OFF: smoking etc.

[flossbac]

> John missed the obvious with...
>
> >Cholesterol and saturated fats, in excess, can certainly be deleterious
to
> >one's health (unless the idea of atherosclerosis and its complications is
> >appealing to someone), but the difference between these and smoking is
> >twofold.  Firstly, the body requires fat in the diet, although usually
not
> >in the kinds of quantities the typical american eats.  This is why north
> >america has such a high rate of circulatory disease.  Nicotine is not
needed
> >by the body for survival.  Secondly, fats are not addictive (there is no
> >withdrawal effect).  Nicotine withdrawal, however, produces intense
> >psychological craving and definite physical withdrawal symptoms.
>
> Ummmmm...the main difference is that eating fats and cholesterol doesn't
> affect others' health, as smoking does.  (Hence, the push for some
> regulation in public and the reason the 'libertarian' position doesn't
> necessarily fly.)  The only real similarity is that both affect all of our
> finances, by increasing insurance rates via increased medical costs and
the
> related reduction in worker productivity due to poor health.

Quite right!  I forgot to mention that!  Doh!  Yeah, I really hate being in
a room with a smoker, because no matter how far away you are, your airspace
is still polluted.  I am so glad that most restaurants are entirely
non-smoking these days.  I hated those days when there were restaurants with
a smoking section just one aisle over from the non-smoking section, totally
ignoring the fact that the filth travels through the air (and when it only
has a few feet to go, you may as well be seated in the smoking section
anyway).  I am all for people having the right to kill themselves, but
naturally I get a little concerned when they try to snag me into the plot!
John Majka