Yes, the smoking ordinance hypocrites are still at it..........pushing their garbage down the throats of municipalities all over the country. And, these legislative bodies (city councils, county commissions, state legislatures) continue to prove to the world what kind of hypocrites they are. They profess to pass these laws for the "good of the people".........for the "helath and welfare" of the people. And yet, these legislative bodies fail to go after a real destroyer of life...........booze. Keep in mind, I have nothing against booze, I am inclined to have a glass of wine once in awhile, and also, for the record, last Tuesday I started a cold turkey program of giving up the smokes. I just cannot stand the hypocrisy of those legisative folks who go after smoking and not booze
Let's look at what booze does. The info below is a partial listing of facts and stats available from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) at the following site:
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/factsheets/general_information.htm
Go there and read more.....it will amaze you. At the bottom of that page they list their references, but again, here are a few of the highlights.Here is one:"Binge drinking is associated with a number of adverse health effects, including unintentional injuries (e.g., motor vehicle crashes, falls, burns, drownings, and hypothermia); violence (homicide, suicide, child abuse, domestic violence); sudden infant death syndrome; alcohol poisoning; hypertension; myocardial infarction; gastritis; pancreatitis; sexually transmitted diseases; meningitis; and poor control of diabetes (Naimi, 2003)."
And another:"Heavy drinking is associated with a number of chronic health conditions, including chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, gastrointestinal cancers, heart disease, stroke, pancreatitis, depression, and a variety of social problems (Naimi, 2003)."
Try this one:"In 2001, there were approximately 1.4 million arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 of every 137 licensed drivers in the United States. (NHTSA, 2003)." I like this one, that is 1.4 million potential murderers or potential destroyers of lives by physically maiming or injuring. Wow, what about the ones that didn't get caught? How many were there?
Interesting:"Approximately 31.1% of those who die from unintentional, non-traffic injuries in the United States have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 g/dL or greater (Smith, 1999)."
All of these had to be mentioned: Remember there is more info on the CDC site, and references:
In 1997, about 40% of all crimes (violent and non-violent) were committed under the influence of alcohol (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998).
In 1997, 40% of convicted rape and sexual assault offenders said that they were drinking at the time of their crime (Greenfield, 2000).
Approximately 72% of rapes reported on college campuses occur when victims are so intoxicated they are unable to consent or refuse (Wecshler, 2004).
Two-thirds of victims of intimate partner violence reported that alcohol was involved in the incident (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998).
Nearly one-half of the cases of child abuse and neglect are associated with parental alcohol or drug abuse (Grant, 2000).
Approximately 23% of suicide deaths are attributable to alcohol (Smith, 1999).
If politicians are soooooooo concerned about people's health, welfare and the cost to non-users in rising medical costs, go after the booze. Or admit that basically they do not have the balls to do that.
