This letter is in response to the letter written by Jennifer Hyden.
Ms. Hyden - I'm sorry to hear that you have such a problem with your asthma, but, honey, come on - where do we draw the line here? You want to have a ban on smoking at outdoor events? Well, maybe there should be a smoking and non-smoking area for these events!
Smokers have already pretty much been banned from smoking inside - anywhere - now you don't want them outside either? I'm not a heartless person - but if you see someone "light-up" - then walk away.
As far as the people who have to get assistance, such as WIC and food stamps - I believe you need to do a bit more research on that before you condemn these people for being smokers. The families that need this assistance have to use it for food - not cigarettes. If you do not have any children of your own, then I do not expect you to understand that! If you happen to see these people pulling out $50 to buy a carton of cigarettes, that money is their own money!
Also, Ms. Hyden, you may feel that you're being discriminated against because of your asthma - but the smokers are the ones being discriminated against for choosing to smoke.
For some odd reason, I guess the smokers thought they lived in America, where they still have the right to choose to smoke ... for now!
Most of our restaurants are now smoke free as well as just about every other public place - so let's not use the word "discrimination" too loosely here!
Here's what I want to know, Ms. Hyden. Are you also going to start picking on the restaurants that serve alcohol? How many people have been killed from drunk drivers? Now, how many people have been killed from someone smoking and driving? Although the person sitting next to you may not be smoking - they just may be the person who had a couple of drinks and crashes into you, and your asthma wasn't affected one bit, but you never once complained about the drinker!
Like I said earlier - I'm not a heartless person - but I do know that there are fast-acting inhalers that an asthmatic person, with asthma as bad as yours, can carry with them. I, myself, do have asthma - so I know this for a fact! If your asthma is that bad that even just the toxins from cigarette smoke can send you into an attack, then it sounds like you're pretty sensitive to any outdoor event (smokers or not). There are many toxins in the air other than cigarette smoke, so your doctor has probably told you to be extra careful no matter what you choose to do.
For now, if a person is 18 years or older, then its still legal for them to choose to be a smoker. I wish everyone would quit treating smokers like they're harden criminals. If a person is a smoker, then let them have their own bad habit!
I'm sure you have a few bad habits of your own, Ms. Hyden.
