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Actions are louder than pens, Obama
Published Tuesday, June 23, 2009
President Obama signed into law Monday one of the strongest anti-smoking bills in the history of the United States.
And we applaud him for doing so. Smoking is widely known to be associated with severe health risks and ultimately, in many cases, those health risks wind up being health problems.
All too often those problems must be paid for with taxpayer-funded healthcare plans such as Medicaid and Medicare.
Few adults will argue that smoking isn’t a nasty, unhealthy habit and one that can be especially difficult to break.
But as Obama’s pen signed the bill into law, we couldn’t help but wonder how many cigarettes he had smoked already that day.
The president openly admits he’s not proud of his addiction to cigarettes, but he comes off slightly hypocritical as he bashes the tobacco industry of which he helps fund by his own habit.
Obama is an excellent role model for many, many youth. He’s intelligent, articulate, well educated, physically active and family focused.
But that one nagging habit of smoking seems to tarnish, slightly, his position as the role model in chief.
We hope he will soon become a very public role spokesman for the benefits of being a former smoker instead of a closet one.
Comments
Posted by cherron (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 7:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I thought we had a pursuit of happiness; guess he’ll like to guide us to the happiness that he believes is fit. HEY OBAMA WE CAN’T SMOKE IF WE ARE DEAD, CHECK OUT THE NORTH KOREANS!!!!! There are more pressing matters that need to addressed right now.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 8:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As far as he's concerned, it's his way or no way.
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 8:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What is it about OBAMA that keeps everybody talkin'? Everything thing he tries to do someone always has somethin' to say. He has opened ours eyes to all the corruption that was happenin' in Washington and in other areas. Give the man a chance. What did Bush do but get us into the mess we're in right now and bailed? Imagine McCain and Palin in charge right about now.....Please! You want the dude to fail so you can say .....I told you so.
Posted by SniperX (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Grease for that slippery slope! Lets all slide into socialism. Watch your freedom of slip away.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
By the way, what was the article about???? What was the wording??? No smoking, who, what, when, or where???
You became so engrossed in his smoking you forgot to tell us about the bill. What's he signed now???
I think someone needs to follow him around and keep all ink pens locked up and away from him.
He's determined to go into history as the president who does the most signing of anything. He does'nt care what it is, just put it in front of him and give him a pen. God please help us....
Posted by kpage1 (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Whoops, there went my freedom to smoke....and soon my freedom of speech will be deleted....oh goodness, here comes my right to own a firearm. Yep, it's happening THAT FAST! I'm with ya on that, <<SniperX>>!!
I quit smoking because I wanted to, not because somebody told me I had to as they inhaled in one breath, flicked an ash with another, and then signed away my right to a Marlboro as smoke blew out of his own dadgum nostrils.
Posted by momof1 (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 9:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope that the government will actually ban whatever it is that is so addictive in cigarettes so that people who want to quit will be more successful. IF, and I repeat, IF they accomplish that, then I will applaud the president for doing this.
Posted by Natchezbear (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 9:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Y'all wanted a change............Well you got it! And just think we are only 6 1/2 months into his first term. We could have made history with the first woman ,but noOOoooOOo. Now your cigs are $50 dollars a carton,He has already spent more money than all the other presidents in history,and a new war is looming in two separate regions.
" Let me make this perfectly clear"
and Oh by the way this bear is still waiting on his Obama check promised. Now you have to take the good with the bad. Let him stamp out smoking and change the ways of the world in the process.
Posted by cherron (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Whats this I hear that he's bringing the death tax back? Didn't the Kingfish do that? It sisn't work out too well for him.
Posted by cherron (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
didn't
Posted by GoldenAE (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 12:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is quite interesting to see how people take issue with whatever Obama does or does not do. Getting the FDA involved in smoking is just the most recent case of people siding with the "abuser". One would think that tobacco companies have conducted themselves in the most honest of ways from the reaction that people are giving. They have not. They have lied about their products for years, knowing they were harmful and addictive. Aside from that, smoking may be a personal choice, but a lot of the results are not personal. Tobacco companies made a conscious decision some time back to be as deceptive as they could about cigarrettes. How else could companies profit from something that ultimately hooks and kills a majority of the people that partake of it? Also, smokers brought some of this on themselves by not being considerate of people that do not smoke as well as kids and people with respiratory problems.
Bush and Conservatives typically have been the authors of less regulation. We see how that turned out for the banking industry and financial markets. Nobody likes over-regulation, but it should also be obvious at this point that we can not have blind trust for corporations to look out for people's best interests. A lot of the talk going on today is more about a dislike for Obama than for what he is actually doing or not doing. IF people sat on their hands and did not complain while Bush was asleep at the wheel, at least they should allow Obama an opportunity since he is trying to fix problems he inherited as well as take on other challenges. A lesser man would be trying to kick as much of this stuff down the road. You do not have to agree with a person to respect their efforts.
Lastly, there are limits to rights. No one has the right to do whatever they would like, especially when it affects other people.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey ,we better be watching very closely what obama does or does not do. Even though I did not vote for the man, I still want what's best for everybody concerned. I believe because he does have an addiction he can relate even more so to just what needs to be done. Most people hate it when they can't quit smoking. Yes,we are in a fine mess overseas and I do hope we can do everything we can to keep this ole world from blowing up. No matter what the cost! I wanted all our presidents,Democrat and Republicans to look out for us the same way. President Bush did his best and that's all we can expect from anybody we elect. I will always admire the man for doing what he thought was right at the time instead of going after popularity. That had to be a very hard thing for a career politician to do. After 9/11 we were keep safe and we still are as of now. We are broke but safe.
Posted by marinefrmntz (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 3:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bush did his best and it wasn't good enough. As far as the spending goes well freedom isn't free and neither is fixing a mess. You ever had somebddy mess up something so bad that you have to pay more to fix it. Well classic case of whats happening to our country and the mess that Obama was left. Now when he has to fix it people are saying it cost too much, what about the spending?? lol well what about the bodies in Iraq and Afghanstan, what about the billions spent there in that region by Bush. America falls apart and all the conservatives watch. All conservatives do is spend money abroad and not domestically. They are all hypocrites, thats why we wont see another Republican president for decades, yes even after Obama.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 6:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Dems have no problem spending our money,abroad or in America. What does it say when obama tells the people of Iran we will not tolorate their violence? What is he planning on doing about it? What does it say when our government is planning on stopping nuclear missiles from destroying the entire world? Or at least we are going to try,I hope. It says we want world peace at all cost.I just hope we are going to have enough money to keep the finest military in the world in top condition so they can do their job. I believe this is what President Bush was doing when we went to Iraq. Before you get your dander up, remember their were an awful lot of dems that voted for that war. They went with the information they had. Maybe it bought people a few years before the grand finale. I believe it is very possible a massive world war is in our horizen. Too much hate and too many power hungry people are in the world today for it not to happen. Maybe we have gotten too smart for our own good. When that day comes you will see American,just as you did on 9/11 standing together and being as one. It's what we do!
Posted by reneef (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 6:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This government is rapidly bring "sin taxes" to the forefront. This time it is smoking... but they are also thinking about soda's, fast food, sugar and alchol. Right now the non smokers are applauding him for this hit on smoking but I don't think they will be as happy when it hits on something they like.
In addition please consider the hit this is going to make to the economy. People certainly don't like smokers but they LOVE the taxes generated by the smokers and I don't mean just the taxes on the purchase of a pack...The decrease in smoking is going to cause a heavy hit to the tobacco growers which will effect their taxes and what about the employment of the people at the cig. manufacturers.
People need to wake up and realize that this is not going to effect just the smokers... and if you believe the increase in taxes is going to go to health care then just look at the gambling situation...those funds were suppose to go to education.
Posted by crackbaby (anonymous) on June 23, 2009 at 7:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The way this country is headed, with the Hollywood want to be law makers, by the time cigarettes are against the law, it may be legal to "smoke pot"? It wouldn't surprise me one bit.
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on June 24, 2009 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
CHANGE. YEA WE WANTED CHANGE!!!! BUT YOU RACISTS......................................OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT (YOUR PRESIDENT) OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! AND I LOVE IT. CHANGE IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE. ITS NOT BECAUSE OF CIGARETTES, TAXES OR ANYTHING ELSE. YOU DONT LIKE IT BECAUSE.........HE'S BLACK!!! POINT BLANK.........IF ANYBODY ELSE HAD DID OR SAID IT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST BILL PASSED SINCE........... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. OBAMA, OBAMA, OBAMA!!!!! I KNOW ONE THING WILL NEVA EVA CHANGE IS THE SMALL MINDS OF THIS RACISTS COUNTRY....... IT'S A NEW AGE. I'M JUST SICK OF THE DRAMA AND I'M NOT HAVEN'T IT. OBAMA, OBAMA, OBAMA!!!
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on June 24, 2009 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WOW! TALK ABOUT DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on June 24, 2009 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
IT IS WHAT IT IS!
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 12:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Chrissy/ You can have your Owhampy and your change! I hope you enjoy paying for it-have fun paying your dollars for it! People like you can't see past your "Nose"! Smoke yourself to Left Field!
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WHATEVA.... U DON'T KNOW ME. I DON'T SMOKE AND DON'T CARE. I'M PAYING FOR EVERYTHING FROM CIGARETTES I DON'T SMOKE TO BABIES I DON'T EVEN GIVE BIRTH TO....I'M SURE I'VE TAKIN CARE OF A COUPLE OF YOUR RELATIVES TOO. SO SHUT UP AND BE HAPPY. I'M PROBABLY PAYING FOR YOU! AND WHERE'S DOES THAT LEAVE ME IN ABOUT 30 YEARS...STILL PAYING!!!!!! POWER TO THE PEOPLE........OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT 2012!!!
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I like it when the Obama haters have to admit they stand up for NOT regulating the tobacco industry or tobacco use and THAT freedom becomes their rallying cry.
It is so cute to watch them lie and say that Democrats want to make tobacco illegal -- will treat tobacco like Republicans have always wanted to treat pot. Truth is, Democrats don't favor putting people in jail to get their way -- it's something about their soul that distinguishes them from conservatives and Republicans.
Sort of shows where their heart is. Drugs should be regulated by those that know about drugs.
Posted by yeahyeahyeah (anonymous) on June 26, 2009 at 1:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ChrissyLuv, I can tell by your messages that you are not very good in grammar and I'm sure where you work doesn't require it. Your taxes probably don't equal up to be that much so I'm sure your not paying for a lot. As far as in 30 years we will all be screwed because the Democrats will have used all our social security money by then. This is not a racist thing with me, its a democrat and a republican thing! Everyone keeps saying that you "whites" are mad because we have a "black" president; well who do you think voted him in? There is not enough blacks in this country to have done it on their own, so WOW that means the "whites" had to have the majority vote!!!! You do the figuring! I don't care what color you are as long as you get the job done, and spending trillions when we are broke does not get it done!!!!
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on June 26, 2009 at 6:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yeahyeahyeah........I AM A COLLEGE EDUCATED BLACK WOMAN........and yes I pay a hell of a lot of taxes..mAKING MORE MONEY THAN YOU'LL EVER SEE IN YOUR LIMITED LIFE ...I can tell by your choice of words that you are not black but that of ignorant so-called "super race" right? I can turn my grammar off and on depending on the circumstances surrounding the conversation. I have a choice, do you? (I DON'T HAVE TO IMPRESS ANYONE HONEY)Or is that tobacco you dip and spit on the sidewalks getting in the way...Oh i know you're that type that drags yourself up in my place of business, gives me a sob story about how you can't cope with the current economic sitiuations. All the time wanting me to up the dose of your Rx to suppress your urge to sit up late nights and exchange kiddy porn with your pitiful buddies..........Party on dude! I'll be waitin, laughin' and still chantin' OBAMA for President 2012!!! Love ya......................
And i thought this was about a anti-smoking bill..........See you at the next pressing issue..Thanks for the laugh :)
Posted by yeahyeahyeah (anonymous) on June 27, 2009 at 12:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ChrissyLuv..... You made yourself sound even more uneducated on that post! Not by your grammar but your thinking that I would have to come sob to you for anything! I'm fine with my life it's the government trying to run it that drives me insane! Your hilarious though!!! I'm also wondering why you think my life is limited? I know all of our lives are, but isn't that a given, so why you feel the need to mention it? I am also a COLLEGE EDUCATED WOMAN, does it matter what color I am? So, THANK YOU for the LAUGH!! By the way, you are the one that seems to be "ignorant" and not my so called "super race" as you call it. Whatever that means!!!!
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on June 27, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I didn't see anything yeahyeahyeah said that was either particularly racist or too inflamatory.
It is true that Obama's support was across many groups, so he is not exactly the nemesis of the super race. He is probably the nemesis of superracists of the superrace, though.
It is true that there are tax turtles out there of both races who hate taxes and blame them for their problems (I just work a little harder).
My take -- glad you asked , he,he! -- is that ChrissyLuv sounded a little like a populist redneck in the substance and syntax she used lambasting yeah,yeah.
But I would have to say that in class and substance Obama has already distinguished himself far above the Bush Klan and the most extreme of Obama's actions are directly needed to remedy the failures of Bush's no-tax big spending government. Democrats, -- like it or not -- have been distinguished as significantly more truthful than Republicans.
We are trying Democratic ways for a while -- and for the best of reasons -- there are no Republicans who can muster the support to use their old lines and old ways after us seeing what they did with the time they had.
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on June 27, 2009 at 7:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's a givin' you all stick together....whateva...opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one. I see that I ruffled your feathers , so you must be guilty of somethin'. NEXT!!!
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on June 27, 2009 at 8:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: ChrissyLuv publically apologizes if any opinions that were made offended anyone..........still I have my opinions just like everyone else so you just have to deal with it...or don't log in.....just like i said it was about a anti-smokin' bill and it got out of hand...i'm a democrat and will continue to be a democrat despite which way society may go....i want change and i'll fight to get it and keep it. The crack about the upin' your dose to supress your........i know who you are and it would be a HIPPA violation to continue with that subject. So hey, we don't have to be friends, neighbors or anything. I'll continue to voice my opinions and i'm sure you will too. So on to the next issue........OBAMA for president 2012!!!!!
Posted by minnae (anonymous) on June 28, 2009 at 7:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow!
Posted by dejavoodoo (anonymous) on June 28, 2009 at 10:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ChrissyLuv is a white male..."Party on Dude" gave it away.
Posted by marinefrmntz (anonymous) on June 29, 2009 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nothing but hate in Natchez. Who wants their child to smoke? Who really wants to smoke?? Now pot is different no one has died from it.
Posted by ChrissyLuv (anonymous) on July 1, 2009 at 11:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
STEREOTYPING......:>)
Posted by literaturelover (anonymous) on July 7, 2009 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow... So apparently a lot of people in Natchez are bored and have nothing better to do than argue? And on top of that, argue unintelligently? If you are going to spout your opinions off, at least make sense. Actually, all of you gave me a laugh.
Now, my opinion. I applaud the president for this bill. As for his habit, that is his right to waste his money away. Honestly though, I didn't even know that he smoked until I read this article. The important issue is the bill itself, which was a great move. I only hope that it works.
Posted by denecia08 (anonymous) on July 8, 2009 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OMG...this is a lot of confusion.I am an18 year old college student and I'm not focusing on grammar and mispelled words because its nonsense,my English teacher mess up all the time.Anyway,let us have our time to shine.I wouldn't say it was racist but its a proven fact some people don't like the fact that we have a BLACK PRESIDENT.Look at the president books,turn every page and what do you see WHITE,WHITE,WHITE,WHITE.Vice presidents what do you see WHITE,WHITE,WHITE,WHITE.Many people also wish slavery still existed.But the way I see it "IT WILL NEVER EXIST AGAIN",because finally blacks just as much power as whites.Can we come together for one time in our life?They talked all that about 40 acres and a mule,now look what he got 50 states,and the WHITE HOUSE.If he want to sign every bill in the world,he can because he got that power.I will loan him my $0.50 ink pen any day.I bet if he signed a bill to give every household an extra $10,000 every month wouldn't NO damn body be complaining.Get a grip on life and accept the fact OBAMA in there till 2012,and when next election roll around i'm going to still be screaming OBAMA...
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