Add

The “Up In Smoke” Version of Obama’s Tobacco Bill

Posted: June 22, 2009 at 8:49 pm | Tags: children, cigarettes, communism, Crime, Danger, Government, Hookah, HR 1256, Job, lil wayne, Markets, marlboro, Obama, osama, Pictures, socialism, tobacco

Just what we need: More government control over another aspect of our lives. As a former smoker (still a hookah smoker), I can tell you up front that this bill is a complete joke and abuse of power.

How you ask? Well lets just look at the “findings” by congress right from the bill itself.

1) The use of tobacco products by the Nation’s children is a pediatric disease of considerable proportions that results in new generations of tobacco-dependent children and adults.

That’s all well and good. However Childhood Obesity (up to 33% of kids) is much more rampant than the number of high school seniors that smoke (up to 24%). Not to mention that studies are showing that teens are smoking at substantially lesser rates than in years past, and this figure continues to fall yearly. Other problems facing kids, such as childhood obesity, all the nonsense on the television and in the media, and the glorification of anti-culture culture is on the rise, and much more dangerous.

People like Lil’ Wayne are much more hazardous to the nations youth than cigarettes.

2) A consensus exists within the scientific and medical communities that tobacco products are inherently dangerous and cause cancer, heart disease, and other serious adverse health effects.

Remember the old days, when we all agreed on things like Eugenics and that Heroin was good for you? Times were so much simpler then.

5) Tobacco advertising and marketing contribute significantly to the use of nicotine-containing tobacco products by adolescents.

Yah! Remember this commercial from last year’s superbowl?

Me neither. Get real, nobody markets cigarettes to kids like they used to. Just because little Barry Obama got duped by some TV commercial on his way to nicotine and cocaine doesn’t mean that the rest of the world is this nieve.

9) Under article I, section 8 of the Constitution, the Congress is vested with the responsibility for regulating interstate commerce and commerce with Indian tribes.

Poor Indian Tribes can never catch a break. Sadly, this has no real meaning in the actual bill itself, it was just thrown in there to remind the indians how much better the white man is at getting things done than they are.

16) In 2005, the cigarette manufacturers spent more than $13,000,000,000 to attract new users, retain current users, increase current consumption, and generate favorable long-term attitudes toward smoking and tobacco use.

…So? Why is it a crime for a private enterprise to market their product? Cocoa Cola, a product which contributes to diabetes (which causes lots of cancers), unhealthy weight, dental problems, and more. But that’s OK. Think about this: When was the last time you saw a commercial with kids enjoying cigarettes. Now, when was the last time you saw a commercial with kids enjoying a sugar-induced, unhealthy beverage?

17) Tobacco product advertising often misleadingly portrays the use of tobacco as socially acceptable and healthful to minors.

What congress cannot grasp is that this is not misleading: among minors, it IS socially acceptable to smoke. Despite anti-smoking campaigns and whatnot.

1 Tobacco product advertising is regularly seen by persons under the age of 18, and persons under the age of 18 are regularly exposed to tobacco product promotional efforts.

They’re also exposed to The Sham Wow Guy Vince, Billy Mays’ Oxyclean, Big Chief Chewing Tobacco, and a million other things. Not every kid owns a pair of Nikes because they’re on TV as much, and they sure as hell don’t rush out to buy a new Sham-Wow. Just because something is advertised, it doesn’t mean that people are going to go out and buy it.

21) The use of tobacco products in motion pictures and other mass media glamorizes its use for young people and encourages them to use tobacco products.

Like what, for example? Name 1 movie geared towards children that glamorizes smoking? The only thing I can think of is that  scene in Mrs. Doubtfire where Danial Hillard quits his job because the parrot is having a smoke.

You only see smoking in movies geared towards adults. And even then, it’s an accurate representation of the way we live: some people smoke. We can’t erase that by not including it in movies. Besides, people in movies who smoke aren’t usually the most oscar nominated roles. Typically we see the convict, the biker, the creepy eurpoean, the prostitute or the strung out crack addict reaching for a cigarette. If anything, Hollywood is unfair towards the normal everyday people who enjoy tobacco products.

25) Comprehensive advertising restrictions will have a positive effect on the smoking rates of young.

Fallacy 101.

And, my personal favorite:

(35) Tobacco products have been used to facilitate and finance criminal activities both domestically and internationally. Illicit trade of tobacco products has been linked to organized crime and terrorist groups.

This takes the cake. Not only is this a danger to children and adults, but it FUNDS TERRORISTS!

Where are all those people who cried foul during the Bush years for him using terrorism as an excuse to do everything under the son that he wanted? Well, it appears that as long as the terrorism gag is used in their favor, it’s okay. This is just plain disgusting.

Based on findings like this, how can HR 1256 not be a success? Gee, idk.

The bill goes on for pages and pages of nothingness, rambling on about how the FDA gets to flex their muscles, despite the fact that they’re done a traditionally poor job in a large number of things that they have tried to do.I could go on and on picking apart each piece of the bill, but anyone with a shred of common sense will be able to do that just by looking at it briefly. I just highlighted some of the fun points to get you started.

If you can stomach the BS, I encourage you to read the text in it’s entirety here.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-1256

Till then, I’m going to go see if Thank You for Smoking is on On Demand.

Ooh, not to mention: if you go outside without sun block, you are at risk for skin cancer. Do we chastise the beach goers for damaging their body the way we damage cigarette smokers?

Be social! Share this post!