I've read the newspaper today about the parks' system in my area trying to pass a law preventing their employees from smoking in their homes. I learned too that our local hospital system bans its employees from smoking at all to cut down on their insurance costs.

Now, I'm a non-smoker, but--hmmmmm...

In a world where there are killer additives in our sugar doused food (why would MSG, labeled as a necessary preservative, be needed in frozen food?), chemicals, pesticides, untested GMOs, chemicals in our work places proven to cause cancer, drugs with unacceptable testing periods--wtf?

I have insurance. We get some of it through work. It has lots of 'clauses' to cut down on cost. No one in my family smokes or ever have. Most companies don't keep employees long enough now to end up paying for any long term illness. Most companies won't hire or provide insurance for anyone who is ILL. If they are, there are clauses they have to sign so the company doesn't have to pay for treatment for it. My mom passed from cancer--no company paid for her treatment, or illness. It came up after she stopped working. And why she paid so much for a vial of poison whose components weren't the plutonium she could have had for the money, I'm not sure I understand why hospitals don't just hit up the chemical companies who are getting filthy rich off this stuff.

Considering how EXPENSIVE health insurance is, what little it covers, how complicated it is to use, how rich companies get HAVING it, how few people actually HAVE it, I'm not so sure this is as much cost effective, as it is an exercise in control. Personally, I don't care if a person smokes (as long as they don't blow it in my face). If companies don't want to insure these folks, then don't provide insurance--have them get it else where. They CAN. Just don't be telling people what they can do with their bodies, in their own homes. Like abortion or plastic surgery (for those over 20 yrs old). these are decisions that should have no place in government or corporate's bid for control over the masses. Its just wrong.