in work places! How many people have drunken drivers killed? Now compare that number to the ones you are trying to say smokers have killed. Oh, yeah - and show me PROOF they died from my smoke.

You can't believe I spend this kind of money for anything I don't NEED! I am addicted. Some "dic" thought up a way to make cigarettes more addictive and didn't mention it to smokers. Pretty low trick. Personally, I think they should have to supply me with smokes for life.

So please, let us go out to dinner with our friends, or for a few drinks and dancing to celebrate special events without having to act like criminals; sneaking out back to smoke. Then, in 20 years, according to your statistics, we should all be gone and you can have your nonsmoking world.

In the mean time, if you are a smoker in Michigan, go here to contact your state senator and here to contact your representitive. You can email them!

Ask them, as Larry Parsons did, "What gives the government the right to dictate to property owners, and citizens, where they can or cannot smoke, and on who's private property they may or may not smoke. And tell them that "Such legislation is nothing more than an intrusion upon our {personal} freedoms. "

If you don't know which rep or senator is yours, write to all of them. I did!

Here, for the copy and paste crowd;

Dear State of Michigan Representative (or Senator),

I am against the proposed legislation banning smoking in all work places. The government does not have the right to mandate to private property owners, and citizens, where they can or cannot smoke. They do not have the right to dictate on who's private property citizens may or may not smoke.

This legislation is nothing more than an intrusion upon our personal freedom. Along with the soon to be instituted "National ID", the current helmet laws and seat belt laws it brings us one step closer to losing our civil liberties and our freedom.

What did our veterans fight for?

Sincerely,
Your Name
Your address

Stepping off soapbox now.