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This smoking thing is weird. My husband smokes and every time someone asks me for money, I say, “I gave at 7-11.”

Supposedly all these cigarette taxes go to health benefits for needy childen. Do I believe that? Well, no. But assuming that they do, I support many needy children monthly.

The husband is always saying that he wishes they’d make cigarettes illegal. That way he could get them cheaper from pushers.

I don’t know who or how they managed to make smoking a sin. There are many worse things one can do to one’s body and nobody makes a sin out of them. Except maybe Michelle who’s trying to get us not to eat tasty stuff.

It may be a bad habit but the attitude that has arisen about it is really odd. I don’t care if Cain or Obama smokes, but he lies about it. I do care if my husband smokes because it’s so expensive.

20% of the population still smokes. I am one of them.

Yes, I know that it’s bad for my health. I accept that.

When I was a child, smokers were everywhere. People smoked on airplanes, in college lecture halls, in grocery stores as they shopped, in offices, in government buildings. Despite the smoking, there was a more civilized tone to American life in the 50’s.

What I HAVE noticed (and is under reported) is that people who smoke are often self-medicating for anxiety, depression, etc. And assuming that is true, perhaps someone should start correlating the number of nut cases on airplanes, road rage, and other random acts of unreasonable public anger to the decline in smoking. Things seem a lot more unpleasant in public now than 60 years ago.

Also, nicotine users have a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s. Now maybe it’s because we leave this mortal coil before we can show symptoms, but someone should also think about that when they are totaling up the total cost of health care.

Please don’t start on the smoking thing. I will not respond and do not care about others’ opinions on this subject. I just wanted to point out a few things to think about.

I don’t know who or how they managed to make smoking a sin.

Someone on FR (I forget who) suggested that the change came when the tobacco-producing states went Republican! Back in the Solid (Democrat) South days, tobacco company money went to Democrat politicians!