A recent TV news report was very disturbing to me, and I am sure for every smoker in Washington. First, the politicians want to ban smoking in all open air Seattle parks. What kind of logic is this? They have already taken away most of all the rights the smoker had. What real harm will come to non-smokers from being in the same outdoor area? All they would have to do is move away a couple of steps. Does this sound a little like a police state? If this happens, what rights will we all lose next?
Secondly, now they want to raise the tax another 50 cents per pack for cancer research. Smokers have already been taxed too much, but it’s never enough. How many of the people supporting this are smokers? Would they be in favor of the tax if they were? I believe there are many people who smoke who consider it one of the few pleasures in life, and cannot afford to do much more, and we keep making it harder to do that.
How many billions of dollars have been spent on cancer research since the 1950s? Do you really think the money raised in Washington from another cigarette tax hike is really going to make a difference? It is my opinion that there is no group of people in the state that is picked on more than smokers. I smoked for 40 years and quit 18 years ago. So I am not complaining for myself. I just hate to see people taken advantage of.
Ron Fisk
Marysville
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