Monday, June 27, 2011

The Government, Cigarettes, and the Unborn

First off, I want to apologize for taking a month break from writing.  However, sometimes in order to take care of others we must first take care of ourselves.  Please continue to pray for my state that is being overrun by wildfires.

So today's topic incase you didn't realize it, is going to talk about tobacco, the government and the unborn.  Oh Kandyce, how ever did this topic cross your mind? Honestly, this topic has plagued my mind for years, and the new pictures on the cigarette ads just sent me into overdrive, literally.

Let me give you some background information about my childhood.  I was born in the laste 80's, and grew up in the public education system during the 1990's.  First off, I can remember in early elementary school, we had the DARE program, we were also forced to watch videos about smoking and the effects on your oral health, respiratory health, and the impacts it has on the body. Not to mention all the NicoDermCQ commericals that were televised, or the fact that they stopped showing the Marlboro commercials on TV.

If you google images of smoking, the results aren't beautiful at all. 

So if everyone knows that smoking is harmful and that it can kill, why does the government continue to make the tobacco companies put more labels and graphic images on the boxes at the tax payers expense.  Couldn't this money be better used elsewhere? 

If people want to smoke, they are going to smoke- the goverment cannot control the lives of the people that live here. The problem isn't just with smoking, it's with obesity and many other topics.  For example: the government started making the school vending machines carry only healthy options to try to combat childhood obesity.  Do they not understand that these kids could go home and eat a whole box of  cookies if they want?  Once again, more money towards an issue that is a personal matter.

So why is the government continuing to throw money at issues that are known issues (i.e. smoking kills and eating junk food with no exercise will make you gain weight)? The government could be using this money to help save the lives of the unborn (3,600 murdered daily in the US), stop the exploitation of minors, or many other criminal activities that occur in the United States on a daily basis.

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