Music Banter - View Single Post - The Hypocrisy of Governmental Attempts to Stop Smoking

Trollheart · 07-30-2017, 01:33 PM

It really bugs me. I mean, I personally hate smoking, think it's a filthy habit and would be happier if nobody smoked, but hey, I don't run the world (yet), so who am I to say? But the way our government, at least, approaches "the problem of smoking" is so two-faced it must be impossible to sneak up on them!

Every single budget, the smokes get hit. Fifty cents here, fifty cents there: it's now over eleven Euro for a pack of twenty. And why? Cos they know that no matter how much they raise the price, smokers will pay. Then they justify this by saying "Oh it's bad for your health. We'd love to see everyone stop smoking."

No you ****ing wouldn't!

And here's why.

1. The amount of jobs that would be lost if suddenly everyone in Ireland quit smoking

2. The revenue that would be lost to the government

3. More people living longer, with a major cause of cancer gone. Therefore more pension to find, more expenses, more overcrowding and homelessness, more crime etc

4. The closure of charities and groups that help people quit

5. The loss of advertising revenue and the loss of major sponsorship of events

6. The possibility people, especially kids, might try harder drugs earlier? I don't know...

At least the doctors, surgeons and health professionals who call for a ban on smoking are being genuine and honest. I'd like to see the govt just once leave the smokers alone on Budget Day. God knows, they're paying enough for their addiction as it is, and every year it gets more and more expensive.

07-30-2017, 01:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	The Hypocrisy of Governmental Attempts to Stop Smoking It really bugs me. I mean, I personally hate smoking, think it's a filthy habit and would be happier if nobody smoked, but hey, I don't run the world (yet), so who am I to say? But the way our government, at least, approaches "the problem of smoking" is so two-faced it must be impossible to sneak up on them! Every single budget, the smokes get hit. Fifty cents here, fifty cents there: it's now over eleven Euro for a pack of twenty. And why? Cos they know that no matter how much they raise the price, smokers will pay. Then they justify this by saying "Oh it's bad for your health. We'd love to see everyone stop smoking." No you ***ing wouldn't! And here's why. 1. The amount of jobs that would be lost if suddenly everyone in Ireland quit smoking 2. The revenue that would be lost to the government 3. More people living longer, with a major cause of cancer gone. Therefore more pension to find, more expenses, more overcrowding and homelessness, more crime etc 4. The closure of charities and groups that help people quit 5. The loss of advertising revenue and the loss of major sponsorship of events 6. The possibility people, especially kids, might try harder drugs earlier? I don't know... At least the doctors, surgeons and health professionals who call for a ban on smoking are being genuine and honest. I'd like to see the govt just once leave the smokers alone on Budget Day. God knows, they're paying enough for their addiction as it is, and every year it gets more and more expensive. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018*