On getting a sense of priorities

[andrewducker]

In the last ten years, smoking has killed 4,000,000 Americans. Traffic has killed 400,000. Terrorism has killed 4,000.

(Can't remember where I stole this from)

Comments

[drplokta]

The government doesn't do nearly as much as it could about smoking. Think about a ten-year-long expensive PR campaign to make smoking seem like something that only dorks and losers do, which is perfectly possible given the political will.

[slammerkinbabe.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm just missing whether it's the government's role *to* do that. Terrorist attacks on America's soil are the government's business, no brainer. I guess I don't really get why it would be their role to run that sort of ten-year anti-smoking campaign. Like I said, smoking's a personal choice, and frankly I think I'd be offended on behalf of the people I know who do smoke if the government started hammering it into us that smokers = dorks and losers.

I don't know. I guess I have a narrower view of what the government ought to be doing with taxpayer dollars than some. To my mind, that sort of PR campaign would be better suited to a private organization.

[stillcarl.livejournal.com]

Come to NZ...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3663549a7144,00.html