From: carlp@frigg.isc-br.com (Carl Paukstis)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Just a Question
Date: 10 Jan 93 19:30:06 GMT
Organization: ISC-Bunker Ramo, An Olivetti Company

sorbrrse@rtsg.mot.com (Russell E. Sorber) writes:

>carlp@frigg.isc-br.com (Carl Paukstis) writes:
>>schwartz@nynexst.com (Steven Schwartz) writes:
>>
>>>On the news this morning:  Second-hand cigarette smoke has been
>>>"officially" classified as hazardous, in the same category as
>>>asbestos.
>>
>(Carl writes)
>>A political rather than scientific decision, as with ALL other effects
>>of the War on (Some) Drugs.  Remember the test strategy for Saccharin?

>Isn't saccharin still sold (with a warning)?

Saccharin is _again_ sold, after being illegal for many years,
because somebody finally realized that the original ban was stupid.

>carcinogen.  There are little if any use for second hand smoke

Indeed.  "Everything not required is forbidden".

>HISTORICAL NOTE:  
>Nazis are not known for their concern for life.  

They _are_ known for totalitarianism, propaganda, illogic,
draconian punishment all out of proportion to the offense, etc.  Much 
like Drug Warriors.  Fund enough studies, ignore the ones that
don't have the "right" conclusion, juggle a few statistics, and
you can have "evidence" to back up what you wanted to do anyway.
Make it a public virtue to behave the "right" way, get
advertisers and legal drug merchants to fund the Partnership for
a Truth-Free America, and sell your mission on network TV for $0.
Pretty soon "everybody knows" much that just ain't so.  And since
"everybody knows", they all goosestep perfectly toward a foregone
conclusion.

>Protection of Life Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness is an American idea.

And it's _so_ much fun when two or more of these come into
conflict with each other.

>[Illinois has got budget problems...]
>school districts for one month.   Imagine the nerve of
>Gov. Edgar in taking a few dollars away from a motorcycle education program!

"A few dollars" (hundreds of thousands) came out of a fund
collected exclusively FROM motorcyclists, supposed to be
exclusively FOR motorcyclist education.  The concept of having
those who need services pay for those services.  Gov. Edgar and
the legislature forgot that those dollars WEREN'T THEIRS TO
SPEND!  They were (should have been) property of people who have
IL motorcycle licenses; those people wanted them spent on rider
education and accident prevention.

The _point_ was that once you give money to the government, you
have absolutely no control over how it's spent, despite any
advance promises about the target of your money.

BTW - as someone else pointed out, the 2/93 American Motorcyclist
reports that the legislature overrode Edgar's veto, and those
funds will now be protected.  For now.  Hooray.  Remember the
quote "Neither life, liberty, nor property are safe when the
legislature's in session". [I don't recall the author.]

--
Carl Paukstis, RRR&RSG             |"The good news is that Clinton will have to
 Olivetti North America/Spokane,WA | work hard to do worse than Bush in terms
 Phone: +1 509 927-5439            | of economic policy.  The bad news is that
 Mail: carlp@mail.spk.olivetti.com | he will probably manage to do so"-Ed Ipser
Newsgroups: misc.consumers