Smoking Statistics Debunked - Democratic Underground

liberal hypnotist

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Sat Oct-06-07 10:52 AM
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Smoking Statistics Debunked

Smoking Statistics Debunked Oct. 6, 2007 by liberalhypnotist

Smoking can’t be as bad as they say, can it? Just think of it, if the statistics are accurate and 450,000 people die each year directly related to illness resulting from tobacco use and another 8. 2 million Americans are chronically ill due to tobacco use our government leaders would be going ballistic. Each year the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Health Institute (NHI) publish statistics related to smoking and other epidemics. If their smoking statistics were true, (insert tongue in cheek) that means that death by smoking out ranks death by automobile accident, alcohol, drug overdose, murder and AIDS combined. Let’s face it no self-respecting congressional member would accept money from the tobacco lobby, if that degree of carnage was related to smoking.

So why are the CDC and NHI trying to scare us? How much does it cost taxpayers each year to accumulate and publish these erroneous facts? What about this, if 450,000 people did die each year from tobacco use, wouldn’t we have some kind of warning mechanism like a color coded smokers’ alert? Sure we would! Just the fact that our governmental leaders are silent, proves that such statistics are truly bogus! In fact, I challenge anyone to prove these shaky statistics.

Here’s further proof: we tax tobacco and alcohol products and derive billions of dollars of much needed revenue from these taxes. We call them sin taxes. Yes, I believe smoking and drinking to access is a sin- a moral issue and that’s a religious matter, not a national health crisis. Recently, I heard a republican conservative senator say (sic) “if we raise the tax on cigarettes to fund expanded health care for children and then people quit smoking, what would we do?” Get it? The term “conservative” means people who are very careful and thoughtful about everything they do and say. In other words, smoking is good for you because legislators want to be sure we’ll keep smoking.

On the other hand, I’ve heard liberal types claim that if smoking were significantly reduced or eliminated; we would save so much on medical costs, we could fund Universal Health Care. See how they think, falling in lock step with the CDC and NHI. Of course with fewer people dying of tobacco related illness that would engorge the Social Security rolls, “the dole” and thus impact our ability to bring democracy to the world through military action.

Here’s a fool proof way to debunk the CDC and NHI statistics. Research how much money your congressional representatives receive from the “Tobacco Lobby” and tobacco related institutions. If they take regular and large donations, trips and gifts then smoking must be healthy. If they refuse this money, they must be liberal and not careful and thoughtful in their money gathering methods.

OK, I know there are tree huggers out there that believe tobacco use is dangerous, if not deadly. So here’s my challenge. If you can prove the CDC and NHI statistics are accurate or even nearly accurate, (within a margin of 3% + or-) I’ll buy you a box of Kinky Freidman cigars. Now I watched him on Fox TV, or CNN, and they are “fair and balanced”. Kinky stated, “Cigar smoking is not dangerous to your health”, especially his brand. So, if you can’t believe Kinky, who can you believe? The gauntlet has been thrown! “Smoke em if you got em!” Next post: the military supports smoking for health.