I get the feeling that The State can do nothing useful or in the common interest. It is a sign of the total failure of our political leadership – what leadership? – that this joker ramadoss of the virtually unknown PMK party of Tamil Nadu is given free rein to bully the entire nation.
This time, the Health Dictator is going to impose a blanket ban on smoking indoors. This is a gross violation of the property rights of the owners. These decisions should be taken in the private sphere. In my book, this intrusion into private spaces should be struck down by the processes of judicial review.
The last Nizam of Hyderabad chain smoked locally made cheroots as an encouragement to his tobacco farmers. A recent report in The Economic Times says that business is booming for India's tobacco growers. All the increased demand in coming from China. There seems to be much more Liberty in communist China than socialist India. And for good reason too – for all the taxes on tobacco are funding the brand new superhighways the Chinese are building.
In India, the masses smoke beedis – and there is zero revenue. If taxes on cigarettes were lowered, many beedi smokers would switch to cigarettes – and revenues would soar. Then, there would be enough money to build highways all over the country – not just the much-touted Golden Quadrilateral. We could have superhighways coming out of our ears if The State governed sensibly instead of just tyrannizing the citizenry. Note that if the highways were built out of tobacco (and ganja) taxes, our lives would be better protected. Over 1 lakh people die on our pot-holed roads every year. Millions more are seriously injured. This is because of State Failure: The State owns the roads. In China, the number of road fatalities are coming down every year. The Chinese know what is the proper role of The State.
Enough of this state-sponsored violence against smokers. And jigger tobacco: I want ganja legalized.
I suggest a Smokers' Rally in New Delhi.
Let us all march to the Health Dictator's office smoking cigarettes, spliffs, chillums, beedis, hookahs, bongs… the lot.
And tell the joker to bugger off.
The healthy body was gotten by the strong spirit...
ReplyDeletedamn it..the good stuff just got washed away in the floods, i wont be able to make it to the ganja rally this time.
ReplyDeleteWe are, as parents are very happy what HM has done for smoking. I am told in the US people shows hatred to persons smoking. I think public should be awakened to opine
ReplyDeleteand show disrespect to persons who neglect not only his\her health but also to the onlookers\neighbours .
this public opinion. would be more effective to stop smoking of all kinds.I hate person who smoke.
Dear Archana,
ReplyDeleteYou have every right to hate the person who smokes. You can even show hatred or disrespect. But in that case, you should be prepared to take in all the hatred and disrespect from the person you are giving it to.
It is nobody's business what I do. Whether I smoke, drink, or do whatever I want with my mind and body on my property, given that I am not hurting someone else in the process.
And what our HM is doing, is simply taking away all our rights we are born with.
Just for the record, I do not smoke or drink.
Thanks.
if libertarians insist on constantly mentioning ganja and prostitution, i am afriad they will be in danger of being typecast as the libertine party.
ReplyDeletethere are a lot of other freedoms we have lost and we could focus on them for now. n'est pas?