Just remember, nobody forces you to smoke. Like many things in life, they are your own personal choices.

As for smoking, I would like to see it banned in ALL PUBLIC PLACES. Why should I have to put up with someone elses smoke in my face.

If you wish to polute your own private air space, that's in your home, then go ahead, but please don't make the rest of us share your habits.

As for taxes, once again, it is your choice to smoke, just as it is your choice to buy an expensive car or buy take out and pay the tax.

Rehctub"As for taxes, once again, it is your choice to smoke, just as it is your choice to buy an expensive car or buy take out and pay the tax."

You are right, no steak this week, have to save my money for cigarettes.

What if "they" decided people were getting too unhealthy and started taxing meat heavily to discourage it and to stop the more sensitive members of society having to look at fat people as well as the lack of sleep over the poor animals and their suffering?

rehctub<<As for smoking,I would like to see it banned in ALL PUBLIC PLACES.>>well guess what..[check the law]..you allready got your wish...mate how thick are you wasting breath on a non/issue FOR YOU

i dont drive a car[presuming you do]..i hate your smoke from your car as you drive past my house..[or if your one of these stinky woman who reek of foul/perfumes[or a derolict who quote simply dont bathe[or a garlic eater,but you dont complain about them eh?

<<..put up with someone elses smoke in my face.>>you dont have to..[you dont mind laws telling anyone they cant do something..[but what about others telling you you cant?..[even if you never wanted to]..i dont like to see you holding hands with ya boyfriend,..but i dont bother making laws to prevent you..[dont issue punitive taxes[and sprout lies tying to get you to go out with girls not toyboys]

<<..don't make the rest of us share your habits.>>please explain just where i asked you to share anything..lol..mate buy your own'fags'..dont try to bludge mine

<<As for taxes..it is your choice..>>..people like you who dont care to pay tax..are quite conternt to have us pay..your tax..for you]..if your a tax-payer/pensioner/student..you just got a bonus..[WE ARE GOING TO PAY-OFF FOR YOU

<<..buy an expensive car or buy take-out and pay the tax.>>you miss presume..i dont drive cars..[nor buy takeout]..but yeah putting a tax on them sounds fine to me..[but not ever more tax on me]..

but..im not going to post any opinion on it..BECAUSE AS A NON car driver or a non junk food buyer..ITS NONE OF MY BUISNESS..[nor govts],..we get a tax..BUT NO REPRESENTATION by govt/or media nor say in govt/process

you didnt comment on drinking..[so]assume you are that drunk that urinates on my fence or spews his booze up on my footpath[or kicks the dog,and breaks bottles on my lawn]..but clearly you think they are just fine

its no mind to you..the tax is brought in BY LIES..[2/3rd of smokers never get sick]..only one quater of people are able to get cancer

I thought that would happen!!

I agree with reccers. And guess what? Post whatever rationale you like...

I will still hold the same opinion.

5- I blame the tobacco companies, if they hadn't tried to pretend it was harmless, and gone to such insane and ultimately ridiculous lengths to deny it, it would never have got to the current state of affairs, they brought the wrath of the Moralists down on all our heads.

You're kidding! That line is generations old and a well worn one at that. I really thought you could have posted a better argument than that one.

As for smoking in public places.

Sure, the law states that you can't smoke within 3 meters of an entrance to a building. Well, despite that fact that many smokers turn their noses up at the laws, it does not stop them from taking the last frantic drag, hurling their littering butt on the pavement, then exhailing as they enter the centre.

I recon an on the spot $1,000 fine for littering would be a good one. Lets let the perpitrators pay to clean up their mess. Why should we continue paying for this clean up from other tax payers dollars.

As for grog taxes, I don't have a problem with taxing grog however the 'alco pop tax' puzzles me as 'alco pops' is one way of the young ones measuring their consumption, but that's a whole new thread.

And finnally, there are some benefits to us non-smokers, as the more taxes you lot pay the less chance we have of being taxed for our meat and other stapple foods. Thanks guys, you're great!

p.s. OUG, save your gay lesso ramble for someone who gives a toss. I am as straight as they come and don't need the guidance of some mythical superiour being thank you.

Just keep puffing guys, it makes my lifestyle a little more affordable and LESS TAXED!

we all maKE STUPID ASSUMPTIONS[re the club]..i dont smoke filters, but have picked up thousands]..but as for your tax paying to clean them up your dreaming..[where they do get picked up no one is getting a single cent]

but you raise a good point[what say kids could get 5 cents per butt]in a week you couldnt find a butt anywhere..[well the gays could find butt anywhere,but we are talking here about cigarette butt's now[re the club]so lets focus on what is fair here

i note you offer no opinion on drunks and vandls[nor wife beaters nor child molesters[so must assume you condone that,you keep generalising about smokers[not one here has breathed THEIR smoke into YOUR face]

maybe you did that pre your holier than thou stance..[the worst are reformed smokers..[who being now'saved'build up their frail exteem[ego]by attacking their former mates

[reformed smokers are so biased one needs to wonder how those decieved into quitting ever had the strength to quit,..only by becoming evangelisers over their still smoking mates

i smoke knowing docters will have no sympathy on me when[if]..i ever get sick..[i pay my tax knowing that tax is going straight into the media pay racket..to call me and you idiots and sell us lies ever more proffitable lies about both smoking and global warming

just so govt can get ever bigger and demand ever more tax from its people to give ever more of it to their mates[i note you dont mind breathing in micro particulate from the diesal fumes[the 2 de highest cause of cancer[the first is wood smoke][but your free to be ignorant]and breath in the benzine[lead replacement, in your auto's fuel[the 3 rd biggest cause of cancer[and asbestosis[the 4th]