[OT]: smokers - was: [oclug]new kind of keyboard

[Michael P. Soulier]

On 23/01/03 Brad Barnett did speaketh:

> For example, let's look at health care, and the concept of "sin" tax.  The
> reasoning behind extra taxation on booze and smokes is that you're going
> to be causing issues for the rest of us.  You're more likely to get this
> or that disease, due to the habit that you've undertaken.  (yes, I realise
> this wasn't the initial reason behind these taxes, but it is the reason
> given for sustaining them).
> 
> If this is the case, should people who take part in certain sports not be
> taxed additionally?  Mountain climbing, parachuting, and such, obviously
> carry a higher risk than walking down the street.  There are people that
> go hiking for miles into the North, get injured and have to be lifted out.
>  Why are the purchase of paraphenilia for these activities not taxed at a
> higher rate?  Why are people who take part in these activities not taxes
> somehow, since they are at higher risk?  
> 
> Why about driving?  Sure, there is a gas tax, but there has been talk of
> making it illegal to smoke in public.  If this is the case, anything that
> pollutes should also be made illegal in the city.  Driving a gas powered
> car, operating a gas powered boat or even a model airplane.. illegal.

    Nonsense. While I am not for making anything that is remotely unhealthy
illegal, it's is far from fair to compare an activity like driving, which has
become arguably necessary in today's society, with an activity like smoking,
done purely for pleasure, habit, addition-feeding, whatever. Until we're given
a better way of getting around (and public transit just it's time efficient
enough), I consider driving required. 
    As for taking part in certain sports, I agree that many are moronic. If we
wish to apply such a "moron-tax" (I prefer that name), we must decide just how
dangerous something needs to be to apply. Perhaps mountain climbing isn't bad
enough, but reverse bungee-jumping is. I for one don't want my tax dollars
going to help someone who hurt themselves while deliberately jumping out of a
perfectly good airplane. They knew the risks, and that was part of why it was
considered exciting. 
    As for making it illegal to pollute, I agree completely that it should be.
Unfortunately we need alternatives first. Until electric cars are affordable
with recharge stations as numerous as gas stations, we're kinda stuck (not to
mention solving the problem of batteries not being particularly happy at
-40C). Model airplanes can run fine with electrical power. If that's not good
enough, that's just too bad. It's not worth polluting. 
    Most of this is simple consideration for others. I don't think part of
your basic rights and freedoms includes impinging on mine. I have a right to
clean air and land, thank you. 

> You can follow this tact along many roads.  What we need is equality of
> law here.  Another fine example is recycling.
> 
> If someone doesn't like cigarette butts on the street then they should
> also be upset when people who recycle, leave their blue box outside in the
> wind... and all their papers liter the street.  I've seen it hundreds of
> times, newspapers all over the road.. yet these people think they are
> helping pollution!?
   
    Then they should clean it up. I find myself regularly picking up others'
garbage. If everyone did, I wouldn't have to nearly as much. 

> Equal justice for all is something we should aim for.  Furthermore, if
> laws were equally appied, I think some of these retrictions would be
> lifted.

    Equal justice when you're comparing apples to apples, fine. 

    Mike

-- 
Michael P. Soulier <msoulier at digitaltorque.ca>, GnuPG pub key: 5BC8BE08
"...the word HACK is used as a verb to indicate a massive amount
of nerd-like effort."  -Harley Hahn, A Student's Guide to Unix
HTML Email Considered Harmful: http://expita.com/nomime.html
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