In Philip Morris's home state? Good luck with that.

Virginia was built on tobacco.

Bite the hand that feeds,,,

I'mOKwiththis.jpg

People want to whine about their taxes going to pay for ridiculous government benefit plans? This is how you reduce the cost of the plan, in the long run. At some point in the future, the Commonwealth will also wrap its head around the fact that being a smoker is not a protected class for civil rights purposes. You can't fire a drunk (as an addict, they have to be given the chance to get treatment for the addiction as a disability), but you can refuse to hire one. Being a smoker should not be treated any differently.

employees, government or otherwise, attend mandatory classes all the time. I fail to see what the issue is.

I like the idea, but the argument has to be framed just right. Many things are harmful or unhealthy, but do we want our employers or our schools telling us we have to wear helmets when we ride bikes, or else face termination? No soda, or fail a review? Don't drive too fast, or get docked a grade?

And damn it, if smoking is so terrible why not just outlaw it? Why pussy foot around it?

ModernLuddite: Many things are harmful or unhealthy, but do we want our employers or our schools telling us we have to wear helmets when we ride bikes, or else face termination? No soda, or fail a review? Don't drive too fast, or get docked a grade?

how about mandatory training on how we should wear helmets when we ride bikes? Or a training film about the ill effects of pop(not soda)? or a seminar on why people shouldn't drive fast?

because that's all this is. a class.

Come see me. Don't want to spam the hellouttafark....so you'll just have to find me.

PuffnStuff can get you off those stanksticks.

VA Doc says I'm a non-smoker now.

The sensation I get from smoking is that of a railroad worker, enjoying the rustic scenery in the 1800's.

ModernLuddite: I like the idea, but the argument has to be framed just right. Many things are harmful or unhealthy, but do we want our employers or our schools telling us we have to wear helmets when we ride bikes, or else face termination? No soda, or fail a review? Don't drive too fast, or get docked a grade?

And damn it, if smoking is so terrible why not just outlaw it? Why pussy foot around it?

As a former insurance agent... people who have speeding tickets on their record can be rejected as job applicants at insurance companies. Not wearing a helmet is another traffic offense that can be used to make an adverse employment decision, in the right industry. And soldiers in the Army are currently being discharged for being too fat to do their jobs.

A meteor just needs to smite us right the fark out of existence...again.

... all the fatties have to attend weight-loss counselling too.

_{/didn't think so}

cedarpark: ... all the fatties have to attend weight-loss counselling too.

The way we're headed, I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm okay with this.

smoking needs to die.

HotWingAgenda: ModernLuddite: I like the idea, but the argument has to be framed just right. Many things are harmful or unhealthy, but do we want our employers or our schools telling us we have to wear helmets when we ride bikes, or else face termination? No soda, or fail a review? Don't drive too fast, or get docked a grade?

And damn it, if smoking is so terrible why not just outlaw it? Why pussy foot around it?

As a former insurance agent... people who have speeding tickets on their record can be rejected as job applicants at insurance companies. Not wearing a helmet is another traffic offense that can be used to make an adverse employment decision, in the right industry. And soldiers in the Army are currently being discharged for being too fat to do their jobs.


That last one is a little different. If you are unable to perform you duties there are going to be issues no matter where you are. In the case of the Army there can be slightly bigger consequences.

George Orwell, an inveterate chain smoker, once wrote an essay about his idea of the perfect pub. It would have a beer garden for the children, a selection of real ales, good food of the plowman's lunch type, and so on. Nowhere did he mention a ban on smoking. It would never have entered the seething mind of the author of 1984.

cedarpark: ... all the fatties have to attend weight-loss counselling too.

/didn't think so


All the fatties have to attend villages in Africa and be BBQed.

phrawgh: George Orwell, an inveterate chain smoker, once wrote an essay about his idea of the perfect pub. It would have a beer garden for the children, a selection of real ales, good food of the plowman's lunch type, and so on. Nowhere did he mention a ban on smoking. It would never have entered the seething mind of the author of 1984.

I'm certain he also didn't understand the horrible health effects that second hand smoke has on people. But nice try.

I don't even smoke and I don't like it. fark you that's why.

cedarpark: ... all the fatties have to attend weight-loss counselling too.

/didn't think so

This. And it should take priority over smoking classes.

The All-Powerful Atheismo: phrawgh: George Orwell, an inveterate chain smoker, once wrote an essay about his idea of the perfect pub. It would have a beer garden for the children, a selection of real ales, good food of the plowman's lunch type, and so on. Nowhere did he mention a ban on smoking. It would never have entered the seething mind of the author of 1984.

I'm certain he also didn't understand the horrible health effects that second hand smoke has on people. But nice try.

Are you so sure?

Old Major warns, "Your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade." - Animal Farm

phrawgh: The All-Powerful Atheismo: phrawgh: George Orwell, an inveterate chain smoker, once wrote an essay about his idea of the perfect pub. It would have a beer garden for the children, a selection of real ales, good food of the plowman's lunch type, and so on. Nowhere did he mention a ban on smoking. It would never have entered the seething mind of the author of 1984.

I'm certain he also didn't understand the horrible health effects that second hand smoke has on people. But nice try.

Are you so sure?

Old Major warns, "Your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade." - Animal Farm

Right, because wearing clothes, is an evil, filthy habit that kills the ones you love.

phrawgh: Are you so sure?

Old Major warns, "Your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade." - Animal Farm


not big on reading are you?

log_jammin: phrawgh: Are you so sure?

Old Major warns, "Your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade." - Animal Farm


not big on reading are you?

Nah he basically missed the only point to what I said.

The All-Powerful Atheismo: Nah he basically missed the only point to what I said.

BUT HE SAID ANIMALS SHOULDN'T SMOKE TOBACCO!!!!

The All-Powerful Atheismo: log_jammin: phrawgh: Are you so sure?

Old Major warns, "Your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade." - Animal Farm


not big on reading are you?

Nah he basically missed the only point to what I said.

He might have just been trying to emphasize the bit about never changing your mind or letting someone persuade you.

...and you have all these respected CEO's who testified under oath, in front of congress, stating tobacco is not bad for people, or farm animals for that matter.

It is only for smokers, so I'm OK with it. I wonder if they have a smoke break in the middle of the class?

phrawgh: ...and you have all these respected CEO's who testified under oath, in front of congress, stating tobacco is not bad for people, or farm animals for that matter.

Great, now you've got me thinking about second-hand smoke's effect on animals and whether someone like the ASPCA can sue somebody for smoking around farm animals or pets. Next, smoking outdoors will be banned because you're hurting the squirrels and the trees.

The All-Powerful Atheismo: I'm okay with this.

smoking needs to die.

It is truly the most disgusting, vile and dirty thing I see people do. Daily I see idiots throw their shiat on the ground. Daily I have to work beside people who come to work smelling like cigarettes.

I'd vote for a total ban times a million.

Smoking is gross

jmr61: The All-Powerful Atheismo: I'm okay with this.

smoking needs to die.

It is truly the most disgusting, vile and dirty thing I see people do. Daily I see idiots throw their shiat on the ground. Daily I have to work beside people who come to work smelling like cigarettes.

I'd vote for a total ban times a million.

People in the tobacco industry are intentionally marketing a product that kills its users when used as intended, from the corporate fat cat sitting in his 50th-floor mahogany-panelled office, to the farmer growing the stuff, down to the clerk in the convenience store selling the crap. Oh, and let's not forget the slime bag politician that accepts campaign contributions from the merchants of death.

Yet, let one get caught in possession of products causing less than 1/100th of the damage that tobacco causes by our stupid cement-headed authorities and they'll happily ruin the rest of your life.

Truly, we are a farked-up society.

It's not like smokers don't know what they're doing to themselves in this day in age. I'd consider that someone who still smokes today has signed a consent form for the delicious cancer and other diseases they're earning themselves and their families. Insurance companies shouldn't cover diseases caused by smoking. That would end the complaints of the "cost" of smoking.

I'm an equal opportunity hater though. Insurance companies shouldn't pay for wildfire damage in a forest, heart attacks for a 500 pound man, frostbite in the arctic, or wind damage in a mobile home park in Kansas. There is just some behavior you have to admit that you do knowingly, willingly, and without a care for the side effects. You shouldn't be compensated for this particular behavior.

The All-Powerful Atheismo: I'm okay with this.

smoking needs to die.

Easier said than done, man. Yes, it is a horrific, nasty habit. But once you're hooked, it's not just a matter of stopping one random Thursday morning.

Addiction is why smoking will persist, regardless of attempts to curtail it.

/smoker
//outdoors anyway

What if you're a non-smoker?

OTOH, I had one job where I had to take a mandatory sexual harassment class, and that's never been one of my traits either.

If you're a non smoker and you go to a stop-smoking school, do you get extra points like you get when you slow down to 15mph when you see a police officer on the side of the road?

Ex-smoker and I think this is an unjust infringement on peoples' rights to kill themselves however they please.

"Cutting healthcare costs" is not a valid reason to start telling people what to do and how to think as a condition of employment. I don't care if there is precedent, it's shiatty. Work should be work, and that's it.

dickfreckle:
Easier said than done, man. Yes, it is a horrific, nasty habit. But once you're hooked, it's not just a matter of stopping one random Thursday morning.
/smoker
//outdoors anyway

Chantix worked for me.

/35 years of a pack a day
//took 3-4 months to become a non-smoker

cedarpark: ... all the fatties have to attend weight-loss counselling too.

/didn't think so

45 Million smokers in the US.
198 Million obese adults in the US.

Obviously smoking is the bigger issue in this country.

/old stats may be old
//sure it still applies though

gadian: It's not like smokers don't know what they're doing to themselves in this day in age. I'd consider that someone who still smokes today has signed a consent form for the delicious cancer and other diseases they're earning themselves and their families. Insurance companies shouldn't cover diseases caused by smoking. That would end the complaints of the "cost" of smoking.

Well it never hurts to be reminded, and if your employer has to pay more because of yoru habits I have no problems witht hem reminding of the harm of thoser habits.

Plus the classes may educate them on options for quitting which they may be reimbursed for.

gadian: It's not like smokers don't know what they're doing to themselves in this day in age. I'd consider that someone who still smokes today has signed a consent form for the delicious cancer and other diseases they're earning themselves and their families. Insurance companies shouldn't cover diseases caused by smoking. That would end the complaints of the "cost" of smoking.

I'm an equal opportunity hater though. Insurance companies shouldn't pay for wildfire damage in a forest, heart attacks for a 500 pound man, frostbite in the arctic, or wind damage in a mobile home park in Kansas. There is just some behavior you have to admit that you do knowingly, willingly, and without a care for the side effects. You shouldn't be compensated for this particular behavior.

I say let the insurance companies cover all those things and include hurricane damage on the coast (I'm looking at you NewOrleans) and flood damage in flood plains... BUT require people who chose to take on those risk factors to have insurance that covers their possible losses and make the premiums high enough that it covers the losses. In other words, pay for your own care or don't do risky shiat.
Wanna live in hurricane alley, ok, your insurance is 5 times higher than inland. And it is mandatory.
Don't like it... move somewhere else.
/and put out that cigarette, you aren't paid up on your lung cancer insurance.

Soon they'll stop serving fried food in the cafeteria and having sugary sodas in the vending machines, and requiring all employees to get a flu vaccine (which has all happened at my place of employment).

Next up, being test and fired for eating fried chicken.

HotWingAgenda Smartest
Funniest
2012-12-12 01:03:23 AM


I'mOKwiththis.jpg

People want to whine about their taxes going to pay for ridiculous government benefit plans? This is how you reduce the cost of the plan, in the long run. At some point in the future, the Commonwealth will also wrap its head around the fact that being a smoker is not a protected class for civil rights purposes. You can't fire a drunk (as an addict, they have to be given the chance to get treatment for the addiction as a disability), but you can refuse to hire one. Being a smoker should not be treated any differently.



Hey thanks! Hadn't had my first laugh of the day yet.

Lligeret: HotWingAgenda: ModernLuddite: I like the idea, but the argument has to be framed just right. Many things are harmful or unhealthy, but do we want our employers or our schools telling us we have to wear helmets when we ride bikes, or else face termination? No soda, or fail a review? Don't drive too fast, or get docked a grade?

And damn it, if smoking is so terrible why not just outlaw it? Why pussy foot around it?

As a former insurance agent... people who have speeding tickets on their record can be rejected as job applicants at insurance companies. Not wearing a helmet is another traffic offense that can be used to make an adverse employment decision, in the right industry. And soldiers in the Army are currently being discharged for being too fat to do their jobs.


That last one is a little different. If you are unable to perform you duties there are going to be issues no matter where you are. In the case of the Army there can be slightly bigger consequences.

It's just one more excuse for not keeping them on long enough to have a sizeable pension obligation.

Being too fat in the Army, where one is virtually an indentured servant, is an opportunity to send them to fat/boot camp for some toning. But they don't do that any more.

CarnySaur: Soon they'll stop serving fried food in the cafeteria and having sugary sodas in the vending machines, and requiring all employees to get a flu vaccine (which has all happened at my place of employment).

They'd have to strap me down to get me to take a flu shot.

It's getting harder and harder to do what you want with your own life and self in this society.

That's the only thing I'm getting out of this thread.

...And some farkers LIKE that idea?

I have often wondered, if there were no negative side effects from smoking, would everyone smoke?

This story has lulz from all angles:

VIRGINIA, brought to you by Carl's Jr Big Tobacco is attempting to limit hiring of smokers, who make a personal choice, because of the associated high healthcare costs. This is the same state with a fairly derpy Congressional delegation (including Rob Wittman, Frank Wolf and Eric Cantor), super-derpy Republican governor (Bob "Rape Wands" McDonnell) and ULTRA-derpy AG (Kenny the Cooch), trying to pass a county ordinance - in FAIRFAX, the least blue part of NoVa.

WTF kind of crazy pills are making me read this weird boner?

Reading comprehension, it's a good idea:
The difference is they would not actually have to kick the habit to be hired or to keep their jobs.

Lots of companies have this option. Doesn't mean you have to quit, just shows the insurance that you are being pro-active.

majestic: I have often wondered, if there were no negative side effects from smoking, would everyone smoke?

I would.

Of course I would also smoke pot if it were legal and when I find out I have a terminal illness, I plan on touring all of the drogs.

log_jammin: phrawgh: Are you so sure?

Old Major warns, "Your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade." - Animal Farm


not big on reading are you?

I think he was just sharing a line he could recall from Orwell, that indeed mentions tobacco. Personally I was impressed with the poster's ability to pull it out on demand.

/ Quit smoking cigarettes 11 months ago.
// Saved well over $1000 at this point.
/// One of the best decisions I've ever made
//// Slashies