[grania]

mygosh, if it weren't for the PC nazis, it could be suggested that people with weight issues could smoke a few cigarettes instead of stuffing their faces with Twinkies.

Cigarette smoking would cure so many problems. A percentage of smokers die young of a disease that has no medical treatment and often can't be operated on successfully. (less Medicare, health care and Social Security expenses.) If they don't become diabetics from all that weight, that's less costs for medications. They'll pay much more in taxes, purchasing cigarettes, so those smokers would be an asset to so many government initiatives.

Just being logical here, trying to cut down on government debt. (SATIRE !!!)

[Steve_Seattle]

You were being satirical, but there is actually some truth to what you say. You always hear these statistics about the medical and social costs of smoking, but those statistics almost always compare the cost of smoking with an alternate scenario in which the non-smoking individual never incurs any medical expenses whatsoever or makes any claims on government resources.

But the smoker who dies at 60 might in fact incur fewer lifetime medical costs and social costs (retirement/social security) than the non-smoker who dies at 90. This is not an argument for smoking, but for honesty in the use of statistics.

[miss marmelstein]

Actually, the cessation of smoking has correlated pretty closely with the growth of obesity. Not that the health Nazis want you to put that together.

Why are actresses so skinny? They all smoke.

I had a group of actors at my home this past weekend and to the horror of other guests, I allowed them to light up. One guest left in horror, lol. All of the actors were thin, the woman who left was a little fatty.