Crazy government priorities

Pilar is a small, quiet woman who works in a back office and has no vice other than enjoying a cigarette, the curtailment of which under the government’s crazy system of priorities has driven her to seek help.

"I have no influence whatsoever, nor do I seek it," says Pilar, “and although I have a right to confront my electoral representative on this issue I am unwilling to stick my neck out just to get it chopped off."

"The last time I got riled up enough to hit back at an anti-smoker, I lost my job," says Pilar. "So you can understand why I am loathe to take my complaint -- by telephone, letter, email or face to face -- to my representative's office. I'd have to give my name and address and telephone number, and that's almost giving permission to an anti-smoker in that office to victimize me for the rest of my life."

"To admit to being smoker today is like admitting to being the worst possible type of human being on Earth -- worse than a pedophile or a suicide bomber," says Pilar. "Imagine that? People can be sympathetic to pedophiles and suicide bombers -- something bad must have happened to these misguided souls in childhood -- but nobody has ever spoken to me in a civil, let alone a sympathetic manner about my smoking because, believe it or not, the government I pay taxes to believes it is a higher priority to get rid of smokers than any other undesirable."

"I've known grown men turn white in fear when someone higher up the pecking order confronts them about their smoking," sighs Pilar. "It's a very serious and scary issue in workplaces, for men as well as women, and that's why I don't want to be confronted with bullying at home via government anti-smoking advertisements."

"All the public interest lawyers who might otherwise champion the cause of smokers are nowhere to been," says Pilar. "They don't want to jeopardize their careers with such an unpopular issue. Better to champion the pedophiles, right?"

“While I can appreciate that some arty-type smokers are getting their own back on the government and the anti-smoking lobbies by promoting cigarettes in a new wave of movies, this is merely adding fuel to the fire as far as I'm concerned,” says Pilar. “There must be a better way to fight a stupid government which believes banning smoking will solve all the world’s problems.”



Read more by Pilar on this issue:

tobacco tax funding ASH ads?

taxes diverted to the rich

ASH goes MADD