Pedro El Awesomeo needs Bombs's blog: "Encephalon"

I have what you would call not a publicly acceptable habit; I smoke.  I have been doing it for many years now, going back to my Army days.  I have quit a couple times, for as long as a year, sometimes for a few months.  Then something happens to make me lose my resolve and I end up smoking again.  The previous story I posted about a disagreement I had at work was one of those times.   I know its bad for me, and I know from the times I have quit how bad a cigarette smells to a non smoker, but none of this seems to phase me when I want my fix of that sweet sweet nicotine.  One thing I noticed on my recent travels was how certain places were more tolerant than others on smoking, I have to say it was quite nice to find a bar that didn't make you go outside to burn a quick one.  I also noticed wild fluctuations on the price of cigarettes in different places.

The price of cigarettes has continued to go up, as it seems a perfectly acceptable thing to be taxed by the government.  This latest increase, sixty-two cents a pack, was voted in to help fund a health insurance initiative for children, who typically don't smoke, so the burden really falls on me to smoke as much as I can to make sure these kids get the health care they need.  I really like some of the justification the government gives for this tax hike, such as "It will encourage more people to quit."  I just wonder, if all these people are quitting, then how are you going to fund the health insurance?  I went to ponder it as I was again doing my part for the children, though I really couldn't find an answer.  Times are tough as it is, and I just don't see another area you want to start jacking the prices up on.

What I am seeing as a real barometer of how the economy is doing is the number of people that are coming to me up off the street to bum a smoke.  It has gotten up to two a day or more, which has led me to start carrying an empty pack to show them I am out so I couldn't possibly give them one.  When it comes to bums, nothing is worse than someone who is "quitting" smoking.  They don't want to buy a pack, because they will smoke it, so they just want you to subsidize their cravings.  I've had people that are so bad with that, I tell them to just buy a pack and I will keep it in my desk, so when they want one I'll give it to them, or at least to cover all the ones they are taking from me all the time. 

So as I am standing outside, practicing my vile, disgusting habit, just remember, I'm doing it for the kids, and if you really cared about the children you would be out there with me. 

Edit: 

Now I just found this out:

Vanderbilt University economist Kip Viscusi studied the net costs of smoking-related spending and savings and found that for every pack of cigarettes smoked, the country reaps a net cost savings of 32 cents.

A Dutch study published last year in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal said that health care costs for smokers were about $326,000 from age 20 on, compared to about $417,000 for thin and healthy people.

Now I really have to keep smoking to save people money.