Bianca See

Smoking is a self-inflicted public-health issue in our county.

 

On every pack and carton of cigarettes sold in the U.S. is a label from the Surgeon General warning about possible effects from smoking.

 

Even though the smoking rate is down to 20 percent from 40 percent in 1970, the tobacco industry still makes about $6.8 billion a year from cigarette sales, regardless of their dangerous physical result.

 

Our nation is in trouble and has been for a long time.  We've known this more than a decade.  The state of our union has been suffering and the division between both political parties is only making things worse.

As for whose fault it is, let's go with the standard answer and say the president's.  If taxes rise, blame the president and his party. If your officials don't get re-elected, blame the president's agenda.  No matter who did it, the president is to blame.

Imagine how Americans would react if the U.S. government passed a law making it illegal to wear a certain article of clothing. The streets would bleed white with protest signs plastered with slogans about the people's right to wear whatever whenever. The incident would be upheaval at its best. Surprisingly, the Muslims in France faced a similar extreme earlier this summer.