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Politics : Bill Clinton Scandal - SANITY CHECK -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Machaon who wrote (8330)	10/8/1998 10:58:00 PM
From: mrknowitall	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 67261

Bob - <<OT>> Addictions and smoking: What finally hit in my family was a fire that killed someone. Funny what it takes to sober people. Congratulations on your quitting. Mr. K.

To: Machaon who wrote (8330)	10/9/1998 9:54:00 AM
From: j_b	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 67261

OT*****smoking and addiction <<It's not fair to make a product, that is harmful to people's health, and to make it addictive. >> I agree up to a point, because of the harm cigarettes (not nicotene) can do to your health. However, most of the processed food that is sold is bad for your health, and based on people's eating patterns in this country, is equally addictive (psychologically, not physically). What I'm getting at here, is that you can't force people to take care of their health, and you shouldn't take away their responsibility for doing so. What that leads to is a dependence on the government as a watchdog agency - if the product is allowed to be sold, it must not be bad for you. Since the days of thalidomide, we know the government is really not suited to being a watchdog, but we still expect them to protect us from all harm. I guess I just have a problem with the idea that the cigarette companies need to play "fair". No one else does - look at the way sex is used to sell products - is that fair? Look at the way politicians and media outlets spin reality - is that fair? How about the CEO's who manage to make huge amounts of money (relative to the rest of the company's workers) - is that fair? There are many things I would love to see regulated or banned outright, but I think that by removing the element of personal responsibility, we are all lessened. We lose the ability or drive to think for ourselves or to accept responsibility for our actions.