In Reply To:
I think somewhere along the line it became a fashion statement for some people rather than a commitment to something better... who knows but it does seem strange to see over-weight smokers wearing them sometimes.
On a separate note, I have a friend who works in the Department of Health Services. He said in some ways it would be better for the government if people kept smoking... it is cheaper to pay health costs until they die than to pay them social security if they live a long life. I found that a very honest... but very disturbing thought.
Just heard this morning that the cost per year of smoking in the US is ~$167 billion. That covers about 400,000 deaths attributed to smoking each year. That's like $400,000/person. Figure about $2500/month for SS benefits, or about $30,000/year/person. So the payoff comes if they live less than about 13 years on SS. But they are likely to require significant other health care expenses between ages 67 and 80, so you're probably right. Cheaper to let 'em die.
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"Go yell at an M&M"