Focus People

Anyone that has read any of my postings regarding smoking or big tobacco knows that I will be very happy when tobacco companies go out of business.

So take a moment and focus here. Let me give you a metaphor, we need to drain the swamp, but we keep forgetting to drain the swamp because we are fighting off the crocodiles.

Here’s one crocodile. David Williams, out of the blue, is in favor of an unenforceable statewide ban on smoking in public places. As the Herald-Leader points out, that dog don’t hunt.

…..anything our pro-tobacco legislature is likely to pass would be weaker than the ordinances that local governments are enacting. A statewide ban would drain the political energy from local efforts to enact better protections.

And without a ton of money behind it, enforcement would be a joke.

A second crocodile is the continued mantra that we can only pass a small tobacco tax. If the best the legislature can do is a 20 to 30 cent per pack tax on cigarettes, then we should urge our legislators to vote it down. This is a delaying tactic.

What to do?

Focus on draining the swamp. The only acceptable answer is a dollar, or more, tax per pack of cigarettes. Stay after your state legislator; instill a spine in our honorable representatives so they can do the right thing.

Call them, write them, and go visit them.

Don’t settle for half way measures.