The McBournie Minute: Smoking

I'm not a smoker, however, I have been known to enjoy a stogie, so I am not a stranger to tobacco. I definitely don't need to have a nicotine fix daily, weekly, or even monthly. So keep that in mind.

I am sick and tired of people treating smokers like they are lepers. I understand smoking bans in work and public places, but things are going a little nutso lately. For example, the fact that if a movie has smoking in it, it may get an "R" rating.

Folks, smoking is bad, we need to keep kids away from it, but that doesn't mean we make it so taboo/ cool as to only be in an "R" rated movie. Do teens really not see those movies? How naive are you?

On top of that, smoking bans in bars are laughable. Much like as with tipping, if you don't want to smell like booze and smoke, don't go to a bar. You are not there for your health, and the people that work there choose to be, as well, so lay off the health risk argument. Alcohol and cigarettes go together like peanut butter and cyanide. They taste good and give you a buzz now and then, but you know if you have a lot of it, you will die.

At some point, your children are going to have to make a decision: whether or not they will smoke. And as parents, America, it's up to you to make sure they know they shouldn't, and up to you to make sure they don't. The rest of us should not have to suffer for your laziness.