I expect to hear crickets chirping . . . . . . .
Do you see a rise in smoking among educated Americans?
Smoking is not on the rise, period. Whether among educated or uneducated. So, no, I don't expect to see a rise in smoking at all.
Is it something you'd encourage your kids to do?
I wouldn't encourage them but if my 18 year old came home and told me that she smoked I also wouldn't give her he!! about it. She's an adult , intelligent, and can make her own choices.
Why would a business want to encourage/allow on-premises an activity that tends to reduce productivity, increase insurance rates, and drive away good employees?
Why would this particular activity reduce productivity? Most jobs I have worked allow certain time for breaks. What I do that's legal during that time is my business. There is no lost productivity from a smoker that abides by the rules.
It may increase insurance rates but guess who pays that increase. One hint, it isn't the companies.
Why should it drive away good employees? There are good employees that smoke and good emplolyees that don't smoke and I have NEVER seen a good employee driven away JUST because one of the other employees smoked on their break.
It's a pity your so narrow minded. My daughter, who is a grown woman, smokes.
Reduce productivity? Drive away good employees? What time zone are you in?
There are plenty of smokers in here that could run CIRCLES around you! Drive away "good" employees? Such as yourself? I remember working with a "few" good employees such as yourself, and no one at work could stand them.
Here's a link for you to educate yourself:
reduce productivity - If smoking had such an impact on productivity, as you claim, there should be droves of unemployed smokers out there looking for jobs...I don't see that...at all. Like any good businessman, if an employee is not producing you fire him...regardless of whether of not they smoke.
increase insurance costs - smokers have not been the cause of rising health care costs within recent history. I argue, that there was probably alot more smokers the period of the 1940's to the 1970's per capita then there are now, and health care(in general) and health care costs were alot more reasonable back then. Increased health costs have more to do with the overregulation of health care by the fed gov (i.e. mandated benefits, HMO's), overtaxation (Medicare and Medicaid) and ambulance-chasing malpractice attorneys.
drive away good employees - an empty-handed statement...if your a "good" employee, your at your job simply to do the best job you can, make your $$$ and go home. A good employee focuses his efforts on his JOB...not whether or not JoeBlow is outside smoking.
College students are the fastest-growing group of first-time-smokers according to the CDC.
Is it something you'd encourage your kids to do?
No, but I wouldn't get hysterical if they did.
Why would a business want to encourage/allow on-premises an activity that tends to reduce productivity, increase insurance rates, and drive away good employees?
Lotta unproven assumptions in that one statement, FP. I've owned a business that employed more than 100 people and smokers were by far my best employees. A recent Rand study showed that smokers are not less productive, and that holds true in some businesses like those in Eden Prairie that threatened to move more than 1000 employees out of the city if the council passed a smoking ban that included them. I'd hire only smokers before I'd put up with a whiny bunch of antis.