Many cities, and some entire states are enacting bans on smoking in public places. I am an ex-smoker, who hasn’t smoked for about a year. Still, I think people should have the right to smoke if they choose. More importantly, businesses should have the right to decide if they want to allow smoking in their establishments.
Cigarettes are not any more harmful than Read the rest of this entry »
The night of ghouls, goblins, witches, warlocks, vampires, mummies, Rachael Ray, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, and other spooky creatures is among us. Tonight is Halloween!
Many of us will be trick or treating with the kids this evening. Although this activity is both traditional and fun, it seems to have been ruined by a lot of anti-Halloween hysteria. Our neighborhood, for instance, is full of Read the rest of this entry »
I used to be a smoker. My cigarette of choice was Camel Wide-Gauge. I have no idea how many packs of cigarettes that I smoked in my life, but I have proof that I smoked more than 1,500. You see, I still have the Camel Dollars that I saved during the last 3-4 years of my habit.
Camel dollars were these little pieces of paper that were included with packs of Camel cigarettes. Each pack had one Camel Dollar attached, and they could be traded in for gifts ranging from t-shirts and Zippo lighters, all the way to $4,000 pool tables.
I collected my camel dollars back when Joe Camel was featured on them. After Joe Camel was retired (due to a silly U.S. law banning cartoon mascots for cigarette companies), I stored the 450 Joe Camel dollars away separate from my other Camel Dollars.
A few years after Joe’s retirement, I was in the process of moving to a new house when my 450+ Joe Camel Dollars (along with a VCR and some clothing) were stolen out of a car carrying many of my belongings. Fortunately, I had been trading in my other dollars for merchandise offered through their catalogs. A few years ago I got the bright idea to save my dollars until I could get one of the really big prizes.
So I saved and I smoked and I smoked and I saved. I was determined to be a winner, so I had to be the best smoker I could be. I knew that smoking was risky, but what’s a little cancer when your talkin’ pool tables!?.
Last year, in March, Camel announced that it was ending the campaign. I decided that it was time to cash in my C-Notes and claim my prize for being such a dedicated smoker. I logged in to the Camel website, and entered the information they e-mailed me when I subscribed to their newsletter.
I navigated my way to the Camel offerings and was very disappointed. The few items worth having were sold out, but I was somewhat consoled by the message on their page stating that more items would be added soon.
Instead of cashing in my dollars for prizes that I did not want, I waited for more choices to be offered. As I waited, I continued buying packs with C-Notes attached instead of the fresher packs that no longer included the Camel cash. I also checked in on the site regularly.
After a few weeks, coupon books were added. The coupon books were a pretty good deal; something like, 250 C-Notes could be exchanged for a book of 10 coupons to save $4 off a carton of cigarettes. I think there was a maximum of 5 books that could be claimed. The message remained, stating that more prizes will be added soon.
I didn’t really need the coupon books, so I waited a bit longer for more items to be added. After about a month, and getting nervous about the lack of new items, I decided to accept the crummy coupon books and eat the loss of my excess C-Notes. I logged into the site and the coupon books said “sold out.” Cmon!, they are pieces of paper printed by the Camel company! How can they “sell out!”
Camel never offered the coupons again, and eventually they removed the page claiming “more items will be added soon.” Thats okay. I traded my cigarettes for patches and then I traded my patches for a nicotine-free bloodstream. Not smoking is the greatest revenge.
I have been a non-smoker for nearly a year and Camel will never get another dime from me. Who deserves a prize for smoking cigarettes anyway? People who never smoked in the first place deserve the prize. I’m just glad I wasn’t rewarded for my smoking efforts with emphysema.
C-Notes Camel Dollars Smoker Tobacco Reward
Camel Cigarettes Offered C-Dollars For Smoking
I read a news story today about five adults, ages 18-20, who were arrested last night for drinking at a party. A 21 year-old man was also arrested in the incident, for “providing alcohol to minors”.
I never understood the paradox of charging adults, as adults, with “possession of alcohol by a minor.” Or for that matter, an adult being charged with “furnishing alcohol to a minor,” because he offered Read the rest of this entry »
In 1999, Michigan enacted a law requiring mandatory drug tests for welfare recipients. In the year 2000, the Supreme Court struck the law down. Since then, no other state has passed any law demanding that people on welfare be tested for illegal drugs. I think welfare recipients should be tested.
I’m not saying that people on welfare use more drugs. In fact, studies have shown that the percentage of people using illicit drugs is about the same, whether on welfare or not. I’m not even going to argue about the cost effectiveness of mandatory drug-testing. The tax-money saved by temporarily denying benefits to drug users, would be about the same as the cost of drug-testing. My argument boils down to an issue of fairness.
Welfare is paid for with tax-dollars. Taxes are paid by people who have jobs. Most Americans have to take drug tests in order to land and keep a job.
Every week, Americans with jobs pay about 30% of their income to taxes. Much of that money is used to provide welfare benefits to people who are unemployed and/or impoverished. Some of the people on welfare spend much of their checks on illegal drugs. Because they use drugs, they are unable to land and keep a job. Because they don’t have jobs, they never pay taxes.
I have heard arguments concerning reasons to not making drug tests a condition of welfare. The biggest argument is that if drug users lose their benefits, it could harm their children.
Couldn’t the same argument be used against drug testing in the workplace? If someone loses their job and income it can hurt their children as bad, if not worse, than someone who loses welfare due to drug use. Furthermore, it is unfair to working people to require a drug test before they can earn a paycheck, but no drug test to be given a welfare check.
Welfare recipients should be the first ones tested, so users can be offered treatment in order to get off drugs, have benefits reinstated, and eventually get off welfare and into a proper job. Many recipients will never find gainful employment if they are able to use drugs and still collect welfare checks.
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