It's all about personal responsibility...

Parade Magazine comes in the Sunday editions of the Beaumont Enterprise, Houston Chronicle and many other newspapers. One of its features is a Q&A column from one Marilyn vos Savant. In today's edition, a reader asked Ms. vos Savant if she thought it was consistent treatment for fast-food outlets and gun manufacturers to have immunity from lawsuits while the tobacco industry didn't have that immunity.
Her reply was, to paraphrase, consistent with what? Food and guns can be used properly and without abuse while tobacco cannot. I found her answer to be quite surprising, especially in regards to firearms, as so many people in the media think the complete opposite. I must take issue with her statement that tobacco cannot be used properly, though. It can be and most often is used properly...it's just that proper use of tobacco leads too many people to an early grave, and that's the cost they pay for the high it provides. I guess vos Savant supported the '90s government crusade against the tobacco industry. And that's all fine and good -- but here's the thing. The same reasoning that led various government entities to file suits against the tobacco industry, later led them to file all the lawsuits against the gun industry -- they were both seen as a public health problem by the leftists in charge, exacerbated by deceptive advertising (in the case of tobacco) and negligent distribution (in the case of guns -- I personally think that's a load of crap). Personal responsibility seemed to be completely removed from the equation, just as it was when Stella Liebeck sued McDonald's after she spilled hot coffee on her leg.
I used to support squeezing the tobacco companies dry, too. But in my case, it was more personal. I lost someone I loved very much -- my grandfather -- to cigarettes. The pain of that loss was bad enough, but as I remembered the tobacco companies sending him a letter thanking him for being a loyal smoker, it just made it that much worse. I remember the day he died, as my tears flowed, I mentioned that letter to my parents..."a loyal smoker...and look where it got him..." I wanted to see those bastards pay, oh yes. Personal responsibility wasn't a foreign concept to me then, but I was just blinded by emotions, in addition to being young and stupid already. I was too young to vote back then, and even after I got a job and I turned 18, my main priorities as far as my money went, were keeping gas in the truck (that my grandfather left me) and buying a cd with every paycheck...not donating to any kind of political campaign that aimed to squeeze a company for misuse of a legal product by an independent third party. I thank God for that now...because in the aftermath of the cigarette lawsuits, came the gun lawsuits, and I don't even want to think about how much of each of my gun purchases has gone to attorney's fees for frivolous lawsuits filed against the gun manufacturers. It doesn't hurt so much to admit to myself now that it was my grandfather's choice to smoke those cigarettes, and, ultimately, his choice to go to that early grave. Lord knows I miss him terribly and wish he was still around, but those cigarettes were one of the things he enjoyed. I know smoking costs the government money...but ultimately, that's OUR money. Money you and I pay in various taxes, every day. What needs to be done in the case of tobacco is to get people off it by showing them what it does, and showing them that they're paying for their habit -- and their fellow smokers' habits -- in more ways than one. I have no doubt that once they saw they were paying out the nose and mouth for that habit, more than a few would stop it. It may not get us back as much money as we've spent, as fast as we've spent it, but ultimately, that's the right thing to do...not bleed the tobacco companies, or any other company for that matter, for making a lawful product that many people enjoy.
And those of you who do support such lawsuits, should remember...it could be YOUR politically incorrect pet product or habit they come after next...