Submitted by Audrey Silk, Jan 29, 2008 02:30

Anyone -- and I do mean ANYONE -- with an ounce of respect for the liberty to live life with a free will without government interference endowed to the people of this great nation by the framers of the Constitution cannot possibly look at this remark by Bloomberg and not cringe in disgust:

"Make no mistake about it, if you don't raise the [cigarette] tax we are killing people."

Mr. Bloomberg, cigarettes are a legal product. By all means, if you think no one should ever smoke, then go to Congress, bang your fist on the podium and demand that legislation commence immediately to prohibit the sale of use of the product once and for all. Anything short of that respect for the way government works is disrespect for, and tyranny over the public that strips them of their natural law rights to make their own informed decisions. And considering the billions of dollars spent (read wasted) on anti-smoking/anti-smoker measures and campaigns a person would have to have lived in a cave not to have been bombarded with "smoking kills" to weigh toward making an informed choice.

This "we" you speak of are the sanctimonious busybodies like you who abuse the power of their office who make statements like this as if it's YOUR role to make -- or rather, NOT make -- the choice FOR us. In other words, no... it is not you or anyone else that are "killing people" -- whether it be their choice to smoke or eat cake every day or prefer the taste of food cooked in transfat -- and I'd thank you to stop believing and speaking as if you have any right to dictate through confiscatory practices (in practice this is nothing more than legalized robbery and persecution of a class) how the free people of this nation will live their lives.

Concluding "there's no other way to view it" scares the hell out of me, especially imagining Bloomberg running for president. In fact, the other way -- the RIGHT way -- to view it is to stand for free will and personal responsibility -- a cornerstone of our country's guiding document. That Bloomberg can ONLY see it the other way should be deeply disturbing to EVERYONE who's own style of pursuit of happiness will be determined at the whim of a Bloomberg.

Audrey Silk

Founder, NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment (C.L.A.S.H.)

Brooklyn, NY

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