2008 Woodie Awards
Basis for smoking ban questionable
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Rocket Letters
To the editor:
At SRU last year during SGA elections, one ticket suggested building shelter for smokers to go to smoke.
The student body spoke and instead elected a man in a squirrel costume and a party ticket that handed out free food. You made your bed, now lie in it.
Nationally, this summer both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate created something known as the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act, which would provide health insurance for approximately five million children.
Sounds like a great idea right? But how do you pay for health care for five million kids? An increase on tobacco prices, an additional 61 cents on each pack of cigarettes, to be precise.
This is not something new.
Every time the government needs more money, it increases taxes on tobacco.
However, there are studies that show as the prices on tobacco increase, tobacco sales decrease, and the government does not get as much money as it planned it would.
The District of Columbia outlawed smoking January of 2007. I did an internship in Congress this summer for six weeks. Because there is no smoking 15 feet in front of any building (which would put you in the middle of traffic), Congress has smoking rooms.
This is what I suggest for Slippery Rock. If people do not want smokers to stand outside and smoke, provide smoking rooms on campus. One room in each building with a well-ventilated area between two sets of glass doors. Smokers go through both sets of doors and can light up, no smoke comes out and no non-smokers need to go in, everyone wins.
As the federal government raises tobacco prices and the state government limits where smokers can go, more and more people will quit smoking.
I refuse to eat in a restaurant that does not have a smoking section even if I am with non-smokers and sit with them in the non-smoking section.
I will not eat or buy cigarettes in Ohio or DC because of their laws. By banning smoking, Pennsylvania is killing the goose that lays the golden egg. If smoking is banned on Slippery Rock's campus, I will leave this place I love so much and go somewhere that does not discriminate against smokers.
Alex McNeill
Junior
Policical science major
At SRU last year during SGA elections, one ticket suggested building shelter for smokers to go to smoke.
The student body spoke and instead elected a man in a squirrel costume and a party ticket that handed out free food. You made your bed, now lie in it.
Nationally, this summer both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate created something known as the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act, which would provide health insurance for approximately five million children.
Sounds like a great idea right? But how do you pay for health care for five million kids? An increase on tobacco prices, an additional 61 cents on each pack of cigarettes, to be precise.
This is not something new.
Every time the government needs more money, it increases taxes on tobacco.
However, there are studies that show as the prices on tobacco increase, tobacco sales decrease, and the government does not get as much money as it planned it would.
The District of Columbia outlawed smoking January of 2007. I did an internship in Congress this summer for six weeks. Because there is no smoking 15 feet in front of any building (which would put you in the middle of traffic), Congress has smoking rooms.
This is what I suggest for Slippery Rock. If people do not want smokers to stand outside and smoke, provide smoking rooms on campus. One room in each building with a well-ventilated area between two sets of glass doors. Smokers go through both sets of doors and can light up, no smoke comes out and no non-smokers need to go in, everyone wins.
As the federal government raises tobacco prices and the state government limits where smokers can go, more and more people will quit smoking.
I refuse to eat in a restaurant that does not have a smoking section even if I am with non-smokers and sit with them in the non-smoking section.
I will not eat or buy cigarettes in Ohio or DC because of their laws. By banning smoking, Pennsylvania is killing the goose that lays the golden egg. If smoking is banned on Slippery Rock's campus, I will leave this place I love so much and go somewhere that does not discriminate against smokers.
Alex McNeill
Junior
Policical science major
