Ohlemeyer's view not ridiculous

Thanks to a conscious CHOICE  when I was a teenager -

    and honest popular magazine articles ( " I Am Joe's Lungs " -

    Reader's Digest ) , I never became  a cigarette smoker .

            In vain  I urged my own father to quit. Smoking

    was a factor  , I believe, in his mortal illness . True

    enough,  tobacco is highly addictive - just as alcohol.

             Still I find myself oddly in agreement with

    William Ohlemeyer of Philip Morris that the recent

    Florida verdict  against the tobacco industry -

    $145-billion punitive damage award is rather outrageous

    ( USA TODAY ,July 17 ) .

             That sum of money is best invested in a national

    health care plan , not rewarded to  cigarette addicts

    out of sympathy for their plight.

            Imagine becoming almost prosperous as a result

    of life-long bad habits -  habits avoided by the brighter

    half of the nation !

           Also a jury in Florida has no right to redistribute

    the national wealth in a grand way. THAT must be done

    a little more democratically by -YES - BIG GOVERNMENT.

    And done a little more efficiently.

            I myself am addicted to the Welfare State. Loved

    THAT MAN - FDR !