ttbn,

About two years ago I attended a meeting on public transport. As I cannot drive (with Epilepsy) and having public transport services cut off (I spoke at the meeting on this) and I was covered on Channel 7 news the following evening.

A woman also spoke and I found out, she had Epilepsy, which she got a lot later in life (out of surprise) and then couldn't drive. She then had to work from home and said she felt "trapped in her own home" as a result. She has no public transport in the newer housing estate area she lives in. She had her name and comments printed in our local newspaper.

Also one day when I got a phone call from a health department representative wanting to undertake a survey, she was a bit surprised to find out I had a bone density condition (when I'm only aged in my mid 30's). I explained this was linked to a (previous epilepsy medication I'd taken since about 8 years of age) and was found at about 27 years of age (to be allergic to) giving me low levels of calcium.

It's not a shameful thing to talk about health conditions, and the fact that I had some sort of 'something' to do it, is not a crime.

If people don't talk about health more, politicians will "keep" pathetic health policies in place, including smoking, without thinking about the impacts, because it's all too silent.

Good on you NathanJ for standing up for yourself.
You started this thread and mentioned you had medical problems in your opening post, so expanding on that information is up to you, and totally appropriate on this forum.

As long as you are aware however, that some on this forum will use any personal information you give about yourself, against you.
We all have our opinions on smoking and smokers, and this opinion forum is one place to air those opinions.

I'm real sorry Nathan to hear about your medical conditions. I really am.
And I'm sorry smokers impose on you in public sometimes as you don't smoke, and in a perfect world you shouldn't have to put up with it.

But an MP posted an article in this forum a few months back and stated that smokers are taxed at 17 times the cost they impose upon society.
So essentially its smokers who are getting ripped off and are helping pay for the treatments of non-smokers health related issues, such as yours.

I smoke. I know its bad for me, I know it can bother others sometimes and I wish I could give up.

But you've got it round the wrong way when you criticise.

If not for smokers, and of governments stealing from them there wouldn't be money to help people like you, so really in some ways you should be grateful to the smokers.

You should thank me.

I know you didn't ask for your medical conditions, and that smokers bring smoking related medical conditions on themselves.

Governments not only profit from my smoking, they also profited from the extensive cigarette advertising in the 80's that helped to get me addicted.

In this way they helped get me addicted and have been stealing from me ever since, to help pay for the new hospital and the new medical equipment and for doctors and nursing staff with sufficient expertise to help people like you.

Did you ever think that maybe people who don't have conditions you suffer from might have a similar ignorant opinion as you do?
Maybe smokers oppose paying for you.
Your medical conditions aren't our fault so why should we pay for you?

How about the government gather up all the money it took from me in tax?
Am I not paying it forward?
As if profiting on helping me get addicted, stealing from me for life off something which may eventually kill me isn't enough?

Just some points you might want to take in.

I offer you best wishes and hope your medical conditions improve.

Step one, quarantine welfare as this will prevent a fair amount of tabbacco and grog from being consumed, not to mention gambling.

Step two, charge people with self inflicted health issues when they see a doctor, even a hospital.

At some point our law makers are going to have to decide what does get funded and what misses out because the revenue can't keep pace with expenditure.

Do we stop supporting those who self harm, or the rest?

This choice will have to be made perhaps sooner rather than later.

Good try Armchair Critic, but I doubt the tax smokers pay on their packs of cigarettes go far enough to pay the huge price of their habit on the health system.

I couldn't find any actual statistics on that, so it is just my opinion.
However, they do save the Government some money in that they generally die younger.

Well, I thought that *Arm Chair Critic* offered a reasoanble indication of what I thought was well the case.

But, in advance of some solid stats coming out (unless someone can find the post that *A.C.C.* refers to), and for the sake of argument, let's say that a heavy smoker is paying $AU100 per week in tax *52 weeks per annum = $AU5,200 per year + MEDICARE contribution * (say 30 years from the age 20 - 50 before getting sick from it)

= $AU5,200 * 30 + (30 years of MEDICARE contributions)
= $ 156,000 + (30 years of MEDICARE contributions) + the interest that that money has accrued.

I think that's a fair sized contribution even if they end up requiring a battery of tests, chemo and or an oxygen bottle wouldn't you say *Suze?*