Letters to the Editor
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‘Bloomberg to Albany: Give City “Fair Share”‘
Anyone with an ounce of respect for the liberty to live life with a free will without government interference cannot possibly look at this remark by Mayor Bloomberg and not cringe in disgust:
“Make no mistake about it, if you don’t raise the [cigarette] tax we are killing people” [New York Sun Web Site, “Bloomberg to Albany: Give City ‘Fair Share,'” January 28, 2008].
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 the product once and for all.
Anything short of that respect for the way government works is disrespectful. Otherwise, it is tyranny over the public that strips us of our rights to make our own informed decisions. There are billions of dollars spent (read wasted) on anti-smoking campaigns to make an informed choice.
It is not you or anyone else who are “killing people” — whether it be their choice to smoke or eat cake every day or prefer the taste of food cooked in transfat.
I’d thank you to stop believing and speaking as if you have any right to impose your idea of what is not acceptable behavior and dictate through confiscatory practices how the free people of this nation should live their lives.
AUDREY SILK
Founder
Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment
New York, N.Y.
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