The road to hell is paved with good intentions--an old axiom. but never more true than today.

The War on Tobacco was begun with the public health in mind, and that's a good thing. Over the past decade it has degenerated into a War on Smokers, and that's a bad thing. This is no longer a battle for the good of the people between a corrupt industry and the knights in shining charities; it is class warfare waged by the elitist health zealots on the poor and their battle cry is "tax, restrict and humiliate."

If we, the people, had been told ten years ago that our government would single out, or even allow to be singled out, one quarter of the population to be disenfranchised--and TAXED to pay for that disenfranchisment--we wouldn't have believed it.

There is no excuse for the treatment of smokers by our electorate, but at least there we have some say--we can vote them out.  However, it is truly outrageous that non-elected, non-governmental organizations are now allowed to make public policy that affects everyone, to use tax dollars to "restrict and humiliate" the very taxpayers from whom they extorted those taxes. It's wrong and it must be stopped. Right here. Right now.

We demand respect and equal treatment under the law for ALL citizens, and that includes smokers.

Sincerely,